| Comic Review | Paul Milligan |
Fantastic Four: First Family #1 (of 6)
Writer: Joe Casey
Pencils: Chris Weston
Inker: Gary Erskine
Colorist: Chris Chuckry
So what happened right after the Fantastic Four’s fateful
trip through the cosmic storm and the subsequent crash of
their rocket ship? Exactly how did they react to their
newfound powers just hours after gaining them? And what did
the government do in response to their unauthorized flight?
All these questions and more are answered in First Family,
the story behind the origin of Marvel’s first and greatest
superhero family.
Just as he did with Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,
Joe Casey once again delves into the unexplored history of
some of Marvel’s most famous heroes. But this time it seems
like Casey is taking a more intimate approach, focusing on a
more contained period of time. Specifically, the period of
time immediately following the infamous space flight that
granted the Fantastic Four their powers. In the original
first issue of their series the four adventurers go from the
crash site, where they discover their unique new abilities,
to battling the sinister Mole Man. But what happened in
between? How did the group cope with the amazing and
frightening physiological changes? For the first time we get
to see, as the four are picked up from the crash site and
promptly delivered to a government installation where they
are poked, prodded, tested and questioned. And they discover
they’re not the only ones to have had a fateful encounter
with cosmic rays.
This first issue wasn’t nearly as hard hitting, exciting or
action packed as the first issue of Earth’s Mightiest
Heroes, but that’s okay because this is a different kind
of book. Where the Avengers are superheroes and
crimefighters above all, the Fantastic Four is much more
about family and exploration and these are the themes Casey
is dealing with. That’s not to say there won’t be some great
action going on as the Fantastic Four will obviously end up
throwing down with the other cosmically enhanced beings
introduced in the story. First Family will obviously
be a bit lower key than Earth’s Mightiest, but I
don’t think it will be any less fun to read. And the
brilliant Chris Weston is doing some mind-blowing art in
this series. Each panel is packed to the gills with amazing
details and his portrayal of the character is not only
unique, but also somewhat appropriately disturbing.
I’ve never been a huge fan of the Fantastic Four, but when
the right guys work on the book I always find myself drawn
in. Lee and Kirby, John Byrne, Pacheco, Waid and Wieringo,
Ellis and Immonen. All of those amazing talents have drawn
me back the Fantastic Four again and again. And now it looks
like I’m going to add Casey and Weston to the list. I can’t
wait to read the rest of this series.
Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of
Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance
preview books for review purposes.
