The Fantastic Four’s greatest strength is its teamwork. That’s very much the case in the current story arc kicked off in Fantastic Four #1. The team is scattered throughout time, with Sue in the far future, Johnny so far in the past that oxygen hasn’t yet filled the atmosphere to livable levels, and everyone else in between. It’s up to Invisible Woman to save them all, per the plan they all agreed to if this ever happened.
With everything riding on Invisible Woman, Fantastic Four #2 opens with Sue narrating via captions and filling us in on the situation. Writer Ryan North does a great job catching us up and making this a decent jumping-on point. Stuck in the year 7,801,020,245 CE, Sue must find the Forever Stone or else die alone with no water or food. The stakes are very high, and things look very dire.
One thing North doesn’t skimp on is demonstrating how a little ingenuity can go a long way. Sue doesn’t just use her powers to keep herself safe, but in creative ways. That also includes a neat device that is tuned to work for any of the Fantastic Four if need be.
From there, North and artist Humberto Ramos take us to Mr. Fantastic’s present, the year 1266 CE. Using science and a clever take on Mr. Fantastic’s powers, a plan is hatched. Once again, North devises an ingenious solution to an insurmountable problem, setting up a riveting reveal when his actions are finally understood.
Sue has to have some of the coolest powers in all of comics.
Credit: Marvel
This issue isn’t a Sue and Reed-only issue, with a surprise fight scene and further developments with a key villain. I won’t spoil it, but it leads to another clever twist as magic and science make for hard things to fight when you’re the Fantastic Four.
Ramos does a great job in various ways, from the invisibility of Sue looking cool and believable, to the well-designed and different settings. Mr. Fantastic uses his powers in a weird way, and Ramos makes it easily understood and strange at the same time. A lot of energy effects are used late in the issue, and Edgar Delgado makes it look colorful and painful.
Fantastic Four #2 is a sharp, inventive chapter that plays to the team’s greatest strength, clever, collaborative problem-solving, while giving Sue Storm a standout moment as the linchpin of a tense, time-spanning rescue mission. With Ramos and Delgado bringing energy and visual clarity to the twists and settings, it’s a rewarding read for fans who like their superheroics smart as well as spectacular.
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