House of M: Fantastic Four

House of M was a miniseries in 2005 that took over the Marvel Universe for 8 or so months. The Scarlet Witch got sick and reshaped reality into a world that was governed by her father, Magneto and his "House of Magnus." It changed the lives of every Marvel superhero and touched or created over 10 different titles.

I had the pleasure of reading through the full series (see the full list: http://www.comicbookherald.com/the-complete-marvel-reading-order-guide/guide-part-4-house-of-m/), and figured I would spend some time talking about them. Today we're looking at the Fantastic Four tie-in series.

Read 'em all!
House of M: Fantastic Four
House of M: Spider-Man
House of M: Incredible Hulk
House of M: Black Panther #7 and House of M

Fantastic Four - House of M #'s 1-3

by Layman, Eaton, Hillsman II, White

Under the House of Magnus, Victor Von Doom I is the ruler of Latveria, one of a number of powerful monarchs on the planet Earth. His people love him, and he goes on adventures with his wife and son, the Invincible Woman and Inhuman Torch along with his monstrous pet, the It as the Fearsome Four. It's thanks to his gift with sorcery that his family has superpowers, and he's doing pretty well. . . for a sapien.

This three-issue mini is a great character piece for Victor Doom. In fact, the Fantastic Four we're familiar with get only a couple of pages. In the issues, we see how even when Doom has everything that would make him happy, it isn't enough. It crushes him to be under the heel of another man, and he hatches a brilliant plan to trick Magneto into a dimension where electromagnets do not have their typical properties. The climax so brilliantly explains Doom's ambitions.

A highly recommended tie-in series - what a wonderful, twisted inversion and re-imagining of the Fantastic Four. I'm surprised Marvel didn't give Layman a title after this, because he understands the character so well, and tells a story to explain him that Secret War lumbered to explain.

If you too would like to read through the House of M series, there are a few series that you can skip, and some one-offs that are surprisingly good. The series you can skip include: Excalibur, Mutopia, Giant-Size Ms. Marvel 01 and Wolverine. Some surprisingly good one-shots include: Black Panther #7 and Captain America #10. Stay tuned for the next part: House of M: Spider-Man.

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