X-Men/Fantastic Four (2020) #1 - Marvel Comics
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Pencils by Terry Dodson
Inks by Rachel Dodson
Ink Assists by Dexter Vines & Karl Story
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by VC's Joe Caramagna
Krakoa has grown a lot since it's inception. Charles Xavier says that it is finally a sanctuary for all mutants after years of persecution. We know that not ALL mutants have made it to this paradise, at least, not yet. There is one in particular that is of great interest, for a lot of reasons. It's time to find out what the future holds for Franklin Richards in X-Men/Fantastic Four (2020) #1 from Marvel Comics.
It will be difficult for me to review this book without spoiling it, but the description on Marvel's website already talks about Franklin Richards and possibly joining Krakoa. There is something going on with Franklin, and it's a problem that isn't easy to solve. A big part of this story is who has his best interests in mind or who HE thinks has those best interests in mind. You can imagine how Franklin's parents would react to the idea of him leaving the family. It gets pretty next level, much more than I expected actually. Sue Storm is particularly amazing in this issue, and it's a side of her we very rarely get to see at this level. Franklin is a teenager, and is seeing a familiar face that he hasn't seen in a long time. Is this something that will influence his decision or is there more to it than that? I can tell you, that's something that we get to find out in this first issue. A major decision by Reed Richards leads to the events in the final couple of pages. That's where the story takes an unexpected turn, and could change the larger scale of the entire X-Men universe story.
There are quite a few different stories, and from different writers, integrating themselves into Hickman's X-Menverse. It's amazing to me just how consistent all of these writers have been able to keep things in the larger universe. Zdarsky does an amazing job at how to bring Hickman's Xavier and Magneto into his own story. The clash of personalities and ideals between the X-Men and Fantastic Four really drive the story in the meat of the issue. This is certainly Franklin's story, but there are also a lot of other factors at play here. The Dodson team takes all of this, and helps bring out the raw emotion from the parents on the page. It's also those mundane (for lack of a better term) moments where the art really shines and draws your interest in what might seem like an unimportant moment at the time. That's what helps you not miss something, and you'll realize how important that is when you read this first issue. This seemed like a natural combination of characters, but taken to a very personal level. That was enough to bring me back for another issue, but the final two pages make this a must read for sure. This isn't just some tie-in, it's a can't miss story all on it's own.
RATING: 5/5
(Just put this in your pull box now and save yourself the trouble of tracking down issues later.)