Marvel Two-In-One #11
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Penciller: Ramon K. Perez
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 10/31/18
Rating: T
Plot: Mister Fantastic and the Thing retrieve the Mad Thinker from Battleworld (see the previous three issues). During their adventure, Ben finally confronts Reed about why he and Sue broke up the Fantastic Four and faked their deaths. To explain his reasons, Reed takes a few pit stops on their way back home.
Story: Chip Zdarsky’s dialogue is one of the reasons Marvel Two-In-One is awesome. This issue is no exception, since it’s about Reed explaining his actions to Ben. Readers can easily see Ben’s feelings of betrayal while understanding the logic behind Reed’s explanation. For me, the lines that stuck out were Reed’s speech about how the Fantastic Four were always meant to be explorers not super-heroes. This addresses one of the biggest misconceptions about the Fantastic Four. Many people view the FF as just another superhero group but fans know they are so much more. Hopefully Reed’s statement is how Marvel will treat their first family moving forward.
The biggest surprise of this issue was Reed’s friendship with an alternate version of Doctor Doom. Reed reveals to Ben he met this Victor and discovered there was no Fantastic Four on this Earth. Additionally, that earth’s Reed died which lead to the idea of Reed faking his death so their Victor could be a better person. The introduction of this alternate Doom really helps solidify Reed’s logic. Also it shows that Reed Richards as a character can see the good in anyone, even his family’s greatest foe.
The last thing I noticed was very little mention about the current Fantastic Four title. This is a good and bad thing. It’s good because it doesn’t spoil anything and it makes the story more self-contained. However it creates a big time jump from the last Marvel Two-In-One issue. It’s unclear how long Ben and Johnny left the Mad Thinker on Battleworld or how long Reed and Sue have been back. Hopefully the next (and final) issue will clarify this.
Art: This issue’s artwork is fantastic. I really enjoyed the design of Reed’s Multicar, which is a vehicle version of his Multiverse travel device. The Multicar looks like it could be an extension of the Fantastic Four’s new headquarters. The coloring in this issue looks stunning. Federico Blee did a great job capturing the light in each scene which was appropriate for each setting. Also the facial expressions are awesome and make the characters emotions clear to the reader. The best example of this is Ben’s face when he discovers Reed’s friendship with the alternate Victor Von Doom.
Verdict: At this point, Marvel Two-In-One is tying up some loose ends for Marvel’s first family. This issue has an amazing story that renews the friendship between Mister Fantastic and the Thing. While it’s not necessary for people reading Fantastic Four, this issue is a nice extra story that goes more in depth with repairing relationships within the FF. Overall, if you want some more Fantastic Four then this issue is a must buy.
Rating: 4 out of 5