Midnight Fantastic Four (2026-) #1

by Benjamin Percy, Kev Walker (Artist), Frank D'Armata (Colorist)

FIRST STEPS INTO DARKNESS! An obsessive scientist delves into the secrets of the universe perhaps best left unknown to humankind, leaving himself and three others warped in strange and horrifying ways.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Comic Book, Horror

Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2026

About the author

Benjamin Percy is the author of seven novels -- most recently The Sky Vault (William Morrow) -- three short fiction collections, and a book of essays, Thrill Me, that is widely taught in creative writing classrooms. He writes Wolverine, X-Force, and Ghost Rider for Marvel Comics. His fiction and nonfiction have been published in Esquire (where he is a contributing editor), GQ, Time, Men's Journal, Outside, the Wall Street Journal, Tin House, and the Paris Review. His honors include an NEA fellowship, the Whiting Writer's Award, the Plimpton Prize, two Pushcart Prizes, the iHeart Radio Award for Best Scripted Podcast, and inclusion in Best American Short Stories and Best American Comics.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fantastic Four reinvisioned as cosmic horror. Not bad. A little of a slow start with only a drugged out Reed getting much time. I'm certainly not a fan of the $6 cover price and that's what will keep me from going any further with this until it hits MU.

[Scratch · Rating 1.75 out of 5]

Not as good as Midnight X-Men. The artwork is messier and trying for more of a gross-out effect.

Then, as far as the story goes? These are much worse versions of all our favorite characters. Reed is addicted to some unidentified pills. He is so negligent as a college professor, he gets fired. Susan is somehow the head of a major aeronautics company, which is a huge deviation from archaeology. We saw very little of Johnny and Ben, but Johnny was grievously injured and Ben just acted like dumb muscle. Weirdly, the only person whose lot in life appears improved at all is Victor Von Doom. ... Up until something terrible happens to him. Before that, he was just briefly seen as a concerned friend of Reed's.

I thought the whole point of this alternate reality was about fighting vampires. But, this issue doesn't even mention the word "vampire." Or "empyre," either. The closest we came was some dark imagery involving tentacles, and that may only have been a hallucination.

I'll read the subsequent issues, but I don't have high hopes. This doesn't even have the satisfaction I'm expecting from Midnight X-Men. Over in that book, it's clear that we're going to see some of our heroes turned evil by vampire infection, so we watch characters betray and fight each other. Here? The Fantastic Four haven't been infected with vampirism. So far, they're just crappier people.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall good stuff, way better than expected. Sci-fi horror is new to me, don't read too much of it, and it nails it here.

[stefanny · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay, kinda hesitant at first, but it ends up being really entertaining. maybe, i think i found it a bit more ‘scary’ than midnight x-men because of the artwork, but the issue doesn’t disappoint either. i need a PICK to really give it my wholeheartedly devotion lol

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone let HP Lovecraft's ghost into Marvel offices. This one is probably my favourite of the three although they are all great but im a sucker for Cosmic Horror and F4 feel like one of the right titles for that kind of story.

Final thoughts on all Three titles. This is Marvel's answer to DC's Absolute universe even though people like to say that "Ultimate" was their "Absolute" but that fully died out this year. Midnight is how it's done and it really leans into the Horror more than Absolute has although DC have for sure had their Horror moments in the past two years mainly with Absolute Batman and maybe Absolute Green Arrow but it doesn't feel like Marvel is shamelessly taking a drink out of DC's milkshake they clearly have their own plans.

[Machiavelli · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

This just didn’t do it for me. A darker Fantastic Four with a cosmic horror angle sounds promising, but I never got interested in the actual story.

Most of the issue follows Reed and his obsession with pushing into the unknown. I could see what Benjamin Percy was setting up, but none of it made me care about Reed or feel invested in where this was heading. There’s plenty of setup and some disturbing imagery, but I finished without much curiosity about what happens next. For a first issue, that’s a pretty big problem.

