Mark Waid kicks off his Fantastic Four in (no pun intended) Fantastic fashion. He brings the FF back to their familial roots and shows what makes them special. In a world where other superheroes are growing and evolving, the FF remain the same. They may feel dated, but they’re still fun and creative. There’s a lot of Kirby/Lee-esque goodness in this run, especially with the Galactus arc and the arc with Reed’s PDA coming to life being my favorites from the run. The first and last issues of this run in particular were also great single issues to bookend the run. However, I wasn’t too big on the middle section of the book involving Doctor Doom and Latveria, but the book quickly redeems itself after their meeting with God. I really liked how everyone was written in this run, especially Johnny, Sue and Ben. Reed feels a little off at times in my opinion, but he’s also written very well most of the time. Johnny is my favorite member of the FF, and there’s a lot of focus on him in the run and I really appreciated that. The Galactus arc and the early issues of the run in particular are very Johnny centric and I LOVE that.

I can’t go through a review of this book without mentioning Mike Wieringo’s Art. He absolutely kills it on this book and draws the best thing second only to Jack Kirby himself. Rest In Peace, he was taken WAY too soon.

Overall, Waid sits nicely on the pantheon of all time great FF writers with this solid run on Marvel’s first family. Solid 8/10.