Written by Joey Cavalieri (Based on Stan Lee’s Story)
Art by Hyperdesign, Inc. and Jack Kirby; & Joe Sinnott
Cover Art by Casey Jones; Tom Simmons; & Don Cassity
SUMMARY:
Published in 1996 by Marvel Comics, this 96-page novelization divides into eighteen short chapters adapting Fantastic Four # 94 and # 126. At the team’s Baxter Building, Reed and Sue Richards proudly introduce their infant son, Franklin Benjamin Richards, to Ben “The Thing” Grimm; Crystal; and his uncle, Johnny “Human Torch” Storm.
After a brief flashback explaining the Fantastic Four’s origin, the team take Franklin on an upstate journey to meet the reclusive Agatha Harkness, who has agreed to be the boy’s nanny. The Fantastic Four isn’t aware that their evil rivals, The Frightful Four (Wizard; Sandman; Trapster; and Madame Medusa), are after them.
At Agatha’s gothic home on secluded Whisper Hill, Ben ponders how she could possibly anticipate that a sudden storm necessitates the team’s overnight stay. The Frightful Four’s ambush neutralizes the team, but could one of the Frightful Four be a traitor? Also, how can elderly Agatha and her black house cat, Ebony, be any match for The Frightful Four, if the Fantastic Four was easily defeated? Miss Harkness and her cat may be more fearsome than the villains ever imagined.
REVIEW:
Putting basic logic aside (i.e. how locking their guest room door effectively traps the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic isn’t explained; and neither is how the Frightful Four secretly breaches Agatha’s house), this undemanding book is a solid treat for 10-and-under crowd.
Nicely reprinting Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott’s artwork in black-and-white, readers can compare the text in some of the original panels to writer Joey Cavalieri’s adaption. For instance, Stan Lee’s dialogue for Ben Grimm differs from Cavalieri’s more contemporary wording, but kids should easily grasp the difference between the two versions.
More so, this book makes a decent transition for younger readers who will soon move on to junior novelizations.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Each chapter concludes with the same full-page, blue-and-white image of the Fantastic Four (as seen below).
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
