Yeah Hickmann is nothing if not complex, no arguments there.
I guess the "Reed builds the perfect thing to solve the problem" is an integral part of Fantastic Four DNA that most authors rely heavily upon.
Still, it sounds like Hickmann's run on FF is worth a shot.
In other news I read Absolute Carnage yesterday (just the mini series, no tie-ins). It was... not what I expected. I realize that there were tie-ins with a lot of different titles, but it's basically just another Venom vs. Carnage story. Nothing special, really. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly an epic crossover, either. In fact, I found it weird that it wasn't just an arc within the ongoing Venom series. It felt a bit short as well, with little meat on the bones. And sure, reading the tie-ins would likely help in that aspect - but a good crossover miniseries should work well enough on its own, with tie-ins being flavor.