When the Marvel Multiverse was reborn in the aftermath of 2015's Secret Wars it looked the same, and in many ways even felt the same... but it was missing something vital. The missing element was the family of adventurers whose exploits helped kick of the Marvel Age of comics, The Fantastic Four.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the Marvel Universe, a large portion of the FF have been off exploring the new realities of the Multiverse. We've seen The Thing and Human Torch try to come to terms with the disappearance of their family, and in the current Marvel 2-In-One series they've even set out into the Multiverse in search of Reed and Sue Richards, and their two children.

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This August, they'll finally be reunited when writer Dan Slott and artist Sara Pichelli launch a brand new volume of Fantastic Four. CBR spoke with Slott about his plans for the series, the classic feel he's looking to recreate with the book, and his plans for fan favorite FF characters like Doctor Doom and the Impossible Man.

CBR: Dan, anyone who has followed your work over the years knows how much you love the Fantastic Four. So how does it feel to be reintroducing them to the Marvel Universe? What's your mission statement with this book?

Dan Slott: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Fantastic Four are the First Family of the Marvel Universe. They are the book that launched the Marvel Age of Comics. The premise is so pure, simple, and beautiful. They're a family of superheroes that explore the unexplorable. They go into the cosmic. It's perfect.

So the thing that we're doing with the book is that and more so. The Marvel Universe is always changing, and we're telling the next story. Where does this family go now? What new big events and turns in their life will happen? We're also going to stay very true to the magic formula that Stan and Jack built.

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You're bringing the FF back in August, but in Marvel 2-In-One, writer Chip Zdarsky has already been telling the tale of Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm's search for their missing family members across the multiverse. How linked is your story to the one Chip has been telling? Will there be connective tissue between the titles for readers of both books?

We're going to acknowledge what they're doing over in 2-In-One, but you're totally okay to jump in with FF #1. FF #1 is going to be very new reader friendly. So if you've loved Johnny and Ben's adventures over in 2-In-One please join us for Fantastic Four. If the news that the FF are coming back has captured your attention this is a great place to jump on even if you haven't been reading 2-In-One.

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We've seen some of what Reed, Sue, and their children have been up to, but much of their adventures and activities off panel have been shrouded in mystery. So are those characters noticeably different when you catch up with them in this new Fantastic Four series? Have they been changed at all by what they've been doing?

Their story has been continuing -- you just haven't seen it. We got a glimpse in Marvel Legacy,but we really haven't seen what the Richards family has been up to.

We know from the end of Secret Wars that they, the Future Foundation, and the Molecule Man are off in another section of the Multiverse. They're creating and exploring whole new universes. While they've been doing that they've had lots of new adventures, made new friends, and . . . new enemies.

Sara Pichelli's art from Fantastic Four #1

Is there's a chance you'll flash back to some of the adventures we haven't seen?

You'll see some of that in issue #2.

The title of your book is Fantastic Four, but covers have shown Reed and Sue's children, Franklin and Valeria, front and center with the rest of their family in actual costumes. So what can you tell us about their roles in this new series?

Reed, Sue, the kids, and the Future Foundation have been working together as a unit for awhile now. So something I can tell you is that Franklin and Valeria will get codenames that are just as valid as Mr. Fantastic, the Thing, the Invisible Woman, and the Human Torch. So they'll still be Val and Franklin, in the same way that the Thing is still Ben and the Torch is still Johnny.They're stepping up though.

The FF's home, the Baxter Building, is currently occupied by someone else. So will we see their reaction to that as well as other logistical issues and things like the general populace of the larger Marvel Universe reacting to the FF's return?

The return of the Fantastic Four as a team will be an incredible moment for the Marvel Universe. So, yeah, you're going to see people's reaction to that.

And, yes, because of stuff that that annoying Spider-Man writer did, the Baxter Building went up for sale and someone bought it! And that someone is not the Fantastic Four. So how will that sort itself out? I want to find that writer and smack him. He put me in a corner!

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Seemingly mundane details, like places to live and financial issues, have been part of the Fantastic Four's adventures throughout their history. Are you interested in exploring those everyday details from time to time?

Absolutely! Valeria and Franklin have been living a life fantastic, but there will be some things they have to deal with now that they're back in the real world that will lend themselves to stories.

