Fantastic Four: Civil War

Fantastic Four (1998) (Collected Editions) #15

by J. Michael Straczynski, Dwayne McDuffie, Mike McKone

One member of the Fantastic Four lies hospitalised, a casualty of the Civil War that has fragmented the superhuman community. Another member is secretly helping the opposition. Who will toe the line, who will join the resistance, and who will leave the battlefield altogether?

Collecting Fantastic Four #538-543.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Civil War

184 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2007

About the author

Joseph Michael Straczynski is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison.
Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009), was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012), and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics.
A prolific writer across a variety of media and former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers and Artisans.
Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show. Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Leo Tolstoy

”One child grows up to be
Somebody that just loves to learn
And another child grows up to be
Somebody you'd just love to burn”

Sly Stone

What better way to encapsulate Marvel’s Civil War crossover event than to involve Marvel’s first family, the Fantastic Four (FF) in the grand debate about super hero registration – a microcosm, if you will, of the event’s major themes as argued by Mom and Dad.

Everybody’s least favorite FF member, Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) is sidelined and in the hospital. The argument rages between Sue Richards (Invisible Woman) for the anti-registration side and Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) for the pro-registration/government forces.

Ben Grimm (The Thing) does the heavy lifting.



*sigh*

For all dialectic that’s heaped on in this volume, Reed Richards argument still comes off as ineffectual, especially when confronted (threatened?) by his wife’s far superior powers and compelling arguments.



No longer “the “gal” who faints after using her powers and exerting herself for 30 seconds”, Sue Richards is the true power player in this group.

These types of comic panels are a thing of the past:



The times, they are (thankfully) a changin’.

Ben Grimm, the heart (and comic relief) of this group, lightens the reading load by going to Paris and shouting, “It’s clobberin’ time!” in French.



Also included in this volume is Marvel’s less than stellar 45 year tribute to the Fantastic Four.



Stan Lee pays the group a visit…



…and the running Human Torch/Spider-Man feud gets a treatment.



Bottom Line - This isn’t a horrible Civil War tie-in, but given the unique group dynamics inherent in the Fantastic Four, it could have been better.



I wish that were true, ya big lug.

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the blame for Civil War can be placed on Tony Stark, but in the Marvel history books there should also be a fair portion assigned to Reed Richards, too. Which shouldn’t be a surprise because that guy has always been kind of a jerk.

The idea here is to show how Marvel’s First Family is torn apart by the conflict. Reed is a staunch supporter of registration and is using his big brain to help the government including building a prison in the Negative Zone to house super powered people who refuse to follow the Superhero Registration Act, and they won’t be getting a trial. Sue questions the new law as well as what Reed and Tony are doing, and she leaves to join Team Cap. Johnny was badly beaten by a crowd of civilians looking for a superhero to blame after the Stamford explosion, but he’s still on his sister’s side. Poor Ben Grimm is the one torn up the most about what’s happening to his friends and his country because he thinks the law is terrible, but he also doesn’t believe in fighting against his own government so he decides to just go hang out in Paris for a while.

These FF comics should have been a series of devastating stories if Marvel wanted to really sell readers on the idea of how the Civil War was splitting the ranks of its superheroes, but it never gets to that level where you fear that that irrevocable damage is being done. Sue leaves Reed for a while, but that’s happened before so while it’s sad there’s not that much bite. Johnny is strangely MIA for a lot of the story. I felt for Ben the most as he struggles with his conscience, and the best bit in the whole thing when he stops a battle between the two sides by pointing out the damage they’re doing all around them. This also includes some things celebrating the FF's 45th anniversary including a mildly funny meta story featuring Stan Lee. It's not bad, but it seems weird to have something celebrating the team in a story that should be about it disintegrating.

I did like the piece with Reed calling in his former foe The Thinker to essentially check his math on his projections about what would happen if they don’t accept registration, and he offers an explanation there about how both he and Tony are absolutely certain that following the SRA is the only chance to avoid bloodier conflict and possibly the entire destruction of the superhero community. It’s those moments that remind you that Tony and Reed are heroes and not just jackasses tearing Marvel apart for funsies.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read!

