Written by: Ryan North
Art by: Carlos Gomez
Colors by: Jesus Aburtov, Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Alex Ross
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: May 8, 2024
Fantastic Four #20 pits the thing against the Human Torch in a knockdown drag-out competition to be the absolute very best… grocery store cashier.
Is Fantastic Four #20 Good?
Well, Fantastic Four #20 is a time-wasting bit of fluff, but at least it’s an amusing, time-wasting bit of fluff. Ryan North delivers another one-off adventure that finds Ben and Johnny igniting their one-upmanship when they dive into the entry-level job market to help contribute to household expenses, while the FF’s financial assets remain frozen. It’s a living… sorta.
Ben and Johnny decide to help with the household bills while they remain sequestered at Aunt Petunia’s farm in Arizona. A man who can become a living flame and a super-strong rock monster decide to try their hands as security guards at a brewery (it doesn’t go well) before settling into cashier jobs at a grocery store.
Determined to prove who’s best at the job, Ben and Johnny go overboard to win the Cashier of the Month award for the pride of the title and a cash prize. What follows is a sitcom of clashing personalities and work ethics that ends with a stalemate. Eventually, a tabloid reporter’s ad hoc interview with Johnny forces Ben to step up and prove that brotherly love is more important than a certificate and a handful of dollars.
“Wait! That’s it? Where’s the cosmic adventure? Where’s the global threat? Two guys with superpowers couldn’t find a better way to make money?!?” you might ask. In order – yes, there is none, there is none, and apparently not. Yes, the entire setup is a sitcom, but the sum is better than its parts.
What’s great about Fantastic Four #20? If you don’t mind your superhero comic turned into a sitcom about brothers trying to outdo each other at work, you’re in the right place. That said, the strength of this issue is North’s character work, which highlights the grudging respect Ben and Johnny have for each other. They annoy each other, but deep down, they love each other. As a bonus, North continues to give readers a break from the bad science lessons thinly disguised as a story.
What’s not so great about Fantastic Four #20? Remember when the Fantastic Four #20 used to be a superhero comic? No? Me neither? It’s unclear if Ryan North is simply treading water in anticipation of some event in the future or if he’s using the FF as a personal sandbox to publish unused scripts meant for other mediums. Either way, this series is going nowhere.
How’s the art? Carlos Gomez’s bright, playful, emotive style is the bee’s knees. Given the amusement factor of this issue, it would be too much to say Gomez’s art is wasted, but Marvel would do well to put him in higher-profile comics with more import.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces
Fantastic Four #20 is a mildly amusing, one-shot that’s heavy on sitcom antics but devoid of anything remotely approaching a superhero comic. If you’re in the mood for entertaining fluff, Ryan North has you covered, but if you want a Fantastic Four comic that actually has superhero adventures, you may be waiting a while.
6/10