Fantastic Four By Ryan North Vol. 5: Aliens, Ghosts And Alternate Earths (Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four (2022)

by Ryan North, Carlos Gómez (artist), Ivan Fiorelli (artist)

Collects Fantastic Four (2022) #23-28.

Ryan North puts character first in his refreshing take on Marvel's First Family! When a cosmic incident from outer space threatens forty percent of the planet, the Fantastic Four will need teamwork, cleverness and an old vehicle dug out of storage to save the world - plus some super-science! Then, Earth is invaded by subatomic particles from the other side of the universe - and when Mister Fantastic discovers the horrifying truth, he finds out there are some things in the universe even he and his family's powers can't stop! And when an excursion to Latveria magically sends the FF to an alien world, survival will be difficult on a planet so unlike our own, with a civilization hundreds of years behind ours - and it doesn't get any easier when Johnny Storm hooks up with one of its residents! But what is this world's terrible secret? Ghosts, demons and the Black Knight!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Fantasy

Kindle Edition

Published April 16, 2025

About the author

Hi, I'm Ryan! I was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and since then have written several books. You can read my Wikipedia page for more, or check out my author site at RyanNorth.ca!

I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.

I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good

Reviews

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Johnny x Angelica story had me crying. THEY DESERVE LOVE!!! JUSTICE FOR JOGELICA (working on the ship name as we speak).

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this run. Done in one or two issue storylines, Johnny has a mustache, and the FF lives in the Grimm family farmhouse in Arizona instead of NYC. This is the FF run I've always wanted to read instead of covers of Jack Kirby's greatest hits.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another collection of fun, (mostly) one-and-done stories spotlighting the F4 in various configurations.

We get a story that brings Reed and Johnny together to battle ghosts, a two-parter that puts the entire team up against tiny alien squid people, a time travel adventure that stabs Johnny in the feels, a focus issue for Nikki, and another jaunt through time for Reed and Sue with the Black Knight along for the ride.

These are all solid stories, but they feel a bit like a holding pattern. Every issue has some reference to, or is driven by, the idea that Doctor Doom has fenced off Latveria and isn't allowing anyone inside after the events of Blood Hunt, so by the time the volume ends with the inevitable To Be Continued In One World Under Doom, I was kind of ready to get there. A couple of stories might have been alright, and I do like the connective tissue, but there was definitely a 'get on with it' element for me as well.

This volume also felt a little repetitive as well - I like that North has brought out some different sides to the Four, like Sue's archaeology degree, but he seems to be hammering the points home a bit too hard, like he's trying to force them to be relevant instead of being helpful all on their own.

Artwise we're still good - Carlos Gomez handles the first three issues, probably the best of the bunch, while F4 rotating artist Ivan Fiorelli grabs an issue, and Steven Cummings finishes things off. Cummings' issues feel a bit odd character-model-wise. Not enough to be off-putting, but enough to make me go...huh, a few times.

Still good, not as great as before - hopefully One World Under Doom gets us back up again.

[Machiavelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still loving Ryan North’s Fantastic Four! Vol. 5 is packed with big sci-fi ideas and even bigger heart—alien invaders, ghost portals, and Nikki Masters-Grimm stepping into her powers with a shapeshifting showdown against Mole Man. Johnny falls in love. Reed and Sue go time-hopping in search of a magic sword. It’s wild, heartfelt, and full of classic FF fun. North’s run continues to be a blast.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories leading straight to One World Under Doom. North doesn't sacrifice the quality of his stories to pass the time before the next event, and that's commendable.
The characters are as incredibly engaging as ever and North continues to balance science, action and refreshing humour with unstoppable effectiveness. Johnny's love story and the episode focusing on Nicki are particularly excellent.

I don't pretend to know much about the FF but of all the runs I've read this one is arguably the best.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five volumes of purposefully small, smart adventures and perhaps, finally, I'm getting the appeal. Instead of, y'know, fighting Sorcerer Supreme Doom, the First Family tackles a sub-atomic alien threat, an alternate Earth where Theia didn't crash into the planet in pre-history, and a weird hole in the basement that's full of ghosts.

The solutions to these problems are science-focused, appropriately, but also allow certain characters to shine. Johnny gets a love story with an alien, which I did not expect to like as much as I did! Ben Grimm's Skrull daughter takes wacky advantage of her ability so shape-shift! The only part that touches Doom comes at the end, where Reed and Sue travel back in time with the Black Knight to obtain a magical mystery sword. Turns out, this was a ploy by Doom to destroy the sword before it can hurt him.

Fun stuff all around, maybe moreso than previous volumes... or maybe I'm just starting to come around on Ryan North's style.

[Alex Sarll]

In a series structured around solving problems, this volume has a particularly intractable one ticking away in the background: the last big Marvel crossover saw Doctor Doom become Sorcerer Supreme, and he's not getting dislodged from that position until at least the next one. Still, prodding at the situation sets off the most melodramatic story here, where what looks at first like a cheap gag about quite how much of a slag Johnny can be instead ends up a genuine tearjerker on a cosmic scale. At the other extreme, the hilarious Hallowe'en special finds a unique solution to that everyday bother of finding a hellmouth in the basement. Plus, a very special episode about that persistent dilemma kids face: when is shapeshifting at school appropriate?

