Fantastic Four #347 B | First Team Appearance of the New Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four #347 is a memorable Copper Age issue that gives collectors one of the strangest Fantastic Four lineups ever assembled. This December 1990 issue features the first team appearance of the New Fantastic Four. Spider Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and Ghost Rider join forces under very unusual circumstances.

This copy is the newsstand edition, identified by the UPC barcode on the front cover. That makes it a distinct version for collectors who enjoy tracking direct and newsstand copies from the era.

The story is titled “Big Trouble on Little Earth!” and was written by Walt Simonson. Arthur Adams provides the pencils, with Art Thibert handling the inks. The combination gives the issue an energetic visual style that feels perfectly suited to its unusual cast.

The trouble begins with De’Lila, a renegade Skrull who crashes on Earth while fleeing other Skrulls. She soon makes her way into Four Freedoms Plaza. Her shape shifting abilities allow her to exploit the emotions of the Fantastic Four.

De’Lila takes different forms as she targets the team one member at a time. Johnny Storm sees her as Nebula. Sue Richards is confronted by what appears to be Namor. Ben Grimm is also deceived as De’Lila continues her attack.

Before long, the Fantastic Four have been incapacitated.

Meanwhile, the Skrulls pursuing De’Lila arrive near Earth. Their search leads them toward Monster Island. There they encounter the creatures associated with the Mole Man. The Skrulls begin using those monsters for their own purposes, drawing the Mole Man into the growing conflict.

De’Lila then turns the Fantastic Four’s resources toward finding replacement heroes. Posing as Sue Richards, she brings together Spider Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and Ghost Rider. The four heroes become the New Fantastic Four.

That lineup is the main reason collectors continue to seek this issue.

Each member was already a major character by 1990. Putting all four together created a team that felt wildly different from Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben. The concept was only used for a short storyline beginning here and continuing through Fantastic Four #349.

The cover is another major attraction. Arthur Adams fills it with characters, monsters, machinery, and bold early 1990s design. Spider Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and Ghost Rider appear together beneath the promise that the issue has everything. Even the famous “including the kitchen sink” joke appears on the cover.

Fantastic Four #347 matters because the New Fantastic Four became a memorable part of the team’s history. The lineup has remained popular with readers decades after its original appearance. It also represents a fun period when creators were willing to experiment with familiar superhero teams.

For Fantastic Four collectors, Arthur Adams fans, or readers who enjoy unusual team combinations, this is an entertaining issue with genuine collector significance.