Kev Walker’s art and Frank D’Armata’s colors were fine. The horror visuals had some appeal, but nothing grabbed me enough to carry a story I wasn’t connecting with.

I love horror, so I wanted this to work. But I need characters I care about or a story that pulls me in, and I didn’t get either here. By the end, I just wasn’t interested enough to continue.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the possibility of where this could go. We get a lot of hints but everything is still shrouded in mystery. I like the different direction the usual cast is given here. Very eager for more.

[Whatslifeanyways · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

This is what i wanted when marvel said they were doing horrors
Perfect cosmic horror comic Lovecraftian and already loving the douchey pilled up mad scientiest Richards! This was much better than the spider-man one and characters are unrecognizable which is perfect thats what i want!! Johnny’s backstory will be interesting and i think victor’s mom is doom? Really great twists cant wait for the next issue!

[oli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Fantastic Four meets Color Out of Space and Event Horizon. There have always been Lovecraftian elements and horrific implications, on a cosmic level, to their origin, but this direct approach to the style and subgenre is exactly the kind of thing I enjoy. The writing feels just slightly ham-fisted—mostly excused by its pace to bring the four protagonists together. I’ll be picking up #2.

Rating is how interested I am to see the next issue.

[Ushnav Shroff · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

This has got my interest now, I dare say.

[Cristhian · Rating 2 out of 5]

yeah, it's bad.

[Salem ☥ · Rating 2.25 out of 5]

Definitely the weakest out of the new Midnight runs... In my opinion!

[Kelvin Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Planetary, sort of -- which is a bit weird because the F4 were the villains in Planetary (spoilers) -- plus added Cthulhus. There's a nice sense of creeping dread and everything feels awful, so it's got the mood right. Kev Walker's art is as great as ever, and it feels like he's creeping towards Richard Corben a bit here (appropriate) but maybe that's just the subject matter.

[Zizzy · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

not my fav but only the future will tell

[Cybernex007 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cool cosmic horror, but I have to wonder if placing them in such drastically different circumstances is really necessary? While this is coming from more of a DC fan, this feels like it could be a standard F4 storyline except we have all the added hoops of establishing an entirely new world with disconnected characters that are a lot more messed up than their 616 counterparts. And while the art is solid, it doesn’t blow me away. I’m trying to go into this with an open mind, but it feels like changing the chars fees for the sake of it to compete with DC. This can’t be directly compared to the absolute line, as at least that understood it was important to keep the core of the characters the same while changing the world around them. This story starts with a mysterious lighthouse, one which has pink lightning crash down on it and a cave near the ocean which glows pink. Later on there is a page dedicated to the oath of the lightkeepers who vow to keep the lantern lit. Which supposedly acts as a monument, alter, and vault. For what is the biggest question.

And then we are introduced to Reed, sitting in a meeting and completely disassociating from the others as he solves a formula into his head. But are they gain his attention we realize he is at a hearing by his employer, as they have made the decision to fire him. Midway through delivering this news a bird crashes into the window and falls dead to the ground. His equipment and research belong to the school and while they hope he is still capable of great things…based on his indiscretions and negligence they doubt it. As Reed walks outside he finds the bird and picks it up to give it a proper burial, or hide it under a bush, only for tentacles to sprout from the bird and grow out. Causing Reed to freak out and drop the bird as he ran away. That night Reed snuck back into the science building by breaking a window…only to be immediately caught by his grad student…Victor. He knew Reed would come and wants to help him. But Victor is still worried about Reed, especially with the pills he continues to pop which makes his eyes glow purple. Reed has a breakthrough and he is finally ready to activate their very large device he calls a gate. Victor goes to check the system but notices and issue and climbs up to the system to reset it. As Reed wasn’t paying attention he didn’t notice and thus jumps to activating it…catching Victor right in the middle of the gate as he burst with energy which caused Reed’s sideburns to turn white.

