Fantastic Four Unplugged #1 (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

It's 1995. The economy of the comic book industry is not promising. The speculator bubble has burst after showing signs of weakness as non-collectors are sweeping in buying massive amounts of first issues while an more established titles all but gathers dust on display shelves. With some readers it will be years before they return to collecting new comics. For Marvel, the situation couldn't be more dire. Bankruptcy is looming around the corner. The standard price of a Marvel comic is now $1.50 an issue. Premium titles are asking for $2.00 or more. Loyal fans are claiming that because of the higher prices, they can no longer buy as many weekly or monthly issues that they could in years prior.

In response, Marvel decides to use an idea that brought huge success to DC Comics in the 70s when they faced a similar economic crisis during the Implosion of 1977-78. The House of Ideas will offer a slightly larger page count (36 full color) slew of monthly titles at a discount price. The main difference is that these books will be comprised of 100% all new material. NO reprints!

The first such title in this line would be based on Marvel's First Family: The Fantastic Four. Titled Fantastic Four Unplugged, each issue would be a stand alone story starring a member of the FF family in a solo adventure. Every issue could act as an entry point to the regular Fantastic Four series. Potentially, it might also inspire fans to investigate a character's solo regular series as was the plan for the forthcoming Avenger Unplugged series.

Issue #1 stars the blue-eyed ever loving Ben Grimm, AKA The Thing. If you're wondering why the debut issue doesn't start the Fantastic Four's leader Reed Richard's, it is because at this point in time Mister Fantastic and his arch enemy Doctor Doom have been declared dead from a recent conflict. 

On a dreary rainy night, everything seems to be going wrong for poor Ben. All of a sudden, a fiery #4 appears overhead in the night sky. Johnny Storm is summoning the team for the next Earth saving emergency! Or so it seems. 

Having commandeered a taxi cab occupied by a really crabby concert musician already late for her next recital, the Thing makes it to a crowded bridge where the Human Torch's summons seemingly appeared from. The police report that a fiery monster is running amok at the center of the causeway. That doesn't sound like Johnny Storm. And it isn't. Instead it's one of the Mad Thinker's Super-Adaptoids and it's attacking everyone and everything in sight. But how is this android functioning with the Thinker supposedly away in a maximum security cell? The Thing will have to figure that out later. Right now he's got lives to save, including that 'screwy blonde musician ' who appears to be next on the Super-Adaptoid's list of victims!

Illustrated by Heltor Oliveira, the art work is definitely a product of the times. Those with powers have a muscular structure that seems impossible even amongst the most built of bodybuilders. The women are impressively stacked and rather ridiculous looking. I've been to my fair share of recitals. Never have I encountered a member of the orchestra wearing a low cut scarlet dress with super high slit!

As for the writing and plotting, it's pretty darn good. Ben Grimm's dialogue and vernacular are perfect. A little wordy but hey, Stan the Man was known to make the Thing a blabbermouth. Excellent level of Ben Grimm crankiness. Plus writer Mark Lackey along with Oliveira really got me with one scene where the Super-Adaptoid confronts a citizen and seemingly decapitates him off screen. We later find out that the guy was just really badly maimed, but survived. Yet the creative team behind this issue had me visioning the worse . It's a textbook example of how much worse things are envisioned by the reader when it's done off-panel. 

A decent issue that also comes with a sort of family tree of the Fantastic Four, along with a file card look at Ben Grimm. Both were really cool. But I must do a bit of investigation. There's a mysterious broken line connecting Doctor Doom with Reed Richard's father. Are they related? Is Victor Von Doom the half brother of Mister Fantastic? Dude, that would be such a freaking awesome plot twist! And I really gotta check this out.

A fair book that is saved by the writing, plotting and its extras. Plus, I must give serious kudos to Jim Calafiore's cover. It really fooled me as I thought it was embossed and 3-dimensional!

Completing this review completes Task #7 (Fantastic Four Comic from the 1990s) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #164

3 all-new segments either start or appear in this issue. 

The ever-lovin' Blue Eyed Thing, Ben Grimm, gets in an altercation on the streets of the Big Apple. One of the victims is a young boy's rabbit that escapes its cage and flees into the NYC subway system. Leave it to the founding member of the Fantastic Four to begrudgingly track the little fella all the way through many a rat infested tunnel...

Then for the first time since a one-shot appearance in MCP #29 and the first time headlining a multiparter since all the way back in issues 1-12, Man-Thing returns. The first segment isn't really action-packed. It also stars Ted Sallis' former lover Ellen Brandt and is more of a refresher of the Man-Thing's origin story than anything else.

Rounding things out on the debut front is another Vengeance story. This one involves two blasts from Michael Badilino's past. First is the energy-absorbing mutant, Psiphon. Next is the former special forces member and demon hunter/hater, Samson Buchanan who now possesses a more deadlier version of the famed Exorcist gun from some previous MCP story that I can't quite recall. I think it was during the Midnight Sons story line...

