Here it is, true believers! The final (sort of) issue of the “World’s Greatest Comic Magazine”. Rather than continuing directly out of ‘Fantastic Four’ #610, this final issue gives us a tale of Doom… literally.

When we last saw Victor Von Doom, he was left stranded on the other side of a portal making a stand against godlike beings. At that time, he was believed dead but, unbeknownst to the Fantastic Four, readers know that Doom found an Infinity Gauntlet and that he’s smart enough to use that to keep himself alive.

Rather than using the Gauntlets (yes… there’s two of them. One is from the regular Earth and the other from the alternate dimension) to return back to good ol’ universe-616, Doom shuns all of that in favor of creating a world of his own. In Doomworld, the universe is mastered by both science and magic in equal part with Doom at the center of it all. However, his created denizens turn on their god and Doom falls. Now it’s up to the Fantastic Four to save their sometime-villain.

Reed, future Val, and Nathaniel open a series of portal through which they enter Doomworld. Along the way to their destination, readers are shown a few hints that Doom’s salvation wasn’t mere chance. In the end, we get a sort of family reunion just in time for a couple of the family’s members to leave to pursue their own paths. The final few pages lead into a finale that will be closed out with ‘FF’ #23 as that series comes to an end also.

I was a little perturbed that one of Marvel’s longest running titles was coming to an end (again). Then today, I picked up the Marvel NOW! preview issue at my local comic shop and what was there within those pages? Previews for ‘Fantastic Four’ #1 and ‘FF’ #1, both premiering in November. Both of the new titles will be written by Matt Fraction with art handled by Mark Bagley (‘Ultimate Spider-Man’) on ‘Fantastic Four’ and Mike Allred (‘Madman’) on ‘FF’. So we won’t be without Marvel’s first family for long.

Final Score:

 

FANTASTIC FOUR #611
Story by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Ryan Stegman
Cover by Ryan Stegman, Paul Mounts, Billy Tan, Edgar Delgado, and John Tyler Christopher