Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Carlos Gomez
Color Artist: Jesus Aburtov
Cover Artist: Joshua Cassara
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
The Fantastic Four are not strangers to the unknown even when it comes to dealing with magic and the supernatural. But once they come into contact with the mystical dome placed by Dr. Doom over Latveria, they get displaced into a different world far from anything they know. Read Fantastic Four #25 to see how Marvel’s first family find their way home when they have no way back.
Review:
Alright, I’ll be upfront and say that this comic isn’t great, but it’s not terrible either. It’s just okay. The story isn’t too thrilling but it has its share of positives to go with the negatives. Fair warning, there will be SPOILERS in this review. Let’s delve in.
Now, the story starts with the Fantastic Four arriving at Latveria to study Doom’s mystical metal-like dome that’s covering all Latveria. Just as they’re about to start studying it, Johnny sparks some small fire at it, and the whole team is transported to an unfamiliar world with no way back to Earth. But as this is all unraveling the comic has odd narration that signifies another character who ends up stepping into the spotlight of this comic.
That someone ends up being a female “alien” being called Angelica. And as Angelica’s narration in first five pages state, this comic is pretty much a love story of how she met and fell in love with the Human Torch. I’ll dig into the positives then get into the negatives. Firstly, the best positives of this comic are the art from Carlos Gomez and the colors provided by Jesus Aburtov. They bring to life all the characters, locations, and interactions in this comic very well. Then there’s the emotional character writing for the Fantastic Four in the second half of the comic. Some of it is pretty raw and gets really dramatic in all the right ways.
Now the negatives. Okay, I’m going to be real with you guys, I think this comic’s “love story” is pretty weak. Granted, it does its best to try to create an insta-romance between Johnny and Angelica, but it just doesn’t work for me, and there’s also Angelica’s narration and the weak resolution in the story. See, Angelica’s narration shifts between feeling cute and endearing to cringey and a little too campy even for this series. As a result I couldn’t invest in this character or her spontaneous relationship with Johnny. Granted, I don’t hate Angelica and I’m glad she factors into the resolution in a good way, but I don’t find her compelling either. She just feels like this story, a one and done thing that’ll never come back in a meaningful way in the future and will undoubtedly be forgotten.
The last negative is that the resolution is pretty weak. Turns out the “alien” world is actually Earth but waaay back in time and Doom’s dome sent the FF to such a time. But now they’re faced with a scenario that seems right out of classic Star Trek but done a little poorly. See, they have to choose between allowing the formation of Earth as they know it to occur so life can proceed as it does, or don’t and essentially prevent humanity from existing. Ryan North really stretches this “impossible choice” out for cheap emotional drama, having characters say things that would otherwise be unforgivable or close to it. Of course, it’s not long before Reed comes up with what is essentially a very obvious solution that has forced consequences to explain why we never see Angelica and her people ever again.
Overall, it’s not a great issue, but it’s not terrible either. It’s just not something to buy on its own unless you really like this series. And even then, I’d recommend waiting for the trades and buying the volume. This isn’t a story to buy on its own but with togethers others, which feels right to say about a Fantastic Four comic book.
Final Thoughts:
Fantastic Four #25 brings a new misadventure for the team of heroes as their contact with Dr. Doom’s new latverian dome takes them to a strange and unfamiliar world. The comic is very much a romance story, but reader mileage will vary based on whether they can get invested in the new character and her relationship with Johnny Storm. Sadly, the romance is the weakest part of the comic. However, it’s not terribly written, it’s just the comic delivers a more engaging sci-fi scenario for the Fantastic Four that’s evocative of classic Star Trek stories.