And now for something completely different: Ghost Rider in a Fantastic Four story! Sure, he’s been an honorary team member, but what could Ryan North be up to in the one-shot style Fantastic Four #13? The answer is clever new ways the Fantastic Four can use their powers together!
It’s hard not to spoil the main conceit of this issue since it’s basically the main point, so beware of spoilers!
Fantastic Four #13 opens with Ghost Rider driving his motorcycle into Nicholas Scratch’s living room. The full-page spread that opens the book is striking, with foreground and background sound effects conveying how chaotic and violent this barging in is for Scratch. Soon, he’s threatening the Penance Stare on him unless he agrees to not mess with the Fantastic Four anymore. The idea works, and soon we see Human Torch and Susan Storm relax their powers to reveal that she made his skin invisible, showing his skull, while he used his flames to set the bike on fire. It’s a clever idea, and one that Johnny assumes will work on all their enemies.
After a check-in with the entire Fantastic Four, the story quickly reveals the two go back out to scare the daylights out of villains.
The atmosphere and tone work splendidly thanks to Andrea Sorrentino’s photorealistic style, paired with Edgar Delgado’s colors. The flame effects, cool layout structure, and realistic-looking skull of Ghost Rider help create a darker, more horror-feeling comic for an FF book.
Baller opening page!
Credit: Marvel
Highlights in this issue include Sorrentino somehow making Johnny’s skull afraid when one villain questions the trick, how North brings in the entire FF by the end, and a surprise guest to add levity to wrap things up.
The stakes feel raised at one point in the narrative, making a slightly one-off clever concept a bit more than. Sure, they aren’t saving the world, and the entire issue centers on a simple idea: blending the Human Torch and Invisible Woman’s powers, but it’s delivered with levity and a sense of familiarity with the characters. Without the levity, one might question Mr. Fantastic letting a Johnny Storm plan even get started!
Fantastic Four #13 is another reminder that Ryan North understands exactly what makes Marvel’s First Family so compelling: their powers are tools for creativity as much as they are instruments of heroism. Anchored by a wonderfully absurd premise, the issue balances humor, tension, and character dynamics with remarkable ease. Andrea Sorrentino and Edgar Delgado elevate the material with visuals that lean into horror without sacrificing the fun at the story’s core. The result is a memorable one-shot that showcases both the elasticity of the Fantastic Four concept and the joy of watching creators push familiar characters into unexpected territory.
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