Cosmic Delight: Fantastic Four #527

Some of you may have heard about this little comic called Fantastic Four. Back when they were created by some guys named Lee and Kirby, they kinda started the whole Marvel Universe and put Marvel, as a company, on the map. It's about these four people who get exposed to Cosmic Rays and get amazing (or possibly "fantastic") powers, and decide to use their powers to help people, save the universe, etc. Oh, there is apparently a movie coming out over the summer based on these guys too. Does that ring a bell?

OK, all kidding aside, no comic book fan worthy of the name doesn't know about the FF. They are Marvel's First Family and, in the right hands, their adventures can make for fantastic, exciting, and just-plain-fun reading. At their best, the FF can truly live up to Stan Lee's hype as "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine." When these great characters are hooked up with a great writer/artist team, fans better pay attention.

Fantastic Four # 527 marks the start of a promising new era for the team. J. Michael Straczynski (AKA:JMS), the much-loved and sometimes controversial writer of Amazing Spider-Man, Supreme Power, Midnight Nation, and loads of other good stuff, takes over the writing duties with this issue. JMS is known for writing great stories and for finding new ideas to explore with long-running characters. Those elements are definitely in place with his first issue of FF.

In fact, all the elements of a great FF story are here. Readers get just a hint of what life would be like with a brain as super-smarty-smart as Reed Richards. We get humor, family dynamics in action, some big sci-fi ideas, and just a hint of adventure to come. JMS' great story is well-served by excellent art from Mike McKone. The characters look great, Reed's science-gizmos are cool, and even the quieter moments are visually stunning.

This is your chance to get in at the start of a new era for the Fantastic Four. If you don't try out FF #527, Johnny will give you a hot-foot, Ben will clobber you, Reed will be appalled by your ignorance, and Sue will... um, probably put up a force field to protect you from that abuse. Anyway, buy FF #527 now while it is the guaranteed Book of the Week. It's cosmic, dude!