Civil war has taken place and with Reed taking Tony's side we see the break up of the team and tensions between Reed and Sue and then seeing how Ben leaves america and how he arrives at that decision and all that and then the team up with the Heroes in Paris and I loved that volume and the inner struggles of Reed and all that and finally Reed vs Thinker and also Pupper Master has some stuff in the middle. Its an okay story overall and it acts as a tie in to the main event and so reads well if you look at it from that perspective and I love the way they characterize Reed and try to show the family may split up.

And then finally the big 45th anniversary thing with the team coming together and like their villains and support staff speaking of their praises, romance between Reed and Sue rekindled and a crazy story by Stan Lee which I loved. The last issue was like a love letter to the team and its vast history and I loved it. The art was pretty good throughout!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fantastic Four has never been my thing. I didn't realize they're older than I am until I read the anniversary story at the end of this collection. I guess I've disliked them as long as I've been alive. Who knew?
Civil War has also never been my thing. I was hoping we could avoid it in the movie universe but, as you know, we can't because that's the next movie...coming up in just a couple of months, as a matter of fact.
*sigh*
Alright, to be fair, I like the ethical dilemma that makes up the Civil War storyline, I just don't like how it goes on and on and on and onnnn for yeeeaaaars which, yeah, that's what wars do but I get so tired of reading the same angst over and over with no real new stories or perspectives.
This is why people like Wanda M. go nuts.
Just sayin'
So, yeah, more of the same and with some of my least favorite characters. Commence the rolling of the eyes.

But! You know who shows up in the back of this book?
Joe Quesadaaaaa! *shakee shakee shakee*
Gah, I love that more than anything.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. Actually a FF story I didn't hate. That being said, some of it was downright silly.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The few scenes between Reed and Sue were good, but the rest of it was dorky.

[Zack! Empire · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most enjoyable of the Civil War books I've read so far. I think part of that is because it deals mostly with The Thing, who I've always been a big fan of. I also liked the Thing's point of view where he isn't for, or against, registration. But he is for protecting people and saving lives. He really doesn't see either side as being right, but thinks that both sides have lost sight of what's really important. I thought that was great.
The conversations between Sue and Reed was great. I liked how it seemed that they both were just waiting for the other one to see the light and admit they were wrong. But of course, neither one does.
This collection also has a nice ending with Reed and Sue deciding to quit the Fantastic Four to go and work on their marriage. But since the world needs a Fantastic Four, Black Panther and Storm show up to take there place. Good stuff.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another Civil War tie-in that I did NOT read when Civil War originally came out. Reading that original mini-series, there isn't much in there to explain just WHY Reed Richards would do the things he did and I think that story suffered a little because of it. Granted, you just can't fit everything into the main event, and Marvel needs a reason for you to pick up the tie-ins right? Better or worse, that's how it is.

This volume, does just that, explaining Reeds motivations and does it quite well. It's nearly all discussion, between Reed and the rest of the Fantastic "family" where Straczynski gets to the heart of just how everyone reacts to the Superhero Registration Act. And, JMS uses his gifts to delve into not just the whys but how it feels for each character, each responding in their own way. In particular how the marriage of Sue and Reed stands up to this disagreement is probably the hallmark of these issues.

It should be noted that while these are sequential issues, they don't quite flow together. The general thread continues but occasionally something will happen that is clearly resolved in some other book. Nothing is recapped, so you just have to go with it.

The TPB also includes a short story by Stan Lee celebrating the FF's 45th anniversary, and another short couple stories that have nothing to do with either the anniversary or CW (and wasn't that good either.)

