FANTASTIC FOUR #534
In which the Thing and the Human Torch fight the Hulk. That’s never been done before.
by Frank PittareseOkay, okay. I don’t mean to be snarky. It’s just that not a whole lot happens this issue and there’s really not much here that we haven’t seen before. Basically, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm dogpile on the Hulk for the better part of 22 pages. He seems to be on another one of his rampages, but it soon becomes clear that there’s more to it than that.
As a Hulk story, it works. It’s well-researched, and the Hulk is effective throughout, whether he’s smashing a fist into Ben’s face or doing the “sympathetic monster” thing. It’s a punch ’em up tale for readers who like that sorta thing. But as an FF story, it falls a bit short. Despite appearing on the rather generic team cover, Reed and Sue are nowhere to be seen (I don’t recall where we left them last month), and while its nice to see Ben and Johnny teaming up, I found myself wanting just a bit more meat with those two potatoes.
Having no idea where the arc is going, there’s every chance I could be floored next month with some amazing plot twist…but somehow I’m not gonna hold my breath.
The art by Mike McKone is beautiful; detailed but open, with great action shots balanced by quieter flashback moments and character bits. He can really deliver the complete package. And the color (a huge aspect of comics storytelling that rarely gets the respect it deserves) by Paul Mounts perfectly compliments the story: capturing the mood of any given scene, without being showy.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that this issue features another Franklin Richards back-up story. These Calvin & Hobbes-like shorts are always fun. This month, Franklin gets into his dad’s lab, unleashing…well, let’s just say H.E.R.B.I.E. isn’t happy about it.
