MARCO SPEAKS SPIDEY: FANTASTIC FOUR #30 REVIEW (KING IN BLACK TIE-IN)

You just know that whenever there is a threat to the entire planet, the Fantastic Four are going to be at the heart of all the mess. And this time around, nothing changes, as Marvel’s First Family, and their home, act as the main headquarters in this war against Knull and his symbiote army… as well as those pesky space-dragons. In this issue, we get to see some interaction between the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man himself… plus we get an action-packed tag-team fight between the couple and their corrupted and mind-controlled loved ones. Many serious questions are raised in this issue, and the Fantastic Four will definitely have a lot to think about in the coming months.

OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS DESCRIPTION:

Fantastic Four #30

STORY BY: Dan Slott

ART BY: Ze Carlos

COVER BY: Mark Brooks, Daniel Acuna

“The Two-In-One Terrors!”

• Marvel’s First Family are divided and at each other’s throats!
• As the Earth-ending threat of the KING IN BLACK rages on, half of the Fantastic Four are Knullified and out to destroy their remaining friends and family!
• If that weren’t enough…an ancient force has reemerged in the Multiverse. Who—or what—is THE RECKONING?!

GOTCHU FAM!

PROS:

• This issue got very real, very fast. After all these years, one would think that the Fantastic Four and their genius leader would realize that their home is not the best place for children. Well, it was brought up once again in this issue, and it seems the symbiote invasion opened their eyes again to the dangers that bringing up children in the headquarters may not be the safest idea. But this time, not only are we seeing the impact such a location and setting can be in terms of the children’s safety, but we also see the effect it has on their psychology. Maybe the worry isn’t that the kids are in danger… we start to see how the children are actually so used to the action, danger, threats, and violence that perhaps they are losing the beauty of what it means to be young. We get glimpses of how the children are so at home with dangers like the Knull invasion, so it makes the oldies rethink if their bringing-up process is on the right track.
• But that leads me to my next strong point of this installment, where we see Marvel’s First Family rely on precisely that… family. They realize that no matter the dangers that they face, even with the young ones around, they will always find a way to work it out and survive… because that is what family is for.
• The clash between the couple and the mind-controlled Thing and Human Torch was entertaining, not because of the physical fight, but because of all the deep issues that were brought up during their battle. Thing voiced out his feelings that Reed is off his game, and that he only cares about his family from a scientific perspective. Human Torch brings up his problems with his sister acting like his mom all the time. But later on, after the symbiote problem is resolved, all is forgiven. Thing tries to make an excuse for himself but Reed knows that he meant what he said… but their bond is just so close and tight that there will always be room for forgiveness. Ben can sleep peacefully at night now.
• That line about knowing you are nothing means you have nothing to lose… perfection.

CONS:

• Actually, the only con I see with this book is actually aligned with what Sue brought up earlier in the issue, where she was complaining that the Fantastic Four should be out in space, exploring new worlds and going on fantastic adventures… pun intended. That is what I am missing from the book, a sense of wild adventure into the unknown. But Reed was right, they were needed right now to help save the world, and that always takes priority. But looking forward into the future, readers are surely hoping the Fantastic Four can go back to their roots, visiting the far reaches of the galaxy, universe, space and the great unknown.

FINAL GRADE: B

As expected, the Fantastic Four played a major role in the ‘King in Black’ crossover event. They are, after all, the experts when it comes to aliens and otherworldly beings and threats. It was fun to see them in action, especially as they teamed up with our favorite friendly neighborhood web-crawler. I am highly anticipating their return to space and the corners of our reality we do not fully grasp or understand.