Like Frontline: Civil War, this turned out to be a nice surprise. While it isn't quite a companion piece for the entire event, it definitely gives you the inside scoop on how it affected the Fantastic Four.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

J. Michael Straczynski may be the only writer who got Civil War right. The focus on the FF follows Reed Richard's decision to side with Iron Man and create a prison in the Negative Zone. Sue Storm can't believe what he's done, and Johnny Storm, after he recovers from a beating he took in the main Civil War book, sides with her. The Thing, though, doesn't like either side, and flees. To France. His trip adds some needed levity to the book.
This book has several links to Civil War: Spider-Man, which Straczynski also wrote--the nerd in me loves this tightly knit continuity. I still think Reed veered a little too far to far into analytical mode in building the Negative Zone prison, and he doesn't seem any more human in this book. And just like the Spider-Man book, there's a twist ending that should drive the next year of the book.
The book ends with an issue dedicated to the 45th anniversary of the team, which seems like an odd one to commemorate (Just wait five years. The team'll still be around in some form.)

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably not coincidence that, apart from the main "Civil War" story-line volume, the two I most enjoyed as standalones were Spider-Man and this one. Both were written by J. Michael Straczynski and both focused their energies on examining the internal conflicts on the heroes caught up in the turbulent events and how it affects their long-standing relationships, the most poignant being Sue Storm's growing estrangement from Reed Richards. That said, it's not without its humour: The Thing's self-imposed exile to Paris to meet the French capital's equivalent of The Avengers was "drole", even if some of the puns were "infortuné".

[Agnė · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 out of 5
Civil War: Fantastic Four wasn't bad, but it didn't really add any depth or new significant insights to the Marvel's Civil War event.
Also, it's the first time I've read a FF-centered comic and, based on this volume, I am not really interested in reading more about them. Though I like Benjamin J. Grimm, aka The Thing :)

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one more side companion to Marvel's Civil War event. This one has to do with the Fantastic Four. Johnny Storm was beat up pretty bad during the Civil War main story line and the registration act has left the team divided. This collection deals with these aspects and the resulting actions.

I was hoping to like this more because the Fantastic Four was my first introduction into the world of comics way back when I was a child. It was decent with only a couple of good moments. One of these was The Thing shouting his catch phrase in French. This collection also coincides with the Fantastic Four forty fifth anniversary. There was one issue that was a nod to this event and I enjoyed the throwback art. Where this collection missed the mark was dealing with the team and their different point of views. It touched upon them but I would have liked a little more insight into them. It did provide the real reason why Reed sided with Iron Man.

I am trying to read all of the side companions to the Civil War event. Most of them are average and this one follows that pattern. If you are a huge fan of this superhero team this collection is for you as it does redeem Reed a little and sets up the next story arc for this team.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the Main Civil War, I've taken my time getting around to the periphery of the titles which crossover. This volume has some really good stuff, and some absolute shit. Ben Grimm gets so angry he just walks away altogether, Reed and Sue are on different sides, and Johnny's in the middle. The stuff there is great, but the stuff with Ben on his own is just crap, seriously. The end of everything results in half the team taking a leave of absence, and being replaced by 2 others right at the end of the book, which would set up an interesting mix. Glad to have read it, but it didn't really have a huge impact on what happens overall, just more in the relationship between Reed & Sue, and to a lesser extent, Johnny and Ben with Reed.

[Alicia Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading this event according to the official Marvel Civil War reading recommendation list as seen on their website here:

https://www.marvel.com/comics/discove...

I wasn't as invested in this collection at the beginning, but it surprised me with how much I ended up liking it. Some issues are very funny, especially with the Thing in Paris and the characters he meets there (who look a lot like DC characters). But overall these issues discuss how a close team--a family--handles the Civil War and is divided. It asks a lot of questions about its characters and their roles in their team/family. Some of it is campy--especially the meta comics at the end about the 45th anniversary--but it's actually quite philosophical.

For: fans of superheroes/comics; readers wanting to see events for a divided team.

