Fantastic Four #253
Published and © by Marvel, April 1983
Title: “Quest”
Synopsis: When the FF encounter a race long stuck on a broken spaceship, Mr. Fantastic fixes everything– or does he?
Writer: John Byrne
Artist: Byrne
Review: John Byrne’s Negative Zone adventure continues with another fine, “Star-Trek”-inspired tale. This is a perfectly crafted, done-in-one story: interesting premise, strong characterization, compact world-building, and a nice payoff. Plus, it’s always fun to see Mr. Fantastic stub his toe and realize he’s not quite as smart as he thinks he is. Art wise, there’s still a roughness to Byrne’s rendering, but it serves this story – and this alien environment – well. And, again, the underlying fundamentals of Byrne’s art remain exceptionally strong.
Grade: A
Cool factor: John Byrne has a knack for fun, done-in-one, sci-fi tales.
Notable: According to the annual statement of ownership on the “Fantastic Four Fan Page” letters page, Fantastic Four had an average total paid circulation of 234,043 for the 12 months preceding Oct. 11, 1982.
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a 75¢ Canadian variant of this issue. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “On my world, I have a reputation for fixing the unfixable.” – Mr. Fantastic (neglecting to mention he’s been known to break a few things, too)
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on Nov. 25, 2026.
