In ASM, Wells casually dropped the info about a cataclysmic event occurring in Pennsylvania in issue #1 but has yet to refer back to it since, and ASM is now on issue #13, leading to much dissatisfaction among readers. This should sound very familiar if you’re reading Zeb Wells’s Amazing Spider-Man run. At the very end of the issue, Ben casually drops that NYC now hates the FF due to some undefined event that left a massive crater in the middle of the city. There is a slight exception to the YA critique, which may cause excitement or concern. If the goal was to reset the FF title with a bang, North’s choice of stories fails miserably. It’s an extended backup story, or if you prefer, a YA Scholastic adventure for the middle-grade crowd starring the Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Thing. They soon learn the town is stuck in a time loop, Groundhog Day-style, for the last 75 years, so with a hearty “Jinkies!” and a “Scooby Dooby Doo!”, Ben and Alicia set out to solve the mystery.Īgain, this is a nice, safe, family-friendly adventure, but therein lies the problem. During a stop in Pennsylvania, they stop at a small motel in a town that doesn’t show up on a map. North’s script centers on Ben and Alicia taking a couple’s road trip vacation. Specifically, this is a Scooby-Doo adventure starring Ben and Alicia. According to North’s own words in a letter at the end of the issue, he wanted the FF to be “fun,” “adventurous,” and “accessible.” Technically, North succeeds on all counts, so if you take the issue for what it is without an ounce of expectation, this is a nice, safe, family-friendly adventure. Unsurprisingly for a #1, Fantastic Four #1 restarts the series after Dan Slott’s wildly uneven take. There are probably not going to be many readers who fall in between.

Is It Good?įans of the Fantastic Four will either love Fantastic Four #1 from Ryan North, or they will hate it. Unfortunately, their latest roadside stop leads to a town that shouldn’t exist. Fantastic Four #1 takes a road trip with Ben and Alicia for a romantic getaway.

Alex ross fantastic four 1