Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1 (of 3) – Review

By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (writer), Barry Kitson (pencils), Mick Gray, Scott Hanna, Barry Kitson, Paul Neary (inks), Chris Sotomayor (colors)

On sale: 5/14/08

Well, now I see why Secret Invasion #2 failed to give us more on the attack at the Baxter Building. This story handles it all – from the abduction of Sue Richards to her attack to the Baxter Building. Readers curious to see the outcome of this event will want to pick up this issue, but personally, I think it’s a story we can do without (for now). Maybe the later issues will play a more integral role into the Skrull invasion, but what we’ve got here is not necessarily a weak opening story, but rather an interesting plot filled with awful moments, cliches, and dialogue.

Within the opening pages of the book, we’re bombarded with a horrible sequence of events starting with Reed trying to bed Sue. It comes off as forced, predictable, and so stupid that I almost closed the book. Later on, Sue (now a Skrull), tries to pull one over on Johnny, but he’s not fooled by her antics, which makes me wonder how Johnny Storm (arguably the biggest idiot on the team) can sense something amiss while his sister (a very smart and intelligent woman) can be easily fooled by a Skrull imposter. It’s bad storytelling and honestly, readers should feel insulted.

There’s two saving graces to this issue – the overall plot, which has the remaining Fantastic Four members (along with Val and Franklin) adrift in the Negative Zone, and the excellent art by Barry Kitson. It’s just the poor execution of the plot that makes this book a chore to read. And Barry Kitson’s art, as good as it is, is fumbled around by various inkers. Sometimes the art pops off the page in spectacular fashion, while other times it feels flat and uneven. You shouldn’t need four inkers to ink 22 pages!

Hopefully, Aguirre-Sacasa can pick up the slack next issue and redeem himself. In a more capable writer’s hands this book would have been filled with drama and suspense, but instead we’re given just a taste of what could have been. This issue, despite its interesting cliffhanger and somewhat decent moments with Ben Grimm, is wasted. (Grade: D)

– J. Montes

A Second Opinion

To anyone wondering what has happened to the FF after being sucked into the Negative Zone in Secret Invasion #1: Pick up this book, because this will tell you everything you need to know. This issue also has a quick prologue (which is both informative and downright creepy) and (later on), a brief but humorous interlude. The rest of the story is exactly what the title promises: The effects that Secret Invasion has on the Fantastic Four.

In the story, we get some great interactions between Ben and the kids (and boy do I feel sorry for those kids, the stuff they see during events like this is enough to scar them for life) as he tries to protect them from the dangers of the N-Zone. We also get to see Johnny with some rarely used smarts as he confronts Skrull Sue. In fact, the revelation of who it really is, is no doubt the highlight of the issue, making it a must for all FF fans.

Overall, this was very well put together. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s writing is the perfect match for the Fantastic Four, and I would not be disappointed if he took up the helm when Mark Millar eventually leaves (which I’m not looking forward to). Likewise, Kitson’s art was definitely modern, but he throws in plenty of nods to older art (i.e. the “Kirby dots” are present throughout). I’d love to see more of his work in FF as well. Kitson gets major kudos for being one of the few artists that is continuity-friendly – the FF’s uniforms here perfectly match the new uniforms that Hitch has given in the main FF title – something that is often overlooked by other artists. All together, the plot, writing and art is everything I’d hoped it would be. I’ll definitely be back for the next issue. (Grade: A-)

-M. Staples