Things aren’t just getting weird; they’re getting cosmically so. Ben Grimm’s starting to miss his teammates, but with the Fantastic Four out of town, it’s up to the Thing and his new companions to continue unraveling this mystery—and that trail leads them all the way up to the Blue Area of the Moon. The Thing #4, written by Walter Mosely, drawn by Tom Reily, colored by Jordie Bellaire, and lettered by Joe Sabino.
It’s one AM and I’ve just had a snack. Feed me after midnight, and you awaken Bad Choices Armaan. Regular Armaan was unable to write this review in time, so here I am, staying up even later to bring you this review of the latest The Thing to tell you that this comic left me…
Underwhelmed is absolutely the wrong word. But that I thought of it at all is certainly A Clue on the road towards finding out what I really think of this issue (Bad Choices Armaan writes to find out what I’m thinking, as opposed to getting my thoughts in order first). This series has consistently unsettled me, drawn me in and held me, captivated, lingering on each panel to get my fill of it before moving on to the next, never quite fully understanding what was going on and thrilled at how masterfully everything fit together to satisfy my need for strangeness. Have my expectations been set too high? Have I, worse, gotten used to the level of strangeness and masterful storytelling this comic brings and the only way to recapture those initial feelings would require the kind of constant escalation that eventually makes comics exhausting for everyone involved?
Or maybe I’m just having a bad week.
What this issue felt like to me was a bridge issue—a comic whose main purpose is to get us from the last issue to the next. The plot moves forward, but it feels like the real significance of this issue is only going to be revealed in issues to come. It shows us some more of what’s been established last issue in terms of Bobby and Amaryllis’ roles in the story, but doesn’t really add much to that. Ben himself doesn’t seem any closer to understanding what’s really going on, at least until we’re told a little bit more about what he’s discovered on the moon. I didn’t love this comic as wholeheartedly as I’ve loved every issue preceding—but it is worth noting that a bridge issue from this team is still head and shoulders above most comics coming out right now.
One thing I admire about Mosely’s work is the extent to which he’s willing to step back and just let the artwork shine. That’s an admirable trait in any writer, much less one best known for his novel writing work. And I don’t mean this as a backhanded compliment—a lot of writing can feel like it’s either getting in the way of the art, or as if the art is irrelevant enough to the story that the same script could be handed to nearly any artist with little regard for what they can bring to the page. For the most part, so far, there’s been a tremendous balance between everyone on the creative team, all working to enhance the story. This issue, where the plot may have fell a little flat for me, the art steps up to do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Behold, the Silver Surfer. There is no other word to use here, you don’t just look at the guy when he’s drawn and colored like this, he is absolutely meant to be beheld. All magnificent sparkles and city sunset pastel red. He stands, bold, impervious to the laws of Earth, making as grand an entrance as possible because when done right, the Silver Surfer cannot be anything less. Reily excels at not just capturing the classic feel of the Fantastic Four of the 60s, but that sense of awe that made us fall in love with these characters in the first place.
There’s still playfulness to be had in the art. An endearing silliness – the little heart as the poor Surfer develops an instant crush on yet another one of Ben’s paramours. The irate struggling of a cosmic being chained by creatures who, by any definition he respects, are far, far beneath him. A healthy, cheery breakfast spread, complete with Black Wheat-Os, a pun that has so far not failed to get me giggling. For a few pages, Bellaire’s color choices will have you believe that everything’s more or less normal before the Thing and his companions are dragged through a rainbow-colored acid trip of a teleportation journey, as the Champion’s belt whisks them away to the Watcher’s abode on the moon.
Marvel’s cosmic side of things all have such great toys to play with.
Speaking of toys, there’s quite a collection of mechanical beings amassed here, leading into my absolute favorite part of the issue. A single one of these purple and green robots comes to life, complete with blades able to pierce even the Thing’s rocky hide. It also, sportingly, has a prominent power source that the Thing is able to rip out in the nick of time, though it came at the cost of letting the bot sink its blades into him. It’s a powerful, violent action scene, and its statement is clear: Ben, with luck, can take out one of these things. Taking an army of them out is going to take more of a plan than he has.
It speaks a lot to Ben’s role in the Fantastic Four how much he’s in over his head when he’s on his own. It’s something the comic is very aware of. Ben’s a great fighter, but when it comes to figuring out what’s going on, finding out the next step, or even just being hot-headed enough to take the next necessary step, Ben’s out of his depth. He’s a hero that needs other people around him to help him move forward, be they Silver Surfers, boys with unexplained depths of knowledge or Invisible Women. Ben’s a lonely person. He’s even worse at being alone.
The mystery deepens even more this issue, but it does feel like we’re a step closer to getting some answers—though Mosley can’t quite resist throwing at least one more mystery on the pile with Alicia’s new boyfriend up to his own shady dealings. The Thing #4 wasn’t my favorite issue of this series, but it still absolutely sets a gold standard for what comics can be. With the promise of answers and resolutions coming up soon, my anticipation for the next big The Thing issue remains undimmed.
