This week on Off the Cape, I have a book that pretty much perfectly fits what I’m looking to do with this column: provide recommendations of comics that aren’t superhero comics to people who typically read superhero comics. Why is that? This week I have a Fantastic Four comic from Marvel that isn’t at all like the Fantastic Four you normally think of. It’s an alleged account of the foursome that inspired Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to create these challengers of the unknown, as put together by writer James Sturm with art from Guy Davis, R. Sikoryak, Sturm himself and Craig Thompson.
For those that aren’t familiar with non-superhero works, that’s a hell of a lineup of creators for one project, and what they put together with this collection of the 2003 limited series is a very unique and challenging entry into the long history of the Fantastic Four.
Check out my thoughts after the jump.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four, as all of our readers likely know, is comprised of scientist Reed Richards, his girlfriend (and eventual wife) Sue Storm, her brother Johnny Storm, and Reed’s best friend/pilot Ben Grimm. They become “fantastic” after they all go up to space and are hit with “cosmic rays.”
But James Sturm takes us in a different direction. It seems when the book was originally launched, it was said that the FF was based off of real people. Sturm gives us a comprehensive imagining of these people, giving us Reed Richards the detached and cold tenured professor/scientist at Columbia University; Sue Sturm, the put upon girlfriend who cares for her young brother; Johnny Sturm, a rebellious youth who loves comics (especially “Vapor Girl” as illustrated by Sikoryak – and inspired by his sister) and hates the town he lives in; and Reed’s best friend Ben Grimm who is just a good guy looking for love (occasionally in the wrong places).
Instead of giving us the fantastic though, Sturm immerses these characters in the mundane nature of the 1950’s. Richards is pursuing his passion project of the very same unstable molecules he develops in the comics but is often pulled into Cold War driven projects; Sue is truly invisible, often being forgotten or trivialized by misogyny while having to deal with the vicious housewives who tout the horrors of “Peyton Place”; Johnny hides from bullies in the pulpy worlds of comics and even comes into contact with a particularly inspiring set of beatniks; and Ben is reeled into the pains of everyone else just because of his good-nature and passion for life. While a lot of the tension stems from tropes that are fairly standard in 50’s based dramas (i.e. Mad Men), just like the best from those worlds it is so well handled by Sturm and his compatriots that the book is a very tragic and intense look into the era.
I loved the way Sturm splits the chapters, with the first issue going to Reed, the second to Sue, the third to Johnny (but from the perspective of Johnny’s best friend), and the fourth to Ben. Getting the point-of-view of all four characters develops the sadness and distance between the foursome throughout, as the feeling of isolation permeates these pages. These characters are tragic, and when thought of in relation to the actual comics seem all the more so. The juxtaposition of the mundane reality vs. the fantastic fiction is jarring, and makes it all the more interesting when thought of in context of the history behind this book.
Bonus points to Sturm as well for working Stan and Jack (and friends) into the series, as they appear at the party Sue throws for Columbia University faculty.
I’ve already mentioned Sikoryak’s high-quality contribution, as his small offering in the Vapor Girl pages is superb. Guy Davis provides the bulk of the art though and is a perfect fit. I love the guy for his work on BPRD specifically for his storytelling ability and his imagination, but his art fits perfectly for this because his sketchy, loose style highlights the imperfections these truly human characters have. It’s an inspired choice to pair with Sturm, and I’d love to see more from the duo.
On top of that, Craig Thompson of Blankets fame provides the covers to the series. This isn’t something that dramatically affected me because I bought it into trade, but that in itself is an excellent addition to the package.
Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules is completely unlike every other FF story ever told, yet in a lot of ways it gives readers a lot of insight into the time the legendary series was created and the atmosphere that it came from. It is also a very touching character study, and one that is brilliant in its looks into the imperfection of humanity and the fierce coldness of intelligence. While it isn’t a perfect book, it is a very worthwhile read by fans of the FF.
