I’ve been singing the praises of Ryan North and Iban Coello’s Fantastic Four since the first issue and have only gained more admiration for the series after speaking to North himself. The series has infused real science and logic into each issue, giving this superhero team a new problem to solve every time. Save for a two-parter here or there, the series has delivered big ideas in a satisfying, done-in-one fashion. Enter Fantastic Four #12, out this week, which forces our team to go prehistoric. It’s a dinosaur story, which is fitting given North’s proclivity towards the beasts.
The team is still in the country at the start of Fantastic Four #12, and they’re now taking house calls, it seems. There’s a really weird thing near a neighbor’s house, and it’s likely dangerous. After a nice down-home visit with the neighbors, the team is sucked into a portal and spit into an entirely new universe. It’s the same as their own, save for buildings being different sizes to fit the dinosaurs!
That’s right, the cover wasn’t a fake out. The Fantastic Four is facing off against dinosaur versions of the Avengers! North accomplishes a few things in this issue, leading to Thing reconnecting with his kids. They may be dinosaurs, but they’re nearly identical to his outside of this small visual difference. There’s also a bit of science, though it’s reduced to a few panels. The idea of dinosaur counterparts is enhanced with the idea that a dino Fantastic Four is likely in their universe, thus making for a fun anticipatory moment in the next issue. Oh, and props to North for calling this story arc “Saur Winners.” No notes.
Alex Ross pulls off the tricky business of scale with this cover.
Credit: Marvel
The usually deep look at the science behind the problem isn’t really touched in this issue, however. Instead, it’s a more kid-friendly dinosaur crossover. The idea is super fun and kind of dumb fun by design, but aside from having your usual hero-fighting-hero trope take place, this issue doesn’t have the team do much.
Coello gets to redesign the Avengers with dinosaurs in full costume, which is super fun. Iron Man has to be the most hilarious as that’s a lot of metal armor to cover a diplodocids dino (I think that’s the type?). The continued weirdness of Mr. Fantastic is on full display, and he stretches his face into a pancake at one point. What a weirdo. It’s no easy task to dino-fy the Avengers, and Coello excels at it. Coello gets to show off what’s going on in the 616 universe in an excellent full-page splash filled with familiar heroes fighting dinosaurs. Another nice touch visually is the heroes’ clothes, which have a baggy look. It adds something that makes them feel less ego and more down home.
Fantastic Four #12 is going to delight fans of superheroes and dinosaurs. Leave it to North to stick the Avengers into dinosaur bodies and Coello brings them to life splendidly.
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