I'm torn, I tell ya. Torn.
There are elements in this issue that did not sit well with me at all, painting the heroes in an extremely poor light -- albeit in, perhaps, an unintentional way. I found it incredibly distracting, and I thought I'd be writing a negative review as a result. But as the script progressed, Waid explores different facets of the characters, ones we may not have seen before, and it -- along with Wieringo's crisp, delightful artwork -- won me over. Waid's still perfecting the balance between Silver Age camp and more thoughtful, plausible characterization, but the work is strong enough to keep me coming back.
Ben Grimm's had enough. The latest prank package to be delivered to the FF's headquarters by the Yancy Street Gang has set him over the edge, and he stomps his way down to the old neighborhood to do some serious damage to the person responsible. But it turns out that he may be blaming the wrong folks for the grief. Meanwhile, Sue Storm is also at her wit's end... with her brother, the irresponsible Johnny Storm, AKA the Human Torch. She decides that he needs a huge responsibility to set him straight.
Wieringo's art suits the title characters perfectly. His cartoony style lends itself to the brighter tone of the FF's world. Kesel's inks add that Jack Kirby tone to the art without detracting from Wieringo's style. Mounts's crisp colors reinforce that bright, hopeful tone. Much of this book's sense of wonder stems from the visuals, thanks in no small part to the artistic team Marvel has assembled here.
So the Thing, angered by a (physically) harmless prank, storms down a busy Manhattan street, loudly proclaiming he's going to assault the perpetrators. And when the Human Torch gets in the way, he tosses a motorist from his car so he can have something heavy to throw at his teammate? I'm sure these scenes are meant to be taken with a grain of salt, but my reaction was entirely negative. The Thing is engaged in more than a simple irresponsible tantrum. He crosses the line into blatant criminal activity. Sure, we're meant to empathize with his pain, but personally, I wanted to see a cop come up and charge him with a variety of criminal offences.
But then Waid delves into the characters, setting aside their infantile behavior, and suddenly, I was drawn into the story once again. The reason for Ben's anger made a lot of sense. And as for the new direction that Waid's taking the Human Torch, I'm more than a little intrigued. Not only does it open the door to explore his character more, but it adds a plausible side to the world and adventures of the Fantastic Four.
