A review by nathanaeljs
Fantastic Four, Volume 2: Road Trip by Andrew Hennessey, Mark Farmer, Edgar Delgado, Paul Mounts, Mark Bagley, José Villarrubia, Joe Rubinstein, Matt Fraction, Clayton Cowles, Rain Beredo, André Lima Araújo
3.0
In the second volume of the Fraction relaunch of Fantastic Four, the original Four plus Valeria and Franklin are still randomly voyaging through time and space. Each issue is set in a different time and place, ranging from the beginning of the universe to the very end. Banter abounds, but the plot is thin.
I've really enjoyed Fraction's work on other Marvel titles, Hawkeye in particular, and I did enjoy this volume. However, it is not a Fantastic Four run that I can see being considered an indispensable part of the reading canon. That isn't to say that it's terrible or not worth reading at all. Fraction has a great grasp of the characters and the banter between Valeria and Franklin and Johnny and Ben makes for a fun read. There are some great story ideas, like Ben using his one day as a human for that year to go back in time and protect Yancy Street from mobsters and the unexpected fate of Julius Caesar. There is the barest hint of a story arc, in the form of the disease killing Reed. The problem though is that this is really not elaborated on. Reed never seems to actually work on solving the problem. When it is brought up, it's either in the form of Reed feeling guilty for keeping it a secret from the others or Sue being angry with him for keeping the secret. For Reed's life literally being on the line, as well as possibly the rest of the team, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of urgency there. Ultimately, this lack of a solid arc leaves each issue feeling disconnected, reminding me more of the sadly cancelled A+X than the typical ongoing Fantastic Four series.
I've really enjoyed Fraction's work on other Marvel titles, Hawkeye in particular, and I did enjoy this volume. However, it is not a Fantastic Four run that I can see being considered an indispensable part of the reading canon. That isn't to say that it's terrible or not worth reading at all. Fraction has a great grasp of the characters and the banter between Valeria and Franklin and Johnny and Ben makes for a fun read. There are some great story ideas, like Ben using his one day as a human for that year to go back in time and protect Yancy Street from mobsters and the unexpected fate of Julius Caesar. There is the barest hint of a story arc, in the form of the disease killing Reed. The problem though is that this is really not elaborated on. Reed never seems to actually work on solving the problem. When it is brought up, it's either in the form of Reed feeling guilty for keeping it a secret from the others or Sue being angry with him for keeping the secret. For Reed's life literally being on the line, as well as possibly the rest of the team, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of urgency there. Ultimately, this lack of a solid arc leaves each issue feeling disconnected, reminding me more of the sadly cancelled A+X than the typical ongoing Fantastic Four series.