FF #10
Written By: Matt Fraction Art By: Mike AllredFF #10 is an absolute pleasure from beginning to end, and is simply the kind of comic book that everyone should be reading. It’s so strange and unique, but grounds some truly endearing characters. To add to it all, this week gets meta, with appearances from the actual creators of the book!
Editor Tim Brevoort, writer Matt Fraction and artist Mike Allred are major players in the main plot of this issue as Marvel Comics creators (hey, that’s like real life!) who want to adapt the FF’s adventures. While they reference double-shipping and criticize the story’s climax, the top comedic moment goes to Fraction’s subtle gawking at She-Hulk.
Traveling microscopically in a Fantastic Voyage style adventure, Allred returns this issue to capture the abstract absurdity of the locale. Though already ridiculous and awesome, the plot heats up when a tiger is on the loose to attack the team. The image of the tiger leaping at the FF, with Brevoort, Fraction and Allred, is now forever engrained as one of the greatest panels I could’ve never dreamed up.
Handling such a large ensemble cast is difficult, but Fraction manages to slip in peripheral development, like the Alex Power/Doom plot.
Fraction and Allred introduce Max Whittman, a new enigmatic villain, in the subplot. While the “20 questions” scenario with the FF kids was amusing, their funniest moment has to be the scene where they stand together on the roof. The repetition of similar panels, with a slight difference in blocking to create awkwardness, is prime comedy from Allred.
As the book describes itself within it’s own pages, it’s “FF-y” – weird, clever and unlike any other superhero team comic on the stands. FF #10 is no different, and if anything, amps up the oddity.
