Dan Slott continues his time in the Fantastic Four with the deluxe volume The Empire Strikes Back , published by Panini Comics in the Marvel Deluxe line.
After the first family of Marvel Comics, they returned but it was not very long, but the end of the group is enough to talk about the logo of the publisher. Dan Slott was chosen to make these characters appear again in the shadow from which they found themselves, and after the first year full of emotions, fun and good adventures, all collected by Panini Comics in one general voice, now comes the time to raise. Put the pegs and the Fantastic Four back in their rightful place. The team’s stories continue in an upcoming volume titled Marvel Deluxe. Dan Slott’s Fantastic Four 2 – Empire.
Thing vs Hulk
A showdown between The Thing and Hulk is something any Marvel Comics reader has witnessed a good handful of times. In the first two issues, these iconic characters fight each other in a fight to the death, and this second volume will open with this fight.
It’s been decades since issue #12 of the team’s regular series, where these two titans first faced off, was published. Obviously, and this is something that has become more and more obvious over time, the Hulk’s power is far greater than Ben Grimm’s, so something always had to be involved to make these fights interesting. Some situations put both competitors more or less on the same level.
Sometimes it’s about fighting in an environment where their powers are equal, and sometimes the Hulk’s strength is diminished by some brutal action, but usually the expectation is that, for a change, the giant Esmeralda is out of control. And good old Ben tries to do everything to avoid harming the innocent.
In this case, the fight opens with an amazing cover by Essad Ribic, followed by Sean Isaacs, the artist responsible for drawing the monumental punches, and it must be said that he did it successfully. Being colored by Marcio Menezes is a little too artificial.
The conflict comes at the hands of Ben’s family rival, none other than his brother-in-law, the Puppet Master. He’s the one who pulls the strings as the Hulk (and we’re talking about the Al Ewing version, possibly the scariest in history) tries to kill his father-in-law (spoiler: it doesn’t end). Good for Philip Masters after the release of Hulk).
Empire
After some murky numbers where Slott tries to recover the essence of the group, taking all sorts of adventures halfway between space opera and pulp sci-fi, they cross over with the event in 2020. Title of this volume: Empire.
The main event was written in four hands by Dan Slott himself with the aforementioned Ewing, so the screenwriter can do what he wants here without trampling on someone else’s work or asking permission for every step he took. We face another one of these episodes, this time on a galactic level, where the foundations of the Marvel Universe are shaken (fake).
Hulkling, now known as Dorek VIII, became the leader of the Skrull Empire. As a half-blood, the conflict with the Kree Empire is over and peace reigns in the galaxy. Apparently, this state will last only a few pages, and soon a good candle will be prepared, which will change the galaxy and our family of heroes will be at the center of everything.
It should be said that we won’t have our main characters in some issues parallel to this event (until then, we’ll have to wait until Panini Comics completes the main event in the Marvel Deluxe line to see what they do). , but Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Spiderman, Wolverine and other new and memorable characters will be at the center of the plot as a new future foundation …
Lost glory
Before ending the volume, we get one more surprise in the practice of resuming, which is not enough to create an admirable curiosity that does not disappoint, but does not put these characters in the position they occupied a long time ago, where they seem to be condemned to think nostalgically.
In the graphic department we mainly find the aforementioned Isaacs with Paco Medina and although his work is very good, he cannot stand out from the level of heroism he has had in recent years. As for Slott, his work is admirable when it comes to portraying the characters he writes, but the stories told here lack the artistic touch one would expect from a team that was once a staple of Marvel Comics. .
Published by Panini Comics in hardcover, the volume contains 360 color pages measuring 17 x 26 cm. And the US edition of issues #12 through #24 of the regular series Fantastic Beasts and Specials Impei 0: Fantastic Four and Impei Followup: Fantastic Four, in addition to the covers of all the issues included, has an introduction written. By Pedro Monje and a wide range of optional covers and designs at the end. It has a recommended retail price of €42 and goes on sale in February 2024.
Marvel Deluxe. Dan Slott’s Fantastic Four 2 – Empire
One of Reed Richards’ biggest regrets leads to the only place the Fantastic Four have ever been: the heart of the Marvel Universe and the journey where it all began.
Next, the First Family sees the final confrontation of the Kree-Skrull War. The fate of her warriors will be a challenge for the coming years.
Authors: RB Silva, Isad Ribic, Paco Medina, Dan Slott, Marcio Menez, and Sean Isaacs