The Fantastic Four has long been called “The World’s Greatest Comics Magazine”, which has got to put way too much pressure on every new creative team who steps into the role of telling the FF’s tales.
Following a great run by Dan Slot, one of comicdom’s best writers (in my humble opinion), there’s a new Fantastic Four #1 out today, which introduces writer Ryan North and artist Iban Coello to the title and serves as an easy and accessible jumping on point for readers old and new.
In a tale that feels like something out of The Twilight Zone, Ben Grimm (The Thing) and his wife Alicia Masters-Grimm comes across a town stuck in time, specially the date July 12th, 1947. It’s up to to Ben and Alicia to find a way to get the town and themselves out of the time loop, lest they be stuck in it forever.
There are some cool Easter eggs throughout North and Coello’s first issue, a tip of the hat to the Marvel Universe of the 1940s, which is definitely cool, and it also hints at the larger story to come. What I liked most about Fantastic Four #1, though, is that it felt compact that what we’re used to when it comes to the spacefaring, grandious stories of the FF. You know those are coming, that’s what the FF is all about, but starting out with a focus on the Ben/Alicia relationship is a nice way to begin.
As great as the interior is of Fantastic Four #1, it’s worth noting that its cover is glorious and comes courtesy of Alex Ross, who might just be my favourite artist of all time and is worth the price of admission alone.
