When it was revealed that the Fantastic Four would take part in Blood Hunt, I got sad. Writer Ryan North has been delivering excellent one-shot science adventures, so it would be logical that a crossover would end that. Then I remembered there are plenty of examples of vampires being explored in a logical and scientific way, and I calmed down. I’m glad I did because Fantastic Four #21 is a great issue.
If there’s one constant with this series beyond it being great, it’s that North and the artists find incredible ways to remind us that Mr. Fantastic’s powers are freaky. His stretching ability should be odd and out-of-this-world weird. That’s never more the case than in this issue, which has him stretching beyond his usual limits thanks to his unbitable skin. If he can’t be bitten, it stands to reason that he can stretch to protect others when vampires attack.
Fantastic Four #21 opens with Mr. Fantastic and Alicia heading to New York to visit a museum and get some chores. The rest of the family isn’t interested, mostly because Johnny and Ben aren’t museum people. Neither is Reed, which leads to an interesting conversation about those who can’t understand art. Once again, North uses science and logic to explain why some folks just don’t get it and how maybe they can if they try a certain method.
Interest convo.
Credit: Marvel
Things go from bad to worse quickly, though, when the vampires attack and the skies turn dark. This leads to a series of problem-solving scenes using Mr. Fantastic’s unbreakable skin. Some interesting ideas are at work here, like Reed creating a tube for folks to walk through. It’s also fun how North shows Reed can’t agree vampires are a real thing, even with them gnawing at him as he protects the building like a giant plastic sheet.
Ivan Fiorelli draws the issue, bringing his usual expertise at filling panels with a lot of detail and characters. The slightly cartoony look makes the vampires a little less scary and makes Mr. Fantastic’s bending ability realistic and weird. I’ve said this before, but Fiorelli is very good at keeping your interest even if there isn’t action or the conventional superhero stuff. It’s just good storytelling and framing. A standout moment is a scene where Mr. Fantastic envelopes Alicia with his torso spiraling around her. It’s quite cool.
Fantastic Four is the most consistently good superhero comic on the stands today. Every issue offers something new to think about while the heroes resolve science adventures. Even as a tie-in to a major event, Ryan North proves he’s having a ton of fun pushing this book to new heights, and we’re all better off for it.
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