While Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri's The Ultimates may have claimed the title of the Best Comic Book Series or Original Graphic Novel of 2024, it's undeniable that Marvel's Fantastic Four was a strong contender for the top spot. The series, helmed by writer Ryan North and his talented team, is currently enjoying a high point in its storied history. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps set to hit theaters soon, Marvel is poised to capture an even larger audience this summer.
Marvel plans to relaunch Fantastic Four in July, and fans can rest assured that North will continue to lead the charge. The new volume will see North teaming up with artist Humberto Ramos, known for his work on The Amazing Spider-Man. Together, they'll take readers on fresh adventures with Marvel's First Family, navigating the aftermath of the One World Under Doom crossover and embarking on time-traveling escapades.
To delve deeper into what the new series has in store and why it's an ideal entry point for new readers, IGN had the opportunity to interview North via email. Before diving into the interview, take a moment to explore an exclusive preview of the first issue in the slideshow gallery below, which showcases the dynamic interplay of the FF not just as a family, but as friends.
Fantastic Four #1: Exclusive Preview Gallery
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It might seem unusual to renumber the series when the writer remains the same and the direction isn't drastically shifting, but North sees it as an opportunity to welcome new readers. With the release of the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, anything Marvel can do to make the comic more inviting and accessible to newcomers is a step in the right direction.
“An opportunity comics has as a medium is always to expand,” North tells IGN. “There are millions of people who don't read comics, who think comics aren't for them, and they're wrong! There are a ton of comics that are absolutely for them, but they just haven't found them yet, or maybe haven't felt like they were invited in to read them. Especially in superhero comics, where every book has a number on it and people may think they have to start with number one, it can be a real challenge. So by giving readers that new number one, the hope is that if they see the movie and love it and want to know more about these fantastic people, that's at least one less barrier for them to overcome.”
The primary change with the new series is the addition of Ramos on art. North shares that he and Ramos have been collaborating on this relaunch for some time, discussing the characters and their vision from the outset.
“We were lucky enough to get to meet and have breakfast at San Diego Comic-Con a while back, before he even started work on this new series and before I even started writing them, so we got to talk about the characters and what we like about them from the word go,” North says. “He is a very creative and generous collaborator, always down to punch up an idea and able to render those ideas with such excitement and verve. I think people are going to really love what he's been coming up with, and it's been a real trial these past several months sitting on top of all this great art and being unable to share it with anyone.”
Ramos's renowned speed as an artist offers North a significant advantage. With a consistent art team, North can tailor his scripts specifically for Ramos, enhancing the synergy between story and visuals.
“I've been lucky enough to work with a ton of great artists on Fantastic Four, but I'm usually so far ahead with the scripting that I don't know who the artist is going to be when I'm writing it,” North says. “It's always my preference to know the artist, because then you can write for them and create something that can be a better melding of the two of your interests, and with knowing Humberto has been on this book for so long, it's been really great to get to write specifically for him for issue after issue.”
While a new #1 issue is always a draw, it's worth noting that North's run on Fantastic Four has always been accessible. His approach involves standalone adventures that weave into a broader narrative, similar to the style of Rick and Morty. With the relaunch, North aims to maintain this format while slightly amplifying the overarching story.
“Not really, but I am using it as an opportunity to lean a bit more into that larger narrative!” North says. “I still want each issue to stand alone, and I want every issue to be a place for someone to jump on and get a fully satisfying story with every issue they pick up, but I am turning the dial a little bit more towards larger and crazier stories for that larger narrative. I'm not changing the special sauce - as Ben would say, ‘I'm just adding a couple cloves of garlic - not because it's not delicious, I just wanna add a little bit of zip.’”
When the relaunch was announced, North emphasized his intent to explore the FF as friends, not just family. This distinction, though subtle, adds depth to the characters and their relationships.
“It's maybe a subtle distinction, but I really love my friends, and wanted to tell stories about people who are in these long-running relationships that they don't have to be, but they choose to be,” North says. “And that's not that different from family, in the sense that, yes, you are born into a family, but you have to choose to stay there - you have to put the effort in to maintain and develop the relationships that are important to you. And if you look at the Fantastic Four, we often think of them as a family, but only two of them, Johnny and Sue, actually are family at the start. But they all choose each other, they all choose to stay with each other and become something more, and I think that's really fun and beautiful and interesting. Guess what I'm trying to say is the distance between good friends and found family maybe isn't as wide as I thought it was.”
Relaunching Fantastic Four amidst the ongoing One World Under Doom crossover presents its challenges, but North assures fans that the new series will engage with the event head-on, kicking off with a major Doctor Doom storyline.
“One of the challenges of relaunching like this is we're trying to do a new number one that's an easy on-ramp for new readers, but also it's right in the middle of the One World Under Doom event, and we don't want to ignore that either,” North says. “So the first story is a Doom story, giving the Fantastic Four the chance to actually fix everything that Doom has done - this involves a big, weird science fiction idea - and then we're off to the races with a whole bunch of other new, weird, big science fiction ideas.”
One significant plot point from One World Under Doom involves Doom curing Ben Grimm of his rocky condition. However, previews suggest Ben is back to being The Thing in the new series. North hints that this plot thread will be resolved before the relaunch, ensuring a clean slate for new readers.
“We’ll actually get to see how it is resolved in the last moments of the previous run, so that we're not starting this new one with an unresolved plot thread!” North says. “I do really want it to be accessible to that new and curious person who wants to know more about the Fantastic Four, so I'm trying to keep the back story they need to know to as much of a minimum as I can for this first little bit. Which might sound hard, but it's also something that I've been doing the entire run so far. The Fantastic Four have literal decades of history, but I want to make sure that nobody is lost when they pick up an issue and everyone is welcome to the party, you know?”
Fantastic Four #1 is set to release on July 9, just weeks before The Fantastic Four: First Steps premieres in theaters. Below is the solicitation for Fantastic Four #2:
FANTASTIC FOUR #2
Written by RYAN NORTH
Art and Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS
Sue Storm, stranded deep in the future at the end of Earth’s history, is the last thing alive on the once-vibrant world. How can she make it back to her proper time before being killed? Meanwhile, Reed Richards, stranded in Earth’s past, waits for a rescue from her that will never come...unless there’s some way their relationship – the deep and loving understanding this man and woman have for each other – can transcend time itself...
Meanwhile, in the present, Doom reveals precisely how he’s managed to stymie the Fantastic Four for so long: a secret to his invincibility that has transformed every loss into a win! And it’s one that makes Emperor Doom invincible...
On Sale 8/13
In other Fantastic Four news, a prequel comic is set to release, providing the origin story of Pedro Pascal's Reed and his family. This marks one of the first comics in recent times to tie directly into the MCU, adding another layer of excitement for fans.
