Marvel Announces New Fantastic Four Series

64 years after the Fantastic Four ushered in the modern Marvel Age of Comics, Marvel’s First Family is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe with much fanfare. Ahead of Marvel Studios’ first Fantastic Four movie — which stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/the Thing — Marvel is celebrating The Fantastic Four: First Steps with Fantastic Four Fanfare, a new series featuring timeless tales from across the Fab Four’s history.

The four-issue series tells “new stories that capture the spirit and heart of the super hero team that started it all,” per Marvel Comics. “Each issue will spotlight a different member of the team in spectacular tales that are perfect for longtime fans and new readers alike.”

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Fanfare‘s roster of past and present Fantastic Four creators includes writers Jonathan Hickman (FF), Mark Waid (of the Waid-Mike Wieringo run that published the milestone Fantastic Four #500), Dan Slott (Fantastic Four Vol. 6), Alan Davis (Fantastic Four: The End), J. Michael Straczynski (Fantastic Four #527-541), Chip Zdarsky (Marvel 2-in-One), Mike Allred (FF, Silver Surfer), and artists Mark Bagley (Fantastic Four Vol. 3 and 4), Ramon Rosanas (Ant-Man), and Sara Pichelli (Ultimate Spider-Man).

On sale May 7 with a cover by Matteo Scalera, Fantastic Four Fanfare #1 features the following stories:

• Mark Waid and Ramon Rosanas depict an escalating prank war between the Human Torch and the Thing!
• Alan Davis sends the team into hazards deep underground!
• Andrew Wheeler and Sara Pichelli reveal what happens when the Mole Man interrupts Johnny Storm’s star-making turn on reality television!

In addition to the ongoing Fantastic Four comic run by Ryan North, the Four will play a major role in One World Under Doom, Marvel’s mega event that launches with the North-penned core title on Feb. 12. Marvel Comics is also issuing a facsimile edition reprint of 1961’s The Fantastic Four #1 and the first 12 issues of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s book that introduced Doctor Doom, Puppet Master, the Baxter Building, the Fantasti-Car, and featured the Four’s first encounters with the Incredible Hulk and Namor the Sub-Mariner.

Following the release of the Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 5 in November, more classic issues of the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine are headed back to print in the Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 6 (out in June) while the Ultimate Fantastic Four Omnibus (March 18) collects the first 32 issues of the modern reimagining by Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man), Mark Millar (The Ultimates), Warren Ellis (Ultimate Galactus Trilogy), and artists Adam Kubert (Wolverine), Stuart Immonen (Ultimate Spider-Man), and Greg Land (Uncanny X-Men).

RELATED: Marvel Is Reprinting These Classic Fantastic 4 Comics in 2025 — Do They Hint at The Fantastic Four: First Steps Plot?

Also new for 2025 is the Fantastic Four by Waid & Wieringo: Imaginauts trade paperback, compiling issues of Fantastic Four (1998) #60-66, Fantastic Four by Chip Zdarsky: Fate of the Four TPB (2017’s Marvel 2-in-One #1-12), and Doctor Doom: Books of Doom (issues #1-6) and Doctor Doom by Cantwell & Larocca (2019’s Doctor Doom #1-10, War of the Realms: War Scrolls #3, and King in Black: Iron Man/Doctor Doom #1).

Marvel’s Fantastic Four reboot, directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision), is “set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world,” per the synopsis, and sees Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing “face their most daunting challenge yet. Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer. And if Galactus’ plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren’t bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is in theaters July 25.