
In the spirit of brevity, I shall keep this simple. Jonathon Hickman, at this very moment, is producing what will go down in history as one of the great
Fantastic Four runs, right up there with Lee and Kirby, Byrne, and Waid and Weiringo. Here are five reasons why.
1. Reed Is Actually More Than Just a Brain- He's also a man-of-action, just like he was back in the 1960's. At some point though, Marvel started writing Reed as the world's biggest introverted nerd, to the point you kind of didn't understand why a hottie like Sue perpetually chose him over Namor. Hickman has returned Reed to his roots though, smartest guy on the planet to be sure, but also a guy that even if he couldn't stretch would very surely kick your ass. Hell, just check out the kick-ass five o'clock shadow.
2. Instead of Just Fighting Super Villains, They're Out There Exploring The Unknown- Which you think they would be consistently doing, since that's kind of their mission statement. Sure, sure, Doctor Doom needs spanked from time to time, but their best moments where when they were discovering The Negative Zone, discovering lost civilizations, and traveling to the farthest reaches of the cosmos on a lark. Hickman has brought all that back. In the last two issues alone, the team has made contact with sentient moloids and entered into talks with a new underwater civilization that thinks it's Atlantis (Namor shan't be too pleased by this).
3. Sue Is Believably Effectual- Over the years, writers have struggled with what to do with Sue Richards. Is she nurturing mother? Is she a gun-toting cougar? Is she a battered house wife? People just don't know. Hickman has made her the perfect balance to the powerful personality that is Reed Richards. Not only does Hickman portray her as the grounding force of the team, but also as the silent leader. Sure, Reed may make the big calls, but it's Sue that briefs the team on the particulars of each mission. She also runs the day-to-day business of the Fantastic Four, distributes grant money, finances other people's exhibitions and makes sure The FF don't turn into broke dick dogs. And when the human race needs a public face when dealing with a new civilization? Sue's your go-to woman for that too.
4. Franklin and Valeria Aren't Annoying- Let's be honest; for the last 40 odd years, Franklin Richard has been a Goddamn albatross. If he's not being kidnapped by the villain of the month, he's God-like powers are threatening to tear the cosmos asunder. And Valeria? Can anyone give an accurate account of just where the hell she came from? But under Hickman, the kids act like, well, kids. They do things kids would do if their parents were the world's greatest heroes and actually have fun doing it. They contribute to the family dynamic and many of the actual adventures without just being human plot devices.
5. Old Stories Aren't Being Retold- I get that everyone wants to play in the house that Stan and Jack built and do their own riffs on the old classics. I'd want to do the same. But that writing mentality just makes a book stagnant. On the other hand, go to far in the other direction and fans are left feeling cold and alienated. Hickman has found the perfect happy place, giving all the right nods to the classics while doing all kinds of new stuff. Like when Reed joined up with a consortium of Reeds from the multiverse, their were appearances by Galactus and the Infinity Gauntlet, but the story itself was new and to be honest, cool as all get out.
Which is, really, what Hickman's entire run so far has been; cool as all get out.