Continuing from the pages of ‘Fantastic Four’ #607 rather than last months ‘FF’ #18, this issue picks up with the Future Foundation in the nation of Wakanda, having been summoned there by T’Challa (the Black Panther).

As the adults discuss the reasons behind the FF being brought to Wakanda, the FF children are being led on a tour by Onome, one of the natives of the Wakandan capital. In true FF style, the kids aren’t out for a look at butterflies and plants. Instead, they’re riding on zebras, rhinos, and elephants and being shown some of the technological marvels of Wakanda. Their first stop is the Wakandan Reservoir where the kids decide to take a dip in the beautiful waters.

While the rest of the kids are having fun swimming, Franklin explores the surrounding area and makes a shocking discovery… a dead body! Onome warns the FF kids not to disturb the body as it is a member of the Hyena Clan, a gang of thieves and scavengers that have been known to booby-trap their dead.

The rest of the book is near chaos… but in a fun way. In the end, the FF children get to help thwart a crime and learn a lesson in the process. Better yet, they make a new friend along the way.

If Marvel ever decides to move forward with that rumored ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot, they should at the very least have Jonathan Hickman on as advisor, if not script writer. The man’s knowledge of the FF’s history has been proven time and time again and, in this issue, he shows that he’s also a master of comedic timing and that’s something that’s often hard to do in the comic format but Hickman seems to do so effortlessly. This issue is filled with some of the best throw-away comic lines of any book this month (“Hey, did you see me kick that dude in his stones?”).

This issue’s definitely a keeper! It’s a wonderful one-shot story set within the bigger tale that’s happening over in ‘Fantastic Four’.

Verdict: Buy

FF #19
Story by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Cover by Mike Choi, Guru-eFX, and Mike Deodato