I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot of the backstory here; I’m just sort of going with the flow. Prior to Issue 583, I hadn’t ever read Fantastic Four regularly. So, everything I know leading up to this issue is from the recap page at the front. Apparently, The Thing has some sort of potion that can make him human again for a week; Sue Storm is joining Namor for a diplomatic meeting; and the corpse of Galactus that showed up at the end of the previous issue is from an alternate future. Okay, then.

The focus of this issue is the newly-human Ben Grimm. He has a week to live as a normal person again, and Johnny Storm is helping him make the most of it. I absolutely loved this entire sequence; there are some fantastic character moments and Epting captures the mood perfectly. The best panel in this comic has to be their dinner with “old friends,” none other than Stan Lee and Jack Kirby making cameo appearances in the comic they created. It all ends with a very touching scene with his long-time love interest Alicia Masters. It looks like the Human Torch is a pretty nice guy, setting all this up for his best friend.

The issue ends on an awesome, though confusing note. The version of Galactus that Silver Surfer discovered was from the future, yet died in the present. I may have to look into some back issues to figure this whole thing out, though maybe Reed Richards will be offering up an explanation in the next issue.

All in all, I absolutely loved this issue in every way, though I’m a little unsure how far it advances the overall plot. Hickman’s writing on this and other titles has been near-universally praised, and there’s nothing here that makes me think he doesn’t have a plan, so I’m sure it will all come together soon. Also, the heavy character development of The Thing may lead many to believe he’s the character being killed off, but don’t be surprised if it’s a red herring.

Fantastic Four Issue 584: “Three, Part 2: Congratulations, Mister Grimm. You’re handsome again!”
Marvel Comics
Story: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Steve Epting, Paul Mounts