FANTASTIC FOUR #579 (2010): 1st Future Foundation

One thing writer Jonathan Hickman is doing that I really like is that each issue of this series is self-contained, like nearly all of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s initial 100 issues on this book. (There’s a lot I like about Hickman’s run, by the way. This is just one thing.) At the same time, he honors the modern style of developing more complex narrative through-lines, so the stories are never simple and regular readers are rewarded. This issue starts with Reed Richards at the “Singularity Conference,” which is an annual gathering of wealthy scientists and global planners. He expresses the need for a new vision–a vision of Earth being part of a universe full of beings who work together. This is another thing Hickman is doing that is different and fantastic: He seems to actually be able to think like a guy who has Reed’s experiences and intellect. Under Hickman, Reed is voracious, arrogant, curious, and always many steps ahead of everyone else. In short, Reed figures out the need for a group of kids to outsmart the smartest scientists in the world. But he could only have done it by being a smug shithead. After returning home, Reed realizes what he needs to do to “walk the walk” of his...