EXCLUSIVE: Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios are teaming on a Fantastic Four: First Steps comic which is launching on July 2. Here’s why this is a big deal: It’s the first time that the comics side and the studio side have worked together on a comic set in the world of a specific MCU movie.
Matt Fraction (Hawkeye, Fantastic Four) wrote the Fantastic Four: First Steps comic with drawings by Mark Buckingham Fantastic Four, Fables) and cover art by Phil Noto. It’s a one-shot comic book that’s published by Future Foundation.
The one-shot comic book is designed to be an artefact from the world of the upcoming movie and confirms a few things that fans have speculated about, including that The Fantastic Four: First Steps is not an origin story, but will pick up four years after they become heroes. Marvel Comics worked closely with filmmakers on the comics, pulling in the tone and feel of the pic’s feel from production designer Kasra Farahani. Fraction and other talent from the comic even visited the set of the film.
The first in world book from Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios is just one facet of how The Fantastic Four: First Steps is showing up in other parts of Disney including Parks, which announced at SXSW that the Fantastic Four will appear as characters in Tomorrowland at Disneyland.
These superheroes are hugely significant to Marvel; the publication of The Fantastic Four in 1961 kicked off the Marvel Era in comics, and Marvel’s First Family introduced what would later become hallmarks of Marvel storytelling: relatable characters with real, human drama.
Marvel Comics Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski said, “As Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four and their stories have always been at the very center of the Marvel Universe. With The Fantastic Four: First Steps coming later this summer, we at Marvel all felt this was the perfect opportunity to bring our teams together in honor of their legacy in both the world of the film and within our comics. It’s been a blast to have our teams in Publishing and Studios bounce ideas back and forth to create something truly special and one-of-a-kind, and we can’t wait for fans to be able to dive in to this comic—squarely in the world of the MCU—and experience the Fantastic Four like we’ve never seen before this summer.”
He added, “The heart of Marvel has always stemmed from the comics, and Kevin and the team have been bringing those pages to life in extraordinary ways with each and every film. With this comic, we’re bringing those two worlds together in a way we think fans will love.”
