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Fantastic Four (2014) (Collected Editions)

Fantastic Four, Volume 3: Back in Blue

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Ben Grimm: prisoner! Jailed for murder, the Thing finds an unlikely ally while fighting a rogues' gallery of powerhouse villains in prison! Meanwhile, with the information he's learned, Johnny Storm's best friend Wyatt Wingfoot is in grave danger, hunted by a mysteriously familiar bowman! Who can help Wyatt in his hour of need? Maybe Johnny's other best friend, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! The amazing wall-crawler pays a visit to help rehabilitate his buddy - and so it begins: the rise of Johnny Storm! And Johnny's got a desperate message for Ben...but with all he's discovered, will the Thing ever trust him again? Plus: Mister Fantastic attacked by...Iron Man?! Find out why right here, as the fall of the Fantastic Four continues!

Collecting: Fantastic Four 11-14, Annual

120 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2015

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About the author

James Robinson

1,270 books237 followers
James Dale Robinson is a British writer of American comic books and screenplays.

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5 stars
23 (8%)
4 stars
89 (31%)
3 stars
137 (48%)
2 stars
28 (9%)
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4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Dan.
3,229 reviews10.8k followers
May 21, 2018
The downfall of the Fantastic Four continues as Sue battles Doctor Doom for Valeria, The Thing plots to bust out of prison, and someone kidnaps the Future Foundation kids...

Back in Blue is the penultimate chapter in the end of the Fantastic Four storyline, the result of a dick measuring contest between Marvel and Fox executives. It also happens to be a very good story.

In this chapter, the architect behind the Fantastic Four's woes is revealed. Jams Robinson is getting some serious mileage out of the Heroes Reborn train wreck of the 1990s. The Fantastic Four is in pretty deep by the end. Robinson demonstrates a deep knowledge of Fantastic Four history and his characterization is spot on. The interplay between The Thing and the Sandman was one of my favorite parts of the book, as were Wyatt Wingfoot and Spidey giving Johnny a talking to.

I haven't mentioned the art on this run yet but now I'm a Leonard Kirk fan. I've been a Tom Grummett fan since the Reign of the Supermen so it's no surprise his artwork is pretty sharp.

The villain of the piece makes a certain amount of sense in a comic book sort of way. I'm glad Robinson didn't go back to the old wells for the villain, frankly.

The past three volumes set up a lot of dominoes. I expect them to tumble down in spectacular fashion in the final volume. Four out of five stars.
Profile Image for Sesana.
6,346 reviews329 followers
June 17, 2016
This was a bit of an improvement, because things are actually happening that aren't just "every bad thing in the world hitting the FF at once." And we do indeed discover the, ahem, mastermind behind it all. It was actually going ok, until it's revealed that, once again, it's all about Sue. Sue is, apparently, the most desirable woman in the Marvel universe, and I just don't find that to be a very compelling motivation for a super behind the scenes villain mastermind. Especially when Robinson throws in that the same villain has been covertly responsible for many of the team's past troubles, and I get even more annoyed. It's one thing to invent a brand new arch nemesis, and it's quite another to retroactively assign him blame and/or credit for what happened in the past. But yes, it's an enjoyable story to read, even more so than the previous volumes, and much of it is written quite well.
Profile Image for Subham.
3,078 reviews104 followers
April 15, 2022
This was another good volume and omg the revelations!

So it starts with Sue trying to take Valeria back home and she has one of the best fights with Dr Doom and its amazing to see, goose bumps moment and I love the whole thing and the resolution and maybe a breakdown of another character and then with the thing in prison and what he goes through and maybe his rescue, on another hand we have the coming of Spider-man and I loved that and what all happens there which leads to an amazing moment for Johnny and Wyatt plus the mastermind behind it all is revealed and his ultimate plans!

Its an amazing volume and again does well to give all characters their due and play with their fates and in a way bring the story full circle by showing whose behind it all and its done really well and its just brilliant and really well written, the moments earned and I love the way the writer uses heroes reborn continuity in such a brilliant manner and makes this FF story all the more memorable by making it stringent on Franklin and maybe Valeria and its just awesome to read and the art is sooo good! <3
Profile Image for Scott.
2,295 reviews278 followers
August 30, 2017
The pacing and action improve in Vol. 3: Back in Blue and, at the risk of sounding repetitive, my favorite scene once again (as in Vol. 2) was Sue's freak-out - this time a little more unhinged, and lasting throughout several pages - when receiving bad news. The conspiracy plot finally starts coming together, and there are also some nice cameos from other MCU superheroes and characters.
Profile Image for Chris Lemmerman.
Author 7 books122 followers
April 15, 2015
I really like what James Robinson is doing with the Fantastic Four. He seems to have the entire story plotted out and is just executing each new plot point in turn, instead of trying to craft individual story arcs that read better in trade than single. Everything here flows into the next event, and it reads great because of it.

