Sunday, December 12, 2021

Sunday Splash Page #196

 
"Is that an OSHA-Approved Load Bearing Superhero?" in 4 #1, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (writer), Steve McNiven (penciller), Mark Morales (inker), Morry Hollowell (colorist), Randy Gentile (letterer)

Fantastic Four is never Marvel's highest selling book, but sometimes Marvel can't help themselves and try to run two titles for the team. 4 ran for 30 issues, from early 2004 until mid-2006, under the Marvel Knights imprint. I'm not sure why. There's nothing in the book I would think couldn't have been in the main title (which was in the last year of the Waid/Wieringo run and then into the JMS/Mike McKone run at this time). Maybe Reed helping a man preparing to commit suicide, or Sue helping one of her employees who was being abused by her husband?

Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the book was in theory more focused on the cast as a family, and less on dimension-spanning adventures. To that end, the story starts with the team learning their money manager stole a lot of their cash (along with stealing from Tony Stark and Hammerhead, suggesting this man is not very wise), and then having the Mayor evict them from the Baxter Building to pay for the damages they've caused.

So at least initially, it's the Four trying to adjust to finding jobs, a new place to live, the change in their status. Johnny gets yet another arc where he tries to grow up and mature. That part doesn't really last that long, and the book eventually does return to them dealing with unusual problems. Psycho-Man, Rama-Tut's bastard son, Puppet Master abducting women to steal their eyes for Alicia. But there's maybe more focus on the character's thoughts and feelings. The trust they have in one another, how well they know each other. When Reed's captured by aliens along with a couple of guys trying to make a video about the Jersey Devil, Reed very calmly explains that they're fine because Ben no doubt disobeyed Reed and is already getting involved, and Sue will be along soon and so on.

McNiven leaves after 8 issues (right in the middle of a two-part story, no less), replaced by Jim Muniz, who stays on for about a year. Then Valentine de Landro draws most of the last ten issues, which I tend to find some of the weaker ones. Not de Landro's fault, but Aguirre-Sacase drags in the Salem Seven, and does a story about him getting the job as the in-universe writer of the FF and tagging along while they contend with the Impossible Man.

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