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by **Ntikrst** » Sat May 19, 2012 3:13 pm

I'm considering getting caught up on some FF, but I keep reading disparaging things about Hickman's run.

Any fans or haters want to share their insight?

What does he get right and where does he totally miss the boat?

by **spidertour02** » Sat May 19, 2012 3:25 pm

Hickman has a tendency to throw a lot of ideas and plots on the table but not resolve them. I got tired of his half-stories and dropped the book about a year into his run.

by **Victorian Squid** » Sat May 19, 2012 3:31 pm

It's a mix, but if you like the FF you should read it.

by ****** » Sat May 19, 2012 3:32 pm

by ****** » Sat May 19, 2012 3:33 pm

spidertour02 wrote:Hickman has a tendency to throw a lot of ideas and plots on the table but not resolve them. I got tired of his half-stories and dropped the book about a year into his run.

You dropped it less than a third of the way in and didn't get any resolution? Shocking.

by **Zero** » Sat May 19, 2012 3:34 pm

I, however, stuck with the title long enough to get to the end of most of his plots. If you read it from the beginning up to the recent .1 issue then you'll have a long, satisfying story with lots of big moments and lots of heart. The story has really been one long arc rather than a bunch of connected ones and while there have been a fair number of done-in-one stories everything slotted together like a big Jack Kirby jigsaw. It's as good as it was when Waid and Ringo were on it, although not quite as light hearted and the art has been a fairly mixed bag unfortunately.

He nails the characters. Honestly none of them are written out of sync with how we'd like them and everyone has had a few moments in the sun. He's made me care a hell of a lot about the kids and even his ancillary characters like Dragon Man and Crystal have had things to do. The villains have been interesting, the use of guest stars has been solid and the stunt death in the middle is used as a catalyst for real change in the title that has stuck well so far.

it's not flawless though. It's a long story, it covers a lot of comics and if you really need plot threads to end somewhere in the middle of it you're barking up the wrong tree. Additionally the balance between the leads isn't always there. Ben and Sue have had less to do than Franklin and Val, and even Reed's father has had more focus than Sue I'd guess.

by **spidertour02** » Sat May 19, 2012 3:36 pm

amlah6 wrote:You dropped it less than a third of the way in and didn't get any resolution? Shocking.

I'm not paying $3.99 for a tiny fraction of a story that will take years to complete. :roll:

If you want to read some FF, go with much better runs like Lee/Kirby, Byrne, and Waid/Wieringo.

by **chap22** » Sat May 19, 2012 4:55 pm

Speaking as someone who disparaged the run for most of the middle act for being too heavy on seemingly random ideas and way WAY too light on the actual characters and amiy dynamics that are necessary for a good FF run, if you like the FF and you have the wherewithal to expend the funds and invest the time into a long run like this, then yes it is absolutely positively worth getting. By the end, Hickman brought it all together to create a run worthy of being mentioned with the greats, a fittingly fabulous foursome of FF runs: Stan/Jack, Byrne, Waid/Ringo, and now Hickman.

by **BubbaKanoosh** » Sat May 19, 2012 5:19 pm

I really like it. I love long arcs.

Things getting resolved every 4-6 issues get formulaic.

by **Chris** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:15 pm

amlah6 wrote:
You dropped it less than a third of the way in and didn't get any resolution? Shocking.

Indicative of the "written for the trade" mentality of writers and readers of the last decade..

This book is how it SHOULD be, and how it used to be done.. seed your arcs with future plot pieces, and come back to them at a later point. Not every plot point has to be a 6 issue story arc that is wrapped up neatly so they can sell a TPB.

Hickman's run is full of ideas and plot points spinkled throughout. It's meant to be looked at as a whole run, not individual issues or arcs. He writes for the big picture.

Granted, it's understandable that with prices being what they are that may not be everyone's cup o' tea.. but if even the biggest Hickman hater like Chap can come around on it, I think it's worth the investment.

by **Apache Chef** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:22 pm

Absolutely yay.

Not only is his mega-arc great, but some of the single issues stories lately have been some of my favorite ff comics ever. Johnny and spidey as roommates, Ben throughout the future, and the recent Reed from Nazi world issues are just amazing.

by **Chris** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:26 pm

Apache Chef wrote:Ben throughout the future

I really really loved that ish.

by **BubbaKanoosh** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:32 pm

Holland Oats wrote:
Indicative of the "written for the trade" mentality of writers and readers of the last decade..

This book is how it SHOULD be, and how it used to be done.. seed your arcs with future plot pieces, and come back to them at a later point. Not every plot point has to be a 6 issue story arc that is wrapped up neatly so they can sell a TPB.

Hickman's run is full of ideas and plot points spinkled throughout. It's meant to be looked at as a whole run, not individual issues or arcs. He writes for the big picture.

Granted, it's understandable that with prices being what they are that may not be everyone's cup o' tea.. but if even the biggest Hickman hater like Chap can come around on it, I think it's worth the investment.

Everything the the Queen said us truth.

by **habitual** » Sat May 19, 2012 6:33 pm

spidertour02 wrote:Hickman has a tendency to throw a lot of ideas and plots on the table but not resolve them. I got tired of his half-stories and dropped the book about a year into his run.

Actually if you'd stuck with the whole run you would've seen everything resolved.

It's one of the best runs on FF that I've ever read so yay.

Hab

by **Amoebas** » Sat May 19, 2012 7:05 pm

At the beginning, the book was either about Reed or this crap fake Earth thing that Millar came up with. I want the Fantastic FOUR - not Fantastic One, Two or Three. And then there's Val. I swear every panel she was in I wanted to slap her. Horrible character.

Hickman's 'moments' are really gimmicks like Johnny's death (that NOBODY bought) or other characters dying just to be reborn 10 minutes later.

But he gets bonus points for having kids in the book call each other 'retard'. Now that's what I call hip and modern writing!