Writer – Dan Slott

Artist – Paco Medina

A few weeks ago, I posted a topic in my weekly Comic Book Chat about Done in One Issues. I asked what your favorite done in one issue was over the past few years. A comic with one complete story from beginning to end.

I picked up another Marvel 3 Pack at Walmart on Wednesday and one of the issues included was Fantastic Four #11.

I hereby recommend Fantastic Four #11 as a done in one story to check out.

The Fantastic Four returned to the Marvel Universe after a long hiatus and they haven’t had a moments rest since then. Ben Grimm married Alicia Masters, Dr. Doom returned to his villainous ways and tried to take Galactus’ Power Cosmic for himself, and the FF defended Yancy Street from Malekith during the War of the Realms crossover.

In this issue, the Fantastic Four finally find time to catch their breath. Their downtime is cut short by the arrival of dimensional rifts from another universe wreaking havoc in Coney Island and New York City. As they work together to figure out the cause of these rifts at 4 Yancy Street, their meeting is cut short by the arrival of Agents Harriet Underhill and Tobias Cobb. Underhill and Cobb work for the Department of Extranormal Motor Vehicles (DEMV). An anonymous tip came into the department informing the agents that Franklin and Valeria were seen using the Fantasticar and the Fantastic 4 X 4 during recent missions in the city. Agent Underhill informs the family that Franklin and Valeria must take the DEMV’s driving test to earn their licenses to operate these vehicles.

This issue is a perfect example of what encapsulates the Fantastic Four aka the First Family of the Marvel Universe. Ben and Johnny take time out of their busy schedules to help Franklin and Valeria prep for their test. Valeria has no problem learning from her uncles and answering pop quiz questions, while Franklin struggles to keep up the material. Old fashioned sibling rivalry causes tension between brother and sister, but by the end of the issue, they learn that family must come first, no matter the situation they are thrust into.

The B story features Dr. Doom helping the townsfolk of Latveria clean up and rebuild the nation after the devastation and destruction caused by Galactus and Malekith. Doom doesn’t mind working up a sweat to help his beloved homeland. As he toils in the fields, he notices something left behind in the soil, which he will ultimately use to strike back at the Fantastic Four for meddling in his previous plans for world domination.

Dan Slott is the right choice to usher in the Fantastic Four back into the Marvel Universe. This issue strikes the right balance of action, adventure, and comedy. Slott has done a great job of honoring the legacy of Lee and Kirby’s historic FF run and adding his own new and refreshing take on the FF to update the Richards family for present day.

Everything you love about the Fantastic Four in one issue.

Rating – 4 out of 5 H.E.R.B.I.E.S