Alan Davis' Stuff is not Rough on Fantastic Four: The End

Fantastic Four: The End #1 was released last week to a bunch of tepid reviews. Granted, the story doesn't approach anything resembling Kingdom Come or Astro City, but it's a fun read. There's a lot of neat throwaway ideas in the first 10 pages. Reed Richards' technological inventions have finally transformed life on Earth. Such wonders as interplanetary travel and extended lifespans are now commonplace. A different writer might explore that territory, but instead Davis concentrates on Marvel's First Family, who are scattered throughout the solar system. Reed's on an orbital laboratory, with She-Hulk as his psychologist! Jennifer switched careers now that there is no need for lawyers (but if it was me I would just keep staring at her awesome green rack). Reed is kind of nuts because he hasn't seen MILFerick Sue Storm in over a year--she's playing Indiana Jones in Atlantis with Namor the Sub-Mariner. Ben Grimm lives on Mars with Alicia and his kids. Johnny Storm is with the Avengers, trying to put down a group of baddies on Titan.

It seems like this is Davis' version of Marvel Universe: The End as well as the FF. We get to see futuristic versions of the Inhumans, Iron Man, Thor, Silver Surfer, Nick Fury, and Dr. Strange as well. Some of the characters, like She-Hulk and Medusa, have been apart of the FF's rotating cast. I have a feeling that some fans are getting burnt out on Alan Davis' remarkable high quality that has been consistent across many projects over the past 20 years. But this fellow is one of the giants in the industry to me, and I love seeing his renditions of these characters. Marvel also released Fantastic Four: The End Rough Cut #1 last week. At $3.99 it is a dollar more than the regular edition, but if you're a Davis fan, it's well worth it. Davis' pencils are very detailed. It makes me what to print some pages and try inking them myself! It's interesting to see where he leaves room for the colorists to do their magic. Davis' script is included in the back, and it fills in a couple of details that I didn't pick up on, like the identity of (the new) Dr. Strange's mother. I wonder if this entire Rough Cut will be in the trade paperback? Nuff said.