Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Sean Izaakse, Marcio Menyz, VC’s Joe Caramagna, David Curiel, and R. B. Silva
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 9th, 2020
From special appearances of the Profiteer and the Unseen to Wolverine and the Avengers, this issue has a ton of players and multiple loose threads from EMPYRE to tie up. However, if you follow the previews and solicits, it said “two major turning points for the entire Marvel Universe will take place in this issue.” Well, let’s jump into FANTASTIC FOUR: EMPYRE FALLOUT #1 by Dan Slott to see if this issue is as epic as the solicits led us all to believe for the past two months!
If you’re interested in this comic or any of the others mentioned below, simply click on the title/link to snag a copy.
If you look at this issue as simply a snapshot of the EMPYRE event, it does the job of wrapping up a few of the small dangling plot threads while opening up another can of worms to be worked out at another date and time. However, here are the real questions I have after the entire EMPYRE event. How many people really enjoyed this event? Furthermore, did anyone deeply care what happened to the two kids who’s main focus was in the FANTASTIC FOUR tie-ins? I say this mainly because it becomes a huge aspect of the issue.
Now, I will say that anyone who was invested in EMPYRE would want to know what happened to Quoi. They’d want to know the ramifications of his actions. However, in this reviewer’s opinion, his sentence is way too simple and caring and lacks what he truly deserves. Whether he was a boy who was taken advantage of or not, he led a full universe assault on the planet and threaten to destroy our solar system by means of blowing up the sun. He was a homicidal maniac of universal proportions with a vision just as large as Thanos, Annihilus, or any other big bad. And if it was any of them, the Avengers and FF would want their heads… but not Quoi. Is it because they know him? Is it because he’s family (even though he’s been nonexistent for years until this point)? Is it because it’s his first offense?
So realistically, what do we make of this issue? Well, Slott uses FANTASTIC FOUR: EMPYRE FALLOUT #1 as a bouncing off point for the FF by introducing a new set of characters, a new possible villain, and a new person working in the shadows. Therefore, to anyone who hasn’t been interested in Slott’s FANTASTIC FOUR run to date, this could be fantastic news! I foresee a new direction, new plot threads, and a new purpose. And as someone who was rapidly losing interest in Slott’s FANTASTIC FOUR run, I couldn’t be happier and simply can’t wait for the next issue! However, this issue is an entirely different story.
FANTASTIC FOUR: EMPYRE FALLOUT #1 was cluttered with word balloons and plastered with dialogue from head to toe. Slott’s Thor seemed too confident and Franklin’s use of powers seemed out of character, especially as someone who’s supposed to be saving them for an emergency… like an all-out war within the universe. But, I guess helping to teleport people across the universe is worthy of deflating his powers forever. Furthermore, the extras involving Medusa and Black Bolt didn’t seem to fit, the Spider-Man moon jokes didn’t hit, and the overly stoic Emperor Hulkling didn’t jive with EMPYRE’S take on the “Emperor’s New Groove”. In totality, there are simply too many characters for Slott to give them all the accurate voice and service they deserve. He’s great when he can focus on one character but even an entire FF team can sometimes spell trouble for Slott as he performs his balancing act.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, this issue tries to wrap up the EMPYRE event and introduces new components to the FANTASTIC FOUR story moving forward. There were a few hallmark moments involving Ben and Alicia, as well as the resurgence of a missing key player to the Marvel Landscape. However, was it really needed in its own issue? No. Frankly, the biggest positives of this issue are the redirection of the series ahead and the end to an event that was mediocre and flat at best. Readers that happened to love EMPYRE will adore the minor threads tied together in FANTASTIC FOUR: EMPYRE FALLOUT #1. However, readers who’ve been all-in on Slott’s FANTASTIC FOUR run could probably skip this issue and get the cliff notes on the beginning pages of FANTASTIC FOUR #24. And ultimately, the solicits were definitely blown way out of proportion. As for this reviewer, it’s a hard pass on this issue and the EMPYRE event altogether.
6.8/10
If you’re really interested in EMPYRE: FALLOUT FANTASTIC FOUR #1, click HERE to get a copy! If your interest has peeked towards this EMPYRE event, click HERE to get your hands on related trades, volumes, and issues. Maybe you’ve been really digging Slott’s FANTASTIC FOUR run? In that case, click HERE to get your hands on the latest trades and comics. And finally, if you’re looking for something else to read, check out my Amazon Online Comic Shop by clicking HERE. Thank you all for the read and continued support. Stay safe and stay healthy.
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Weird Science Marvel Comics 
Thanks for the review, just got through reading it. That last big reveal certainly got me interested but also worried, since it seems Marvel creators these days love to turn past heroes (or the heroically inclined) into villains now. I’m curious to see what happens though.
