Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Carlos Gomez
Color Artists: Jesus Aburtov & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
Cover Artist: Alex Ross
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Reviewer: StoryBabbler
After all of the recent excitement that they’ve been though, the Fantastic Four are trying to take it slow and steady for a while. Well, some of them are, as Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, and Johnny Storm the Human Torch do the unthinkable: they got retail jobs. Read Fantastic Four (2022) #20 to see what trouble these two brotherly heroes get up to.
Review:
Like the majority of this series, this Fantastic Four issue is very much a fun little misadventure for members of the FF. In this case, it follows Human Torch and The Thing who have gotten retail jobs to make some extra money. Hijinks and shenanigans are inbound. There will be some SPOILERS in this review.
So, it’s as straightforward as it says on the synopsis. Ben Grimm, aka The Thing, and Johnny Storm, aka Human Torch, have gotten retail jobs to make some extra cheddar on the side before they move back into the Baxter Building, if it ever gets finished. Of course, given the two heroes’ brotherly relationship, their rivalry and energy would be what full this book with all kinds of laughs and wholesome excitement.
I’ll say this, while the book isn’t anything great, it is an enjoyable little story for these two. To see Ben and Johnny interacting with each other and it’s their dynamic that is front and center the selling point of this comic. This is thanks to Ryan North actually nailing the fun dynamic between them and Carlos Gomez’ art bringing it to life and maintaining the artistic visual synergy in this series. A nice little addition is how their boss is actually written as a pleasant man whose priority is clearly maintaining the business but he handles the two rivalrous heroes like a mature and patient adult. Even how he lets them go is handled in an amicable and whole swim manner, again thanks to the writing and art.
The other best thing about this issue is that it’s not a forced tie-in to any of the big company events going on right now. Not Fall of X, not Blood Hunt, nothing. It’s allowed to be its own series and tell its own stories like this one. Of course, that won’t last since the next two issues are going to be Blood Hunt Tie-ins. But thankfully, they won’t put an abrupt halt to anything the series is doing because it has a more versatile storytelling format than most other Marvel titles these days.
Final Thoughts:
Fantastic Four #20 brings a new little story featuring Ben Grimm, The Thing, and Johnny Storm the Human Torch getting jobs. It’s a lot more fun than it sounds. While nothing big or grand happens in the story, it’s very much a grounded and fun misadventure for these heroes. It really banks on their brotherly rivalry to bring all kinds of fun hijinks and shenanigans that the two get into. While not being a big story may seem like a downside, it’s not for this is genuinely a fun comic story with a beginning, middle, and end that shows more of two of Marvel Comics’ best superheroes.