Writer – Dan Slott
Artist(s) – Carlos Pancheco, Rafael Fonteriz, & Carlos Magno
Colorist – Guru-eFx
Letterer – VC’s Joe Carmagna
Cover Artist(s) – Carlos Pancheco, Rafael Fonteriz, & Marte Gracia
The Reckoning War is upon us, and we aren’t ready to face the impending doom ahead.
Fantastic Four – Reckoning War is the opening chapter of a story years in the making. This isn’t just any run of the mill comic event, no, this is something far more dire than any hero in the Marvel Universe has witnessed and it’s come knocking on the doorstep of Marvel’s First Family, The Fantastic Four.
In the depths of space, a force unlike any other we’ve witnessed has been arming races around the universe for war and Nick Fury Sr, the Unseen, is on the case. Working alongside the recently resurrected Uatu the Watcher, the pair prepare for the worst as Uatu’s past has come back to haunt him in the form of The Reckoning. A few status quo changes hit Earth’s frontline almost immediately and it’s up to the FF to take charge while all of Earth’s heroes defend the world from an invasion of Badoon. Upon the books end, we are given more information as to what The Reckoning is and a few key points that allude to what shall come next, none of it pretty.
Reading through this issue, I was absolutely blown away by the foundation that was laid down for this story. The events felt real and actually created high stakes that don’t seem like they’ll be forgotten down the road. To drive this point home, the visuals brought on by the artists were so clear and crisp that each action wasn’t muddled by some other visual within the panel, which allowed for the story to flow from one page to the next. Being a comic I consider to be a Marvel Cosmic title, the colorists usage of lights and darks for the space portions of the book gave me the classic sci-fi vibe I’m used to seeing in a book like this, making for a very compelling final product.
If I had to really pick a page that stood out to me, I’d have to choose the gorgeous splash page showcasing the poisoned Eternity as his spouse the Never Queen explains to Silver Surfer the root of this disaster. The composition of the page is masterful in terms of character placement, the raw emotion one can feel gazing at Eternity in agony, and colors that came together to give our eyes a masterpiece to look at along the way. Now despite all this, I feel that Doom’s involvement could have waited until the following issue as the Latveria scene just didn’t feel necessary this time around, and this is coming from a big Dr. Doom fan.
Overall, I believe that this is the beginning of a great new arc that can have major ramifications for the Marvel Universe going forward. Despite not being on the up and up with the FF’s adventures, I think this is still very reader friendly especially if you love the team and their awesome adventures!