Fantastic Four Meet Buffy As Reed Richards Opens the Hellmouth

Summary

In an Fantastic Four issue, Reed Richards will open the Marvel equivalent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Hellmouth, leading to a spooky adventure for him and his brother-in-law, the Human Torch.
The standalone story features Reed and Johnny Storm alone, facing curses and demons, with Marvel's synopsis shouting out Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a reference to the "Hellmouth.".
Expect a blend of scares and laughs from Fantastic Four #26, as the issue does more than just include the horror aspects of Buffy, but also delivers a story reminiscent of its tone and style.

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as this fall, the team will be up against. curses, ghosts and demons, when Reed Richards accidentally opens the Marvel Universe equivalent of Buffy's "Hellmouth," a portal to the darkest, scariest dimensions in existence.

The advanced solicitation for Fantastic Four #26 – written by Ryan North, with art by Ivan Fiorelli – promises a standalone story starring Reed and Johnny Storm. Artist Joshua Cassara has drawn the perfect creepy cover art for the issue, featuring a skull vomiting so much blood that the two almost drown.

FANTASTIC FOUR #26 (2024)

Release Date:	October 9, 2024
Writers:	Ryan North
Artists:	Ivan Fiorelli
Cover Artist:	Joshua Cassara
Variant Covers:	Nic Klein, Ben Harvey, Sean Galloway
The World’s Smartest Man (Reed Richards, universally acknowledged) and the World’s Hottest Man (Johnny Storm, self-proclaimed) are home alone. Their only job is to make sure nothing untoward happens to the farmhouse while everyone else is away. But when Reed develops a magic detector that goes haywire when pointed at a specific spot in their basement – and Johnny convinces him that they should absolutely start digging up any and all cursed objects they find – things quickly spiral out of control. Will Reed and Johnny accidentally open a Hellmouth underneath dear old Aunt Petunia’s farmhouse? (Yes.) Will they be able to close it and fix everything before the rest of the FF return? (That’s much less certain.) Ghosts and demons star in this special Halloween issue, narrated by both Johnny AND Reed!

According to the synopsis for the issue will be narrated by both Reed and Storm – suggesting that readers should expect a classic scary story starring two of Marvel's most legendary characters.

MCU image of Marvel's Fantastic Four, with Pedo Pascal, Joseph Quinn, and Vanessa Kirby imposed onto the art

Fantastic Four: First Steps - Release Date, Trailer, Cast, Story, & Everything We Know

The MCU is bringing a new version of the Fantastic Four as part of its Multiverse Saga, and here's what you need to know about this reboot.

Posts

The Fantastic Four Conjure Comparisons To BUFFY In Their Horror Story

Reed Richards, Welcome To The Hellmouth

The cast of Buffy season 2 in a group photo

Leave it to Reed Richards to accidentally achieve in one night, what so many Buffy villains failed at for seven seasons.

When Ryan North including Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Ryan North is best known for Dinosaur Comics, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and that one Twitter thread where he got stuck in a hole and the internet helped him get out.

In Buffy, the Hellmouth was the explanation as to why so much bad stuff happened in Sunnydale – the Hellmouth was right there, Leave it to Reed Richards to accidentally achieve in one night, what so many Buffy villains failed at for seven seasons.

Fantastic Four and Buffy the Vampire Slayer actually work well together; both are about a group of people who shoulder the responsibility of saving a world that thinks of them as outcasts.

Fantastic Four (2022)

Writer: Ryan North
Penciler: Ivan Fiorelli, Carlos Gómez, Iban Coello
Colorist: Jesus Aburtov
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher(s): Marvel Comics

"WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE FANTASTIC FOUR?" It's the start of a new era for the Fantastic Four...and they're already in a ton of trouble. Something has gone terribly wrong in New York, and the Thing and Alicia are traveling across America to escape it! But when they stop in a small town for the night and wake up the morning before they arrived, they find themselves caught in a time loop that's been going on since before they were born... That's been going on since before they were born...

The Fantastic Four's Halloween Issue Is Set To Balance Laughs & Scares

In The Tradition Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

As with the rest of the Marvel Universe, the Fantastic Four also had their own run in with vampires recently, as part of the Blood Hunt crossover event.

Fantastic Four and Buffy the Vampire Slayer actually work well together; both are about a group of people who shoulder the responsibility of saving a world that thinks of them as outcasts. Both also know how to balance an overarching narrative with episodic stories, and comedy alongside drama. For all of the quips and one-liners, the characters and their relationships feel very real, something that’s especially important when one is a giant rock man and another catches fire. Based on the cover and summary, this issue will also balance scares with comedy, making this Fantastic Four Halloween issue a must-read.

Fantastic Four #26 will be released on October 9 from Marvel Comics.