Fantastic Four has been nothing short of inspiring under Ryan North’s command, with each issue featuring incredible science problems to solve and plenty of heart. The team has been without their kids since the first issue in the run, and now they’re a stone’s throw from having them returned. Unfortunately for them, something has deterred them, and in the latest issue out this week, it’s all about reversing a last-second speed bump to return them into the series.
The central conflict erupts in Fantastic Four #15 from the concept of the China Brain. A real-world philosophy of mind, North and artist Ivan Fiorelli introduce the idea in an opening page pulled from black and white TV. Smash cut to the new voice captured via captions that have sprouted from the experiment, which we follow for much of the rest of the issue. It’s an intriguing way to hang the conflict the heroes must combat as we learn the experiment. We may even feel sorry for the issue by the end.
Outside of the intriguing nature of the threat, North captures the humanity and frailty of being alive. Generally speaking, when A.I. takes over in science fiction, we think it is cold and calculating. The threat in this issue is that, by the end, we see being made from the people affects it. This extends the China Brain experiment from the reader’s understanding to see how it could play out in our reality. It’s a nifty idea that gets you thinking.
Marvel Comics
Along the way, the Fantastic Four have their fair share of battles, which are fun to track while considering these fights are planned. There’s even a point where you consider Reed Richards may be outmatched, although a character from a previous issue stops that. Ultimately, it’s disappointing how the threat is defeated, making this issue feel like two halves of a story. That’s also because the conflict sort of just ends, even though a murder takes place.
Regardless of the main conflict ending, the issue does end satisfyingly, as we’ve waited over a year for the FF kiddos to come back, and there’s a nice nod to a main FF villain to close things out. Considering how great this run has been, it’s going to be exciting to see North’s take on the kids and how they’ll integrate into the adventures.
Fiorelli’s art is strong, with a good sense of space and blocking. In a tricky scene, characters walk by the Fantastic Four, saying bits of a more extensive dialogue, and it’s easy to follow as new characters enter and exit. A two-page montage of villain battles maximizes the various threats, putting our heroes in cool poses.
It’s no surprise, but North once again delivers a great new sciencey adventure for the Fantastic Four to solve in a single issue. It also resolves a longstanding problem and cements a new era for the team as it grows for the better.
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