Fantastic Four #347
Fantastic Four #347 launches one of the most celebrated short arcs of the early 1990s by assembling the four most commercially dominant Marvel characters of the moment — Spider-Man, Wolverine, the grey Hulk, and Danny Ketch's Ghost Rider — as a substitute Fantastic Four, a concept so durable it has inspired homages and a dedicated limited series over three decades later. Writer Walt Simonson constructed the story with deliberate self-awareness, embedding a satirical commentary on the guest-star-driven marketing practices already overtaking the industry, a joke made explicit by the cover tagline 'The World's Goofiest Comic Magazine!' The issue also marks the first appearance of the Skrull renegade De'Lila, a shapeshifting empath whose manipulation of the original FF drives the entire three-part plot. That the team's formation is built on a lie — heroes duped into service by a villain — gives the premise a wry tension that elevates it above a simple stunt.
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The arc was produced during Walt Simonson's celebrated run on Fantastic Four (issues #334–354), a tenure praised for restoring the title's big-ideas science-fiction identity. Simonson stepped aside from penciling duties for this three-issue arc, handing the interiors to Arthur Adams — an artist who rarely took on extended interior assignments but whose intricate, kinetic linework proved ideal for a story packed with monsters and brawling fan-favorite characters. Adams worked alongside inker Art Thibert, with Steve Buccellato on colors, Bill Oakley on letters, and Ralph Macchio editing under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. The self-referential cover blurbs ('The World's Goofiest Comic Magazine!' on #347, escalating to 'The World's Most Commercialest Comic Magazine!' on #348) signal that Simonson was fully conscious of — and gently mocking — the commercial calculus behind the lineup.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First team appearance of the New Fantastic Four: Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Wolverine (Logan), Hulk in his grey 'Joe Fixit' persona (Bruce Banner), and Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) — the team appeared together across Fantastic Four #347–349.
- First appearance of De'Lila, a rogue Skrull empath/shapeshifter and the arc's primary villain, who incapacitates the original FF and manipulates the substitute team by impersonating Sue Richards.
- Written by Walt Simonson; penciled by Arthur Adams; inked by Art Thibert; colored by Steve Buccellato; lettered by Bill Oakley; edited by Ralph Macchio.
- Danny Ketch's Ghost Rider had debuted only months earlier in Ghost Rider vol. 3 #1 (May 1990), making this one of the character's earliest high-profile appearances.
- The 'Alicia Masters' who appears throughout the issue is later revealed (in Fantastic Four #358) to be the Skrull spy Lyja, who had been impersonating the real Alicia since approximately Fantastic Four #265.
- The issue carries a satirical cover tagline — 'The World's Goofiest Comic Magazine!' — a self-aware nod by Simonson to the guest-star-driven commercial pressures of the early 1990s comics market.
- A second printing of this issue was produced, identifiable by a different background color on the cover art (sources vary on whether it is copper or gold — see flagged).
- The story has been collected in Fantastic Four Visionaries: Walter Simonson Vol. 3 (2009), Fantastic Four: Extended Family (2011), and Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol. 21: The New Fantastic Four (2018); the New Fantastic Four lineup was revisited in a 2022 limited series written by Peter David.
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
The Fantastic Four are defeated by the rogue Skrull, De'Lila. The Skrulls, chasing De'Lila, land on Monster Island to the great chagrin of the Mole Man. De'Lila impersonates Sue and chooses a new Fantastic Four to help her keep the Skrulls at bay.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).