Endearing is a word I’d use to describe Ryan North’s Fantastic Four. The familial bond is strong, but also the heartwarming and realistic relationships. The endearing quality continues in Fantastic Four #11, which features Thing in a solo adventure. For a hero not known for his smarts, how can he solve a problem that his fists can’t possibly save him? You’ll ask that question as the weirdness level rises and a cute dog annoys Thing almost equally.
The endearing quality in Fantastic Four #11 right off the bat as his loved ones plead with Thing to let up on a dog that’s wandered into their yard. Told over a week in one-panel daily recaps, artist Iban Coello makes you wish Thing wasn’t such a grouch. Still on the Grimm family farmstead in Arizona, the gang has encountered the likes of Dr. Doom, but no villain is named or present for much of this issue. Instead, Thing wakes up to find himself falling. With him is the dog, ever the chipper pet that annoys Thing.
The fact that Thing throws the pup into a sling around him right off the bat tells you all you need to know about Thing’s true care for the barking pup. Soon, they’re investigating why the entire house with them in it is plummeting impossibly fast. North cleverly throws in a bit of science–Thing shows off some pretty impressive skills of his own and some good deductive reasoning. At the end of the day, this issue shows Thing isn’t just a clobbering lunkhead but a thinker when he needs to be. Of course, most of the family is absent, but that shows Thing relies on them when thinking is in order.
I guess he’s not a dog guy.
Credit: Marvel
There are some rather tricky things for Coello to draw here like Thing jamming his hand into a crevice to slow himself down. The scale is impressive, and there’s a nice use of three smaller panels to show the effort it takes. Another highlight is a quick montage showing how each of the Fantastic Four would escape a plummeting house that’s cleverly explained by Thing to show his perspective on each.
Although Thing is the main character of this one-shot adventure, there’s still plenty of character work on the other members of the team. We get that in the opening, but also in Thing’s perspective on each when he’s in the thick of it. Throw in a funny yet brief moment when we get to hear what they were up to, and it’s another good issue in showing the entire first family.
My only gripe is that it’s not explained how the dog somehow got into a shared dream with Thing. Sure, this story involves some heavy sci-fi and supervillain powers, but heck, it could have ironed out a rather big advantage that allowed Thing to prevail.
Fantastic Four #11 is another good chapter, this time focusing on Thing. He gets to save the day and even use his noggin in another adventure that requires a bit of real science tethered to superhero hijinks.
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