The Fantastic Four have had a pretty busy year. Not only have they seen plenty of trials and tribulations in their own title, but they've also endured the events of both X-Men vs. Fantastic Four as well as Empyre. If there's one team due for some R&R, it's them. The upcoming Fantastic Four: Road Trip starts with an old-fashion family vacation, but events quickly spiral from something out of a National Lampoons Clark Griswold movie to downright grisly.
According to the December solicitations, the Fantastic Four will go to a remote cabin in Arizona for some sight-seeing near the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, Reed Richards isn't very good at turning off his work brain and engages in an experiment on the team's genetic make-up. This leads the powers - and bodies - of every team member to experience horrifying side effects as their cellular structure starts to break down.
The entire situation sounds like Cabin Fever with superpowers. The cover shows large potholes on the crumbling Thing, entire cross-sections of the Invisible Woman's insides visible while Mr. Fantastic's body is starting to peel apart, and the Human Torch's skin is actually burning. Since they are literally in the middle of nowhere, they are miles away from any help.
Most interestingly, there is no supervillain in this story, no mad scientist for them to fight - except for the one leading the team. This should drive home the point that Reed is ultimately responsible for the team's current condition. Mr. Fantastic has engaged in some less-than-fantastic actions over the years. His support of the Registration Act on purely scientific grounds drove a wedge between him and his wife during the events of Civil War. His Marvel Zombies counterpart actually turned his own family into zombies after recognizing them as the superior lifeform, and his counterpart in the Ultimate universe eventually became the supervillain the Maker.
It looks like the Fantastic Four's relaxing vacation is about to be anything but. Still, the advantage of this storyline is it allows the creative team to tackle long-simmering tensions within the ranks of Marvel's First Family. While it's unlikely that the Fantastic Four will actually meet their gruesome end by the conclusion of Road Trip, the story could serve to explore the relationships at the heart of the Fantastic Four, alongside any resentment for Reed's actions over the years. For better or worse, Fantastic Four: Road Trip looks to be an exercise in team-building - and the clock is ticking!
- FANTASTIC FOUR: ROAD TRIP #1
- CHRISTOPHER CANTWELL (W)
- FILIPE ANDRADE (A)
- Cover by VALERIO GIANGIORDANO
- Variant Cover by CORY SMITH
- Variant Cover by MIKE DEL MUNDO
- Variant Cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA
- The Fantastic Four have earned some much-needed time away from the job, and Reed has planned a — well, fantastic — old-fashioned family vacation to the Grand Canyon for some good rest, relaxation and team-bonding time. But Reed’s manic mind can’t quite disengage, and soon an obsessive side experiment he brought with him has all of them experiencing gruesome and terrifying side effects from his strange specimens. As everyone’s bodies begin to horribly go awry on a cellular level, it’s a race to solve their lethal affliction, all while stuck in a remote Arizona cabin with no help for miles.
Next: Marvel Fantastic Four Use Their Powers in the Bedroom, Too