There are still a few niggles, like Thing's over-active accent, and Robinson's tendency to go 'remember this thing that happened 300 issues ago in Fantastic Four?'. There's ways of referencing past continuity without making it so hamfisted, but it's been a problem for the entirety of Robinson's run so I don't think it'll change any time soon.

This arc sees the reveal of the mastermind behind the FF's misfortune, as the team tries to pick itself up after their most devastating split in a while. The Annual that opens this volume is especially good as the Invisible Woman goes full on nutcase and wrecks Latveria, before realizing that the whole reason she's there isn't even valid anymore. It's great, and really hits Sue in the right places.

The supporting characters play good roles too, from old FF buddy Wyatt Wingfoot to the more recent Future Foundation members, and even a Spider-Man cameo. It really feels like the FF are part of a world again and not out on their own like they've been since the previous run on the book.

The art remains strong, with Leonard Kirk continuing to pencil the majority of issues, with Tom Grummett stepping in for the Annual, and an assist from Marc Laming, who I still think deserves an ongoing book of his own, because his clean style is very adaptable to pretty much anything.
Profile Image for Craig.
Author 16 books41 followers
August 21, 2015
Plot impetus is pretty tired, but it looks and reads great...truly like the FF of old. In contrast to Fraction, which I also enjoyed, the FF maintain center stage here.
Profile Image for Mr. Stick.
472 reviews
March 18, 2021
"ALTHOUGH I LOVE YOU, LITTLE ONE... I HAVE TO ADMIT YOUR THREE-YEAR-OLD'S NAIVETE WAS STARTING TO GET TIRESOME."
- Dr. Doom speaking to himself about Valeria Richards.

Holy Balls! I really need to read the other books in this series. Though I missed EVERYTHING leading up to this, it was also a super fun read.
F@#$ it! I'm giving it four stars.
There's a reason that Doom has had so many of his own titles and specials. Unlike Magneto, he's not inherently decent, principled or even tragically misguided. He never "joins" the good guys, though he may "get in bed" with them when it benefits him, but he certainly never teaches at their damn school. He's Doom! The universe exists expressly for his conquest.
Aside from Doom there's a plenty going on with the FF. Reed's depressed over some invention that almost destroyed the planet. Sue's possessed by an evil alter ego or something. Johnny's over-partying because he lost his powers. Ben's in the clink. Valeria's hanging out with "uncle Victor."
Also, the mystery villain, (not Doom) is connected to the Heroes Reborn reboot from 1996.
Profile Image for Krzysztof Grabowski.
1,880 reviews7 followers
September 13, 2022
Album zawiera zeszyty z: Fantastic Four #11-14 (2014) oraz Annual.

Kontynuacja wątków w tym zbiorze jest jeszcze bardziej dynamiczniejsza i jeszcze mocniej komplikuje życie bohaterom, którzy wreszcie wrócą do swoich starych kostiumów. Ale i tak rządzi tu jedna osoba. Mianowicie Sue, która wpada do Latverii po córkę i nikt jej nie powstrzyma, co tylko udowadnia, że matka walcząca o córkę jest w stanie spuścić lanie największym badassom.

W tle mamy problemy Johnny'ego, który ma spory problem z kolegą, ale zawsze można liczyć na pomoc przyjaznego bohatera z sąsiedztwa. Najciekawiej ma się sytuacja z Benem, który przygotowuje się do pryśnięcia z więzienia Raft, gdzie przebywa po fałszywym oskarżeniu o morderstwo. A Reed? Jak to Reed, masa badań i trochę bitki.

Sprawy zaczynają się normować, a rodzina zmierza ku lepszemu, czemu towarzyszy całkiem zacna kreska. Robinson porusza się po wyboistej ścieżce, gdyż przygody tej czwórki można łatwo spartolić, co akurat mu wychodzi dobrze po tych wcześniejszych absurdalnych przygodach.
Profile Image for James Lawner.
453 reviews11 followers
August 31, 2018
*3.5*

The Thing gets into a prison shower fight, WTF??

