Comics are filled with epic battles, heroes fighting world-threatening foes, and cosmic threats beyond the scope of imagination. With such an epic scope, it’s sometimes nice to look at the rest of the world – the people who live their day-to-day lives, and how they see these heroic characters. That’s where “Marvels Snapshot” comes in, giving us a different perspective on our favorite heroes.
Written by Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer
Illustrated by Benjamin Dewey
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Lettered by VC’s Joe CaramagnaOur tour through Marvel history continues, showcasing Marvel’s greatest characters from the Golden Age to today, all through the eyes of ordinary people! This time, writers Evan Dorkin & Sarah Dyer (Beasts of Burden, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, Superman: The Animated Series) and artist Benjamin Dewey (The Autumnlands, Beasts of Burden) tell the tale of the ten-year high-school reunion of the Fantastic Four’s own Human Torch. His hometown of Glenville, Long Island is going wild, and we see it all through the eyes of the Torch’s ex-girlfriend Dorrie Evans and reporter Marcia Hardesty – the preparations, the Torch’s long history in town, the festivities and more. But there’s a strange distance between Johnny Storm and his old schoolmates, one Dorrie knows all too well and Marcia is determined to get to the bottom of. Featuring ex-villains, strange souvenirs, a weenie roast on the beach and, of course, the hulking Inhuman hound known as Lockjaw! Don’t miss the festivities!
Before anything else, let me just say: wow, look at that cover! I don’t think there’s ever a time when Alex Ross fails to impress, because his artwork is fantastic. It’s as realistic as we’ll ever get to see these characters, but still with a sense of comic book character and personality that photorealism sometimes fails to capture. In this case, his use of fiery colors gives us an idea of what a person made of flame might look like, with flickering shades of red, orange, and yellow streaking across the cover page.
The comic art itself is a vastly different style, but different isn’t bad. Benjamin Dewey and Jordie Bellaire capture a style that is almost a mix of today’s comic art with the style of the 60’s. It works particularly well when we cut to flashbacks, and the art style shifts a little more towards the past with the usage of Ben-Day dots. It’s a stylistic choice that works very nicely.
The linework itself is solid, utilizing thick outlines and thinner detailing to give the characters and objects a sense of presence against each other. This also works well for the character designs, featuring a nice variety of styles, body types, and expressiveness.
Jordie Bellaire’s color work utilizes a lot of earthy tones. It rarely gets particularly bright, which makes the moments that do stand out all the more. The coloration also makes the comic feel more natural, like these are just real people going about their lives instead of the brightly-clad heroes we tend to follow.
In short, the art brings a different kind of realism to the comic than Alex Ross’s cover, but one that works for “Marvels Snapshot” nicely.
Story-wise, writers Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer frame it through an interview about the Human Torch. While the focal character is primarily Dorrie Evans, one of Johnny Storm’s many exes, we get to see a wide range of characters from around his hometown. It gives us a wide range of perspectives, from old friends to former enemies, so we can see the impact Johnny (and the rest of the Fantastic Four to a lesser extent) had on their lives.
A particularly standout moment is the interview with the former Asbestos Man. It gives us insight into a fair amount of things – what drove characters like him to villainy, but also the regrets he holds now. It brings a level of humanization to characters who were once somewhat less fleshed-out.
Likewise, when we get to hear about Dorrie’s own experiences, it reminds us of what the superhero life is like for those on the outside. She reflects on the danger, the sense of anxiety, and some of the trauma that comes with being a superhero’s girlfriend. We’ve seen similar things in other comics, like Mary Jane joining a support group for people who are close to heroes, but it really hits home when we learn about the nightmares it gave her.
Continued belowIt actually takes a while for Johnny to actually show up in his own comic, but that’s to its benefit. It gives us time to get to know these people and explore the town, learning his effect on it before he takes the spotlight. The pacing shifts significantly once he arrives, as the comic panels grow more crowded with characters and voices, letting readers feel the change in atmosphere that his presence brings with it. After spending the better half of the comic reading about how people feel about the Human Torch, we can see how he acts around them.
I’m not going to spoil the ending, but it sets us up for a twist near the end. What it delivers is a pleasant surprise and a good, humanizing and heartfelt moment for all characters involved. It adds a new layer to the Human Torch that we don’t often get to see in his daily life as part of the Fantastic Four.
All in all, “Fantastic Four: Marvels Snapshot” ends up being a very enjoyable look at the character of Johnny Storm and his effect on the world around him. It’s an enjoyable one-shot that serves as a good spotlight on or introduction to the character, and is generally a relaxing and well-written comic.
Final Verdict: 8.1 – The “Marvels Snapshot” series continues to remind us of why we love these characters and what they mean, all through the lens of normal people in the Marvel universe. That, backed up with clean artwork and color work, is a formula that makes for a very enjoyable comic.
