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thank you! so many people here falling for the surface level BS that Ryan North wrote without ever seeming to understand Ben himself! He would do anything to not let the FF down but instead he mopes around.
FANTASTIC THREE!
• After Ben Grimm has suffered a terrible (and very public) defeat at the hands of Doom, he's left lost, adrift - and more vulnerable than he has been in years. And when a trip to New York goes wrong and his fate suddenly turns from bad to worse, Ben has never been more vulnerable - and soon takes a shocking shortcut he won't be able to undo!
• This is one Thing and Alicia story you won't soon forget!
RATED T+
In terms of the art, it is a standard Marvel comic look. I really like the way Dr. Doom and also the rest of the Fantastic Four look. Even the cover looks amazing, and you can see the rock crumble off of Ben. It really gives a feeling to the reader, about how they should be feeling when they read the comic. I always appreciate the artists, who give a unique take on what is happening in the story. Read Full Review
Fantastic Four #30 is a masterclass in depression, loss, and sudden upheaval. North hasn't just gotten into these characters' heads; he's burrowed deep to find their emotional core and made them feel more human than ever. Read Full Review
it had been a while since an issue brought tears to my eyes. Ben has been human for so many times by now, that it's amazing how North found a way to do it refreshingly, while staying true to the character.But that's honestly not the most important thing, but the important thing is how emotional, how real it feels. For a run that is so focused on the science aspect and on the wacky creativity and joy of the team, the emotional notes always hit hard and always hit close to the heart. But here is even better because this comics does not pretend to be new, it embraces that it comes like 800 plus issues into the series, that the characters are already matured and attuned with what they are, so it hurts when what they are is taken for good. more
Ryan North is too smart a writer to dwell on the irony of Ben being unhappy to NOT be a monster and instead goes so hard on Ben's sense of helplessness and violation that the issue brought me to tears — something this series does to me on the regular. A wonderfully tender and heartfelt little character piece.
The most touching issue from this series. I was genuinely moved.
Wow some people hate this. I thought it was pretty well done. To each their own.
This could've been so much better. I didn't buy Ben feeling so inadequate right away, I haven't a clue how going to the Puppet Master was going to restore his powers, and Alicia has gone from being a blind, sensitive artist to just another indistinguishable happy-go-lucky cipher. In the early days Alicia could feel The Thing's rock hard exterior and sense his gentleness (and inner strength). This was a great opportunity to rekindle that, to have them have a heart to heart and get Ben to accept his new state.
North completely missed who the Thing/Ben Grimm is.
The Marvel character with the greatest will power of them all (even Cap) is reduced to a babbling cry baby.
He loses his power and instead of dealing with it or using multiple ways of becoming the Thing again, either by rocket, exo-skeleton, etc., he'd rather alter his mind into being a simp (that somehow only Alicia detects). That is NOT Ben Grimm.
And speaking of Alicia, even she could have seen the trope mugging scene coming.
The one saving grace this issue has is that North doesn't bore us with another multi-page science lesson.
I haven't read the FF regularly since the Claremont/Davis run in the late nineties, and the few issues I read since then have all been utter shite (including last issue). I wanted to know what happens to Ben after Doom turned him back into his human form in One World Under Doom #2 though. What can I say? It's utter shite.
At this point, I think Ryan North might be the most incapable writer at Marvel. This story is so stupid, it even beats the misunderstood vampires of last issue and Johnny shagging an alien slug a few issues back. The art is not good either. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are probably rolling over in their graves.
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