Okay, I liked the idea of The Thing trying to work out his current prison situation and I feel like that could make for some interesting storytelling, but then all of that gets quickly pushed aside and The Thing manages to break out. Also, we finally get an answer as to why the F4 had red uniforms, and I don’t know why this wasn’t explained in the first issue. And we finally got some answers as to who’s behind the conspiracy of taking down the F4 and it’s petty AF! But still interesting to me.

Overall, I’m still liking this series, the artwork is great, but this installment felt a bit forgettable to me. Also, this is the last this series will use its numbering, the series will go back to its original numbering and I don’t know why they’re doing this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Jesse.
1,327 reviews11 followers
January 24, 2018
Now we know who's behind it all.... and it's pretty lame. Some guy who was at college with Reed and was in love with Sue from afar, and the book claims he's been plotting this revenge ever since, from the background of the whole history of the Fantastic Four. Meh. Not that I'm not enjoying reading this series. They have everybody's voices pretty good. The use of the 1996 "Heroes Reborn" stuff is a fun reference. Even though I am pretty lukewarm on the actual reveal so far, the execution of the book has me hooked. Also.... Val finally left Doom, and he was all "she never found out my REAL plan hahahaha".... I wonder if that will come back. One more volume to go. We'll see what happens.
Profile Image for Shane.
1,397 reviews22 followers
March 11, 2021
Ben forgives everyone for their "Original Sin" and then She-Hulk helps him breakout of prison. Reed gets captured and they find that "The Quiet Man" (sounds like a DC villain) is behind all of this. Johnny stops drinking, Sue beats up Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Three and Spidey go off to save Reed, Franklin and the Future Foundation kids all while facing off with alternate dimension superheroes gone bad.

Sounds like a normal day at the office for Marvel
704 reviews3 followers
January 1, 2018
In volume 3 the story Finally starts coming together. While some of the earlier stuff still feels out of place or out of character, the overall story get clearer, and some of the earlier threads fall into place. This volume actually feels like a real Fantastic Four story.
The art for the Annual (first part of the book) is very good.
Profile Image for Sean.
4,255 reviews25 followers
February 14, 2021
Once again, some good and bad collected here but the book once again ends terribly. This is literally how not to collect a trade paperback 101. The story interesting but the villainous reveal is weak and there seems to be missing pieces. Leonard Kirk is doing a great job with the art chores. Overall, much better read as a whole than in individual chapters.
2,264 reviews5 followers
June 9, 2020
I'm torn....there are parts of the resolution that is currently unfolding in this storyline that I like, but there are also parts that are frustrating and deeply unsatisfying. The last volume will certainly decide if this run is a success or simply a middling, average Fantastic Four story.
Profile Image for Néstor Vargas.
438 reviews
May 16, 2025
First of all, if you have Spidey in your book, there’s not much to complain about. This one picks up a bit from the last volume. The Quiet Man was a great villain for this, and it’s interesting to see that he has been there all along. Also, I’m glad the blue suits are back!
Profile Image for Al Gritten.
525 reviews7 followers
March 23, 2020
The story was a little disjointed and the art wasn't to my taste - it was good, but just not my style. Overall, not bad, just not what I expected
Profile Image for Villain E.
4,063 reviews20 followers
May 4, 2021
Meh. A new act in the FF's downward spiral. The team tries to pull themselves out of their funk, and the bad guy is revealed. But the internal logic of it all is pretty lazy.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,746 reviews35 followers
March 31, 2023
*I’m reading the entire story arc in pretty quick succession. Full review at the end.*
Profile Image for Christopher.
1,593 reviews44 followers
January 29, 2024
Full of great events on an epic stage, full of cinematic pacing, epic colourful sharp art that flies right off the page, full of adventure and action! :D
Profile Image for Matt.
2,617 reviews27 followers
July 26, 2015
Collects Fantastic Four (2014) issues #11-14 and Fantastic Four (2014) Annual #1

The opening story about Sue trying to reconnect with Valeria was awesome. Then there were some slow parts in the middle. Then we get the reveal on who has been behind all of the Fantastic Four's trouble since the beginning of James Robinson's run on the book. I'd say this had a fairly strong finish to the volume

ALL SPOILERS ABOUT THIS BOOK:

There were a lot of things I liked about this collection. First, the opening story that featured Sue vs. Doom was really strong, and I was disappointed that Sue was being mentally manipulated by her (unknown to me) evil self, Malice. I just wanted Sue to be this mad. I didn't want a villain to be making her act this way, because she took Doom apart, and it was pretty cool to see.

