The first issue of this miniseries is great for me, personally, because after a very quick recap of the origin of the Fantastic Four and a hilarious take-down of Red Ghost, creators Evan Dorkin and Dean Haspiel focus on the weaknesses of the trench coat disguise. First, people see through it even when it’s fully in place. But then the wind comes.
And then he steps on his shades.
And THEN, a few pages later, the whole thing literally goes to pieces when the Yancy Street Gang attacks.
From there, the series is not as good. Thing ends up meeting a woman who has a crush on him and her female companionship helps him overcome some of his self-esteem stuff. Problem is, he’s also still in a relationship with Alicia. The “new girl” is (I think) supposed to introduce tension into that relationship, but it’s never really tied together well and instead it just weaves through a three-issue conflict with the Frightful Four and then fizzles out.
Still, the art is very different and fun to look at and Dworkin’s a solid humor writer so there are several cute/funny scenes. Overall, this is just an “okay” comic—nothing to avoid, nothing to run to.