Two weeks later we find Reed in prison as he still writes out formulas on the wall with blood from his finger tip. He receives a few visitors in the form of Sue Storm and her security advisor, Ben Grimm. They just secured his freedom after paying for a new science building at the university. Reed doesn’t feel like he deserves it, but then Sue holds up his pill bottle. He lunges for it like a junkie, only for Ben to grab his arm and knock him out by pulling him into the bars. As they load Reed onto the jet with Johnny flying, Reed dreams of the gate coming online where he found Victor a husk of dust and bones. Victor is somehow still alive and Reed asks of he saw anything…Victor can only get out one word “hell.” As they fly off back to their HQ, they fly right through a storm…with a very strange outline of an entity on top of it. But not all is lost for Victor, as his mother secured him and brought him back to their castle in Latveria where she performs Frankenstein-esque procedures on him to zap him back to a full life. But as the energy flows through him a darkened permeates in his eyes as his mother asks for Victor to tell her everything he was doing with that degenerate Reed.

Storm Systems HQ is setup in the thick trees outside of San Fran (which doesn’t feel like the closest city to reference, but whatever), as we see a little HERBIE flying around. Reed is taken inside and is kept on stasis for a full detox, only for a black sludge to fill around his eye as we are once again taken back to the lighthouse. She stayed behind to talk to Johnny as this was his first flight since the crash which left him without legs, since replaced with robotic prosthetics. He seems to be handling it totally fine and completely by yourself which is how anyone in this situation should handle it, said with total sarcasm. That will be interesting if he gets his flame powers. Ben continues Reed’s very thorough detox process with an ice bath. Literally shoving Reed under and dragging him up to ask if he sees any other faves or hears any other voices outside of Ben’s. Sue finally stops him to get Reed clothes and fed. HERBIE brings Reed his lunch. Reed is fascinated by the robot and asks if its programming limits it to Sue’s commands or if it is semi-autonomous…but HERBIE asks Reed the same question as his entire world begins to spiral and a purple mass of tentacles begins to grow from the apple he was biting to force itself down his throat.

Sue brings Reed back to reality as she invites him for a walk. Reed recognizes her now as the lady who builds all the rockets which keep exploding, and that’s exactly what she wants to talk to him about. She shows him a video of one such rocket, launched from the site of the first nuclear bomb detonation in New Mexico thanks to the Manhattan project. The rocket goes up to 40,000 feet then explodes. Reed thinks this is just a job to build her nice rockets to fly tourists to the moon, it’s beneath him to do that and Sue is well aware: she hands him back his notebook he thought was destroyed and further explains what they are seeing, as 40,000 feet is the same height as the apex of the nuclear explosion. Sue had a drone record and pace the rocket as it flew up. She shows Reed images milliseconds after the explosion as they find they are looking at a large purple monster. Reed is mystified, it seems the detonation created a confusion of boundaries between worlds. Reed now knows he isn’t alone in his understanding of the negative zone, and Sue wants to work with him to open a proper gate to it like he was already trying. Wow what a terrible idea! LOL.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Mientras DC cómics está en uno de sus mejores momentos editoriales, Marvel se encuentra en el punto opuesto. Habiendo chapado el nuevo Universo Ultimate que era la única manifestación de respiro y creatividad correspondido con los lectores. Marvel sigue teniendo en el audiovisual ese gran recordatorio del universo de ficción original en cómics, pero los frentes abiertos en las grandes cabeceras o eventos no están si no solo pisándose unos a otros sin realmente destacar ninguno... Los editories jerifaltes acuden, cómo no, a la carta de los sellos editoriales independientes. Si a principios de siglo, Marvel Knights y MAX ofrecían visiones de contenido adulto por las temáticas gráficas en violencia, sexo y moral gris oscura para los reconocidos héroes de La Casa de las Ideas, que volvieron a levantar la compañía y el interés general tras el devastador fin de siglo... ¿MIDNIGHT hará lo propio en 2026?