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan North really gets what makes the FF so special, and he absolutely nails their individual personalities and how important family is to their mythos. He definitely seems to have put in the work around making sure Reed sounds like the supergenius he is, and the research really shows. I hope North stays around for a long time because this is the best that the FF has been in decades.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Ryan North mid-fest. The book just isn't serial enough for me. Almost every story of his seems like it could be the B story in a '90s annual. There was also an incredibly unbelievable love story involving Johnny here that doesn't really go with who he is as a person for the most part. I did laugh at some of the Halloween antics with Reed and Johnny and really enjoyed Nikki's story. The One World Under Doom prelude was also decent. North's team is good and he gets these characters but their adventures just seem to lack interest. The art was good but Reed looks 20. Overall, another mixed bag that is the same as the entire run has been.

[Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5) what i love most about ryan north is that he throws convention out the window and does as he pleases in a way that not only reorients the fantastic four as a whole, but makes them even more beloved. the johnny and angelica plot had me in shambles! also love this nicki story (her first solo story, if i’m remembering correctly?) and, i mean, you can’t hate a reedsue adventure, you just can’t!

[❀ Linnybella ❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume was incredible. A huge highlight was delving more into the inner-psyche of Johnny Storm, primarily his feelings towards relationships and families. In the past, and mostly characterized by readers and characters within the Marvel universe, he’s a womanizer with a surplus of lovers that never last. However, his relationship with Angelica, and its ultimate demise, highlights his intrinsic desire for companionship and love, and even his envy towards the rest of the Fantastic Four. It adds such a profound layer of depth, primarily in a character you would not have expected it from. Another absolutely wonderful volume from North.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 stars

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Fantastic Four run that continues to be charming and entertaining, Ryan North takes the First Family on a set of rides to alternate realities and encounters with aliens. Poor Johnny seems to take the brunt of it with respect to alien encounters, who does seem to be the focus for much of these set of issues. North's run hasn't really been linear nor cumulative, instead we continue to get a lot of one-off stories that last for 1-2 issue long arcs. It does feel like we're missing a bit of the build up to a more significant storyline, but it seems like North will attempt to coalesce the broader story beats into the upcoming One World Under Doom arc. Unfortunately, this series hasn't really set the groundwork for it, so I'm not convinced the subsequent series will feel like a payoff to the otherwise solid storytelling in this series.

Some solid art contributions from Carlos Gomez (#23-25), Ivan Fiorelli (#24) and Steven Cummings (#27-28), though I haven't really found the artwork in the series to be all that imaginative in comparison to North's pretty outlandish storytelling. Gomez's art on the first three issues would be the standout, but overall I do think the only thing holding this book back from being an all time classic series is a more definitive art style.

[Mr. Stick · Rating 5 out of 5]

"ICEMAN IS JUST HYDROMAN PLUS COLD!"
- Johnny Storm's dry-erase board of non-scientific, motivational awesomeness.

"This feels like being gently squeezed by warm rocks."
- Nicki Masters-Grimm describes Thing's hug.

Family Matters meets Twilight Zone!
Ryan North's Fantastic Four is a perfect blend of a 90's family sitcom and 60's sci-fi.
This run has been exemplary. I'm now looking forward to One World Under Doom.
I've never LOVED Fantastic Four, but I've always LIKED them. I think I might just be a fan of Ryan North. He did for Squirrel Girl what Claremont did for the X-Men. And now he's made me love this team like my own family.
five stars. Five Stars! FIVE FREAKIN' STARS!!!

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Some art I liked, but these stories are just so...ambling. They're like the nothing stories you read between more meaningful story arcs meant to just take up space before getting to the next actual story.

[Nevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An awkward truth about superhero comics: This is exactly the sort of thing we say we want, with fun done-in-one stories that play with new ideas and don't get bogged down in nihilism, continuity, or soon-to-be-forgotten "events". In fact, if stories like these were published in the Silver Age, they'd be beloved classics today. And yet... it doesn't feel like enough. Those Silver Age stories were published when everything about the characters felt new, and when one issue was 10¢ instead of $4. Today, the stories just feel a little slight.
I'm glad to have something fun and optimistic, but I still want to feel like it's doing something with the characters and the universe around it. (The Blood Hunt tie-in from the last volume showed that North could handle that, and I'm looking forward to his FF event next.) With these, it's too easy to question why the latest world-ending threat is a bigger deal than the last hundred, or how a character's single-issue romance could really be believed. Nicki's story was excellent - it surprised me, made me laugh, and made me feel things - but apparently this comic can only rise to those heights about once per volume.

