FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST FOES – SHALLA BAL #1 – A Day in the Life

Creative Team – Charles Soule, Mark Buckingham, Alex Sinclair, Ryan North, Phil Noto, VC’s Joe Caramagna

Published by Marvel Comics

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The Story

This comic review is brought to you by the dynamic duo of Megan and Shawn!

Shawn – This was another fun entry into the Future Foundation stories. Charles Soule gives us a tragic cosmic story that functions as a prologue to our encounter with Shalla Bal in Fantastic Four: First Steps. Soule gives us a beautiful irony in the character where she creates peace through destruction.

Soule brilliantly transitions this story from battle to a sort of eerie forced tranquility. Shalla-Bal is perfectly menacing as Galactus’ herald. Soule crafts a self contained story that hits all the right emotional and cosmic notes.

Megan – Fantastic four: First Foes – Shalla Bal #1 gives us a look into a character that never got too much of a spotlight before Fantastic Four: First Steps. In the story, we get a look into the life of Shalla Bal as Galactus’ herald and what goes into her role. Shalla Bal is someone who strives for peace but often has to use tragedy to accomplish it.

Alongside that, we see a different side to her; the maternal side. With her talking to her child, she promises to do only good things with her cosmic powers. Sure, she meant it when she said it, but Shalla Bal is faced with different circumstances that result in violence and Galactus’ hunger.

The Art

Shawn – Mark Buckingham, Alex Sinclair, and Joe Caramagna combine to craft a story that is visually stunning. Buckingham does a great job providing a sense of scale that feels very much like traditional, classic comics layouts. The early art of the issue feels very Kirby-esque. Shalla-Bal feels sleek and her movements feel drawn fluid.

Alex Sinclair does a great job of elevating the line work. Colors are particularly poignant for Sinclair when rendering the power cosmic. He does a really good job marking the reflection and shifting light sources on Shalla-Bal’s metallic body. Joe Caramagna beautifully moves readers through the story allowing the art to shine with perfect bubble placement.

Megan – This comic was nothing short of stunning. All the way through, you’re gifted with gorgeous linework, intricate detailing, and excellent juxtapositions. Each page is filled with so much emotion in the drawings all thanks to Mark Buckingham. You can feel the various tones from the characters, especially the side characters. Alex Sinclair brings a ton of vibrancy to the pages that has a great contrast with the darker tones, making each page simply gorgeous. Joe Caramagna brings a lot of power to Shall Bal’s words, and raw emotion to the other character’s. Together, the artists truly made this a memorable issue.

Final Thoughts

Shawn – 9/10. In this one shot we get a pretty incredible piece of cosmic lore for the MCU. The creative team does a really good job contextualizing Shalla-Bal, her life, her pain, and her struggle as Herald of Galactus. The story sneaks up on you with the heavy psychological burden that comes with trying to do something “good” in a cruel universe.

Megan – 9/10. I think this was an excellent one shot that puts a spotlight on an underrated character. Getting a look into the life of Shalla Bal gives her even greater depths and a better ability to see her in a new perspective. The creative team did a marvelous job on this!

Overall Grade – 9/10

Let us know in the comments what you thought of Fantastic Four: First Foes – Shalla Bal #1!