La premisa de esta trinidad (a priori) de cabeceras bajo el mismo sello parece ser la de abordar versiones alternativas con diferentes prismas del terror. Ya comprobaré qué pasa con Spiderman y X-Men, pero los 4 Fantásticos es quizás el título que más esperanzas me da con este planteamiento. A fin de cuentas, la Primera Familia de Marvel cómics surgía tras un período de formación de Stan Lee, Jack Kirby y Steve Dikto planteando historias de monstruos, mad doctors y otras criaturas que saliesen del ojo censor del Comics Code Authority. De amenazas a héroes. Un hombre que deforma su cuerpo al poder estirarse como si su piel y entrañas fueran de plástico, una mujer que se vuelve invisible, un chaval que se envuelve en llamas y, sobre todo, un hombre cuya piel ahora es petrea. Todos estos personajes hacía unos pocos años tan solo serían la excusa para una historieta donde harían cundir el terror para rápidamente acabar neutralizados. Pero en su nueva apuesta conceptual, Stan Lee haría que las habiliades o aspectos extraños o directamente monstruosos fuesen una virtud y estos personajes adquiriesen una presencia protagónica al punto de definirlos como sus celebrados arquetipos heroícos Marvelitas. Aún así, a lo largo de las décadas, este germen creativo de que los 4F están tan ligados al terror como a la ciencia ficción y la aventura, sigue vigente. Al punto de que Benjamin Percy plantea este arranque de cabecera quitando toda pátina de maravilla a los personajes y el viaje experimental que acabará por convertirles en esos seres sobre humanos que puedan auspiciar la era de las Prodigios de Marvel. Reed Richards sigue siendo un individuo de excelso intelecto, pero parece estar más distanciado de la realidad. Solo pensando en los cálculos del experimento que con tanto ahínco está tratando de sacar adelante con la desconfianza total de la junta del colegio quien financia su investigación. Veremos a los Storm y a Ben Grimm pero como personajes totalmente ajenos a Richards. Sí que sorprenderá el cómo se presenta Victor Von Doom y cómo justificará su reconocido nombre de supervillano.

MIDNIGHT FANTASTIC FOUR ya expone todo el potencial de terror en su revisión Marvelita que no es otra que la de juguetear con el Horror Cósmico de rasgar el velo de nuestra Realidad a otra más inexplorada y voraz. Hay mucho interés en cómo Kev Walker resolverá las manifestaciones corporales de las habilidades de este cuarteto, pero este primer número se asegura ya un buen catálogo de momentos grotescos o ideas bastante crueles para los personajes (por ejemplo Johnny).

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This was by far the most unique of the Midnight series released so far, and I absolutely loved how different it felt compared to both the other Midnight titles and the mainline Marvel Universe. These characters have been completely flipped on their heads, and the world being built around them is unlike anything we've seen before. I was genuinely blown away by the creativity on display here, especially with how these familiar characters have been reimagined and how their relationships with one another have changed. This might actually be my favorite of the three Midnight series so far, and I'm incredibly excited to see how it evolves!
The story primarily follows Reed Richards as he begins catching glimpses of the Negative Zone and the dangers that may soon cross over into their reality. Meanwhile, Sue, Ben, and Johnny are all part of Storm Industries, with Sue determined to reach the Negative Zone and utilize Reed's experiments and intellect to make that happen. We also get a brief but intriguing look at Doom and how he was burned, both literally and metaphorically, by Reed and his experiments. It's an interesting setup that hints at where his story might ultimately lead, and I'm definitely curious to see how it all unfolds.
The artwork was good overall, although I wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of some of the creative choices, particularly Sue's design. Nothing about the art really blew me away or stood out as exceptional, but it was still solid and complemented the story well.
Overall, I was incredibly impressed by the creativity and fresh direction of this series. It's exciting to see such familiar characters reimagined in ways that feel genuinely new, and I can't wait to explore more of this universe. Of the three Midnight titles released so far, this one might have me the most excited for what's to come. I definitely recommend checking it out!
Grade: B+

