This year marks six decades since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduced the world to the Fantastic Four and changed the comics landscape forever. And to celebrate that milestone, Marvel is bringing one of its top artistic talents back into the fold. In just a few months, John Romita Jr. will team up with writer Dan Slott on Fantastic Four #35, a giant-sized issue honoring the 60th anniversary of Marvel’s First Family.
Marvel previously announced Romita’s return in late March, but without specifying which comics he would be drawing. The upcoming Fantastic Four issue will mark the artist’s first significant Marvel project since 2013, when he worked with Rick Remender during his Captain America run. After this, Romita segued over to DC, where he spent the next several years working on various Superman and Batman titles. He also continued to work with Mark Millar on new Kick-Ass stories.
The upcoming FF issue will also feature the return of Kang the Conqueror. In the main story, the villain’s entire bloodline will launch simultaneous attacks on the family of heroes across different eras. The team will face off against Kang himself, Rama Tut, the Scarlet Centurion, and Kang’s final descendant: Scion. Plus, Slott and Romita aren’t the only ones with a story to tell. Former FF writer Mark Waid is also teaming with artist Paul Renaud to “deliver dramatic new insights into the origin of the fabulous foursome in an all-new anniversary tale.” Additionally, the issue will feature the Marvel debut of writer/artist Jason Loo, who is also contributing a story.
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“I’ve read, and been told by much smarter people, that ‘luck is the residue of design’ so I won’t even attempt to claim I designed the events of these last few months,” said Romita in a new statement. “But I will take this kind of luck any day any time. I was lucky to begin my career with Marvel and now am extremely lucky to re-connect with Marvel. That’s an enormous amount of good fortune. I sincerely thank all the folks up at Marvel, and Disney, who worked for this fortunate re-connection to happen.”
“To add to all this, and I hate to add a third section to my good fortune, is the opportunity to start off with a huge project, which is the 60th anniversary of the Fantastic Four!” added Romita. “It is an honor and extreme privilege to be asked to work on this along with a friend and former collaborator, Dan Slott! Along with ink artist JP Mayer, I am looking forward to this being up for viewing in August!”
Fantastic Four #35 hits comic shops on August 25. You can also check out Mark Brooks’ cover for the first issue and two pages of artwork below.
Are you excited about Romita’s return to the Marvel Universe? Tell us what you think in the comment section!
Recommended Reading: Fantastic Four Vol. 1: New Departure, New Arrivals
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Fantastic Four #35 Preview
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Fantastic Four #35 Cover by Mark Brooks
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Fantastic Four #35 Page 1 (Art by John Romita Jr.)
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Fantastic Four #35 Page 2 (Art by John Romita Jr.)
