Fantastic Four, Vol. 4: Thing vs. Immortal Hulk

Fantastic Four (2018)

by Dan Slott, Gerry Duggan, Mike Carey

One of the biggest FF secrets of all time is finally revealed — and the fallout will be huge! First, newlyweds Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters are off on their dream honeymoon at last! It’s a remote tropical paradise — until someone decides to crash it. Or should we say - smash it?! It’s ever-lovin’ against ever-livin’ as the Thing battles the Immortal Hulk! Then, one of Reed Richards’ biggest regrets leads to a voyage to the one place in the universe the Fantastic Four have never been. But awaiting them there are the heroic Unparalleled — whose destiny is to repel the fearsome FF! Who is the winged warrior named Sky? What is her shocking connection to the Human Torch’s origin? And how will she change his life forever? Punches will be thrown and lives will be altered!

COLLECTING: Fantastic Four (2018) #12-13, Fantastic Four: 4 Yancy Street (2019) #1, Fantastic Four: Negative Zone (2019) #1.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

120 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2020

About the author

Dan Slott is an American comic book writer, the current writer on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, and is best known for his work on books such as Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, She-Hulk, Silver Surfer, The Superior Spider-Man, and Ren & Stimpy.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a weird volume, as the main story Thing vs Immortal Hulk (which is OK) is shorter that the two one-shots (both also OK) packaged in this volume, so essentially as far as Dan Slott's Fantastic Four goes, Marvel is asking people to splash out on the cost of a volume for 2 comic book issues!..and bear in mind these volumes cost more than a paperback book! The comic book world needs to sort out its packaging and pricing! 6 out of 12 for the volume. Also do we really need another Thing vs Hulk story?

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's talk about the elephant in the room. These collections are put together awfully. There's only 2 issues of the regular book plus 2 one-shots. Fantastic Four feels like it's going nowhere due to the inclusion of all these one-shots. Four volumes and only 13 issues so far.

That being said I loved the 2 issues included. The Thing and Alicia go on their Honeymoon when things immediately go wrong. Ben Grimm is definitely the member of the FF Slott writes best. The Gerry Duggan penned 4 Yancy Street is a heartwarming story continuing The Thing's war with the Yancy Street Gang that's been going on for years. They always manage to one up him even as he looks out for them. Negative Zone isn't as good. The main story by Mike Carey is decent but the Ryan North story about the Fantastix is terrible.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume collects two issues of the main Fantastic Four title, in which we get to see the Hulk gatecrash Ben and Alicia's honeymoon, and the '4 Yancy Street' and 'Negative Zone' one-shots.

Despite this, this volume doesn't come across as patchy at all. The honeymoon two-parter is the Thing at his best, as is the '4 Yancy Street' one-shot, which is essentially a Ben Grimm solo story, and the 'Negative Zone' one-shot is also pretty good.

Overall, this is a nice little collection that would enhance any FF fan's bookshelf.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually pretty fun and short compared to the last volume ad we see Thing vs Hulk while he is on honeymoon with his lady love Alicia and turns out it's Puppet Master and it's fun and then two solid stories set in Yancy street which was my favorite one and really made me love Ben, it's very contained let's say but so good and then the one with Reed going to Negative zone with the FF and something to do with bacteria and all and it does pose some interesting questions there. I really liked that one and it makes you think of the illness and how they could be the cute for other illness maybe. Some deep stories here towards the end which make it so worth it and then a final story with the Fantastix (from 1st volume) which is not bad but good filler!

So yeah overall a volume with solid stories and philosophical moments in them which makes you appreciate these characters so much more!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. Got better by the end. The first book,issue #10 was a War of the Realms tie in. Pretty useless. Didn’t really add anything. Issue #11 started off feeling like a filler issue but got slightly interesting by the end. The high light was issue 12 and 13. The Hulk battle was really well done. The way it played out and the cameo all really worked well. The what Hulk did in the epilogue was brutal.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 2 parter with Thing and the Hulk was pretty good. I can barely remember the rest of the volume if I’m honest

Expected more from Dan Slotts FF...

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok.

Story was mediocre at best, and the fight between the thing and the hulk would be better if there wasn't any dialogue that looked like it was written by a 5 year old.

All the bantering and all the chit chat between Ben and the Puppet Master was awful.

