Fantastic Four #10: Invincible Woman Falls Flat

Fantastic Four #10 is an action extravaganza in a way the series seldom is. North brings together the two major story threads–the team versus the Invincible Woman and the heroes on Earth fighting an alien invasion. The latter is resolved quickly, almost anticlimactically, the moment the team returns to Earth. The aliens beam away less than four pages after the team arrives. Though the invasion serves the Future Foundation subplot that stretches back several issues, this kind of resolution makes the invasion itself feel like filler, well-intentioned though it might be. This is unusual for North’s run on the title.

Invincible Woman seems underpowered in Fantastic Four #10 relative to the previous issue. She still isn’t defeated by brute force. Indeed, the resolution is a clever one. But similar to the invasion plot, this resolution plays into the same developing Future Foundation subplot. By the end of the issue, it feels like North was more concerned with establishing the Future Foundation than he was finding compelling solutions to either of these storylines.

There are two bright sides to Fantastic Four #10. The first comes as Sue describes in her internal monologue how her evil alternate was defeated. Sue comments that in a moment where Reed was fighting the Invincible Woman, she was worried he would give the game away because he so often can’t help but explain how something is accomplished.

The second bright spot comes in the final pages where Sue is exposed to a source of great power which is followed by a quiet scene where she contemplates the danger of such power. It’s a nice coda to the issue.

Ramos excels at the big fight sequences that make up most of Fantastic Four #10. As is the case with most of his art, there is a constant sense of movement in the characters. There is always a lot of energy in Ramos-drawn action.

There is not as much success here when it comes to character close-ups. Following up on a very successful issue where Ramos delivered a sense of nuance in the characters–especially when the two Sues were in panels together–everyone is much broader here. There is a lot of yelling, and a lot of characters’ mouths look the same as they do.

Delgado delivers a bright, richly colored issue that fits with the action sensibilities. The brighter tones mesh well with Ramos’s work in the fight sequences. There is a lot of energy in Fantastic Four #10 thanks to both Ramos and Delgado.

Caramagna’s treatment of sound effects plays well into the high energy moments spread throughout the issue. It’s a fun visual element that reinforces the energy behind the action sequences.