[Peter Van Der Raaij · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series so far has been consistently excellent. What I like about these stories is the FF are a family and doing things as a family. Sure sometimes those things include ghosts, aliens and alternate realities, and yet, not everything has to be an epic world saving event. My favourite story in this collection, and apart from the first Two parter they were all one issue stories (more on the last story in a sec), was the story about how Reed’s and Johnny’s curiosity gets them into trouble while the rest of the family were away,
As for the last story in this collection, that appears to lead into something, which I hope is resolved in the pages of the next trade, rather than in some crossover. I would have preferred if they had saved the last story to include it with whatever it is leading into.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the last trade I was really concerned that this one would lose its episodic structure. I shouldn't have. Here we have 4 stories over 5 issues, and only the final one continues the Sorcerer Supreme Doom arc. Instead we get Johnny getting chocked by an alien, Johnny falling in love with an alien, and Johnny (and Reed) releasing a lot of ghosts. There's also one about Nicki trying to combat anti-Skrull discrimination, and an issue in which Reed and Sue try to find a magic sword to stop Doom. Really fun stuff. I heard rumours that this run is ending/has ended. I don't know if it's true and I'm too lazy to look it up, but it feels too soon. North, write another 100 issues of this. Please?!

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure adventuring...
Pure fun...

It's funny. In a time in Marvel comics where their greatest adversary is Sorcerer Supreme, the FF just keeps walking down their own path. You'd think they'd just JAM them in all things Doctor Doom.

Instead, we get odd little adventures:
- aliens from across the galaxy rocketing towards Earth on microparticles doom Earth
- a planet with alien life could be much like Earth except for one moment in time
- their Arizona home is resting atop a ghost portal
- Nikki Masters-Grimm learns responsible shape shifting on Earth

They only passingly check in on Doctor Doom and it's SO refreshing. It's fun to see how this family manages to push each others buttons and get in so much trouble.

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as stellar as previous installments but still pretty good. The inconsistent artwork in this collection lets it down a bit. When this is all inevitably collected into an omnibus edition I think this part of the run will be seen as the weaker series of issues. It still has plenty to recommend it, though, with the mostly light episodic adventures continuing.

For me the standout issue was the one with the kids defending their school against Mole Man’s attack. Mole Man’s old-timey dialogue is amusing, with his “schoolmarms” and “hornswoggled”, and the fun character moment when Nicki the Skrull comes into her own.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this was great! Gómez’s art is fun and detailed and engaging, and I like that he shifts stylistically a bit between the first double issue arc and the single standalone. Who knew a romance subplot with a very unusual alien and Johnny Storm could be so emotionally compelling within a single issue? The back half was fine — two more standalone issues that weren’t terribly exciting but weren’t sleep inducing either. The final issue serves to setup a return of Sorcerer Supreme Doom to the larger MCU…I suspect a crossover event? I continue to be surprised that I’m enjoying the FF run of late as much as I am given my general lack of engagement with them prior.

[Scarred Wizard · Rating 3 out of 5]

#23 - #25 is bad. Like wtf am i reading? Johnny is in love with that creepy looking alien bug is cringe and gross. Ryan, why did you do that to my Johnny? 😅 It takes me quite some times to finish all these issues. I keep putting the book down.

#26 - #28 is entertaining enough. Now this is what i'm talking about!

There is ups & downs so far for the whole series of this Fantastic Four by Ryan North. But i gotta admit i enjoyed most of the issues. Can't wait for the next volume!

Rating : 5.5/10 read

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just about perfect--the hyper-science, the humor, everything was working, until that last issue, which apparently leads into yet another event (the world under Doom or somesuch). I loved it all until that clinker came along and kind of spoiled it. Good stories (for the most part). Good art. Why ruin it?

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

this gets four stars out of me just for the pure audacity of issue 25. feels like an insane plot point from a much older comic and i’m here for it. and the acknowledgement of johnny’s loneliness solidified it for me.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan North has what it takes to write comics worthy of the title "The World's Greatest Comics Magazine". Each issue is a fully formed story which also forms a complete arc. This entire run has been a satisfying read.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories are jam packed full of fun, wonder, kindness, joy and excitement. They're pretty great looking too. Perhaps best of all, North writes about real and theoretical science in a way that gets me excited about it.

[Steven desJardins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryan North does clever comics which have the virtue of not taking the material too seriously and the defect of not taking the material quite seriously enough. Solid fun which naturally rises to the top of the new-comics stack whenever it comes out.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got to read the story from *those* Johnny panels, and it was superb! The structure of this run, with individual stories that have no connection between them while the big plot is developing in the background, works perfectly. Like a good tv show that I can’t recommend enough.

[Brian Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some great issues here, but probably the weakest collection of issues for the series so far. The two part story that opens up the book is fine, and the One World Under Doom prelude is underwhelming. It’s the middle 3 stories where this volume truly shines.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mainly one and done stories focusing on big sciencey ideas. Oh and fun. These stories are fun. In the background Doom is lurking. He's now the Sorcerer Supreme and has locked Latveria behind an impenetrable dome. Leads directly into One World Under Doom.