X-Men + Fantastic Four #1 (of 4)

   It's (almost) always fun when super-powered teams collide and duke it out.

   It's a Marvel tradition, and it's at the heart of this mini-series, X-Men + Fantastic Four.

    At the center of the conflict is Franklin Richards, the son of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who also happens to be a mutant.

   Since the new X-Men titles have all the world's mutants relocating to the island nation Krakoa, a team of mutants pays a visit to Yancy Street to gather in Franklin.

   Needless to say, this is not an idea the members of the FF are in favor of - so there's a fight. 

   And that's where it all gets a bit wobbly. Would Professor Xavier really want to approach this idea with force? Would Sue Richards really react so violently to a discussion of the issue? 

   The art by Terry and Rachel Dodson is certainly nice, with powerful character designs and dynamic layouts - but the story struggles a bit, with too many characters acting out to generate conflict - even when it's not really in their nature.

   Still, it's a clever concept for a mini-series, and there's time to sort it out. 

Grade: B+

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