Fantastic Four #561 Cover

Wrapping up their second arc of their soon-to-be-legendary run on Fantastic Four, Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch released issue 561 of Fantastic Four this week. And let me tell you, as expected, they finished things off with a bang. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you know I have a serious passion for this creative team’s run on this book. They are doing an outstanding job and I really hope they never leave (though, I know they will).

You may recall that we are finishing off the Death of the Invisible Woman arc this month. You also may remember that last month, we were left with the shocking realization that the Richards’ new nanny is none other than Sue Richards herself, from the future. On top of this, we find out that this group of time-traveling “superheroes”, known as the New Defenders, plan to use Johnny Storm and Doctor Doom to power an inert Galactus to bring all 8 billion people from the future to the present. Damn. How will this all end? Well, you will have to pick up the issue to find out, but hit the break and I’ll tell you if this issue is worth buying (hint: it is!).

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Fantastic Four #560 Cover

That crazy Scot is at it again! You know I am talking about Mark Millar. And what he is at is Fantastic Four #560. Somehow, despite having a ton of books out right now, he manages to pump out issue after issue of pure, comic book gold. This month’s Fantastic Four is no exception.

Last month (or however long it was. Delays are not fun), our fearless foursome had all kinds of craziness going on. Johnny Storm had just gotten captured by the New Defenders and he and Dr. Doom were all set up to power a out of commission Galactus. On top of this, the Richards have a new nanny that is not all of what she seems.

After the jump, I’ll explain why I have a man-crush on Mark Millar and how it seems like he has a much broader plan in mind for his books.

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Yeah, I know this has been out for a year and, as an event, has been covered to death not only by reviewers but by Marvel themselves. However, I am making an effort at reading current comics as opposed to trade-waiting for everything, so I felt the need to familiarize myself with the events of Civil War so I could understand Secret Invasion (not to mention all the series that were drastically changed).

Few things are as daunting to a comics newbie as an “event.” Why, you ask? Because every single comic book event promises to be a cataclysmic, universe-altering moment in which not only “everything will change” and “nothing will be the same” (if you take a shot every time Dan DiDio or Joe Quesada say that you will die, I guarantee it), but your own faith in God will be shattered and then rebuilt. Also, every event comes with about eleventy-seven tie-ins that are nothing but a nuisance.

**spoilers after the jump**
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