Possible red flags: characters in peril; violence; death; arguing; couple's strife; hospitalization.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A fun collection with some good dramatic scenes that ties very loosely into the Civil War event. Too loosely, actually. In the main event, Johnny and Sue are very briefly in disguise and saving people—that doesn’t feature at all here. Johnny waking from his coma? Happens between issues and is not at all addressed. Instead we get Thing going to France and some wacky hijinks ensue. I went along for the ride and enjoyed it well enough, but I was hoping some of the gaps would be covered here after reading the Civil War event … perhaps they’re covered in another tie-in?

Despite being disjointed and hugely reliant on reading Civil War first, there’s plenty to like here for FF fans, including some short tales at the end to celebrate the 45th anniversary, including a meta tale from Stan Lee himself.

[Sydney]

sue storm leave your fascist husband and marry me instead please <3

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will never recover from the sheer amount of Reed Richards content I had to read for this event. I can not even begin to describe the heights my hatred of Richards has reached.

[Murphy C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid stuff! Better than the event series to which it ties-in. Bonus props to the late Dwayne McDuffie. I love everything he wrote.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, some chapters of this collection are very closely tied to the Civil War event, while others have almost nothing to do with it, and if you've seen my ratings for other Civil War Marvel books, you can probably guess which ones I enjoyed most. However, I even thought the more CW centered chapters were actually pretty cool, telling events of the core book from a different angle, lending some insight into what else was feeding the circumstances. Also, Reed's motivation for being involved made a hell of a lot more sense than anyone else's. (Asimov FTW)

The highlight of the book is the third chapter, "Many Annoying Things, None of Them French," which sees Ben "The Thing" Grimm on a solo adventure with many French superheroes, (some of them suspiciously familiar) some may find the bizarre cast of characters reminiscent of Edlund's The Tick, but I particularly was fondly reminded of Waid & 'ringo's run on FF.

The final three chapters came from an FF anniversary issue. The main story, with the characters watching a documentary about themselves, seemed a bit weak. I just feel like this is what superhero comics always do at milestones, yet it was effective nonetheless, giving me the intended fuzzy feelings. The other two were fun little tributes, but "A Day at the Races" featured some seriously amateur hour art. Don't know what was up with that.

Lastly I just want to say to Dwayne McDuffie. That was not alright for you to go and die on us. Your fans need someone like you, and I can only think of a few that work in your style, and not one who measures up. Not cool leaving us man, not cool.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty decent. Most civil war stuff surrounding the event is better than the actual event itself.

This mostly has the reed family at war. Reed believes what he is doing is right. Susan believes he is wrong. The Thing doesn't know what he believes. Johnny is caught between the two. This leads to everyone at each other throat, choices will be made, and by the end you get a weird new statue quo.

Overall, pretty interesting arguments. The ending is a let down but all the start and middle kept me entertained. A 3 out of 5.

[William Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the read can be confusing because it is spread out over the events of Civil War, this collection of Fantastic Four books is well written, and a delight to read. Straczynski is a magnificent writer that I have loved since I started watching Babylon 5. He understands the characters and their dynamic as a team. Don't miss out on your chance to see what the FF does during the Civil War.

www.lockheed40books.com

[Malia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started to read this because it's in the Civil War series but then I remembered one vital bit of info- I have never given a sh*t about the Fantastic Four. They are one of my least fave groups of heroes and this reminded me why. They're boring! Add their lameness to boring writing and you've got a quality nap in your future.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good volume. I'm sad that it was so short. I want to know more about the Fantastic Four's role in the Civil War.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Really enjoyed this Civil War backstory. There are two issues at the end in honor of the 45th anniversary of Fantastic Four with some cool retro artwork.

[Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading the Civil War issues of Fantastic Four, my primary exposure to the work of J. Michael Straczynski was from his series Babylon 5. I was always more of a Star Trek fan and Babylon 5 came out around the same time as Deep Space Nine. To date I still haven't seen every episode of Deep Space Nine but I did eventually binge watch Babylon 5 (probably on DVD or crazier yet, VHS) and was impressed by Straczynski's way of plotting the series to the point that his planning made it possible to see an event from season one from a different perspective in season three (he would plot Babylon 5 with "trap doors" to easily remove a character if the business realities of producing the show would take an actor out of the show.) Since it has been at least fifteen years since I watched Babylon 5, I recently set my DVR to record episodes on Comet TV. Whether I will watch is still up in the air (I always seem to like reading books over watching TV, but we'll see.)

