- Written by: Josh Trujillo
- Art by: Andrea Di Vito
- Colors by: Erick Arciniega
- Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
- Cover art by: Greg Land, Rachelle Rosenberg (cover A)
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: February 4, 2026
Planet of the Apes versus Fantastic Four #1, by Marvel on 2/4/26, is a crossover where the FF lose their powers, land in Ape City, and immediately get slapped with a heresy charge.
First Impressions
This landed as a mildly entertaining but very safe mashup, the kind of comic that knows it has a fun elevator pitch and then refuses to risk anything interesting with it. The core idea, powerless FF trapped on the Planet of the Apes while their powers jump to the locals, is strong on paper but the script plays it like a polished TV pilot instead of a bold first issue. I walked away feeling like the book respected the brands, but not my time.
Plot Analysis (SPOILERS)
The comic opens with the Watcher musing on how many impossible stories center on Earth, and how two of those stories, the Fantastic Four and the Planet of the Apes timeline, have never intersected until now. He sets the collision up as something worth cataloging, which then cuts directly to the Fantastic Four, stripped of their powers, on trial in Ape City for heresy before Dr. Zaius, General Ursus, and the ape assembly, with the human crowd calling for their deaths. Reed and Sue try to reason with Zaius, while Cornelius and Zira quietly worry about intervening, and Johnny blurts out that they are heroes from another Earth and that apes tried to kill them there too. Zaius allows them to speak but clearly thinks they are either Zira’s experiments or dangerous anomalies that threaten ape dogma.
We then flash back to “yesterday” at the Baxter Building, where Red Ghost and his Super-Apes attack the team to reach Reed’s Di-Quantum Stabilizer. The apes brawl with the FF, Sue slams one of the apes into a wall, and Reed explains that the device can act as a beacon and tether for interdimensional or interchronal travel, which is exactly what Red Ghost wants. As Reed orders Sue to raise a containment field, the device overloads in a burst of cosmic energy that engulfs everyone, and the scene cuts before we see where Red Ghost and his apes land. The next sequence picks up with Reed answering Zaius on the stand by explaining that the explosion stripped the FF of their powers and displaced them into this ape ruled world, while the fate of Red Ghost and his apes back in the Baxter Building remains unknown.
We flash back again to their arrival: the powerless FF wake in a strange landscape, confirm the air is safe, and joke about borrowing local tech to get home before they hear a horn in the distance. They soon see armed apes on horseback using rifles and whips to round up mute humans, and Johnny insists they help the humans even though Reed is not sure what the larger situation is. The team joins the fight, only to get knocked around and trapped in nets because they no longer have their abilities, and an ape officer is shocked to hear them speak English. The apes decide to bring these talking humans to General Ursus rather than toss them directly into prison, hinting at other talking humans they have encountered.
Back in the present trial, Reed argues that they meant no harm, ask only to go home, and promise to never cross ape society again, while Ben and Johnny undercut the speech with nervous jokes about their odds. Zaius calls their story heresy, accuses them of trying to sway judgment, and the crowd chants for their deaths until he silences everyone to declare them guilty, quoting the Lawgiver just as something strange happens to his body. Zaius begins to transform, phasing and cracking as fiery hands and rocky limbs appear, while Cornelius and Zira look on in horror and nearby apes panic about things turning bizarre. The last page reveal shows Red Ghost in Latveria bargaining with Doctor Doom to repair the Stabilizer in exchange for the opportunity created by stranding the depowered Fantastic Four on an ape infested world.
Writing
The pacing is clean and linear, bouncing between the Watcher framing, the trial in Ape City, and the “yesterday” flashbacks without confusing scene breaks, though it plays things very safe by always explaining the jumps in captions. Structurally, the book follows a straight line from inciting incident, Red Ghost’s attack, to displacement, to capture, to public trial, ending on a pair of cliffhangers, the powers jumping and Doom’s reveal, which gives it a professional but formulaic TV pilot rhythm. Dialogue leans into familiar FF banter, Ben’s quips, Johnny’s overconfidence, Reed’s exposition dumps, and Sue’s level headed responses, which fits the characters but rarely pushes beyond stock beats, and the apes mostly talk in stiff “Lawgiver” and “heresy” language. The script gives just enough context for new readers, yet it underexplains Red Ghost’s larger plan on purpose, which makes the villain side feel like a teaser, not a fully formed plot.
