M. Deanpool's Comic-Cave: Fantastic Four #1

Fantastic Four #1

With the Fantastic Four movie having a reboot, Deanpool was hoping that this series would help him get more excited for the upcoming movie. The verdict? So-so. Can't be too tough on the series as a whole based on its first issue, but at the same time, the first issue doesn't do a great job of keeping readers interested.

The issue is narrated by Sue Storm as she writes a letter to her children. She explains that the team is currently going through a darker time: Mr. Fantastic is a broken man, The Thing is imprisoned for murder by Reed Richard's testimony, Johnny Storm aka Human Torch has become a lost soul, Sue herself feels alone and heartbroken.

But then the story drops the reader in the heat of a battle, with the team still intact and together. After gathering some context, Deanpool finally figures out that this part of the story is more of a flashback. And this current arc will be the telling of how the Fantastic Four fall into the dark times that the narrating Sue Storm is referring to. Also, the arc is titled "The Fall of the Fantastic Four," so that's a bit of foreshadowing as well.

There's a familiar foe not named Dr. Doom.

The team is fighting an old foe, Fin Fang Foom. First thing you can't help but notice are the new unis, rocking the red suits rather than the old blue ones. Sorry FF, Nightwing beat you to the red. But still, a nice look for the team and good step into the "All-New" direction. It helps add to the vibe that we'll be dealing with a different type of Fantastic Four. Again, this fight is before whatever fallout they go through so there's a lot of chemistry between all four of them when we see them in action. Reed is concocting a plan using some advanced tech, Sue holds down the fort while protecting civilians, and Johnny and Ben Grimm have their classic banter dialogue in the midst of their battle. All four of them get to showcase their talents in this scene and is complimented by some impressive artwork throughout this battle. In the end, the FF prevail thanks to teamwork and Reed's perfectly executed plan.

Later we see Reed chatting with Nick Fury during SHIELD's clean up of aftermath of the battle. Reed suspects that Fin Fang Foom was on a mindless rampage, and that is highly unlikely of him. Foom usually has more reasoning behind his actions. Everyone else just suspects Reed of being paranoid, but is it really smart to doubt one of the greatest minds in the Marvel U?

The rest of the issue highlights more of the character's personal lives. Back at the Baxter Building, Sue expresses how she misses her daughter, Valeria, who is apparently in Latveria (known hideout of nemesis Dr. Doom). Some context reveals that their daughter was mad at Reed for keeping certain secrets from her and mad at Sue for siding with read.

Ben goes and sees an old friend, based on some context clues it's someone he has had a past relationship with. Multiple times too. He asks her to pick back up on their relationship again and after some interaction and dialogue, she agrees to the idea. Interesting that she's blind, mainly reads Ben by doing face studies. Reminiscent of the girl The Thing dates in the movie Fantastic Four 2 with Silver Surfer.

Johnny, on the other hand, is still living it up in the spotlight. Apparently now he's a manager and does music, riding the popularity of his hero persona most likely. We see him meeting with his manager and his manager informing of an added addendum to his tour contact. It says he can't take anymore trips to the Negative Zone or the Multiverse, but in translation it's more "fight the aliens, just don't go off-world to fight them." Of course Johnny signs it. That definitely can't be good for future stories.

And with that the issue seemingly ends on a good note. The whole Fantastic Four family resettling back home on Earth (Deanpool isn't sure where they were before this issue, but there's a sense that they've been gone a while and are more than happy to be back). Until we see a sealed off gateway become unsealed and robotic creatures begin flooding out of the doorway. There's a sense that all of them wish to focus more on their personal lives, but it doesn't look like they'll get their wish anytime soon. Sue's narration marks this moment as the last day of their happiness, "The end of hope. The end of family."

Not sure how Deanpool feels about this one, but he was definitely excited for it. He's been eager for a good FF story for some time now. But he's still unsure if this arc, or even this series, will be one. The art is excellent, not much to complain about there. Got to really see the art shine in the Fin Fang Foom battle, but didn't decline in the other quieter settings and scenes either. The writer, James Robinson, also writes All-New Invaders, which Deanpool has grown a small liking for. This series does have an Invaders type of feel to it, taking a classic Marvel team and placing them into a more modern comic universe. Everyone in comics are going through changes, maybe Robinson has a plan for the Fantastic Four too. For the most part it feels like Robinson has a good grasp of each of the character's dynamics and personalities down, at least in their traditional sense. Now it's just time to see how the story plays out for the team. Can’t say much more than that. 7.5/10 alliteration names.