This one's easy: It's good, go get it. Fraction's magic (as seen in 'Immortal Iron Fist' and 'Hawkeye') is still working, and Bagley has brought his A-game (and a skilled inker in Mark Farmer) for an excellent 20-odd pages of art. Heck, the book even costs $2.99! Fantastic Four #1 probably wouldn't have been a number one if Marvel wasn't intent on rebranding with 'Marvel NOW!' to keep up with DC, but it picks up right where Jonathan Hickman left off, giving us strong characterization and new twists in the life of the first denizens of the Marvel Universe, earning 5 out of 5 stars overall. There's still plenty of life in these characters, and this issue is a perfect kick-off to a new era for the team. Read Full Review

This issue shines brightly as one of the newest Marvel Now comic books this month. Hopefully, Fraction does not go into doing specific character storytelling where youre going to see one shot character issues. An example of this would be only seeing Mr. Fantastic being the main character in one issue and then seeing The Thing have his own issue in another. The whole point of doing Fantastic Four is to see the group dynamic shine. Read Full Review

Fantastic Four #1 is a hootenanny of a kick-off. Let's hope this new team can keep it up. Read Full Review

Matt Fraction takes over the reins of Marvel's First Family, delivering more of the tried and tested blend of super-science, action, adventure and excitement that readers have come to love. This first issue doesn't change much from Hickman's monumental run on the title, with Fraction maintaining the great family dynamic and characterization that made that run so special. Read Full Review

So, a good start and a promising beginning (again) for Marvel's First Family. Looking forward to seeing where it goes from here! Read Full Review

I've heard Hickman's run be criticized as being difficult to access for new readers, what with all the moving pieces constantly building on each other, but that time is over. This Fantastic Four is highly accessible, extremely entertaining, and a fantastic read. Read Full Review

I've been reading Fantastic Four for years, in it's ups and downs, and so far in this one issue, it's looking up for this latest iteration. Read Full Review

It's worth nothing that fans only interested in either Fantastic Four or FF might be a little disappointed here, as some of the threads established in this issue (Johnny's date with Ms. Thing, recruitment of the team to protect the Earth while the F4 are gone) will be continued into FF #1, and it appears the two books will have a necessary relationship to one another. Read Full Review

In the new era of Marvel NOW! the Jonathan Hickman penned Fantastic Four is no more. Fraction, if he can pull it off, has the chance to build something brilliant in its own right with the brilliant Mark Bagley along for the ride. Read Full Review

Fantastic Four #1 is an adventurous start to what seems to be a solid series. Matt Fraction has really made the FF multilayered in his depictions of them. Bagley doesnt present his best, but some far worse work has been done in the Marvel Now! initiative (Iron Man #1 comes to mind). This looks like it could turn into a must read, but it looks like you will have to read both books–Fantastic Four and FF–to get the whole story. This may turn off many readers. Read Full Review

Fraction and Bagley show they have the tools for a solid run and lay some solid groundwork, showing that at the very least, this should be a good run. Whether it's great or not depends on where we go from here. Read Full Review

After reading Marvel NOW! Point One, I was mainly just interested in reading Fraction's FF, but after this debut issue of Fantastic Four, I will most certainly be following the adventures of Marvel's first family as they steal away through the multiverse in search of adventure and knowledge. If nothing else, 'Marvel NOW!' is most assuredly bucking my usual preferences, which was kind of the point in the first place, right? Read Full Review

Fantastic Fourworks well as a Marvel NOW title. Even if you know just the smallest details about the FF, the book tells you exactly who they are, and gets into their psychologies as well. The Future Foundation school may look intimidating to new readers, but I have a feeling they wont be a focus on the title. Overall,Fantastic Fouris a fun read about Marvels first family, and Im excited for the sister titleFFas well as issue 2. Read Full Review

