It’s a big year for the Fantastic Four as they officially get their MCU introduction, which means Marvel Comics is pulling out all the stops for the comics with a new #1 issue. Headlined by Ryan North, who has been on the series for 34 issues and counting, this renumbering marks a great time to jump on the series. Not only is it new and reader-friendly, but it offers a high-stakes situation for each of the Fantastic Four to overcome, or they’ll die!
Joining North on this new run is Humberto Ramos, who many will remember brought his kinetic fluid style on Spider-Man over the years. As far as first issues go, Ramos does an excellent job with splash pages, tons of detail, and continuing the trends we’ve seen under North. Those trends include Mr. Fantastic doing weird stuff with his powers, The Thing looking rocky as heck, and Johnny Storm sporting the mustache. The DNA of the series feels like it continues from the previous run while bringing a triple-A art style all its own.
As far as the story goes, this issue picks up with the Fantastic Four fighting Doctor Doom. The team recently restored The Thing’s powers, and they’re not holding back. This story ties into One World Under Doom, as Doom is the emperor of Earth, and yet nobody has been able to topple him. The opening offers up plenty of action while the captions clue us into each member for the reader who may not know who these characters are.
A nice reminder this team can whoop Doom’s butt.
Credit: Marvel
This leads to Doctor Doom nearly being defeated, only for him to use his powers to send each member into a different moment in Earth’s history. North has effectively split the team up in this opening arc, showing us how they can fare independently.
That isn’t to say the team hasn’t thought up a plan for this exact situation, which leads to each member taking action to ensure the others are aware of their presence. It’s a neat way to show that even when separated, the team has a plan to work together.
A big part of the fun in this issue is figuring out when each member is, and then seeing the steps they take to get help. The science that has permeated each issue under North continues thanks to the different times each member ends up, including a shocker for the last member. It’s a cliffhanger that seems impossible to overcome, continuing the high bar the series has maintained for so many issues.
This new Fantastic Four #1 is both a love letter to longtime fans and a smart entry point for newcomers, combining inventive storytelling with blockbuster visuals, even if the story structure leans on familiar tropes. As the MCU prepares to introduce Marvel’s First Family on the big screen, this issue feels like a fitting, celebratory start to a big year for the Fantastic Four.
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