Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Uncanny X-Periment # 30: "X-Men vs. Fantastic Four"

Fantastic Four versus X-Men # 1-4

What we have here, folks, is a well-to-do crossover miniseries. Two close-knit teams - the X-Men and the Fantastic Four - face doubt and struggle as the life of Kitty Pryde hangs in the balance.

Kitty is, basically, falling apart. Thanks to the "Mutant Massacre," not only is she trapped in her phased state, her very molecules are drifting apart. The X-Men call upon the Fantastic Four to help them. However, the team is full of doubt, as an uncovered journal written by Reed Richards claims that the accident that gave them their powers was planned and on purpose. Therefore, Reed turns the X-Men down . . . sending them into the hands of Dr. Doom.

Doom promises to help the X-Men out and in the meantime, Franklin Richards' psi-self develops a bond with Kitty and links the two teams as they struggle with doubt and crisis.

Ultimately, this not a crossover in the traditional sense. While yes, there are action sequences and there's a fight scene or two between the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, it's far from your typical team-up. It feels more like an X-Men story and a Fantastic Four story running parallel to each other rather an actual crossover. Each team has its own struggle, it's own problems to work through. In the end, there is resolution on both as their problems converge.

Characterization is good here, but more for the FF than the X-Men. Art captures mood and tone just fine, from the up-beat dinner at the end to Franklin's creepy dreams. All in all, a great read for either X-Men or Fantastic Four fans.

~W~

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