Artwork was amazing!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope this isn't pointing to some pattern of Fantastic Four trades, with every other book being 2 issues long and padded out with unnecessary stuff, because that's going to annoy me. But I digress.

This volume collects issues 12-13 of Fantastic Four, which have Ben and Alicia go on their honeymoon only to have the Puppet Master send the Immortal Hulk after them. It's always been clear that Thing can't defeat the Hulk in a proper fight, but the heart and soul that writer Dan Slott pours into these two issues make that ultimate conclusion almost unimportant since the journey that gets us there is so well executed. These two issues are also wonderfully pencilled by Sean Izaakse whose smooth artwork is one of my favourite styles at Marvel right now.

Then there's two one-shots by other writers and artists that explore the Fantastic Four concept, with 4 Yancy Street looking at the impact the F4 are having on their new neighbourhood, and Negative Zone featuring the Negative Zone. It's not complicated. These are fine, but they're definitely not the point of the volume, and are literally included as padding and so the next volume isn't 8 issues long. Sigh.

The first two issues of this volume are some of the best of Slott's run since the initial arc, but they're dragged down by two one-shots that have nothing to do with anything really. Disappointing, but the strength of those first two issues keeps the volume out of the muck almost entirely.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent side-stories, no obvious tie to a greater storyline (though with decompressed comics sometimes the plot threads are almost invisible in the middle parts).

Ben & Alicia’s honeymoon? Weird loose tie-in to Immortal Hulk, but fun enough.

The Yancy Street story? Duggan has a damned good handle on one-and-done it seems.

The N-zone story was the heaviest - consequences of the indifference of the scientific method, always a banger. Funny, my memories of Carey’s writing set a much lower bar for enjoyment than this story gave me. I’ll be damned. And it never hurts to show when Sue is really the most amazing of the FF.

And Ryan North’s little redemption story for the Fantastix? Well that’s the first time I cried this Sunday morning. And maybe it’ll keep happening but North just landed today’s No-Prize. Huzzah!

[Sans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Filler. Meh.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The three stories in this fourth volume are either punch-fests or goofy trifles. Or both. The art's generally good and The Thing's the star of show, so if he's your favorite Marvel character, Thing vs. Immortal Hulk is probably worth picking up. Otherwise: to be avoided.

Among other things, why write a Fantastic Four series that rarely features all four characters on an adventure? Why have four volumes with zero throughlines? Why have The Thing fight The Immortal Hulk other than because two big monsters hitting each worked for Godzilla? I'm exiting this series.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slot Fantastic Four is exceedingly mediocre. And the stakes are low. Everything resolves nice and neat at the end of each story-arc with a little bow on top.

[Peter Zackowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely understand if this book is not for you. I myself love this fantastic four run. The way Dan Slott writes Ben Grimm resonates with me on a visceral level. The idea i would lay it all on the table for my family.
The Hulk vs The Thing battle is just wonderful. They say everyone loves an underdog and this is a perfect case in point scenario.
I will say if you were not onboard for the Grimm marriage than this is not your book. I felt that the Alicia & Ben marriage felt like it will be something that never will be retcon'd. And i loved that they tied the knot. So this story is all the more emotional for me.
  If you have been reading this run, it is a great book. If you opted out prior to this i doubt you will like it.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two issues of the main series, two one shots, which would be irksome if the one shots weren’t more entertaining than the main story. Slott’s take on the team has settled down and he writes a nice cosy FF - but the actual stories they get caught up in just aren’t very interesting or new. Yes, the FF is about family, but they’re also about wild concepts and discoveries, and there’s not a lot of mystery or excitement in this series so far.

[AJ Kallas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole series has been a string of hits and misses. But it's so fun to see Marvel's First Family be a family. The 2 Honeymoon issues are very fun. And while Point of Origin wasn't something I was super on board for initially, I'm very excited to see where Slott takes it.