[Neil Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benjamin Percy is very good at writing to the brief he is given by his Marvel editors, be it X-force, Deadpool, or Punisher. Out of all the midnight books this feels like the one that has most embraced the horror lens and really cut loose on reimagining these characters. Reed is almost unrecognisable and arguably more akin to Bruce Banner (Midnight Hulk seems an obvious title for the next wave) as an obsessive, addicted pseudo scientist and all the other members are quite different. The chthulu/galactose hybrid is also fun.
Where the writing falls apart is in the pacing, this is an oversized issue and the ship is only launching and there's almost nothing regarding Ben Grimm and Jonny Storm. I'd have rather had some flashbacks so we at least got to see these new versions. The wait is frustrating rather than enticing.

Part of the reason I want to see the powers is because Kev Walker is excellent on this book. It's a little bit "Capullo" but far more effective in the horror stakes and handles expressions in a clear, more exaggerated way. His Lovecraftian take in Galactus looks so "natural" it sells the concept it has me eager to see what Walker does with the FF and Silver Surfer, etc.

I don't like the pacing but this feels the most intriguing of the midnight books and dare I say the most "absolute" in terms of execution. I'll give it a few more issues.
Great for "absolute fans" and superhero/horror mash-ups. I think this could make Kev Walker a star.

Overall impression = 3/5
Writing = 2/5
Art = 4/5

Will I read the next issue? yes.

Wait for the trade collection? this already feels like it's meant to be 4-6 issues of origin. I really hope we don't wait that long to see their powers

Did I need to read previous issues/series? no.

Will I read previous issues not applicable

[Ricardo Centella · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

To begin my review:
This was my chosen start for the new midnight universe, as it seemed to me the more interesting from the three.

My exact thoughts were:
Spiderman is just going to be a retake on the man spider story again, and xmen already burned out its vampire story. Eldrich fantastic four, may have a fresher story hidding in plain sight.

Yet...

...while it's still an interesting take, it was quite unsurprising as you read through it.

I believe it was just too obvious to go for a Lovecraftian theme here, (I know I said it may have been what interested me) but, as I read throught it, I couldn't shake the feeling that this should have been something weirdier. Something to make it feel more fresh.

Crazy ____ was consistent enough, Stupid ____ was a bit surprising. Henchman ____ is just bad but obvious, Evil Money ____ was woah!, but what seems to be Chtulhu____ kinda killed my vibe..

I KNOW its just the start.
But, I don't know... maybe it's going way too obvious for me.. maybe the introduction of other characters to this take, like the surfer or moleman or Kang or whatever, just something more weird or interesting will make it more surprising.

but right know..
It was just enough for me to keep reading.

I really hope the future proves me wrong on this review.

[Caroline Pezão · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regular. Ainda não há muito material para tecer um comentário crítico que definirá o futuro dessa história. Segue o mesmo padrão que Midnight Spider-Man em querer contextualizar sobre o universo abordado antes de partir para os finalmente, mas aqui percebe-se que pouca coisa foi efetivamente revelada. Incomoda-me um pouco essa sucessão rápida de acontecimentos que parece terem ocorrido em um prazo de tempo muito curto: Reed é demitido, volta para o laboratório, faz uma merda com o seu assistente Victor, é preso, é solto pela Sue que possui uma empresa milionária que constrói foguetes e vai financiar uma pesquisa para abrir a Zona Neutra. E, soma-se o fato de que ele é viciado em pílulas e sofre constantes alucinações que flertam com o horror cósmico (esse subgênero se apresentando como o que provavelmente será mais explorado no título).

Realmente só no que vier em seguida vai dar para atestar a qualidade do que Benjamin Percy deseja com esses personagens. Mas poderiam ter escolhido um ilustrador com um traço mais interessante, né?

