Fantastic Four #14 – Don’t Get Caught With Your Fingers in the Pi.

When everyone is enraptured, who will save the day? This is the question Fantastic Four #14 asks. With all of our heroes predisposed, it’s up to the youngest of the family to take the lead. In Fantastic Four #14, Ryan North gives Jo and Nicki a chance to shine. So, sit down, strap in, and hold on for the next Fantastic Four one-shot as the youngest Grimms take the lead! Then stay for a beautiful bonus story Mind and Matter as part of Marvel’s Disability Pride initiative.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

Creative Team

-Irrational-
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Ramón Rosanas
Color Artist: Edgar Delgado
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Humberto Ramos
Cover Color Artist: Edgar Delgado

-Disability Pride: Mind and Matter, Part 3-
Writer: Marieke Nijkamp
Artist: Andrea Di Vito
Colorist: Erick Arciniega
Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Writing

Irrational: Ryan North may have written the nerdiest Fantastic Four story ever, and I love it. What started as a really serious story turns into a really funny story that you can’t help but laugh at. Everything about the story was enjoyable, and it was so great to see Jo and Nicki get a chance to shine as they did. The synopsis of the story for the solicitation did a beautiful job of hiding the true story of this issue and that made it even better.

Ryan North continues to be on a legendary run with the Fantastic Four series. The last few issues after the Invincible Woman story arc have returned to the fun, silly, and at times scientific one-shots that made Fantastic Four one of Marvel’s signature comics during the Silver Age. It’s also nice to see that even in a story where Jo and Nicki are the main characters, they’re still having to pick up Reed’s mess.

Mind and Matter, Part 3 – In this bonus story, we get a beautiful story from Marieke Nijkamp about the power of seeing people who may have a disability as they are, rather than who you hope they would be. This is a powerful story, especially for parents. The story makes a particularly poignant story about a parent being so focused on something that could “fix” their kid into who they thought their kid would be that they look right past the kid actually standing there in front of them.

Art

Irrational – Ramón Rosanas, Edgar Delgado, and Joe Caramagna served up a really great issue with Fantastic Four #14. The art was fresh and despite having some of our favorite heroes featured in the story, it really gave the creative team a chance to shine a light on the smallest Grimms. Jo and Nicki are drawn delightfully and it was so fun to see their creative “solution” to the problem of the story drawn out in a really unique way.

Delgado does a beautiful job with coloring, bringing the kids’ emotions to life, helping us realize the weight of the problem. Joe Caramagna guides readers perfectly through the story, keeping you on track and helping you flow to the big surprise perfectly.

Mind and Matter, Part 3 – Andrea Di Vito and Erick Arciniega do a beautiful job on this bonus issue crafting characters like the Hobgoblin and Echo. Joe Carmagna gets special mention for this small story for a beautiful job of providing word bubbles for Mya’s signing as she speaks with Clint.

Final Thoughts

Fantastic Four #14 is everything you want in a classic Fantastic Four story. It draws you in and then completely turns you on your head. North and team show that you don’t have to rely on a new arc every 3-5 issues to craft a really satisfying story. Fantastic Four #14 continues a great trend of contained one-shots that are a delight to read. Mind and Matter is so well written that it marks one of the best bonus stories I’ve found in a comic and I can’t wait to read the final part.

Overall Grade:10 / 10

What did you think? Let me know in the comments