In yet another unexpected crossover, Marvel’s first family collides into a beloved Nineties franchise in Fantastic Four/Gargoyles #1.

It’s really all there in the title here. Fantastic Four/Gargoyles #1 is the first of two crossover issues between its titular teams of characters. The second, Gargoyles/Fantastic Four #1, will be published by Dynamite, who currently holds the Gargoyles license as part of their ongoing deal with Disney. Greg Weisman, the creator of the original animated series, has written both installments.

As a child of the Nineties, I know for a fact that I must have watched Gargoyles at the time, but I couldn’t really tell you anything about it besides the obvious. I know it was about gargoyle superheroes who came to life at night, but that’s it. My lack of intimate knowledge about Gargoyles, though, is irrelevant because they pretty much explain all you need to know, though I feel like anyone picking this up probably doesn’t need a primer. In any event, the story presented in Fantastic Four/Gargoyles #1 is entertaining in the way that most of these crossovers are. The novelty of seeing completely unrelated characters never seems to wear off, though with how many of them are coming out right now, it’s not for a lack of trying. (Something something Fortnite.)

The choice to use the Fantastic Four here is surprising, given that I feel they’d have more in common with the X-Men, but the F4’s specific positioning in Manhattan explains it since the Gargoyles are also very famously of New York City. (Tony Stark also appears for a similar reason.) As stated, Gargoyles was Weisman’s baby, and he clearly still holds a lot of affection for the characters thirty years on. What really drew me in, though, was Enid Balám’s art, which pays homage to the iconic aesthetic of the cartoon while updating it enough for the page in 2025, but Raúl Angulo’s colors do a lot of work to really sell the Saturday morning vibes as well. If the title alone is enough to hook you, then Fantastic Four/Gargoyles #1 is worth your time.