After four painful years, Marvel’s First Family make their triumphant return to monthly comics. The Thing, the Human Torch, the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic – the first four heroes of the Marvel Age of Comics – are about to be reunited! As an event occurs that will radically alter the Fantastic Four, Reed and Sue Richards return home with their children. But things have changed. And while Alicia Masters and The Thing ponder a big change of their own, the next chapter begins in the life of Victor Von Doom.
Without hyperbole, there would be no Marvel Universe without the Fantastic Four. Being Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s first co-creation, they obviously have a vital place in comic history. But they are also equally important for presenting a humanised take on superheroes that would influence the genre for years to come and for kickstarting the Marvel Universe as we know it. Therefore, it has been criminal that there has been no ongoing Fantastic Four comic for the last four years. Fortunately, that has now been remedied and with a perfect creative team to boot.
Best known for his run on Amazing Spider-Man, Dan Slott has plenty of experience with The Fantastic Four with arguably his best work coming from the Spider-Man/Human Torch and The Thing mini-series. This is the first time though he has written a series with the entire team and if this first volume is anything to go by, he is the perfect writer for the job. He immediately demonstrates a he has a great handle on the whole family with all of them retaining the traits that made them firm-favourites with comic fans. But as readers know, the most important aspect of the series is family and Slott gets that right from the start. Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm have been having their own adventures since the events of 2015’s Secret Wars in the pages of Inhumans and Guardians of The Galaxy, but as is evident by the start of this book, both are still affected by Reed and Sue’s absence.
It is only when the four are finally reunited that we get that brand of adventure that the FF are best know for. A threat to the multiverse that only they can handle, this the perfect blend of science fiction adventure and family squabbling (although there’s a delay on that front to make way for a joyful reunion) made all the more epic by not only the reunion of the original team but the presence of any stand-in members from years gone by.
The art is also top notch with Miles Morales co-creator Sara Pichelli continuing to show why she is one of the best artists working in comics today. She nails the space opera elements of Fantastic Four whilst also excelling at the family moments that are so important to the series (the reunion in issue three is particularly nice). In addition, Stefano Caselli and Nico Leon conclude the story arc and depict the teams return to Earth in a terrific way; and Simone Bianchi has a brilliant take on Doctor Doom.
This opening arc can comfortably sit aside any classic Fantastic Four story and is a perfect reintroduction to the team. Ideal for Fantastic Four fans and newcomers alike!
Fantastic Four By Dan Slott Vol. 1: Fourever is out now from Marvel
9781302913496 – P/B £13.50
