This series has a lot going for it, but a couple of liabilities pop up in this third issue. One problem is that the story lacks suspense. Bendis and Millar pay be offering a radically different spin on the Fantastic Four origin, but the ultimate destination remains the same. We know there are going to be four heroes, and we know what their powers are going to be. The plot here takes on a surprisingly conventional tone as well. While still inventive in terms of retooling Marvel icons, the edgier tone is lost a bit and some standard super-hero fare is found in its place. Mind you, this issue still boasts some sharp action sequences and hints at an interesting mystery behind the title characters' powers.
The intended object of Reed Richards's teleportation experiment -- an apple -- sits untouched on a desert platform, but Reed himself lies twisted and mangled on the ground. He begs for help as the military mobilizes all around him. Reed's mentor, Prof. Storm, freaks out over the loss of his two children, while Reed desperately tries to figure out what went wrong with his project. Meanwhile, in exotic locales across the world, strange creatures -- boasting destructive powers -- begin to appear.
Kubert's exaggerated style suits the over-the-top science fiction of the Fantastic Four quite well, and it brings an intensity and darkness to the characters. Kubert depicts Reed's new powerful inventively, making it easy to see how others could mistake him for an inhuman monster. The strongest visual sequence in the book, though, is the one introducing the Thing. The slow-motion action is brilliant; the artist captures a thoroughly cinematic and just downright cool moment. Where the art goes astray a bit is in its depiction of the villain revealed on the final page. He looks rather McFarlane-esque in design and appearance. Kubert takes the exaggeration a bit too far there.
There's a brief bit of dialogue in this book that touches upon the oddly elemental nature -- earth, fire, water and air -- of the title character's powers. It's a notion that flies in the face of the "scientific" foundation of the property, and it hints at a larger power having a hand in the team's formation. It brings an air of mystery to the story that I find intriguing.
The emergence of the Human Torch's powers here is surprisingly ordinary. The nature of those powers is inherently dangerous and frightening, but the writers shy away from that volatility. Furthermore, Susan Storm's fate is oddly cornball, and it's too bad that the only female character is the only one in stereotypical peril.
