I missed this title when it came out but discovered it on display in the front door window of the comic store down the street from me. I have a soft spot for Tom Beland because he is a fanboy and late bloomer fanboys can be proud of. His breaking into comics as a longtime dream come true after toiling for years with his independent strip and later full-length comic, True Story: Swear to God. True to form, his scripts for Marvel have been related to small slice of life vignettes characteristic of his signature work. Though he's primarily a Spider-Man fan, the FF are probably his best outlet that blends his family-based stories, his humor, and his love for superheroes.
This is the last in a trio of one-shot comics revolving around the Fantastic Four and Puerto Rico, Beland's and artist Juan Doe's longtime home (I believe there are Spanish versions of all three comics as well) is probably the most awkward. Whereas the first two books showed clear character conflict and growth with the Thing and the Human Torch, respectively, in FF:ADM!, Beland spotlights Mister Fantastic and The Invisible Woman but forgoes any marriage problems (which has been rehashed in the books continuously for decades) or any internal conflict in general. So aside from the cute "Why is he called Mr. Fantastic" question, the FF are almost ciphers used to help introduce a Puerto Rican super hero, El Vejigante. Does it have any life when not guest-starring other characters or not having Juan Doe draw him? Not sure.
That being said, aside from the origin story that went on a page too long (Beland, being a visual artist, can be surprisingly wordy with his own work and especially with a collaborator), the main problems are character related, while the plot is straight on and funny (M.O.D.O.K. using monkeys to conquer the recession). I sincerely hope similar work by Beland continues to come out amidst all the Marvel titles daisy-chained by crossover events. Though I think Beland's writing has room for growth, he still produces the most refreshing comics during an unlikely time at Marvel.
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