FF #1

Johnny Storm is dead and, for at least now, so is the Fantastic Four. With FF #1 writer Jonathan Hickman launches the remaining members of the team, their extended family, and one Webhead into a new series of adventures.

In this first issue Spider-Man joins the team getting yet another costume change. The new group gets their first action by attempting to stop A.I.M. from breaking the Wizard out of prison. Things do go all that well.

On the plus side there are some nice touches throughout including Spidey's hestitancy and troubling finding his place with the team, the Thing's grief, a comment Reed Richard's father makes over dinner, and a surprise appearance by an old enemy an unlikely new ally for the new team.

I'm not quite sold on the look of costumes (although I do like Sue's explanation for the color scheme) and as first issues go it does a pretty good job of setting the table. I also find it humorous that Marvel went all Dynamite Entertainment with the crazy number of variants for this one.

The sheer number of supporting characters looks a bit much in the longterm for the book but I'm intrigued enough to stick around and find out how things go with the Forward Foundation (or is it First Family?) for at least a couple months.

[Marvel, $3.99]