Fantastic Four Cosmic-Size Special #1

CRITIC REVIEWS Back to Top

• 7.0

  Comic Book Resources - Timothy Callahan

  Jan 01, 2009

  "Hothouse," though, is a good story all by itself. It tells of a quarantine in the Baxter Building, as an exploration into a pocket dimension has led to a kind of alien bacteria hiding out in the Thing's crevices. But there's a more sinister agent at work in the story, and as the house-bound heroes (and, importantly to the story, Franklin and Valeria Richards) begin turning on each other. It's a classic sci-fi set-up, with each character becoming increasingly paranoid and vengeful, but Bates provides excellent characterization and allows the members of the team to express their true thoughts about one another. There's nothing particularly surprising here, but Bates writes all of the characters well, and paces the story perfectly. It's far from the "Cosmic" implied in the title, as it's a very inward, twisted family melodrama, but it's a good one. Read Full Review