FANTASTIC FOUR #535
In which what happened last issue happens again this issue.
by Frank PittareseOkay, go back and read my review for issue #534. I’ll wait…
Back? Great. In this issue, the same thing happens. The Thing and the Human Torch (a.k.a. Ben and Johnny…I hardly ever refer to them by code name because I am the King of All Geeks) beat up on the Hulk for the better part of 22 pages. The Hulk, you see, is having a radiation-induced freakout of major proportions and this whole fight is like some Three’s Company misunderstanding with superpowers.
There are a few minor differences between this chapter and that which preceded it: the big Hulk fight is resolved rather neatly, and Reed and Sue (yep, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman) get some play this month. For the last few months, there’s been some hubub involving Child Protective Services wanting to take their kids away from the FF (and theoretically out of danger). That interesting subplot is wrapped up here in a way that’s pretty clever if you don’t think about it too much.
Despite the repetitive nature of this issue, it looks <ahem> fantastic. Mike McKone has always been a great artist, but his talents really shine on this title. And character-wise, we get a nice little moment between Ben and the Hulk at the end, which is always a nice place to revisit, since the two of them are reverse sides of the same coin.
Rumor has it, they’re killing off a team member soon, so buy this book while everyone is still breathing. Or wait till the next movie comes out, because they’re bound to be back together by then.