[Pochodnia fandomu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okazało się, że sam Marvel nie wie, jakie w tym tomie są zeszyty, więc ja też dopiero oceniam na podstawie ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Chciałabym dać trzy gwiazdki za one shot w tym tomie zawarty, który był okej, ale cała reszta ciągnie w dół jednak

[Lucas Savio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um volume com 2 edições de pancadaria, uma mais bacana com um cunho social que da uma salvada no encadernado e uma da zona negativa que fiquei meio boiando na real, uma edição rápida com desenhos bonitos

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun volume.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não sei vocês, mas esta fase do Quarteto Fantástico por Dan Slott tem me empolgado muito pouco. Dan Slott é um escritor que consegue desenvolver sagas bem arranjadas e personagens com carisma. Isso aconteceu na sua fase no Homem-Aranha, no Homem de Ferro e nos diversos Vingadores que ele escreveu. Mas aqui, no Qaurteto Fantástico, parece que a coisa não engrena de jeito nenhum. Prova disso é que já estamos no quarto volume de sua fase na primeira família da Marvel e parece qua inda não saímos do chão com o Quarteto Fantástico. Além disso esses encadernados vieram cheios de especiais e edições com mais páginas para poder compensar o atraso que o escritor tem ofertado para o título. Neste aqui, que apresenta uma luta bem capenga entre o imortal Hulk e o Coisa, temos dois especiais: Rua Yancy, que traz a relação de Ben Grimm com a rua que agora é o endereço oficial do Quarteto Fantástico e Zona Negativa, que traz duas histórias: uma sobre um aparato de Reed Richards perdido naquela região e outra sobre a equipe rival do Quarteto criada por Slott, o Fantastix. Rua Yancy é divertido, uma história morna e Zona Negativa não faz diferença nenhuma. O Quarteto Fantástico já viu dias melhores, tenho dito!

[RG · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesnt even compare to JHs run

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Still waiting for Dan Slott to show us he's worthy of taking on the Fantastic Four. This volume is not evidence of that...

[Filip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh no, it's the Thing versus Man-who-enjoys-pottery-and-murder-and-has-daughter-issues AND the Immortal Hulk, (whichever Hulk that is)?!

We're all doomed!

Nice punchy fight,tho, for ol' Blue-Eyes.

Is it just me, or is Dan Slott taking a while to work his Slott magic? Mayhap 'tis Sloth magic, ha-ha!

[Marco · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, so bad. This relaunch gets worse with every volume.
I gave up on Slott's Iron Man after the first story arc, I don't know why I waited this long to get off this one too. Let's hope that this travesty will be over soon because Marvel's First Family deserves a better writer than this one.

[Bekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, really enjoyed this one, especially the one shots at the end!

[Trike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically 4 standalone stories, two of which are fine, one is so-so and one is pretty lame.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the GR description of this isn't quite right. Half of it is, and half is the next volume I believe.

There's the obligatory 2-parter with the Immortal Hulk. I seem to recall Hulk was everywhere during this time, so I wonder if this was a required editorial story. Either way, Slott was able to turn it into a fun and meaningful story for Ben and Alicia. He showed that these two are all heart and will be with each other through thick and thin. There's just a hint of trouble to come for them.

Another single issue, which is mostly fluff, also hints at impending (ahem) Doom. It feels like filler and is drawn by some other artist(s). It throws in some rare villains and references early FF but doesn't leave much of an impact and is largely forgettable.

The last issue has an excellent premise and would have liked at least one more issue to delve into the "scientific responsibility" aspect of it, but it's a one-off. The art is good, but it's wrapped up very quickly. A missed opportunity.

Not sure if this is a backup or separate issue but Slott drops in on the Fantastix, showing how they have settled into their new roles with just a little bit of self-doubt and trepidation. I don't find them to be terribly interesting and would be happy if they were never brought up again.

So far, Slott's run has been erratic. Spending many issues bringing the team back together, interrupted by crossovers, hindered by constantly changing artists. The occasional fun story and character moments but also bogged down by fodder.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

"You?! What do YOU want?!"

"Fight me Thing!"

"Is that--? It sounded like......The Hulk."

"Get behind me, Baby. I don't know what your beef is, Banner...But NOT here, okay?"

"You. Me. NOW!"

from "The Honeymoon Crasher"

The Hulk is going to smash and The Thing is going to clobber--comic aficionados know what they're getting when they pick up a TPB named Thing Vs. Immortal Hulk. We throw in Ben's new wife, a tropical honeymoon setting, the sudden arrival of The Hulk controlled by Ben's new wife's bitter step-father super villain--and it's typical fare. Nothing earth-shattering or revelatory.

Tacked on are some throw-away Fantastic Four stories which only show how creaky and time-worn the FF-Story Formula is. It's no longer fresh, no longer dazzling. Written like this, these comic characters are banal at best.

