Marvel's Fantastic Four: Reckoning War Alpha #1
- WRITER
- Dan Slott
- Artist
- Carlos Pacheco, Carlos Magno, Rafael Fonteriz
- Letterer
- VC's Joe Caramagna
- Cover Artist
- Marte Gracia, Rafael Fonteriz, Carlos Pacheco
- Publisher
- Marvel
- Price
- 4.99
- Release Date
- 2022-02-02
- Colorist
- Guru-eFX
The heroes of Marvel's first family certainly aren't strangers to cosmic problems. Throughout their illustrious careers, the Fantastic Four have gone toe-to-toe with innumerable alien invaders and intergalactic monsters. But now that their enemies are using the Watchers' technology, they might have met their match in Dan Slott, Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz, and Carlos Magno's Fantastic Four: Reckoning War Alpha #1. The potentially cataclysmic Marvel event gets started with an earth-shattering bang in a fun first issue.
Fantastic Four: Reckoning War Alpha #1 opens with a cosmic version of Nick Fury, known as the Unseen, and Uatu the Watcher investigating the use of Watcher technology and weapons across the galaxy. But when the two meet to discuss their findings, they -- and Earth -- are attacked by the Badoon aliens. The Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, and other heroes do what they can to fend off the powerful Badoon and make sense of the unexpected attack. Eventually, Mr. Fantastic and his family leave the fray to see if Space holds the answers they need. Agents of the Time Variance Authority visit She-Hulk as Silver Surfer encounters the Griever at the End of All Things. All of the heroes start to understand how dire the situation is.
Dan Slott has been sewing the seeds of The Reckoning War for over 15 years. It is easy to see how a story of this magnitude would require so much planning. Fantastic Four: Reckoning War Alpha #1 revolves around several different elements of Marvel's Cosmology to create the perfect storm of problems for the Fantastic Four and their fellow heroes. The references to Slott's earlier work are numerous, but they don't distract from the story. This issue is remarkably accessible to new readers. Slott's ability to set the stage quickly while capitalizing on years of work is a marvel to behold. This action-packed first issue has all the makings of a spectacular story. Reed Richards' experience with the Watcher's encyclopedia of the universe is a particularly compelling glimpse into the history of the Watchers and a fascinating new development for the character whose already impressive body of knowledge seems to have increased exponentially.
All three artists do an incredible job capturing the chaotic and surprising nature of the Reckoning War. Pacheco's dynamic page layouts make the exposition fun and easy to read. His depiction of the Badoon's initial attack conveys the momentous nature of the event perfectly. Fonteriz handles the madness of the alien invasion with all the style and grace fans have come to expect from the veteran Marvel artist. However, Carlos Magno's work depicting the Silver Surfer's encounter with the Griever at the End of All Things steals the show. His depictions of the Surfer and outer space are at once psychedelic and pulpy. All three artists, together with colorist Guru-eFX, beautifully convey the weight of the situation and make every piece of action absolutely riveting.
Fantastic Four: Reckoning War Alpha #1 is a thrilling first issue that has already made a colossal impact on the entirety of the Marvel Universe. The entire creative team fires on all cylinders to present an action-packed comic with cosmic consequences. This is just the beginning of this large event that is sure to leave its mark on the history of the Marvel Universe.