Marvel’s Fantastic Four redefined what sci-fi comics could be in 1961. The team has had some ups and downs in popularity over the years, but they will always be Marvel’s First Family. Likewise, Planet of the Apes is a cultural touchstone, which took sci-fi movies in some fantastic new directions, becoming one of the first major franchises of its day. They’re two great tastes, and we’re finally getting them together. Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four #1 kicks off a what looks to be fun crossover with a cool first issue. It’s not perfect, but it’s exactly the kind of comic crossover that makes these kinds of stories great to read.
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Fantastic Four has been firing on all cylinders for the last few years, so this book has some really big shows to fill. Anyone who steps up to write the team is going to have to work overtime to make it all work, and luckily, writer Josh Trujillo is up to the challenge. He’s written the team several times in the past, and he gets the characters, which is very important. The Fantastic Four is a family, and Trujillo knows how to put each of them in their place. The issue starts in media res and then fills us in on why the group is on trial with the apes when we open up the book. Johnny Storm steps up to plead their case, and the way the team reacts is perfect, setting the tone for the rest of the issue.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
| Trujillo nails the characters of both franchises and gives readers the kind of story these two properties should have | The cover telegraphs the ending of the issue, and that takes away from its impact |
| Di Vito’s art does a lot of heavy lifting; detailed, fluid, great looking panels that tell the story adroitly | You can basically tell every direction this story will go right away |
Planet of the Apes vs Fantastic Four #1 Makes 1 Major Mistake
We get all of our favorite apes from Planet of the Apes, like Zaius, Cornelius, Ursus, and Zira, each of them playing exactly the role they should. Trujillo isn’t trying to break the team or the movie characters out of their molds, because that’s why we’re here. He’s able to make this book feel like both a Fantastic Four story and a Planet of the Apes story, and that’s something that a lot of crossovers like this don’t actually do. Some writers are always trying to reinvent the wheel. This book isn’t, and that’s one of the main reasons why it’s so entertaining.
The issue ends with some cool surprises that will make the story a lot more fun as it goes on. The issue’s ending is sort of telegraphed by the cover, and I honestly think that was a mistake, but it works because this is a Fantastic Four story. If there’s any problem with all of it, it’s that this seems like a rather predictable story; there’s only so many places it can go.
Andrea Di Vito’s Art Brings the Goods
Andrea Di Vito is one of those artists who has always been one of the best out there, but he never really gets talked about very much. Books like Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill and Wolverine: Patch are excellent examples of how great his work can be, so putting him on this book was a great idea. I wish they had let him do the cover (I had a Greg Land jump scare) as well as the interiors, because his simple linework makes all of the characters look amazing. This issue is full of all of the things he does best.
The detail is always on point, the figure work looks great, the character acting works, and the action is fluid. He’s able to recreate the visual vibe of Planet of the Apes without looking like he traced it. The trial scenes are excellent, the flashback scenes are excellent, and the twist moment towards the end looks, well, fantastic. He’s able to make the team and the apes look outstanding. Comics like this can have art that doesn’t do justice to both sides of the crossover, but Di Vito is able to pull that off on every page.
Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four was an inspired idea, and the resulting comic is exactly what you’d want from something like this. It’s a cool sci-fi superhero story that fits both properties to a tee. It’s not going to change either property or make you look at them in a new way, but it’s exactly the kind of fun crossover that you would want. It does everything a first issue should do well, and while it’s almost certainly going to be pretty predictable, Trujillo and Di Vito are definitely going to take readers on a fun ride.
Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four #1 is on sale now.
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Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
Image courtesy of Tor Books/Macmillan -
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