Fantastic Four #587, Age of X Alpha and more comic-book reviews

This was a decent week for comic-book releases, after several lighter weeks, and “Fantastic Four” #587 was the most-hyped book of the bunch.

Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting put forth the death of a major Marvel character here, and do so with poignance and taste… it’s a heroic ending that works well.  The rest of the book isn’t 100 percent smooth, but overall it’s a very strong issue that will probably draw more attention to what’s been a very good run so far.  One more issue of “Fantastic Four” before Hickman relaunches the book as “FF.”

Also out this week:

Age of X Alpha
Though it’s not exactly a slam-bang start to the crossover, this Mike Carey issue with several artists does a good job setting up the world of the “Age of X” while still leaving plenty of mysteries to be explored.

In this alternate universe, the X-Men never formed, and mutants have been hunted to near-extinction.  The first story shows what this world is going to feel like. Scott Summers, called the Basilisk, has had his eyelids removed, and he’s used by Arcade as an execution machine, destroying his fellow mutants.  The darkness and fear of this world are set up well in this storyline.  The others aren’t as memorable, but still acceptable storylines that orient the reader to the condition of several familiar characters in this world.

Uncanny X-Force #4
Another dark story, as the X-Force invades Apocalypse’s stronghold and must determine if they will pull the trigger on a young Apocalypse.
Moody, dark and unpleasant, this storyline by Rick Remender and Jerome Opena has been memorable and well-executed.

X-Men #7
Spider-Man makes a guest cameo  in this first part of “To Serve and Protect,” by Victor Gischler and Chris Bachalo.  Cyclops and Emma Frost are working on the X-Men’s image with a PR firm; as such they’re taking on more mundane menaces that put them in the public eye.   Though still based in San Francisco, they take a trip to New York to deal with a reported reptilian creature in the sewers.   The set-up is a little dodgy, but the pieces are in play for a potentially fun Spidey/X-Men crossover.

Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command #1
Darth Vader is called on to find the missing son of Grand Moff Tarkin.  The issue opens very strong, showing the conflict in Vader and what he is going through as the Emperor’s apprentice.  Written by Haden Blackman with pencils by the always-adept Rick Leonardi.