FANTASTIC FOUR 1234 #3 (of 4)

By: Tony Whitt
Date: Tuesday, October 09, 2001

At first it sounds like a dream book: Grant Morrison (current writer of NEW X-MEN and former writer of JLA) working with hot artist Jae Lee (SENTRY) to tell a story about the FF's greatest foes teaming up to bring the family to its knees. Morrison promised a more dysfunctional take on the FF than we've seen before, and who could resist a book that gives us Doctor Doom and the Mole Man and the Sub-Mariner reverted to his old wife-stealing ways? Given the abilities of this writer and this artist, and the potential in this story, this book should have been one of the best all year. So what happened?

Reading FANTASTIC FOUR 1234 is like reading bits of EARTH X all over again, even though those events have not yet occurred. There's a curious sense of déjà vu hanging over this story, and maybe it comes from the sense of vastness the book tries to invoke. I use the word "tries" because in attempting to make a vast, huge story, Morrison and Lee unfortunately create a vast, huge mess.

Granted, there are some astonishing moments in the story, such as Lee's depiction of a giant Doom servitor robot destroying a ship in New York Harbor, or a Mole Man more disgusting than we've ever seen before menacing a helpless Alicia Masters and threatening to gouge out Johnny's eyes. Perhaps it's Jose Villarrubia's use of dark colors in an attempt to show the team going through an all-too literal hellbut whereas Lee's artwork on SENTRY set an otherwise dull story on fire, the art here makes the story far too dark in a literal sense, and too murky to clarify Morrison's script.

Sadly, the script really needs that clarity. This issue is relatively low on action, so the entire book is made up of lengthy scenes in which Namor attempts to convince Sue (yet again) that she belongs with him, or in which the Mole Man argues with Namor over their alliance. When the action scenes come, especially the moment of Namor's decision, they're brief and (again) too murky for us to make out just what's happened. Almost everyone's dialogue is stilted as Morrison attempts an epic style, and almost everything rings false. It's especially annoying to read an entire issue featuring the FF in which no one actually does anything, or is very successful at it when they try.

As for Morrison's desire to make us look at the FF in a new way, he's succeededbut I wouldn't say it's a total success.

FANTASTIC FOUR 1234

Grade: C

Issue: No. 3 (of 4)

Author(s): Grant Morrison, Jae Lee, Jose Villarrubia

Publisher:  Marvel Comics

Price: $2.99