It was only when Spider-Man/ Fantastic Four was announced that I’d ever even heard of the Spider-Man/ X-Men miniseries that Christos Gage had done previously so I had no idea what to expect out of this series. What I can say though is that this book had definitely made me want to check it out as this was one entertaining issue. This may not be the highest profile book of the week, but it surprised me and became one of my favorite.
The whole point of this book is to tell untold stories of Spider-Man and Fantastic Four team-ups at various points throughout the continuity of both and this first issue fits snugly into the continuity of the books here as the Fantastic Four are forced to protect Dr. Doom at a peace conference shortly after Ben Grimm had crushed Doom’s hands in a then-recent invasion of the Baxter Building. Since the peace meeting takes place at Empire State University during Peter Parker’s time as a student there, naturally Spider-Man become embroiled in the mess when Namor crashes the scene for a duel of honor with Doom.
Christos Gage sets up all of these scenes very well and nails each characters’ voice perfectly. As is to be expected, the Human Torch and Spider-Man have some of the greatest back and forth in all of comics and it all feels just right. There’s even a fun continuity gag that I particularly enjoyed when Johnny Storm burns off one of Spidey’s armpit webs. It’s all very fun and has the feel of a goofy, Silver Age story that seems like it could have been just a lost issue of either Spider-Man or Fantastic Four, just as it should. Gage even manages to set up an in continuity threat at the end of the book that is sure to pay off later on.
I have to say, at the beginning of the issue, I wasn’t really into artist Mario Alberti’s artwork, but it definitely grew on me as the issue went on, especially once the action starts. Alberti draws an amazing Human Torch and slender Spider-Man that look quite good. He is also able to render a classic feel and costumes excellently. His faces weren’t always great, especially on Namor, but luckily, they’re rarely the focus of a scene so it’s not a big problem. Ultimately, Alberti is able to pull off the issue is mostly the way I would want and I’m curious to see how he renders other villains as the story, and timeline, progress.
Overall, this was a surprisingly good issue that will definitely draw me back for succeeding issues. I always seem to underrate Christos Gage as a writer which is foolish as me as he only shows signs of improving. If you have even a passing interest in either the Fantastic Four or Spider-Man, you should definitely check this book out. Though it fits into continuity, you really don’t need to know any to enjoy this, though having some background only makes it that much more interesting. I’m excited to see where the upcoming issues go, especially with next issues apparent villain being Venom.
Overall: 8.3/10
No comments:
Post a Comment