X-Men/Fantastic Four #1
The X-Men and the Fantastic Four clash over Franklin Richards in X-Men/Fantastic Four #1, by writer Chip Zdarksy, artist Terry Dodson, inkers Rachel Dodson, Dexter Vines, and Carl Story, colorist Laura Martin, and letterer Joe Caramagna. Franklin Richards is one of the most powerful mutants on the planet, and Xavier wants him to come to Krakoa, but his parents are against that course of action. What does Franklin want? This issue seeks to answer that and much more.
As the Fantastic Four thwart an alien invasion with the help of Franklin Richards, Kate Pryde and the Marauders return to Krakoa. Xavier asks to talk to Kate and tells her that they are sending a diplomatic delegation to New York to ask for Franklin Richards… and he wants Kate to go along because of their prior friendship. Meanwhile, Reed Richards tries futilely to again cure his son’s condition- Franklin is losing his powers little by little. He fails again, and Franklin leaves. Sue and Reed talk about why Franklin’s so frustrated. Franklin and the Thing talk about how Reed has continually failed to fix the two of them when Human Torch shows up to tell them that the FF has visitors- the X-Men. The two groups discuss Franklin and eventually come to blows as Kate Pryde and Franklin talk about his future rationally. Franklin makes a run for the New York Krakoan portal but walks right through, and Reed reveals that he implanted a device in him that masks his mutant gene just in case something like this happens. The X-Men leave, and Franklin goes him and tells Valeria what happens. She has a solution, and later, on the Marauders’ ship, Kate finds Franklin and Valeria onboard. They want to go to Krakoa… but a familiar foe of FF shows up.
Chip Zdarksy really gets the Fantastic Four. First and foremost, the FF is a family, and he captures that dynamic quite well throughout this book. Families may squabble amongst themselves- Franklin and Reed clash a bit over Reed not being able to fix Franklin’s powers even though Reed seems to be able to fix anything and everything else. Ben and Franklin discuss Reed’s inability to cure both of them. However, when the X-Men show up, the adult members of the FF come together, trying to keep their family together. Families always have internal problems, but they come together when faced with external problems. Beyond that, Zdarsky gets each member of the Richards clan, writing them perfectly. Reed implanting his son with a device that blocks his mutant gene is very shady, but it’s also a very Reed thing to do. He wants to keep his family together, but he’s terrible at normal things like relationships, so he uses science to solve a problem. It’s a very Reed Richards solution to the whole thing- use science as a short term fix and then let the family deal with things. Franklin’s teenage angst over his diminishing powers is a big part of the book, and it seems very real… well as real as godlike being losing his powers can be.
He also captures how shady Xavier and Magneto have seemed lately. Ostensibly, they want Franklin to come to Krakoa because he’s a mutant, and the island is the mutant homeland, and he belongs with his people… even though he’s never really been around mutants very much at all in his life (except briefly being around Generation X with Artie and Leech post-Onslaught). However, both of them are very haughty in their dealings with the FF throughout the issue. The two groups come to blows, with the X-Men being the aggressors. This actually makes a lot of sense; suddenly, mutants have power on a global scale for the first time, and they are using it impetuously because they aren’t used to having it. This book is full of smart writing.
The art by Terry Dodson is notably hit or miss. Dodson is usually pretty cheesecake-y with his female characters, but the big problem comes with a lack of detail in long shots, which has rarely been a problem for Dodson in the past. However, there are three different inkers on the book- Rachel Dodson, the primary inker he works with, and Dexter Vines and Carl Story. Vines has been around for a long time, but neither inker has much experience working with Dodson, and that may be one of the reasons that the pencils suffer in certain places.
X-Men/Fantastic Four #1 is, for lack of a better word, fantastic. Chip Zdarksy has a keen understanding of the FF and their dynamic, and it plays out very well in this book. He also captures the feeling of the new status quo of the X-Men- they’re young money in a world of entrenched power, and they’re throwing their weight around a bit. The artworks in some places but not in others, but it doesn’t hurt the story. The cliffhanger ending is great, and it brings back a character Zdarsky wrote very well on his Marvel Two In One run. This issue is a great beginning.
Grade: B+