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On the note of Quoi and the Cotati, I’d have to strongly disagree, he’s far from the “homicidal maniac of universal proportions” as you say. He’s nothing like Thanos or Annihilus since those two are far more committed to their malevolence, whereas Quoi was always conflicted from the get-go. He’s just a kid who got manipulated by his father or rather a corrupted version of him. All his roaring and shouting since his defeat is just a show to save face, and Thor’s act of mercy was already turning him back around.
And they were more lenient with him than others because he was an Avenger, the Avengers’ first kid, which is significant to them even if it isn’t to readers. If nothing else, it sets up his potential redemption in the future instead of just leaving him in a hole on Earth somewhere. I just hope they actually do something with it, and not just brush it under the rug for years. Granted, there’s a LOT they should’ve done better with Quoi and his family, since they’ve all been out of action for a long time. Which goes double for the rest of this event.
Also, I wouldn’t go down that rabbit hole because then a good number of heroes should also be imprisoned or killed as well for similar past crimes. E.g. Scarlet Witch, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, plenty of the X-Men like Jean Grey for instance, and more.
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Thanks for the read! I really do appreciate it. Great points you made, especially of him being the “first avengers kid” and a great comparison with Jean and scarlet witch. But in general, these massive-scale events are made and the ramifications are forgotten, punishments are diminished, and in the end, it adds to the event becoming less potent and lacking meaning. I’m sure humans died during this war.. but they’re partying. Quoi‘s jail is a planet and not four walls? And is he on the level with Thanos… maybe not entirely. And again, I mentioned in the review that he of course was manipulated by his pops, but his ultimate goal was to wipe out animal and human life starting with our solar system. We imprison villains on Earth for far less. I was merely pointing out that the punishment didn’t seem to fit the crime.
And I agree with you that there is a ton they should have done more to set this up. The Cotati have been forgotten, along with all of this. It came out of left field. There needed to be more build-up to make this event more meaningful. They tried to build up the Hulkling angle as well… but they barely referenced that prior to the event. Too much has been brushed under the rug to magically pull this out now and have us care. There was no emotion surrounding much other than Hulkling. Everything else was dry and flat. Sure, The ending of this issue has promise… but it’s just thrusted in at the end. Ultimately, I saw so much potential in this event that just didn’t stick and some of the most interesting items came in this fallout issue. The surprises in here were more interesting.
But again, I appreciate the read. I love hearing everyone’s opinions and love the feedback. You made real solid points, especially with the punishment angle. Thanks again!!!
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Hey, I’m just glad you guys actually respond back. And I understand what you’re talking about. These events just feel like they have little to no consequence.
Also, you can disregard my last comment about Empress R’Klll. Apparently they reveal everything about her in the Empyre: Avengers Aftermath. I won’t reveal what if you haven’t read it, but they do give answers.
The one thing I really didn’t like was how Super Skrull was treated in this event. He was basically Hulkling’s whipping boy this whole time, always trying to please him while Teddy just treats him like crap. Out of all the characters, those two were the ones they should’ve developed better since they have surprising history with each other. Seeing them work out their differences would’ve been rather positive and hopeful for the future of the alliance.
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True true. Super Skrull was knocked down a few pegs. And yes I did read aftermath and even after that… even with a few more answers… still meh.
But yes, we try to respond. We like to connect with the people if we can. Regardless of what our reviews this week may look like with our lower scores, it’s not always that way. We try to be honest. That’s the goal. Often times, I think some sites are worried if the score is too low, they’ll fall out of favor with the companies. Maybe that’s true? But we rather be real. Thanks for writing! Appreciate the viewpoints too. It really is a big help to anyone else who’s looking into the issue. Everyone can see them so maybe it will add more clarity.
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Apologies for the long comments.
Also, Quoi wasn’t trying to blow up the sun, that was Hulkling’s grandmother the former Empress R’Klll. She impersonated the lead Accuser and tried to do the same with Hulkling. Now she’s the real mystery here and one they needed to elaborate on more but they haven’t in this issue. See, the ONLY mention of her in this event before the big reveal was from a prologue in Hulkling’s One-Shot and nowhere else. And the last time we see her was on the Skrull homeworld with her daughter, Hulkling’s Skrull mother, as Galactus was consuming their planet.
How did she get out, let alone escape? Why didn’t she reveal herself to her people ever since then? I’m sure many Skulls would’ve gladly followed her leadership during all that time. So why now? These are questions that neither Dan Scott or Al Ewing have properly answered and it feels like they wasted another character with major significance to have a big shocking “reveal”. Honestly, this whole event just felt like a waste of time.
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