REVIEW: What If? #1 vol. 1: Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four

Writer:  Roy Thomas
Pencils: Jim Craig
Inks: Pablo Marcos
Colors: Janice Cohen
Review: Cody "Madman" Miller

I’m not sure how many of Marvels’ “What If…?” books I’ve already reviewed for the HCB, but it’s more than a few. What can I say, I totally love them. I can say with utmost certainty that I have greedily purchased every single issue that has crossed my path since my humble beginnings as a Marvel fanboy,

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago, in a random used bookstore in Indianapolis, that I finally crossed paths with the holy grail of What Ifs. Not only does this gem of a book obviously contain the FF and Spidey, but this also is Patient Zero. This is where it all began…the origin of What If?, the very first issue.
And boy is it fantastically amazing, or is it spectacularly fantastic? I’ll let you decide, but I did indeed let out a primal, “Hell yeah”, when I pulled this book from the long box of obscurity.

The book's title question is kind of moot at this point in time. Spider-Man did indeed join the Fantastic Four after the Human Torch’s death about six years ago when they did the whole rebranding as the Future Foundation. It only took 50 or so years for it to actually happen but, hey, better late then never I guess. It was, in fact, in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963) when Peter Parker, a broke ass high school student, tried to join up with the Fantastic Four in the hopes of making a buck or two.          

 That in itself is kind of funny…
I wonder how much a member of Marvel’s oldest super-team makes a week?
...tree fiddy?

Anywho, this issue takes off from Amazing Spider-Man #1 as if Spidey was, in fact, taken into the fold by Reed Richards and Co. He does break into the Baxter Building and tussles with the FF in a sort of forced audition, but Peter is hit with the reality that the FF don’t pay themselves and any money they do make goes into scientific research yadda yadda yadda… Peter ultimately ends up not joining the FF in ASM #1, but here Spidey does indeed end up joining the FF and collecting a salary. The rest is just more of the same superhero day-to-day so to speak. The Fantastic Five battle it out with the Vulture, Ivan Kragoff and his super-apes, Namor and a huge-ass octopus, and the Puppet Master. Not necessarily in that order but it’s all there…
God bless the cheesy ‘70’s dialogue; it’s definitely worth a few laughs.
I have to say some of the art in some panels is pretty laughable as well but, hey, the dude abides.

As far as What If? books go this one was pretty action packed and we were graced with cameos from both the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man’s rogues galleries which was pretty nifty. I would honestly say this inaugural issue of What If? is the best read from either volume, all things considered.