Ben Grimm packs his bag for a short vacation to Puerto Rico, but won’t tell his Fantastic Four teammates why he’s going or who he’s going to see. Sue, Reed and Johnny decide to investigate and meet an evil being known as El Chupacabras.
The adventure unspools in The Fantastic Four’s latest comic book, available in English and Spanish. The bilingual issue marks a first for a major American comic book publisher.
Released Friday, “Fantastic Four: Isla de la Muerte!” — or “Los Cuatro Fantasticos: !Isla de la Muerte!” — takes the long-running series to Puerto Rico, according to publisher Marvel Entertainment Inc.’s Web site. The book’s name translates as “Island of Death” in Spanish.
It is the latest move by Marvel toward diversifying the historically white world of comics. The company created its first comic featuring a Latina superhero, Anya Corazon, in 2004. Her escapades ended after a few issues.
In “Fantastic Four: Isla De La Muerte,” the famous crime-fighting quartet confronts El Chupacabras, according to Marvel’s Web site. The mythical bloodsucking creature’s name means “goat sucker” in Spanish; its legend is said to have originated in Puerto Rico and Mexico.