If I were to describe Ryan North’s run on Fantastic Four so far, I’d say science-centric. As North told me on the AIPT Comics podcast recently, the science is very real in this series and takes a long time to get right. That’s never more evident than in Fantastic Four #6, in comic shops today. The superheroes aren’t punching Dr. Doom or stopping Galactus from eating the Earth. No, far worse. They’re stopping fourth dimension bacteria from destroying all life on Earth, and it’s their fault!
Fantastic Four #6 is a dense read, but never dull. It balances teamwork, family, and real sci-fi science that seems tame, but once it’s explained to you is the scariest thing imaginable.
Picking up where we left off, the super team is holed up in a motel when they are awakened by Johnny Storm, who sees algae bloom threatening an entire lake. It’s in the very same location the Fantastic Four were in the last issue, which happened to have them escape the Dark Dimension. They brought an alternate dimension bacteria unstoppable on Earth, and our super team is obligated to clean it up.
Problem solving is the name of the game in this issue, and North reminds us it’s not just the big-brained heroes that help solve problems. It’s nice to see someone outside of Reed inspire a solution and then see all five family members–Alicia included–help fix the problem.
We also get some bonding between Sue and Johnny, a nice reminder of their unique relationship on the team. They’re all family, but a sibling relationship is different from the rest. This bonding helps add context to a moment of heroics and brash action in the issue’s final moments.
Uhh….Reed…?
Credit: Marvel
There’s action to be had on this issue as well. Thanks to opportunistic villains, a few of the Fantastic Four have to make due and stop their antics, which is juxtaposed well with Sue and Johnny staying calm and relaxed.
Ivan Friorelli draws a great comic here, partly because there’s so much complicated stuff to draw. From the weird shapes Reed Richards takes–honestly, the convo we had in the AIPT Discord about Reed’s eye is borderline X-Rated–too many panels with multiple characters drawn in, there’s a lot to take in. The complexity of every panel allows the dialogue to flow nicely, and you’ll never feel bored. The most dynamic artists sometimes can’t pull this off, partly because a single panel might be simpler to allow for more detailed elements. Jesus Aburtov adds a lot of rich, bright colors, giving it a classic comic book feel. There’s a lot of nuance and volume added, thanks to his colors.
Fantastic Four is in great hands; every panel and page of Ryan North’s series is proof of that. In this science-focused penultimate issue to Fantastic Four #700, we’re reminded of this super team’s teamwork, camaraderie, and familial love as they stop the world from being destroyed by the least threatening thing imaginable. And it’s great!
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