Fantastic Four #13 Review

Written by: Ryan North
Art by: Iban Coello
Colors by: Jesus Aburtov
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Alex Ross (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: November 15, 2023

Fantastic Four #13 concludes the dino-swapping adventure when Dr. Doom and his dino-counterpart team up to bring their worlds together for a doubly-big universe for the Doom’s to rule.

Is Fantastic Four #13 Good?

Yes, this is better. Ryan North took nearly a year to find a story balance that works, but now that he’s found it, the Fantastic Four series is a much better read. Even better, Fantastic Four #13 gets the serialized adventures wrapped up in a penultimate issue to the return of the Baxter Building, so we’ll see if this year-long mystery was worth the wait.

When last we left the Fantastic Four, they inadvertently traveled to a parallel dimension where everyone is the same, except they’re dinosaurs. After a brief scuffle, human Reed and dino Tony Stark figured out how to communicate and find a way home, just as dino Dr. Doom showed up. Now, the human and dinosaur versions of Dr. Doom decide to team up to combine (not merge) the two universes to double the space to rule. When Dr. Doom brandishes an impossible-to-defeat weapon to keep the heroes at bay, it’s up to the human and dino Ben Grimm to save the day with brains over brawn.

Where Fantastic Four #13 and #12 differ from the rest of the series is the lack of over-the-top science lessons North previously inserted as the central talking point for each adventure. There’s some techno-babble going on in this issue, but the babble is a facet of the story rather than the central idea, so the reading experience prioritizes the adventure and entertainment (as it should have been since the beginning).

What’s great about Fantastic Four #13? In a refreshing turn of events, both Ben Grimms save the day with a clever bit of psychology that fits their character and elevates Ben as more than just a mass of muscle. The conclusion to this two-part arc makes sense, and the overall reading experience is fun.

What’s not so great about Fantastic Four #13? Doom’s plot is understandable, but the lack of reasoning behind it doesn’t make much sense, which is the second time North has fumbled Doom’s motivations. Why would Doom seek to double the size of the universe when he can barely manage to rule his country, let alone Earth or anything bigger? It comes across as North inventing a big problem simply for the sake of making something big, but it has no practical value.

How’s the art? Iban Coello’s art looks great except for one glaring problem. For whatever reason, Coello either intentionally won’t draw or doesn’t know how to draw a neck for Ben Grimm. In every panel, you get powerful, dynamic figurework, but when Ben is shown in profile, he looks like a cartoon ball (head) resting on top of a bigger cartoon ball (torso).

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Fantastic Four #13 concludes the interdimensional dino adventure with a Doom plot that spells doom for the universe. North’s action/adventure plot is excellent (barring a glaring plot hole), and Coello’s art looks fantastic (barring a glaring character design problem).