Once upon a time, crossovers were a pretty big event. When Superman and Spider-Man teamed up, finally giving us a book produced by both DC and Marvel, readers were in fanboy heaven. The last decade has seen a flood of crossovers. They are no longer special just because they are a crossover. This doesn't mean that they can't be a lot of fun, however. There is always the potential for something unique when you let the characters of one company mix it up with characters of another company. Sometimes, anything goes.

This book mixes one of the older super-teams with one of the newest. The Fantastic Four was the book that launched Marvel Comics on its path to comic industry supremacy. They have been around longer than most of their readers. While they were inovative when they were introduced, they have become icons, as familiar as any hero clad in unstable molocules. Gen 13 represents the most recent generation of teams. It's characters were much more in touch with the younger readers of the 90's. Everything from its art style to it's writing attitude was geared stictly for a new comic audience. Many may not see the irony in pairing these two teams, but older fans will certainly remember back to when the Fantastic Four occupied the same status as irreverant heroes.

The Fantastic Four are relaxing in the Baxter Building, which for them means that Reed is doing scientific stuff and the Thing and the Human Torch are playfully fighting. The Gen 13 team is laying low in New York. Which for them means going out and partying, while leaving Qeelocke at the hotel. Qeelocke is their green, um... monkey-like thing. At the same time that Reed moniters a disturbance of the Eastern coast, Qeelocke burst from the hotel and begins growing to gigantic proportions. The Fantastic Four wisk Qeelocke away to the Baxter Building, Gen 13 follows to break him out. You can pretty much guess the rest. In a book like this, there is a formula that must be followed. The heroes have to have a misunderstanding which leads to a fight before they realize that they are not really enemies after all and work together. This book sticks pretty close to that formula, but manages to have a little fun with it along the way.

Gen 13/Fantastic Four is written and Pencilled by Kevin Maguire (with inks by Karl Story). Maguire is best known for his mid 80s work on Justice League. A number of JLA fans have disowned that series as being trite and (gasp!) not serious enough. Fans who didn't take their superheroes so seriously loved it and Maguire was a hot artist for a short while. Although some of his work has been in a serious vein, his art style lends itself better to comics that have a lighthearted angle to them (Search out the 50 cent box at your local store for Trinity Angels- an absolutely hillarious series by Acklaim from a few years back). His work here exploits that aspect very well. Both teams behave like families, which is what makes their character interaction interesting. Although he is obviously not completely comfortable with them, Maguire still handles them beleivably. This is important when you are stretching your story as far into the unbelievable realm as it will go. The final resolution will either have you rolling in the floor or groaning with disgust. The groaners have missed the point.

Fans of serious comic book epics will not find what they are looking for in Gen 13/Fantastic Four. Those fans who don't mind a little silliness in a book will find one of the most fun reads of the month. We all need a break from the "grim and gritty", angst ridden tales that pass for entertainment lately. This book provides that and perhaps just a little more.

Reviewed January 6th, 2001

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