The only continuing segment involves the sometime Avenger, Tigra. She's gone on the hunt for some slavers who have captured members of an indigenous Australian tribe that Tigra has taken refuge with. Needless to say, she's pissed.

The Thing's story was sweet and enduring. Another reason to love the members of Marvel's First Family. The Man-Thing story is an origin story. If you kinda know the story, then things are mostly yesterday's news. If anything has been rebooted, I'm not that familiar with the character to have picked through the changes. The Vengeabnce story promises to be another exciting tale that wisely focuses on Badilino's police force career as much as his time as a Ghost Rider. As for the Tigra story, the level of excitement is getting higher as this is the penultimate chapter. But the real winner here again is John Czop's amazing artwork.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules- the 2004 Eisner Award Winner for Best Limited Series.

Set in the late 1950s, Dr. Reed Richards is a rising physics superstar at Columbia University. On the verge of making a breakthrough with fabrics made from unsteady particles, the professor is also quite controversial. Accused of stealing formulas and discoveries from other scientists, Richards faces a series of potential lawsuits. Still, the potential loss of face isn't enough to deter the US military from requesting his help against the Red Menace of Communism!

Young Sue Sturm (not a typo) has been thrust into a role she did ask for. After the death of both parents in an automobile accident, Sue has had to raise her brother Johnny alone since he was 6. After several years of trying to raise a rebellious teen while playing the happy housewife is taking its toll on Sue. Johnny is frequently getting into trouble skipping school and stealing cars and fiance Reed seems more interested in his experiments instead of settling down.

Meanwhile, Ben Grimm is working as a boxing trainer after his own career has faded. Unable to stay in a stable relationship, Ben has just celebrated his one-month relationship with his latest gal. But deep down in his heart, Ben still kindles a flame for the one who got away- Sue Sturm.

This 2003 miniseries was an interesting concept. Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules imagines if the First Family of Marvel were inspired by real people. However, unlike the perceived positivism of the 1950s nuclear family, things are anything but idyllic for the foursome who would be immortalized in countless comic books, movies, cartoons and action figures as the Fantastic Four. 

There's a cohesive story of a single day in the life of Reed, the Sturms and Ben. Along with the comic portions, there are a series of documents and interviews from the 'real life' inspirations of the FF and their friends. I love how the fourth issue of this series ties in how Stan, Jack and the rest of the Bullpen were invited to a wild party thrown by Sue and Reed and it led to the eventual creation of the comic book. But I really wish that those extra segments at the back of each comic would have explained what happened to those inspirations in real life. And do it without conflicting accounts.

In issue one, miniseries writer James Sturm tells readers that since Sue and Johnny Sturm were distant relatives, the Drawn & Quarterly scribe was inspired to write a biography about them. I understand that it's all pretend. But in that introduction to readers, James Sturm talked about how the inspirations were in real life adventurers. Yet in issue 3, in an interview with Johnny's best friend (taken years later, of course), the fiery blond youngster ended up becoming a fringe poet who like to use fire as a motif. If these fake extras would have been consistent, I would have been pleased. But with each issue contradicting each other on the 'facts', I was sorely disappointed.

This isn't your father's Fantastic Four. Heck, it might not even be my FF. This miniseries was rated PG+. While the series isn't full of blood and gore; it's a far cry from the World's Greatest Comics Magazine. There's the scene where Johnny is exploring his body. I've never encountered the Human Torch doing such a thing! Another scene that comes to mind is where Ben gets plastered and calls the girl who rebuffed him some pretty rude names that Aunt Petunia wouldn't condone. 

But there is one thing that this 'true tale' captures fairly well: the dysfunction of Reed, Ben, Sue and Johnny. Sadly, what is missing from these inspirations is what Stan and Jack made forefront in the Fantastic Four comic- LOVE.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #45 (An Eisner or Hugo Award winning book) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Marvel Two-In-One #99

It's a dark and stormy night at the Baxter Building. The Blue-Eyed Thing is reading horror stories alone when the power goes out. As Ben Grimm goes exploring the cause of the outage, he stumbles across the smoking body of Rom: Spaceknight!

As part of Rom's continuing battle with his enemy the Wraiths, the Spaceknight has meet his match. In order to defeat his enemy's new weapon in the battle for humanity, Rom will need assistance! It's a good thing that there's a member of the Fantastic Four with nothing to do on a rainy Saturday night. 

I've been reading the complete run of Marvel Two-In-One as part of the Marvel Essentials line. However, due to licensing rights with Hasbro, this issue is not one of those issues reprinted.

It's like night and day going from reading a black and white collection to a single issue is stark (and yet beautiful) living 4-color! Avengers' Bob Hall did a fantastic job on pencils.

I'm hoping that the regular series of Rom wasn't as stunted as the dialogue was in this issue. Bill Mantlo wrote this story and he was the regular writer on Rom during it's original 1979-1986 run. The plot was good. The Thing's dialogue was good. But Rom sounded too cheesy. Like really, really bad Shakespeare!

I've got the entire Marvel run of Rom that I hope to one day get around to reading. So we'll find out how bad the dialogue really is. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.