The Fantastic Four have explored many strange worlds in their careers as scientific adventurers. The team has traveled through time and space, to the limits of the imagination and beyond. However, Fantastic Four #19 spins a different sort of story – a Film Noir thriller that places the First Family of Marvel in a whole new world.
Written by Ryan North, with art by Carlos Gomez, Fantastic Four #19 is told from the perspective of Alicia Masters. Presented as a private detective, Masters is hired by femme fatale Susan Storm to find her missing husband, Reed Richards. Accompanied by her own husband and muscle, Ben Grimm, Alicia soon comes to focus her investigation on Sue’s wayward brother, Johnny.
The story of Fantastic Four #19 reimagines several Marvel characters as detective movie stock stereotypes. Namor is transformed into a combative cop, and Mole Man a big boss in the criminal underground. However, there is no clear explanation for how these characters came to be transformed, until Alicia finally finds the missing Mister Fantastic.
How a Movie Accidentally Trapped the Fantastic Four
The culprit is revealed as the Trapster, who stole a Cosmic Cube as part of his plan to seek revenge on the Fantastic Four. However, his attempt to use the Cube accidentally transformed the world into a cheesy detective story. Reed is uncertain if this was because of Trapster recently watching a Film Noir or some other subconscious influence. In either case, their only hope is Alicia wishing reality back to what it was before.
The sad irony is that Trapster was almost successful in changing the world. However, nobody remembers this once the world is restored to what it was. Indeed, the Fantastic Four laugh at how incapable the Trapster was, believing he was too weak-willed to get the Cosmic Cube to work.
Fantastic Four #19 is now available online and in comic shops everywhere.
