Last week, Marvel Comics teased that the first arc of the upcoming Marvel Two-In-One, by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Jim Cheung, will focus on Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm trying to solve the mystery of what exactly happened to Reed, Sue, Franklin, and Valeria.

This is a great setup for a series that teams the Thing up with the Human Torch; brought together by their common desire to find their missing family, they end up working together to deal with whatever other problems inevitably come their way. But it's an even better setup for a stealth relaunch of Fantastic Four.

RELATED: Marvel Two-in-One Teases Return of the Fantastic Four

Don't get me wrong: Ben and Johnny have excellent chemistry together, and I would love to read a book about the two of them, especially one scripted by the often hilarious Zdarsky, whose writing style is perfect for their prankish affection the two share. It's practically guaranteed to be a fun read, just from the setup.

And yet, there are enough oddities that make me doubt that is really Marvel's plan.

Connecting the Fantastic Dots

First off, while Zdarsky is a pitch-perfect fit for a hilarious Ben and Johnny book, Cheung seems like an odd choice for art. He's way too big a name, and his style -- showcased recently in the Spider-Man crossover The Clone Conspiracy, though I always associate him with the original run of Young Avengers -- is far more conventional than has been the norm for Marvel's "funny" books. I have no doubts Cheung's Human Torch and Thing will look absolutely amazing (Just look at the variant cover of the Thing he did for Fantastic Four #642!) but picking him signals that while this book might be funny, it is also serious and, ultimately, mainstream.

The Thing as drawn by Cheung for a variant cover for Fantastic Four #642

There's also the odd choice of title. Older fans might remember the original Marvel Two-In-One, a team-up book starring the Thing, fondly, but the last issue appeared in June 1983, before many current readers were even born. I suspect most readers have encountered the book—if they've encountered it at all—through Jim Starlin's second Thanos saga, which concluded in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2. Playing up the Two-In-One title might serve as nostalgia for some older comics readers, but one would have to be over 40 now to have bought the original book on the newsstands.

Cover of Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2: Thanos holds Spider-Man over is head, while Thing lies on the ground; Adam Warlock looks out from within the Soul Gem

Ahh, but Marvel Legacy is built around nostalgia, with the return of classic iterations of characters and legacy numbering. Odd, then, that Marvel Two-In-One is not launching with its own legacy numbering. The original series ended at issue #100, making it easy to start the new series at #101. Or, factoring in the various solo Thing books, it could start at #153. Starting at issue #1 suggests something is up. It could simply be that Marvel thinks a #1 issue for something like Marvel Two-In-One is more likely to sell than an issue #101. Or, it could be that Marvel is planning something else with the numbering.

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When Marvel cancelled Fantastic Four back in early 2015, the publisher adopted legacy numbering for the last four issues of the James Robinson/Leonard Kirk run. Thus, the last issue of Fantastic Four published by Marvel was issue #645. Marvel could bring the series back at issue #646, or... it could publish something else for four issues, and have the series return for a double-sized 650th issue.

Marvel Two-In-One is the perfect setup for just this sort of stealth relaunch. Since the post-Secret Wars relaunch, Marvel has seeded the in-universe mystery of what happened to Reed, Sue, and the kids, as well as Johnny and Ben's trauma from losing their family. In 2015's Amazing Spider-Man #3, for instance, Johnny confronted Peter Parker over his appropriation of the Baxter Building, and it was clear just how raw his wounds were. Most recently, Uncanny Avengers has teased Johnny having to deal with the Fantastic Four's legacy, setting the stage for his teaming-up with Ben to find out once and for all what happened to the rest of the team.

RELATED: Is Alex Ross Teasing A Fantastic Four Revival?

Four issues could also provide just about the perfect amount of setup to find the Richards family. It's enough time for Ben and Johnny to team-up, try all the obvious solutions, and then ultimately turn to their old nemesis Victor von Doom for the final answer. As one of the few people in the Marvel universe who remembers the events of Secret Wars, Doom will be able to offer insights unavailable elsewhere.

Infamous-iron-man

While not quite the Infamous Iron Man/Mr. Fantastic showdown we've been waiting for, a confrontation between Doom and the Human Torch and Thing is guaranteed to be epic. Doom has information Ben and Johnny need to get their family back, but he might not want to admit his role in it to them of all people—especially after their treatment in Secret Wars, when Johnny was turned into Battleworld's sun and Ben was reformed as the Shield, defending against the world's deadliest domains. (Plus, neither is likely to take kindly to learning how Doom appropriated Sue, Franklin, and Valeria as his own family.) Even if Doom is reformed now, there's no way this goes down without some well-deserved clobbering.

And then, at the end of that four issue arc in Marvel Two-In-One, the whole team could be reunited in Fantastic Four #650. For an extra surprise, Marvel could in theory go so far as to solicit the issue as MTIO #5 in order to keep the secret just a little bit longer, though the recent posting and subsequent deletion of a cover sketch by Alex Ross featuring Reed and Sue in new FF uniforms may have inadvertently spoiled things. It would be absolutely glorious.

But, you say, a Ben/Johnny team-up book sounds really awesome! Can't we have that and a Fantastic Four book? Fortunately, there's precedent. During Jonathan Hickman's instant-classic run, Fantastic Four was replaced with FF for nearly a year during the time when Johnny was lost and presumed dead in the Negative Zone. When the book returned with issue #600, FF continued alongside it, while still counting those first 11 issues of FF toward the sexcentennial issue. Marvel could do the same thing again, with the first four issues of Marvel Two-In-One counting towards Fantastic Four #650, but letting the book continue after the FF relaunch.

While this is all still speculative and may not play out, I still see Marvel Two-In-One as a step forward towards the Fantastic Four's eventual return. For two years, Marvel played down the Fantastic Four across its line. There were occasional references to how they were missed, but no signs that we would be seeing them anytime in the near future. Now, with Marvel Two-In-One, we have half of the team reunited, expressly searching for the rest of the family/team. It's a definite step in the right direction, even if we don't immediately get a Fantastic Four relaunch.

Marvel Two-In-One, written by Chip Zdarksy and art by Jim Cheung, is on sale December 6, 2017.