8.0

Comics Bulletin - Dave Wallace Dec 2, 2004

Whilst Ellis never really manages to grab me with the big plot points or techno-babble (I enjoyed Mark Millars throwaway approach to the FFs gadgets in his recent Wolverine issue, but concentrating on this element of the team for too long just leaves me a little uninterested), you have to hand it to him that he writes some excellent character moments for all four of the characters here. I love his continuing sci-fi-science approach to the groups powers, with his explanation for Johnnys flame power here seeming so plausible you could almost believe it if you saw it on the discovery channel. I hope that this character-first approach becomes the model for Ellis run on the title, instead of again descending into the slightly hollow and ill-conceived theatrics that made the last arc feel a little insubstantial. Art, story and writing all score highly here, and this is one of the best issues of the title yet, giving me renewed hope for the series potential. Read Full Review
8.0

Comics Bulletin - Jason Cornwell Dec 1, 2004

I have to say that while I am a fan of Adam Kubert's past work, this issue's effort struck me as being extra impressive, as the work took on a more polished, well-defined appearance, and there seemed to be a greater attention to detail on the page. I also have to give the art full marks for its take on the Thing, as there's several panels where one can't help but be impressed by the level of detail that has been offered up to capture Ben's rocky exterior. The art also does some lovely work when it comes to delivering the Kirby tech moment, as we see Reed demonstrate his hovering robot hula hoop. There's also a cute little reaction sequence where we see various characters reacting to Reed's mad scientist routine, and the reveal shot of a soot covered Reed made me smile, as it perfectly captured the youthful nature of the character. The reactions of the rest of the team to Reed's final page statement was also a fun visual. Read Full Review