My copy came in late, so I picked it up with Atlas Heroes #3... a good week! My take: another beautiful Masterwork. First of all, it is what it is, and it's not what it's not. It's not Lee/Kirby; so... I'm not going to judge it on that basis. Wouldn't make sense. As far as what it is, I've got to say I like it. Especially since it's a nice fat volume. Without that, it would be less appealing, to be sure. But the transition, with (first) JR imitating JK, and then, with JB doing it, is really interesting. The quote attributed to JB in the intro regarding that is pretty funny... how he was unabashedly swiping Kirby... and everyone was happy! Funny stuff. Also, I for one, have to say I think JB's rendering of the Thing/Hulk fight is most certainly classic, and I'm happy we have it. IMO, it's great -no ifs, ands, or buts.

For me, the biggest disappointment was just how lame and non-sensical the story in #108 was. I had to keep going over it again and again, back and forth. I re-read it at least two full times back-to-back, and more... and it just doesn't make sense (as noted in the intro). It really seemed to screw up the story afterwords, too. And I really think "the lost story"... the recently reprinted "original" version... "should" have been included as a bous. This was, for me, also the second FF Masterwork disappointment in a row -as the previous volume did not include the (then newly remastered-for-the-"omnibus") original FF #1 cover.

While it's a fun volume that I'm glad to have, I fully approve of the relatively long wait there was between this recent release and the previous volume; and, frankly, I have to say I hope it's at least 2-3 years until another. There's just way too much other stuff that "ought" to come first... and this series is doing very well, with it's best material already Masterworked. For example, I'm infinitely more interested in Volume One Dr. Doom, Volume One Inhumans, and Volume Two Human Torch... way more interested in these related series -which are WAY behind... than I am in another (12th) volume of FF. Release that AFTER we've got these three (and a couple dozen other MA titles), please.

No denying it's a pretty volume, though, and a lot of fun. I will say that, for me, the fact that it was a relatively fat volume was significant in that it may be enjoy what I got for what I paid for... whereas I most certainly would have been otherwise been begrudgingly getting it but really wishing I wasn't... as I'm dangerously close to feeling about the upcoming Thor volume. But the page counts are good enough overall that occaissional short volumes -like the upcoming Thor and that lame Daredevil volume- can be overlooked.