While we have had Iceman and The Human Torch team up before in  Strange Tales #120, the comic book I review today is the first time the two teams come face to face.  That’s right, in Fantastic Four #28, we have the X-Men as special guest stars, and if the cover is not enough of a hint, the story title “We Have To Fight The X-Men!” should be, the two teams are going to face off in good old comic book combat.  But the cover can also tell us more; as the two teams are not alone, this issue also features the return of The Puppet Master, The mad Thinker, and The Awesome Android.

But can two teams make this issue of Fantastic Four even better?  Or is this hero Vs. Hero action growing stale; after all we have seen it before, from the Thing, to the Avengers, even Spider-Man  has tangled with the Fantastic Four.

Artwork

From the constant motion, and non stop action, to the level of detail; Jack Kirby left me with nothing to object to in his artwork for Fantastic Four #28. from panel to panel, and page to page the story seems to just flow and fit. never is there a dull moment, or even the feeling of someone just ‘standing around’. If you take a look at the two panels I included showing parts of the two teams facing off, you can see just how action packed each page was.

Characters & Development

This issue seems less about any kind of development for the Fantastic Four, or its X-Men guest then the raw action that could be provided under the right set of circumstances.  Sometimes this can make for a good story, and development  of its own, for example  letting the two teams meet for the first time.

In this case, I feel this type of story was quite warranted even if the level of development was only on par or even a bit less than what I normally hold for my expectations.

Originality  & Continuity

The fight this time, is quite a bit different from other Hero Vs. Hero combats; given the influence of the Puppet Master, however there where a few continuity issues, one of which was in reference to the feats the X-Men have achieved, giving them credit for the space phantom.  Overall, the good seems to balance the mistakes in this category.

The Story

As for the writing it’s self, it was quite entertaining, and true to the characters. All the pieces seem to fall together to make a story that was believable and enjoyable. While there are parts that may push against my Suspension of disbelief, I was able to remain in my state of suspension. Even the ending did not feel rushed, or incoherent, leaving the story just as good and worthy of the art that made it up.