While Babylon 5 was something going for Straczynski as I started reading this collection, both Fantastic Four's past and history were working against him. For me, John Byrne's run on Fantastic Four in the 1980s will always be the gold standard for the book, which I read as a tween/teen and have returned to many times in my life. In addition, Jonathan Hickman's later work on the book seems to be indicative of the same intricate plotting that made Babylon 5 so successful. (Whether Hickman actually knew that his work on Fantastic Four would eventually lead to the events of Secret Wars is probably not likely, but the fact that he made it all fit is pretty freaking awesome.) In addition, I was afraid that this book likely would suffer from the same weaknesses that most publisher "event" crossovers do--editorial has such a heavy hand that the writer doesn't feel free to follow his or her own proclivities for the book. Perhaps that is the reason that the last two stories in the collection are not from Straczynski, but instead from the late Dwayne McDuffie (including the 45th anniversary edition of the book which doesn't break much new ground, but does introduce a "new" Fantastic Four.) I do not know if Civil War lead to Straczynski's departure from the book, but I can't see that it helped.

The good in this collection is the relationship between the members of the Fantastic Four, especially between Reed and his fractured relationships with Sue and Ben. Ben has an interesting reaction to the Superhuman Registration Act from Civil War and actually becomes an ex-pat because of it. However, Straczynski's departure and the end of Civil War kind of leads McDuffie to abandon the Ben as ex-pat thread and by the anniversary issue it's almost like nothing happened. Reed and Sue's relationship issues take center stage through both writers work, allowing McDuffie to juggle the team membership with a few heroes that honestly, I didn't see coming. Unfortunately, because of the change in authors, this collection comes off as choppy and because of Reed's involvement in Civil War (which was being driven by Mark Millar), forced. Like most "event" crossovers, I doubt this is what it could have been.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, this volume was disappointing. Though I find the Fantastic Four usually boring, they held a very interesting place in the Civil War storyline.

Reed Richards, along with other scientists side with Tony Stark and create a horrific extra-dimensional prison that saps the prisoners will to live. In addition, this action splits the Fantastic Four down the middle, with Sue and Jonny leaving the group, and the Thing leaving for France. These are huge massively interesting twists.

This volume hints at several of these things. But barely focuses on Reed building this prison, on how this makes him feel, how others around him feel. In addition, Sue and Johnny are nonexistent in the story after they leave. Perhaps this is because the main comic covers them some, but this isn't enough. In many ways Sue is the most interesting perspective in this story, and we never get her perspective... very disappointing.

The end of the volume has a cheesy recap of what makes the Fantastic Four great, that they are family, and nothing has been able to split them (until now). This was bland and meh.

Honestly the only saving grace of this volume was The Thing. He both refuses to support registration or fight it, instead he leaves for France, and does some old school heroing with French heroes. This was highly enjoyable, as it highlights the problems with both sides of this conflict. It also shows a solution to the Thing fleeing the stress tearing his family (The Fantastic Four) apart. The is also an amazing scene, where the Thing is keeping Johnny company as he is in a coma, and is talking with him, we get snippets of some hilarious rambling conversation and actions as the thing is alone, scrambling for something to say.

[Terry Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

For everything that is right about these issues of the FF, all published during the era of the first Civil War crossover event in the Marvel Universe ... an equal number of characters and how they are directed to behave are wrong, wrong, wrong.

I’m going to discuss two of these: The Thing and Mr. Fantastic.

Right: Ben Grimm is captured in all of his complicated glory - from his decision to reject the so-called “war among friends,” to his hilarious interactions with Reed and Sue’s children. I can’t think of a single false note struck in anything Ben says or does in this collection. If only the other leads in the family had been as skillfully handled (although don’t forget that rampant damage in other titles was already being heaped on Tony Stark, Captain America and even Peter Parker).

