Now that Doctor Doom is the Sorcerer Supreme, the tension in Fantastic Four is only rising. This series will likely be a central focus during One World Under Doom, which makes Fantastic Four a nice mental health break before the proverbial poo hits the fan. Enter Fantastic Four #27, a Nicki Masters-Grimm tale!
For anyone who hasn’t read Fantastic Four for a couple of years, Nicki is Ben and Alicia Grimm’s adopted daughter. She’s a Skrull trying to fit in with her brother Jo, a Kree. The issue opens with children at school pretending to be monsters who can shape-shift. We’re then privy to a lesson about shapeshifting creatures from myth and how they’re always monsters, no matter the culture they come from.
Nicki takes offense to this, and so begins her desire to prove her powers can be used for good. What better way for a pre-teen to show this than to get her friends out of trouble? That includes Jo, Valeria, and Franklin, who all seem to go to the same school and are all called to the principal’s office in hilarious scenes.
The humor works thanks to Nicki’s ability to look exactly like the Fantastic Four, but it doesn’t quite nail their voice as human heroes. The first half plays into the theme of shape-shifting as a form of good from a child’s perspective and the trouble that brings.
Just a normal kid. Yep!
Credit: Marvel
The second half opens up with the Mole Man, who wants to kidnap the Fantastic Four kids. This leads to a new reason for Nicki’s impersonations and some quick thinking. Ultimately, it’s a lighthearted one-shot style story with conflicts arising thanks to Nicki’s youthful perspective.
Writer Ryan North smartly does this as he continues to explore different corners of the FF family. This issue further develops the character and gives her a bit more agency rather than being a kind of comic relief kid on the side.
The one-shot nature does reduce the stakes, however, especially in the face of Dr. Doom looming over the Marvel Universe. This is a buffer, so to speak, and likely needed so the series can continue while we wait for One World Under Doom to start, but it does lack the bite of previous issues. There’s also no science, and instead a bit of myth. Again, you can probably give North a pass, given how much he’s giving us over the coming months.
Art by Steven Cummings is generally good, with a good sense of character expressions, especially when they count for comedic relief. His work excels with the dialogue scenes. Nicki’s powers look great, with the Thing popping when he appears. Sometimes, the characters can look stiff; maybe it’s the inking, but the poses don’t quite look natural. The threat of Mole Man is lacking, however, with a single beast that’s more cute than threatening.
Fantastic Four #27 is a fun, character-driven detour that highlights Nicki Masters-Grimm’s youthful perspective and powers, but its low stakes and filler nature make it feel like a breather rather than an essential installment.
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