While Reed and Sue have been gone, their former arch-enemy, Doctor Doom, has kind of become part of the family, much to the chagrin of Ben and Johnny. Do you have plans for Doom?

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We will see what Doom is up to post-Iron Man #600 in FF #1. Because Brian [Bendis] did something pretty big to Doom before he let him go, that's going to have a profound effect.

One of the wonderful things about working on FF is, we've kept the fact that we're bringing the team and the book back a big secret. There were people on staff who didn't know the FF were coming back, and there were many creators who didn't know the FF were coming back. So when we finally announced the Fantastic Four were coming back and that Sara and I were going to do it together, we had two short stories that were going to appear in the first issue. Our editor, Tom Brevoort, told me to write up a wishlist of who I'd like to draw those stories, and we didn't have to go to any second names.

Sara Pichelli's art from Fantastic Four #1

People heard, “The FF are coming back, and do you want to draw this story in FF #1?” And we got our first choice each time. [Laughs] It was great. So you'll see a supplemental Doctor Doom story that's beautifully drawn by Simone Bianchi. It's very much a story where Castle Doom itself almost feels like a character. So we wanted someone with that great atmosphere that Simone can bring. That story is going to be pivotal towards how we're playing Doom in this post Infamous Iron Man world.

There's also a short story by Skottie Young. We're doing an Impossible Man story.

What's your overall sense of the FF's rogues gallery? Are there any villains you're especially excited to tackle?

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All of them! [Laughs] The FF's rogues gallery is trippy! When Jack and Stan were doing FF you'd see something all-new every couple of issues. It was one brilliant idea after the next. Whether it's Annihilus, or Blastaar, or Galactus, or the Inhumans. You just kept getting bombarded by one thing after the next. Everybody in there are some of the best characters in comics.

I'm treating the first 12 issues of this run as if something happened and they went, “Yeah, kick Slott off this book.” So the first 12 has everything and the kitchen sink. I'm checking off a lot of boxes on the wish list. So these are going to the most FF-ish FF stories that I can possibly work in.

It sounds like we might see a whole host of FF supporting characters. Like say Alicia Masters, Willie Lumpkin, and Wyatt Wingfoot?

Wyatt Wingfoot and Alicia are literally on page 2 of FF #1.

You mentioned the FF's return will be a big moment for the general public of the Marvel Universe, but I imagine it will be a big moment for other super teams as well, correct?

Because of what's going on you will see a lot of Marvel heroes in the first few issues.

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You're working with Sara Pichelli who has a lot of strengths. Some of my favorite things she does are costuming, fashion, and character acting. What's it like working with her on a book like this where the cast can, should, and will go everywhere?

The thing I'm loving most about Sara's work is the way all the characters feel real in that you really feel what they're feeling with every shot, nuance of body language, gesture, or expression on their face. Nobody has a poker face in this book. Everybody is acting, and there's nothing but empathy all the time for everybody. Her art is a gift. I almost don't want to put dialogue on the page.

Did Sara design the new Fantastic Four costumes?

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Yes, she did! The new costumes call back to classic-era FF costumes, but they are new and exciting. She also designed our new big baddy for the opening arc, and that character's minions.

EXCLUSIVE: Art from Simone Bianchi's Doctor Doom story in Fantastic Four #1

What can you tell us about this new antagonist?

You've seen sketches of them online with the place holder name of Eradikus. Their name is not Eradikus. [Laughs] That's all I can tell you about them. You will meet them... soon.

This a brand new Marvel character that you've never seen before, and you will find out how they fit into Marvel cosmology.

The FF are the explorers of the Marvel Universe and there's a lot of locales that have changed quite a bit since their last visits. What can you tell us about some of the settings you will and are interested in exploring in this book?

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I am very interested in exploring the most cosmic of realms. It's a place that humans call . . . Yancy Street. [Laughs]

[Laughs] Nice! Finally, since you're writing FF and you did a fan favorite run on Silver Surfer, with Mike Allred, is there any chance of seeing you returning to the Surfer right away? Are you interested in bringing that character into the book?

I think it would feel weird if I worked on Surfer in the near future without Mike. [Laughs] It would be like, “Where's Mike!” I'm sure we'll see some cosmic FF characters very soon, but I'm probably going to wait a while before doing the Surfer.

Expect a giant sized issue as we do something very, very big in December. You will probably know what that thing is when you read FF #1. It will be a major, major thing if you're an FF fan.