Sometimes Fantastic Four comics give me a headache. They can be too large in scope, too ambitious and generally too loud. At the very beginning of John Byrne’s tenure with the Baxter Bunch, we are treated to a very subdued, very human story. In a nutshell, this is a Human Torch solo story that kicks off with a priest delivery a dead man’s last wish to Johnny. Johnny plays detective and ultimately winds up taking on Hammerhead.While the plot and the pacing are quite strong, it’s the characterization of Johnny Storm that really impressed. Far too often, Johnny has been pigeonholed as the ‘hothead’ of the Marvel Universe, but Byrne pulls off a neat little trick here, allowing us to getting inside Johnny’s head as he gets in over it. At times, it has the look and feel of an early Spider-Man issue, especially when Johnny becomes aware of his overconfidence. It’s also a good primer for new readers as some of the aspects of the Torch’s powers are highlighted. In a single issue, John Byrne turned Johnny Storm him into a character I care about by focusing more on the ‘Human’ and less on the ‘Torch’.
2 comments:
I gotta agree with your comments. As the issue before Byrne begins his memorable run (is that possible or have I just contradicted myself?) this is a unique stand alone solo story... one that we haven't seen the like for for many years. (Alright, FF #275 just popped into mind, but that sunbathing She-Hulk tale just feels different!) Thanks for the nice memory, and hope you can highlight more of this 1980s goodness!
Thaks for posting - I am indeed trying to highlight the one issues stories so people can snag them without worrying about finding and entire story arc.
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