Its been teased for months. The story has been building for a year and a half. Did Fantastic Four #587 deliver? Well I am of two minds about this. Lets start with the bad. Everything about this whole ordeal not having to deal with the actual issue itself has seemed pointless and over hyped. Originally announced that the issue itself will come in a polybag sporting the “3” logo so as to not spoil the “surprise” of who was going to die was sort of cool to me, even though it was a blatant rip off of another super-hero death from not too long ago. Then you make that whole idea moot by having the big press circus spoiling it before anyone has had a chance to read it. That actually annoyed me to no end. Marvel, you really need to stop with the hype machine.  However if all the bad I can get out of this is just an annoyance then thats ok.

When it comes to this issue the good far outweighs the bad! This story which Hickman has been crafting since he started his run on this book has been pretty fantastic, pun intended. The concepts and ideas introduced in his run make me believe that not only does Hickman think outside the box, he cuts the tape, breaks it down, and constructs a whole new box. Not only has he mangaged to make me do a Keanu-like “Whoa” with all of his concepts in this book, but he has taken these characters which I’ve only mildly cared about in the past and made me absolutely love them. The story of “3” has focused on the team which has been taking care of separate crisis happening simultaneously.

Susan Richards has been acting as a sort of ambassador mediating between “Old Atlantis” and Prince Namor’s kingdom. Namor being his stubborn self wants to go to war with “Old Atlantis.” Susan becomes Queen of “Old Atlantis” and puts Namor in his place saying that they are under her protection.

Reed on the other hand is trying to resolve a situation on Nu-Earth. Introduced in Mark Millar’s run on FF, Nu-Earth is an artificial planet created for humanity to live on when Earth eventually dies. It is powered by the dead husk of Galactus from the future. Silver Surfer, who is once again herald to Galactus, discovers this and is not pleased. His master is even less pleased and moves to destroy Nu-Earth giving Reed little time to save anyone from its destruction.

The last bit of this story is the real meat and potatoes. It is an awesome buddy story of the Thing and the Human Torch. It starts with Ben Grimm taking a serum which allows him to return to human form for one week a year. Johnny decides to take Ben out for the time of his life. If you could describe their relationship in one word it would be “Bro-Mance.” Their good times are interrupted  when a new Annihilation Wave starts to invade from the negative zone through the portal located in the Baxter Building. To close the portal it needs to be closed from the terminal located on the other side of the portal in the Negative Zone. Johnny ends up being the one to make that sacrifice as he tosses Ben back through the portal and closes it behind him. Uttering, for presumably the last time, his catch phrase “Flame On” he takes on the the entire Annihilation Wave only to be massively overwhelmed.

Now when it comes to death in comics people, including myself, are always of the mindset “Oh its comics they’ll be back in no time.” Now that may be the case here as Johnny’s “Death” isn’t very clear, we just see him get caught up in the onslaught of Annihilus’s army. However I don’t care. I don’t care if there is a death, or a resurrection, or if he’s only presumed dead. I thought he had the heroes death he deserves, even if its not clear if he is really dead.  If the writing stays as good as this I will keep buying into this. The series will end with issue #588, but Hickman is helming a new series titled “FF” that is slated to start up in March. I highly recommend reading this story as my description is only a bare bones synopsis. Actually go pick up the trades collecting Hickman’s run, there are three of them out right now which leads up to this last story and I promise you won’t be disappointed!