Next, I loved the addition of characters from the "Heroes Reborn" universe. Although I've never read any of the 1990's stories in which this universe was created, I like seeing it play a role in a modern story. Because this storyline is often looked down upon by fans, I think current writers tend to ignore the fact that for a full year we had completely alternate versions of well-known heroes.

I appreciated the continuation of stories that Matt Fraction started telling in terms of the replacement FF (even though I didn't like Fraction's way of telling that story).

I could be wrong, but it seems like there was one page in here that is a huge set-up for what will happen with Dr. Doom in the 2015 Marvel event, "Secret Wars."

Finally, The Quiet Man. An awesome, new villain for the Fantastic Four, and someone that has (apparently) been giving them trouble since the very beginning. After Robinson is done with his Fantastic Four story, I could see The Quiet Man disappearing from comics for a while. However, savvy writers could be dropping clues that he is still conspiring behind the scenes. This could possibly go on for years. I don't see a way that Reed could stop this face-changing villain from continuing his masterminding ways.
Profile Image for Mouse.
1,197 reviews9 followers
July 13, 2016
*Sigh* So, this just starts bad: Valeria is hanging out with her "uncle" Victor Von Doom! Yahhhh...I can't see a single thing wrong with that can you? Jeesh! It's like it was written for 5 year olds.
Then Invisible Woman goes zooming into Latveria only to be blasted out of the sky...because I guess she wasn't expecting that and as she goes to get Valeria back the little girl basically says "No" because she's upset at them. Okay, so this is where the parent in me takes over! She's under 18, take her spoiled ass home to wherever the heck the FF calls home these days! But no, she sticks around and gee...can you guess what happens next? I know it's hard! That's right she gets into a fight with Dr. Doom! I know...I know...I didn't see it coming either. Sue actually beats Doom because there's an evil force in her mind (don't ask?) and then just leaves Valeria there with Doom?!?!? WTF? Really? Sue Storm...you suck!
The story with Reed and Wanda (Scarlet Witch) was absolutely pointless and The Thing gets into a fight while in jail? Yah, I didn't see that coming either!
Things actually picked up and got a bit better when Spidey showed up but then we find out that Doom is behind much of what's been happening...which...I know...is a big frikkin surprise! *Sigh But at least up till now the book made sense. Then as the Brits say, "Things went tits up!" Cause at this point nothing made any sense and I get the feeling that I missed some kind of epic battle!
This whole book is just a big downer and not much makes sense at the midpoint that it's hard to get through. But hey...the art is good though, so there's that.
Profile Image for Robert.
2,219 reviews148 followers
July 19, 2017
Well that was...dare I say it?...Fantastcellent!

Once there was a beautiful princess...

Others have commented that the volume dips in quality after Sue's most epic confrontation with Doom in Latveria in the first part, which is fair, but I felt there was more than enough meat on the bone in the remaining issues to keep my interest, and the art by Kirk and Grummett was clean and bright enough to be worthy of the Four (taking notes Fox execs? Oh, never mind...)

I really do recommend this volume, even if, like most comics fans, the F4 are your 4th favourite Marvel superhero team.
Profile Image for Anchorpete.
759 reviews6 followers
October 31, 2015
I feel guilty saying this, but I think that Starman and the Golden Age might have been flukes, and that James Robinson might not be worth the acclaim. Man do I really hate saying that, since Robinson was very kind when I met him, and Starman is such a fantastic (ha, pun intended) book. This book just feels mediocre, like the first Volume of Fantastic Four that Robinson wrote, as well as his stuff on Justice League, pre- New 52. This book is fun, but it just does not seem in the same league as Starman and Golden Age. That might be where his strength lies. He needs more pulp feeling characters, as opposed to science heroes that came out of the 60s
Profile Image for Max Solis.
1,142 reviews2 followers
July 6, 2024
Robinson hace maravillas en el volumen 5. El detalle de devolver el color azul al traje de los Cuatro Fantásticos, luego de haber usado durante todo el volumen 5 ese hermoso traje rojo, me gustó bastante.
Profile Image for David.
2,565 reviews87 followers
April 25, 2015
Robinson's arc begins its payoff! Kirk's art has never looked finer. Good time to be a FOUR fan!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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