This book’s story is, in part, a follow-up to the classic Fantastic Four installment “This Man… This Monster! Throughout the years, Ross has always made it a point to mention classic artists that inspire him, like Jack Kirby— the Fantastic Four's co-creator and original artist.

Fantastic Four: Full Circle (Marvel Arts) : Ross, Alex, Ross

The question is less whether Marvel’s grand experiment in interlinked superhero films can continue forever than how long it will take for the experiment to run through all of the MCU’s interesting configurations of living actors and familiar characters, and how long after that it would take for people to get sick of them. Maybe it’ll be a real ode to Kirby, with our heroes fighting space lobsters in the Manhattan subway before shooting off in a rocket to a higher plane of existence that theatergoers have to wear 3D glasses to enjoy.

Alex Ross' art is superb, but it is lost under some truly atrocious coloring and wasted on a pointless story. Like Trank, Alex Ross understands not so much what makes the Kirby comics great, but what he loves most about them.

Fantastic Four: Full Circle Artist Alex Ross Talks First Fantastic Four: Full Circle Artist Alex Ross Talks First

But there are other inspirations, too, particularly Neal Adams, the classic Batman and X-Men artist who passed away this past spring.

In addition to his panel layouts, some of Full Circle's splash and double-page spreads are awe-inspiring. What follows Full Circle’s prologue, though, is a complete change of pace for Ross: the artist’s tight pencils are no longer worked over with layers of painted color imitating creased clothing. The story pits World War II versions of Captain America, Namor, and other classic war characters against the modern Avengers groups. In the film's video game tie-in, as an Easter egg, it is possible to unlock a playable version of Ross's Spider-Man design.