Marvel Comics 2017
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Pencilled by Jim Cheung
Inked by John Dell & Walden Wong
Coloured by Frank Martin
Lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Something is very wrong with THE HUMAN TORCH and only THE THING can help him!
Dag nabbit this is what happens when you put two extremely talented men on a book, it turns out pretty darn amazing. Honestly I am not the biggest Fantastic Four fan around so not having a series with them hasn’t been hard on me. The old Marvel Two-In-One series that featured The Thing teaming up with a different person each month was something I enjoyed. Kind of like the Brave & the Bold with Batman it really allowed us to see other characters that weren’t in the spotlight much. Since they is no more Four it makes sense that right now the book feature The Thing and Human Torch.
Chip got me and he got me good here. From Johnny’s self-destructive behaviour to Ben waxing poetic it just hits you in the feels. it’s hard not relate to what’s happening with each of them if you’ve ever lost a loved one. Chip beautifully weaves in and out of remembering them and trying to move forward, well neither of them is trying at this point but just keep reading, with some surprising guest stars and a nice bit of action thrown in for good measure. I mean this is the Marvel Universe you can’t walk a city block in NYC without running into another costumed hero and villain.
When you are dealing with the Fantastic Four or any of it’s members really there are only a handful of folks who have the kind of relationship with them, or individually, that will make them sit up and take notice. it’s a testament to the bonds they share and that level of trust which has been earned over the years. Even when the truth comes by way someone you don’t want to hear it from. I’m actually surprised this wasn’t hyped more I mean you’ve got some stellar talent on this book and this first issue is pretty darn amazing.
The way Chip has structured this so that the ebb & flow makes this feel so utterly natural and draws you before you realise it makes this one the most underrated gems of the week for me. Not only is the story solid and full of both the emotional tugs but it moves the story forward as well. Then there’s the characterisation and to be frank it’s something while I expected to be good I didn’t expect it to blow me away. These aren’t characters I’ve ever really followed so to find an emotional attachment to them in the first issue shows some seriously strong writing.
Jim lays down his usual amazing work. He really is one of the world’s premiere pencillers and the subtle variations that we see throughout the book make it even stronger. From the past or in the present the styles vary in ways that matter and yet still stay true to his iconic style. The use of page layouts and the angles & perspective we see in the panels shows off that beautiful eye for storytelling. I’m a big fan of the utilisation of backgrounds and yet Jim does and doesn’t use them so darn effectively that I can’t fault him when they aren’t used.
Marvel has a chance to bring back a series that mixes and matches some of the best and least known Marvel characters around. So by starting off reuniting Ben and Johnny with the cameo of someone else shadowing their every move, we may not be getting the Fantastic Four be we are getting what is potentially one of the best series to come out of this whole Legacy thing. With this and Moon Knight, possibly She-Hulk, all making their return suddenly it seems as if Marvel has some extremely good, solid and viable books for the future.