Few would dispute that Neal Adams is one of thee great comic book artists of our time. IF all he’d done is his legendary Deadman run, he’d still be well-regarded, but the man also did definitive runs on Green Arrow/Green Lantern, Batman, and X-Men, to name a few. Now, in 2020, he’s teamed up with writer extraordinaire Mark Waid for a new Fantastic Four mini-series that lets both creators run free outside current continuity.
Here’s the logline:
Industry legend Neal Adams and Eisner Award-winning writer Mark Waid bring you FANTASTIC FOUR: ANTITHESIS, a modern Marvel blockbuster jam-packed with a fan-favourite roster of Fantastic Four heroes as well as a new villain guaranteed to send shockwaves throughout all of fandom. While Mark Waid is no stranger to Marvel’s first family, having penned a character-defining run back in 2002, FANTASTIC FOUR: ANTITHESIS will be the first full-length Fantastic Four story ever illustrated by Neal Adams. This all-star creative team sat down for an interview with Marvel host, Lorraine Cink, to spill details about their highly anticipated series!
Fantastic Four: Antithesis
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist Neal Adams
Waid and Adams begin their story in media res, with Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch and The Thing doing battle with the Annihilus, one of the classic FF villains. Downtown New York City is in tatters, which allows for some kinetic Adams artistry. It’s amazing to think Adams has never done a complete Fantastic Four story before; a simple look at this work here gives you the feeling that he’s been drawing them forever. His style gives these legendary sci-fi heroes real humanity to the characters, especially with his depictions of The Thing or an elongated Reed Richards.
You could easily be forgiven for just wanting to stare at Adams’s work, but Mark Waid’s writing is also note-perfect in depicting the family vibe of the Fantastic Four. He gives Antithesis a balanced use of action and character moments that reminded us of just how ripe the history of the FF is.
While the final moments of Antithesis #1 aren’t particularly unique, we’ve definitely been in this realm of storytelling before, the extremely winning combination of Mark Waid and Neal Adams makes it strong enough to keep in suspense until the next issue is released, especially with the promise of Adams’s pen drawing some more classic Fantastic Four villains.
