Fantastic Four Week: Revisiting ‘Fantastic Four: Solve Everything’
by Tony Thornley
I talked at the beginning of the week about some of the definitive creators across the history of the Fantastic Four. There’s probably only a few as impactful though as writer Jonathan Hickman, and I revisited his first story to see how it holds up.
The collection Solve Everything- collecting Fantastic Four #570-574- introduces readers to Hickman’s high adventure, super-science heavy take on the Fantastic Four alongside Dale Eaglesham, Neil Edwards, Paul Mounts, and Rus Wooten.
In the first story arc, Reed Richards is offered a role among the multiversal Council of Reeds, a group of, well, himselves determined to make the universe better, no matter what it takes. He soon learns the cost of joining and has to face if he can pay it. Then, Ben and Johnny go on vacation, but for the Four, it’s never that simple, and Franklin’s birthday turns into something much darker than they could ever expect…
Before Hickman’s run, the Four had sort of lost their way. Though Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo left the series at a creative high, the three runs in-between were mired in crossover nonsense or favored spectacle over substance. This is just as much a mission statement as it is a story. Hickman says “these are the greatest adventurers in the Marvel Universe, and this is why you should care.”
The Council of Reeds is a fascinating first focus. Starting as an examination of what Reed could actually do, we start to learn that these alternate Reeds as actually the story’s antagonists. They’re corrupt and morally bankrupt, and they end up that way because they cast their family aside, leading Reed to leave the council and end the story embracing what he holds dearest- his wife.
The following two stories show how much Hickman gets the team’s universe, focusing on Ben and Johnny, and then the kids. He plays with their characters while also examining some crazy science fiction concepts. Too many fans have said that Hickman doesn’t know how to write character beats in favor of high-concept plots, and this story simply proves that wrong.
Really the biggest problem with the writing is that Sue doesn’t get a spotlight in the trade, which I know is solved in the next story arc. Plus, Hickman does use an extremely outdated and ableist slur in one issue, which is always jarring to see. It’s a great refocus and mission statement.
Eaglesham and Edwards turn in breathtaking art throughout. Both artists heavily lean into crazy Jack Kirby style tech, while keeping their identities. Eaglesham is able to do some great things with character acting, adding a lot of depth to the cosmic bombast of the Council of Reeds. Edwards has a great bouncy quality to his art, which fits really well for the slightly more standard superhero-y stories he draws.
Without a doubt, this story holds up incredibly well (except for those two panels in the final issue where Valeria uses a slur). This is a volume that absolutely should be handed to any fan trying to “get” the Fantastic Four.
