The Fantastic Four and time travel go together like peas and carrots. It’s why Fantastic Four #17 is such a fun story, told as a one-shot with science fiction maestro (he earned that) Ryan North crafting another delectable tale. Armed with artist Carlos Gómez, the two embark on a story that ties into a classic tale while giving us some background on the beginning of humanity’s settling of North America.
I’m starting to see benefits to grade school teachers getting their class into reading North’s run on Fantastic Four. This week’s issue opens with a page devoted to the history of humans settling in North America. We then cut to Arizona, where Sue Storm has brought the Fantastic Four to inspect some bones. Over three pages, North continues to show a strong and economical approach to each character on the team, capturing their various personalities. The discovery that one of them may have died in the long-lost past is a shock to them all.
And so begins an adventure to jump to the day humanity arrived in what is now known as Arizona. Outside of the mind-trip of what Sue discovered, North also explores time travel rules and loopholes utilizing a classic villain who needs to be stopped in the past by Sue and Reed. There’s even a nice twist on how they attempt to gain an edge that ties into the familial nature of this team. This last detail is just one of many that prove North’s run will go down as one of the greatest for the series ever.
Trippy!
Credit: Marvel
Gómez’s art is also strong, with good detail that sometimes asks for many characters to be rendered in a single panel. Sue’s invisibility powers are on full display quite a bit, and Gómez crafts a subtle and appealing look aided by color artist Jesus Aburtov. The standout moment has to be Reed’s bones being visible thanks to Sue’s powers and how we see his elongated skeleton. He’s not just rubber but stretching his bones under all that flesh. Gross! Oh, one last thing: the “4” on the Fantastic Four costumes looks fabulous.
Joe Caramagna does a fantastic job on lettering, with some heavy lifting at times to explain things. It’s a testament to the lettering and the writing that there’s exposition throughout this issue, but it never grows tiring.
As far as gripes, there is a lot of explaining, even if it’s entertaining to read. The other is how Reed and Sue aren’t worried about messing up the timeline because they are invisible. Couldn’t they bring back germs or step on an animal that would need to stay alive to ensure the future remains the same? I know I’m nitpicking a sci-fi superhero comic here, but North usually covers every base. I’m no scientist, though, so maybe I’m just wrong!
Fantastic Four #17 has everything a sci-fi superhero fan could want. It has action, it has trippy ideas, and it has awesome science tying into it all.
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