Art
The line art is clear and readable, with solid figure work that keeps action scenes easy to follow, especially the Red Ghost fight and the horseback raids in the desert. Panel compositions on the trial pages do a good job of framing Dr. Zaius and the ape assembly as looming authority figures, while the Fantastic Four stand bare chested and powerless, which visually sells their loss of status and control. The color work leans on warm desert tones for the Planet of the Apes sequences and cooler, more saturated hues in the Baxter Building scenes, giving a subtle mood shift between worlds without ever becoming muddy or confusing. The Doom splash at the end is the most striking single image, with heavy shadows and rich blues and greens that make his throne room feel like it comes from a slightly moodier book than the rest of the issue.
Character Development
Characterization for the Fantastic Four is consistent with their classic profiles; Reed is curious and analytical even on trial, Sue tries to negotiate and hold the team together, Johnny is impulsive and showy, and Ben is protective and sarcastic. Their motivations are basic and clear, survive, understand where they are, help civilians when possible, and get home, which fits a first issue but does not dig into how being depowered on an alien world actually hits them emotionally beyond a few jokes. The apes, Zaius, Zira, Cornelius, and Ursus, are sketched in broad strokes that align with their film archetypes, cautious dogmatist, sympathetic scientists, hardline general, yet the script never gives them a strong internal conflict beyond “this is heresy.” Red Ghost’s motive, rebuild the fallen empire somewhere else, is stated but not explored, so he reads more like a plot device to mash these two franchises together than a fully fleshed antagonist in his own right.
Originality & Concept Execution
The central concept, FF versus Planet of the Apes, is inherently fresh as a licensed crossover and the book smartly leans into the powerless angle and the ape society’s religious fear of advanced humans. Execution-wise, the issue spends a lot of time setting the table, explaining the displacement mechanics and showing the capture and trial, so it feels more like a long prelude than a bold collision of worlds. The most original visual beat, ape characters manifesting FF powers during the verdict, arrives on the last few pages, which means the actual “versus” hook, apes with Fantastic Four abilities, is being held for the next issue. As a result, this first chapter sells you on the promise of the mashup more than it actually delivers the wild potential of the premise.
Positives
The best thing this comic does is keep the story clear and accessible, so a reader who only knows the basic FF and Planet of the Apes setups can follow the plot without homework. The art team handles crowd scenes, courtroom staging, and mounted ape patrols with strong clarity, which matters a lot in a script that jumps between cosmic narration, legal drama, and desert skirmishes. The timing of the “apetastic” twist, Zaius phasing into a Human Torch like form while other apes echo Thing traits, gives the last act a genuine visual jolt that hints at more inventive conflicts to come. Add in the confident Doom stinger, and you get a package that at least signals a plan for bigger stakes down the line instead of a one off novelty.
Negatives: (Buyer Beware)
The main drawback is that this first issue feels like it is holding back the actual fun, spending most of its pages on capture, exposition, and set dressing instead of letting the concept cut loose. The writing leans on safe, familiar FF banter and predictable ape dialogue, which keeps everyone in character but rarely delivers a standout line or a surprising emotional beat. Red Ghost and his Super-Apes are treated as pure plot machinery, so if you came in hoping for a strong villain presence, you mostly get a handoff scene to Doom that says “check back later.” For readers on a tight budget, the lack of a big, self contained payoff in this chapter makes the issue read more like a premium priced prologue than a satisfying single issue story.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
The Scorecard: (Measurable Value Assessment)
Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [2.5/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [3/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [0/2]
Final Verdict
If you have room in your stack for a competently made, brand safe crossover that spends its first issue setting up a better second issue, Planet of the Apes versus Fantastic Four #1 is a fine curiosity pick but not an urgent buy. The clear storytelling and solid art give you your money’s worth on craftsmanship, yet the script’s reluctance to truly exploit its wild premise keeps it planted firmly in “wait for the next chapter” territory. In a crowded week, this is more “grab it if you are a die hard FF or Apes completionist” than “drop everything and take it to the counter.”
5.5/10
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