The best thing was this is a library copy I can return. I'm sure 12-year old me is waiting with bated breath for its return to see who wins.

[Alex Sarll]

Not for the first time, a collection of Slott's FF run only includes a couple of issues by him, the rest of it being padded out with back-ups and one-shots. It's not even that they're bad, per se: I always enjoy Ryan North's work; Mike Carey can still do serviceable stuff even when he's as clearly on autopilot as he is here; and for all that I don't understand why Gerry Duggan gets treated as any kind of big deal, the story of gentrification and legacy that he contributes here is pretty good. But those should feel like extras, not be half the book. The main story sees Ben and Alicia's honeymoon interrupted by, well, it's right there in the title. Although until a wonderfully nasty little coda, he doesn't feel exactly in keeping with his own book, and I mean more so than the plot explains. Still, considered as a Thing and Alicia character piece, it's lovely, if slight.

[Sem · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have two issues left to read in this volume but to hell with that. Dan Slott comes in and not only wastes pretty great art (Paco Medina's glossy cartoon-like style is perfect for the FF) but the characters themselves. He doesn't squander potential as much as he just has no potential. It's a snore-inducing, mean book that doesn't love its characters. And, in turn, I'm not sure who could love this abomination.

[Anja von "books and phobia" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Fantastic Four und ihre Erlebnisse begeistern mich immer mehr. Auch wenn ich früher nur die Filme sah, muss ich einfach sagen, dass mich die Comics weit aus mehr fesseln. Kein Wunder, denn hier hat man noch die pure Superhelden-Kraft in Verbindung mit den alten Werten, auf die sie aufgebaut wurden. Von daher kann man sich vorstellen, wie sehr ich mich auf den Kampf zwischen Hulk und dem Ding gefreut hatte.


Mein Abenteuer begann wie immer mit dem Vorwort, welches ich wirklich in jedem Comic zuerst lese. Der Grund ist ganz simpel, hier gibt es meist Informationen zur Geschichte einzelner Reihen und die sind für Neueinsteiger, wie ich, unglaublich spannend. Diesmal wurde man z.B. darüber aufgeklärt was es überhaupt mit dem Kampf von dem Ding und Hulk auf sich hatte. Ich sage es mal so, das war nicht ihr einziger Kampf.



In der Handlung angekommen, fand ich mich schnell zurecht, da sie den vorherigen Band fortsetzte. Wie auch bei den Vorgängern war dabei das Heft in mehrere Storys unterteilt, diesmal waren es 4, von denen die ersten Beiden zusammenhängend waren und die anderen beiden lose Geschichten in der Welt der Fantastic Four erzählten. Somit hatte man genug Auswahl.


Die ersten beiden Handlungen drehten sich schließlich um den Kampf zwischen Hulk und dem Ding. Was vielleicht von außen wie ein Wettstreit der Kräfte aussehen dürfte, entpuppte sich als weit aus mehr. Denn sowohl auf der Seite von Ben Grimm gab es Überraschungen, als auch auf der von Hulk. Hier staunte ich nicht schlecht, denn ich lernte so manche neue Figur nennen. Die anderen beiden Storys hatten es trotz der hervorragenden Ersthandlung in sich, da sie sich nicht nur moralischen und sozialen Themen widmeten, sondern auch wieder eine unglaubliche Reise in ferne Dimensionen machten.



Unterstrichen wurde das Ganze nur noch von kurzen Comic-Strips, welche kurze Geschichten erzählten, aber dabei ihren ganz eigenen Zeichenstil hatten. Der Zeichenstil der Haupthandlungen änderte sich zu den Vorgängern allerdings nicht. Doch aus meiner Sicht gibt es da auch nicht wirklich viel zu verbessern. Ich war also rundum glücklich.


Wer den ultimativen Boss-Fight zwischen Hulk und dem Ding ersucht, der ist in diesem Band leider nicht richtig. Tatsächlich möchte der Band eher darüber aufklären, das es zwischen den beiden Superhelden schon öfter zu Auseinandersetzungen kam. Wer dann trotzdem einen „der vielen“ Kämpfe erleben möchte und anschließend noch ein wenig der Welt der Fantastic Four verbleiben will, hat hier zum richtigen Comic gegriffen. Es lohnt sich dabei allerdings die Vorgänger zu kennen.