Annihilation Scourge Fantastic Four #1: Into the Wild Negative Yonder

Christos Gage is a well known name and one you can count on to deliver quality content, this issue was no exception. The reveals that Reed Richards was behind opening the pathway into the Negative Zone and that Johnny Storm still deals with PTSD from the trauma of dying dozens of times just to be brought back for more and the possible motivation for The Sentry were all amazing pieces to add to an otherwise entertaining yet mostly fluff event so far.

In just this one issue Gage has added the kind of depth that makes these sort of events something more than just another comic version of a popcorn flick. Of all the tie ins so far this one is by far the most necessary read to add some meat and meaning to the tale. Not to mention the fact he heavily calls back onto Johnny’s time as leader of the Negative Zone population and all the crazy that the Death of Human Torch series gave us is amazing. Far too often a superhero dies and then promptly comes back and after a couple months the whole build up to their death is basically nothing but just another story. This however takes a glossed over story in recent years and makes it relevant while also adding much needed depth of character to Human Torch because let’s be real of all the F4 members Johnny is usually the one who gets cheated on real layers. So the real win here (aside from an amazing Fantastic Four vs their Cancerverse counterparts battle) is us being treated to Johnny Storm putting his big boy pants on and not just being a comedic relief while Reed and Sue handle business.