Wrong: Poor Reed Richards comes off as an arrogant bastard who refuses to trust his best friend, his brother in law, and his beloved wife in a ham fisted and plot driven mechanism designed to paint him as an aloof savior of the world. A man who, as the Human Torch notes repeatedly in a particularly poor bit of editing over a three issue span, “(We) would follow into hell, and have done so.” No wonder Sue is furious. Reed is plain awful here. He manages to make even Tony Stark look good during the Civil War.

Favorite section: The Thinker is invited into Reed’s lair to look over his equations and conclusions. The Thinker is blown away. No wonder he could never outsmart Reed. Mr. Fantastic was on such a higher level intellectually the Thinker never could compete. That being said, he is the one who deduces an invisible Sue is also among them listening in horror at Reed’s plans. Reed is flustered. How did the Thinker know ...?

“Common sense,” is the reply.

[Dani Wladdimiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

JMS es un autor que toma riesgos, teniendo grandes aciertos y otros no tantos, y definitivamente otros polémicos. En este caso, sinceramente me gustó demasiado como iba encaminando la historia para darnos un conflicto familiar, un proyecto grupal, donde deben dividirse entre Reed y Susan. Me imaginó que sin dudas esta decisión ya estaba tomada por el comité creativo, pero los diálogos íntimos que hay entre ellos. Es una lástima en cierta medida que hayan otros no tan buenos, como el de Ben en Paris, donde sinceramente era un desperdicio, porque tenían una trama tan interesante que podrían haberla llevado a temas muchos más íntimos y personales, dejándonos más el conflicto personalmente con una trama psicológica que la Cosa diciendo frases (mal dichas) en francés. Todo eso no significa que haya opacado esos capítulos donde vemos al matrimonio discutir, y en especial dejar claro la posición de Susan sobre la arrogancia de su marido y la firme decisión que tiene sobre su pensamiento, teniendo en considerando que si él piensa que lo hace por temor, no es por los demás, sino por si mismo. Vale la pena leerlos, completamente, especialmente para ver una visión más íntima sobre lo que significó este evento en los personajes de Marvel.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought this was a pretty great continuation of the dramatic storytelling started in Mark Millar’s Civil War Marvel Event. In this story, the Fantastic Four very much feels like a family, but those family ties are being tested greatly by mixed feelings over the superhero registration act. Reed continues to push for registration as he has calculated that disaster will occur if there is no accountability for heroes. Johnny Storm is in a coma. Sue Storm sides with the Resistance. And Ben Grimm, out of a desire not to disobey law and out of disagreement of the registration act, just leaves the country and travels to Paris for a self-imposed exile. While there, he meets a team called the Heroes of Paris who oddly feel like a knock-off Justice League. The Thing is very much the heart and center of this story as the only one with a level perspective on the whole situation. This story is also quite funny at times. A very well paced story. There is also an additional short story written by Stan Lee himself to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Fantastic Four. In it, the team comes up against their first foe: the Mole Man. This short story is kind of bizarre and meta. There is an additional short story involving Johnny Storm at a race and his age-old rivalry with Spider-Man.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quiet possibly the worst collection in the Civil War series so far. I’ve read all the TPB’s as listed on ComicBookHerald.com just to try out an entire story arc, and this was — wow — just terrible.

The artwork is dated / meh, the French storyline with Thing was just corny as all get out, the transitions between the issues were abrupt, and the 45th anniversary ending was a waste of pages in the digital comic. I’m not even sure what to say about the inclusion of the brief comic about the Human Torch and Spider-Man getting into a fight at a street race of some sort. Why bother?

I used to think that 20th Century Fox (or Sony) was to blame for the terrible Fantastic Four movies, but now I’m wondering, as this is my first exposure to it, if the comics themselves aren’t just a terrible starting point for a film. I know Marvel is bringing back FF this year and have been promoting it around, but it will have to be pretty compelling stuff for a modern audience hooked on dark comics and film adaptations.