Volume 31: Fantastic Four: Authoritative Action

Fantastic Four: Authoritative Action

Author: Mark Waid  |  Illustrators: Howard Porter / Norm Rapmund

"But let's not do th' right thing the wrong way–"

Note: Even though this post is dated just a few days after the previous one (Volume 30), in reality about three months have passed since I read both books. That's not usually a problem because my method is to write and schedule for later, except I forgot to write Part Two until now. Doh! Consequently, I've probably forgotten much of what I wanted to say, but I'll do the best that I can. :/

It becomes clear that the clean-up process after a tyrant is defeated doesn't stop when the villain is out of the picture; and that the change in control affects not just the new powers but also the citizens for whom the previous rule had become their way of life, for good or ill. Change can be difficult even when it seems to be favourable.

Doctor Doom's parting gift to Reed weighs heavily on the stretchy hero's soul; he's more short-tempered, less jovial. When the balance that exists between Reed the man and Reed the superhero is thrown out of sync, when the man is deeply troubled by feelings that are difficult to shake once they surface, then the whole package suffers.

It births dangerous questions: How far would you go to keep your family safe? Would you stop at preventing actual threats, or attempt to justify moving further afield to extinguish potential threats? What would you do to the world? What would you do to yourself? Those kinds of tough questions are what make the book most memorable.

Also of note is seeing how the remainder of the team deal with the difficult change in their leader. It's all well and good to say that as family we should support one another through thick and thin, but there's a line of acceptability that must be acknowledged, and it's one that may be placed differently for each individual.

I wasn't a fan of the real-world political references, the inconsistency in the art was distracting, and I'm not sure how I feel about the book's final chapter, but overall it's another strong Fantastic Four book that will remain in my collection.

The book collects together Fantastic Four #503-511.

Verdict: