REVIEW: ‘Fantastic Four,’ Issue #47

Fantastic Four #47 is written by David Pepose, illustrated by Juann Cabal, colored by Jesus Aburtov, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It’s published by Marvel Comics. “The Taking of Baxter 1-2-3-4” finds the Fantastic Four dealing with the fallout from Judgment Day as the Progenitor’s final verdict draws near. Reed Richards locks himself inside the Think Tank to solve the problem, while Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm deal with the incoming crisis in their own ways. That leaves Sue Storm alone in the Baxter Building, which is quickly invaded by Oubliette Midas and her Midas Foundation! Trapped in the Baxter Building due to its security measures, Sue must outwit Oubliette and her minions while also protecting innocent civilians.

Writing a tie-in to a major crossover event is a tricky endeavor. You have to find a way to work with the ongoing storyline of another book while telling your own story, and it’s a line very few writers walk well. Pepose happens to be one of those writers. He essentially described this story as “Die Hard set in the Baxter Building,” and it lives up to that promise as Sue is cut off from her other team members and has to deal with a group of thieves tricked out with hi-tech weaponry. Also, he continues to utilize the weirder characters from the Marvel Universe, as Oubliette first showed up during Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones’ Marvel Boy series. This approach worked wonders for Pepose’s run on Savage Avengers, so I’m glad it’s continuing here.

But Pepose’s best choice is to put the focus on Sue. While the Fantastic Four work best as a team, some of the best stories often focus on each character and what they bring to the team. In Sue’s case, it’s her being the “heart” of the Four. She cares about everyone, whether it’s her family or the people working for them, and goes out of her way to protect them. And that resolve is put to the test in this issue, as she’s not only dealing with a highly skilled thief but the actual end of the world to boot! Pepose also gets to briefly write the other members of the Four and nails their dynamic, especially when it comes to Ben and Johnny.

The artwork in this issue is amazing, as Cabal throws Sue into the middle of chaos and shows how she adapts to it. In the space of one page, he illustrates a massive explosion, followed by the Baxter Building shutting down and Ben being overwhelmed by the creatures known as the Mindless Ones. All in one page! Sue’s powers are also put to great use here; she goes invisible and swiftly disarms many of the thugs and also uses her force fields in creative (and frankly terrifying) ways. Aburtov’s colors bring the futuristic sheen one would expect from a Fantastic Four story, as well as liberal use of the color blue, from Caramagna’s captions to the shimmering glow of Sue’s powers. Simply put, this is a gorgeous book.

Fantastic Four #47 finds the Invisible Woman locked in the Baxter Building with a cabal of hi-tech thieves as Judgment Day approaches. This is the perfect example of a great tie-in issue, and I wouldn’t mind seeing this creative team on more stories, whether they’re Fantastic Four related or not.

Fantastic Four #47 is available wherever comics are sold.