Editor's Note: Fantastic Four #555 arrives in stores tomorrow, March 12.

"World's Greatest: Part Two of Four"

With so much of the groundwork for Millar and Hitch's run completed in the previous issue, this month's Fantastic Four is free to get stuck into its big ideas straight away, feeling far more immediate and involving as a result. We see last issue's high-concept cliffhanger explained in a lot more detail, there's some exciting superhero action, and there are hints at the possibility that the return of Reed Richards' old flame could potentially disrupt the FF's tight-knit family unit.

The most significant development this issue, though, is connected to the replacement Earth that we saw at the end of last issue. As Reed tours the replica planet, he learns that the environmental threat currently facing our planet is more severe than anyone imagined, and that the only option is to evacuate the entire population to a new home. The faintly shocking news that Earth has passed the point of no return is a moment which is underplayed but has a huge significance for the entire Marvel Universe (well, Marvel Earth, at least), and I'll be interested to see how Millar resolves this massive problem without actually going ahead with the evacuation.

(Of course, there's also the question of where all of the materials and labour necessary to create the new Earth have come from, but Millar doesn't seem interested in examining this subject too closely, and frankly, it's one of those details that isn't important to the story anyway. If you're worrying about the real-life science behind the big ideas in Fantastic Four, you're probably missing the point.)

Things also become more complex as Millar addresses the obvious problem that if you're replicating the Earth as it stands today as precisely as possible (all the way down to the graffiti, apparently), you're also going to be replicating everything which is responsible for the dire state of the planet. To this end, the "Nu-World" project decides that they'll make some changes with their new Earth, including the banning of all weaponry and the remodelling of the Earth's deserts and rainforests. This raises some interesting moral questions about the scientists' willingness to "play god," and the possible benefits of what is essentially a benign dictatorship. By changing the way that the world works in this way, the project chiefs are not only acting in a completely undemocratic fashion, but they're assuming that they have all the answers - and the final developments of this issue prove how dangerous that sort of scientific arrogance can be.

In fact, it's in the final pages of the issue that one of my few major problems with the story comes to light. It doesn't take a genius to recognise that the enforcement of a demilitarisation policy by an uncompromising artificial intelligence could lead to problems, and the fact that one of the most predictable outcomes of the Nu-World project takes so many learned scientists so completely by surprise seems a little hard to swallow. In addition to this, Reed Richards' initial blind acceptance of Alyssa's plans is a continuation of the detached characterisation that we saw in Millar's Wolverine and Civil War, and makes him appear a little short-sighted - especially considering his past experience as a superhero. That said, I enjoyed the acknowledgement that Reed's abilities as a scientist are going to be more useful to the Nu-World project than his abilities as a superhero - even if that idea is slightly undermined by the decidedly superhero-oriented threat that's posed by the final page. It's a cliffhanger that is as blunt and straightforward as you might expect from Millar, but which sells the more thoughtful build-up of the rest of the issue a little short.

Bryan Hitch's art, whilst great in the first issue, seems even more impressive here. Perhaps that's as much down to the subject matter he's given to work with as it is his own undeniable talent, as he's called upon to illustrate some large-scale scenes of Nu-Earth, as well as a dynamic sequence involving the Human Torch. The opening vistas of the replica New York, in particular, are stunning. Too often, writers and artists fall back on splash pages as a lazy tool to create a shallow impact, but they feel justified here, as they work to convey the sheer size and scale of the Nu-World project's undertaking.

However, Hitch's character work is just as strong as his more dazzling splash pages. The opening pages provide us with a great take on a younger (but still recognisable) Reed Richards, and I was surprised to notice an evolution in his take on the Thing after just one issue. Ben Grimm seems much more chunky and classic-looking here than he did in the first issue, and I find it a more satisfying take on the character. Hitch also works some natty design elements into his story, whether it's the slick sci-fi of Reed's speeder-bike, or the imposing final-page reveal (an image which might have been more impressive if it hadn't been so heavily previewed in the months leading up to the start of Millar and Hitch's run).

What's more, it's not as if Millar and Hitch are merely imitating their successful formula from Ultimates, either, as this book has a very different feel to their previous collaboration. There's a real lightness and positivity here, with far less of the cynicism and moral greyness that worked so well for their reinvention of the Avengers. Millar has spoken of his desire to use this run on Fantastic Four to reflect the spirit of optimism that accompanied the Kennedy presidency during the era of the title's first publication, and I'll be interested to see whether he can successfully duplicate this hopeful spirit and tie it into the imminent post-Bush political climate of America in the real world.

All things considered, this is a very solid Fantastic Four comic. There are big ideas, exciting visuals, and enough family-based soap-opera to keep the characters grounded (with the possible threat to the family dynamic that's posed by the "other woman" reinforced by the fact that we don't even see Sue in this issue). The story flows smoothly from one scene to the next, with the exception of a scene featuring Johnny Storm, which is a fun enough moment that it warrants inclusion even if it does break up the flow of the main story slightly. Combine this with Hitch's great artwork, and you're onto a winner. Whilst the book might not be Fantastic just yet, this improvement on the first issue shows that Millar and Hitch are certainly moving in the right direction.

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