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Fantastic Four: Foes #1
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Cliff Rathburn
Publisher: Marvel Comics
3.50 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by John L. Daniels Jr
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Robert Kirkman writes this whimsical tale from the perspective of the villains. The story is very imaginative and brings out all the personalities of the villains as well as the everyday life of the famous family living at the Baxter Building.
The Puppet Master holds a meeting with every known villain available who was defeated by the Fantastic Four in the past. He suggests combining their forces and coming up with a master plan to defeat them once and for all. Needless to say they look astonished at the Puppet Master's ranting and raving and the troops walk out on the meeting. Only one remains; it’s the Mad Thinker. The real plan was to have all the various villains in one room to secretly collect their DNA and apply it to the mind control powers of the Puppet Master who would control the villains at his will.
When the Puppet Master visits his daughter Alicia, who just by chance happens to be The Thing's girlfriend, Puppet Master tries to persuade her to help him with his maniacal plan. Ben Grimm overhears Alicia's scream and calls the rest of the Fantastic Four members. By the time the team arrives The Thing has cleaned house with the Puppet Master and Devil Man.
The dialogue and panels depict a normal lifestyle for the Fantastic Four: The Thing eating breakfast with the kids, Sue Richards taking Franklin to school in the Fantasticar, and Johnny Storm mentioning he can't remember the name of the girl he is dating that night. Everyday lifestyle (no action) seems to be also depicted in soothing blue artwork in the panels.
This was a very enjoyable book. I enjoyed the artwork by Cliff Rathburn. His panels reminded me of cartoon celluloids used in animation. The art was crisp and open; not too much inking detail was used. The panels of the meeting with Puppet Master ranting and the villains walking out were funny. Their expressions captured the moment. There was not any action in this story, but this is just the beginning of the story line. Hopefully we will experience a lot more action in future issues. The idea of presenting the story from the villains' perspective, seeing how they feel and to what tasks they can put their criminal minds is good.
I give this comic book a 3.5 rating. Good story with plenty to build on, and good art for presenting the expressions of the vast library of villains.
—CCdC— Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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