Comic Pants Best of the Week 8/30/09

Every week a slew of books grace the shelves of our local comic shops, some good, some bad and some that simply land in the middle of the road, straddling that meh feeling of indifference. Still, it seems every week has that "gem" that really reminds you why you love comics. Now, it might be a single issue that really was a standout, something that went above and beyond or it could be a graphic novel (be it original or reprint) that was simply a blast to read. That's what this feature represents: A release that has captured our attention. As always, we want to hear what your favorite book of the past week was as well.

This week's Best Of is: Fantastic Four #570.

Fantastic Four #570
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Dale Eaglesham
Company: Marvel Comics

This week there were literally a dozen books that I could have picked. Guardians for it's surprising and utterly cool ending. Nova for being...Well, Nova. Green Lantern for it's hardcore action and the out of the box fight between Sinestro and Carol Ferris. Or maybe Detective Comics for the beautiful and always jaw dropping artistic prowess of JH Williams III. But nope, I went with FF. Why? Because I am an FF fan at heart and it fills me with great joy to actually read an issue that shines like a beacon of awesome and hits every note that you could hope for.

For those who may not know who Jonathan Hickman is, he's the co-writer of the new series Secret Warriors. He's also done things like Nightly News and Pax Romana, which are a bit off the beaten path from anything even in the neighborhood of superheroes. Truth be told, while I do enjoy Hickman's writing, he can occasionally be too wordy and get bogged down in the details. With FF though, he finds a nice balance that fuses the scientific world that he obviously loves with the high adventure that Fantastic Four should always have. Because of that fusion, we get a neat reinterpretation of The Wizard, great bantering between Johnny and Ben, high concepts that feel right in the wheelhouse of what you want, and a Reed Richards that is exciting (which is no simple feat).

On the flipside, the art, provided by Dale (Justice Society of America) Eaglesham, is just as fantastic as the story. I will say that at first the bulked up Reed and Johnny seemed a might strange, but you get used to it, and really there is a veritable island's worth of other things to enjoy. His attention to the small details that sometimes get overlooked: The way that he doesn't just write off the backgrounds and instead makes them a treasure trove for the mind and eye, the ability to capture an emotion with such clarity and elicit a real response from the reader, and really, just the way he makes the action and adventure pop. These are the markings of a truly talented artist, one that bears watching out for.

In the end, I haven't been this satisfied with an issue of Fantastic Four since Mark Waid first came onto the book. Seek this one out. I guarantee you'll be entertained.