Not bad.  This was an interesting start to this series, with a story(the FF could be dying due to molecular decay) that should hold my attention.  And as a plus, it was clearly written and not at all confusing, which is what caused me to drop the FF books when Jonathan Hickman was the writer.  So kudos to Matt Fraction for a strong start.  Honestly, with Reed holding this HUGE secret from the team, Sue knowing something was off and Franklin having a bad premonition, the next few issues should be a blast, especially when Reed's secret inevitably comes to light. Read Full Review

While it is a good number one issue with nice set ups, there is nothing really here to latch new readers on to the book. Seemingly written for those who were already fans of the series, not really adding any new elements to gain a new readers attention. This is where the book tends to fall a bit short of the mark. If your a fan of the FF you will like this, newcomers to the series may not feel the same attachment though. Read Full Review

The first issue isn't the most fantastic, but the makings are there. How things will pan out will determine whether it was worth it to even begin. Read Full Review

I've never been too keen on Mark Bagley -- he's a bit too workmanlike, light on flair, mostly notable for his ability to hit deadlines, being the Alan Davis you can get. But on Fantastic Four #1 -- ironically, working with frequent Davis inker Mark Farmer -- he's perfectly fine. It helps that Paul Mounts' colors are nice and heavy on otherworldly blues. To me, the most exciting thing about Bagley's art is the prospect that there might not be countless fill-ins on this book. Read Full Review

This is a typical first issue of a new superhero ongoing: a hook is introduced, as well as some of the main characters, but there isn't really enough to go off of. Could this be a great new series that follows in the crater-sized footsteps of Jonathan Hickman's run, or could it be a work by a major name that later gets shoved into storage and forgotten about after a year or two passes, a la Grant Morrison's “Three?” I personally want to believe the former, but that is entirely based on my own pre-formed opinions on Matt Fraction — nothing in the book strongly indicates the series going either way. Still, it isn't bad, and it does its job as a number one, so there's no real reason to at least check out this first issue — though it may take until number two to make up your mind, as is unfortunately the typical case in ongoing comics. Read Full Review

So the issue is pretty safe. There's not much boat-rocking. Which means no one falls overboard, but no one is begging to climb aboard either. It's enough to keep me interested though; their was definite emotion, even some sweetness to the family atmosphere, and I'm intrigued by the possibilities of where a story like this could go. But I wouldn't mind things getting shaken up a bit, in fact I'm hoping for it. Read Full Review

What Fraction has crafted here really feels like a family though. Even if this comic is connected to the upcoming FF relaunch, it doesn't feel like half of a story. Big fans of the series will really enjoy this, but newcomers might leave a little more to be desired. Don't expect anything from this that the Fantastic Four has never been, because it's not a drastic change to anything. Read Full Review

F4 #1 is a great #1 issue, despite the few gripes I had with it. This is a very light week for me, so if it's the same for you, I suggest that you buy this. Read Full Review

Perhaps that's a good thing after the structured, gargantuan ideas of Hickman's run. Perhaps there is still a big twist coming that'll deliver something unexpected. But it's not in this issue. "Fantastic Four" #1 appears to be a deliberate attempt to go back to basics. It's not bad, but nor is it the punch in the face the book really needed to shake it out of its perpetual complacency -- and if Matt Fraction can't deliver that, who can? Read Full Review

All of the issues are definitely things that time can iron out, but for now, I remain hopeful but skeptical. It’s a good base, but it could easily go either way. If Fraction keeps his head in the game, this could be a fantastic book. If he doesn’t, it’s a disaster. And he appears to be walking a very fine line. Read Full Review

Mark Bagley's sleek, energetic and traditional super-hero-genre style is a nice fit for the Fantastic Four, and this isn't the first time we've seen him bring their exploits to life on the printed page. The redesign for the FF costumes, blending the old-school outfits with the more recent Future Foundation uniforms works pretty well. His take on Dragon Man and the children of the Future Foundation seemed a little rough or rushed, but overall, the art serves the property well. Furthermore, Farmer's inks seem like a natural fit for Bagley's style. But like the script, there wasn't anything in the visuals that really wowed me either. I plan on checking out the next issue or two, but mainly for their connection to the new FF series in which I'm far more interested. Read Full Review

A great start to a mediocre run.