Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Artist(s): Paul Pelletier (p), Rick Magyar (i), Paul Mounts (c)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
I can say without pause that this is the best single issue of Dwayne McDuffie’s run on the Fantastic Four. This issue includes everything that has made this title a keystone of the Marvel lineup for so long: action, suspense, characterization, and humor. All in all, this is old-school comic book entertainment produced by a writer known for bringing the kid out of crotchety adults like me. What makes me giddy in Issue 549? Could it be Black Panther outsmarting Klaw with sleight of hand deft enough to make David Copperfield jealous? Could it be the Invisible Woman bringing the Wizard to within a second of wetting himself in fear? Or, could it be the great facial expressions illustrated by Paul Pelletier and Rick Magyar? I’d have to say it’s all of the above (as if you couldn’t guess!). Even though this storyline won’t sit at the same table as the great storylines written by Lee or Byrne, it is more entertaining than the current tales that Marvel is churning out. It seems that the Civil War did not kill fun adventure in the Marvel Universe.
The first half of Issue 549 includes a battle that induced both a chuckle and a feeling of awe that I haven’t experienced in awhile. Continued from last issue, we have the return of Klaw, who is generally recognized as Black Panther’s archenemy. Just as he’s about to start rockin’ the place with his sonic hand, the Panther and the Thing have a verbal exchange that fits with the Wakandan’s pride and the New Yorker’s short fuse. To end the quibbling, T’Challa pushes Ben’s hand out of his way, saying “Don’t want to hear it, Grimm.” What we don’t know until a few pages later is that Panther has slipped a pair of Vibranium ear plugs to the Thing during the quarrel. Holy ingenuity, Batman! Needless to say, Thing destroys Klaw and jokes afterward, “By the way, ‘I don’t want to hear it’ is a little on the nose.” Black Panther simply responds, “I was improvising.” This scene produced a hearty chuckle and had me wishing Black Panther would remain a member of the Fantastic Four (Five, Six, whatever). But, hold on! Here comes the main event! Storm releases the Invisible Woman, and man is she steamed! The expressions of the Wizard in this scene alone are worth the price of admission! Sue tears through the Frightful Four as if they were nothing but a pack of tamed kittens, showing the true extent of her powers. What thrilled me most was the attitude she packed into the beating, displaying what a potent adversary she can be. When she finally confronts the Wizard, we witness a man mortally terrified as a frighteningly strong woman holds his very life in her hands. My favorite line: “I can shut you off like a light switch, any time I want.” Wow! I think I’m in love! The cowardly wizard faints and we have a happy reunion for all six of our heroes. Now, if that’s not what a Marvel comic should be, then I don’t know what is!
Is it obvious yet how much I loved this issue? And I haven’t even really touched on the artwork yet! Paul Pelletier, Rick Magyar, and colorist Paul Mounts work wonders, creating an old school FF look that enhances the overall effect by leaps and bounds. The shading of Susie’s face as she enters the battle pumps up the excitement to a fever pitch that isn’t diminished by her handling of the villains. This is how super-hero comic book art should be done. The action moves smoothly and sensibly, while the facial expressions are dead solid perfect.
My only complaint about this issue would have to be the ending, which isn’t nearly exciting enough. Yeah, the space-time fabric is being ripped apart by some weapon of mass destruction and the FF’s ship is about to be torn apart by a race called the Contrasepsis. But hey, this is the Fantastic Four...they’ll get over the hump! What I won’t get over, though, is the impending end of this fine creative team’s run. Still, Millar and Hitch are on the horizon, which is encouraging.
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