[Rakib Khan · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Well, this is a bit unusual in its choice of direction so far. I loved the Lovecraftian bits and the jump scares, but some story bits like how Victor was taken to Latveria and how Reed is so uncaring regarding the harm that befalls others due to his whimsical attitude and the mysterious pills need some explanation in future to make this right.

I hope the author gives all the characters enough room for development rather than focusing too much on the reimagined dynamics between Reed and Storm, despite enjoying the changed roles.

The art is as unorthodox as the story at times, but the eerie drawings do add to the cosmic horror angle that the team tried to convey so far. Maybe it needs a bit more nuance in my opinion.

3.5 out of 5 stars, based on what's on offer here.

For more reviews and stuff check out my blog -
http://ihate00critics.blogspot.com/

[Norrin Shearer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this quite a bit, I just wish there was more of it. This felt like a much slower start than Midnight X-Men. In that one, you got the impression that the X-Men had been around for a while before succumbing to the vampiric infection, so we dive right into horror-themed superhero action. Here in Fantastic Four, we got the beginning of an origin story. It was very interesting and seemed to fit nicely into the darker, horror-themed Midnight Universe. I just can’t wait to read a few more issues to let the story hit its stride.

[Arkham · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

This was fine, some decent art and moderate intrigue that’s drowned out by unlikable characters and frankly uninteresting characters, and an air of pseudo-intellectualism that I found borderline nauseating. Still, it had its moments and I’m particularly interested in finding out what’s next for Victor, especially since his mother’s alive. It’s just that this issue felt kinda cheap, like it’s purely trying to reel you in with simple storytelling that gives too much away to be intriguing, and too little away to be satisfying.

[Matthew Tiblier · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excitingly dark introduction to this new series. The artwork fits this so much better than midnight Spider-Man. I was worried at first that the characters are not very likable in the way of the traditional Fantastic Four but I do think they deserve some Runway to establish them a little better before I make final judgment. Overall really happy with the pace of this book and the Mysteries it sets up

[Owen · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

I thought this was a much better start for the Midnight universe. Midnight Spider-Man was just gross in my opinion, but not in the cool, semi-cosmic horror way that this one seems to be leaning towards. There is a ton of horrific concepts that happen in the Marvel universe, and it is fun to see them for what they actually are, instead of knowing that the heroes are going to conquer in the end regardless. I’m much more excited for this series now.

[Alex Fyffe · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

By the time I got to my comics shop, this was the only Midnight title left on the shelf, so I haven't had a chance to read the new takes on Spider-Man or the X-Men, but I was still excited for this one from what I had heard. But I think it is best to approach this with muted expectations. I was hoping for a four, four-and-a-half read, but this issue ended up being merely good. I'll check out the next one, but I'm more interested in reading the other Midnights, if only I can find them...

[Misse Jones · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Meh. I'm not sold on it.

This introductory issue did nothing for me to sell me on the idea that I should continue forward with this series. I was very underwhelmed with it and I feel like it was nothing more than build up and no true plot line. I was hoping at some point a flip would switch and things would get better...

I'm sure it's for somebody, just not me.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

And the clock strikes midnight

The first of 3 new Marvel Midnight comics and I'm already hooked

I love alternate takes on our modern heroes

I absolutely love the tie in with the Manhattan Project

The art is crazy good 🙌

Very early in the story but I'm letting it cook. Can't wait to read the other books and MFF #2

[Francis Alarcón Riquelme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante inicio. Gira en torno a Reed Richards y su incipiente relación a la zona negativa. Me gustó el dibujo más que la trama en si, por ahora sencilla pero ágil para leer. Espero que tome ritmo en los próximos nros.

[Colin Post · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

If Reed Richards is so smart, why can’t he spell Emily Dickinson’s name correctly? This book has promise but I’m not all the way sold on it - FF as mad scientists is a decent conceit but this issue just kind of sets that table without doing too much to show the realization of that premise.