It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Fantastic Four. For all intents and purposes, they were my first comic and there is no book I’ve collected so intensely of followed as closely so I was excited to see annuals return to the book, especially with the original numbering intact. I’ve always been a fan of the idea of annuals, as they can offer some fun stories that aren’t hampered by the current story of the main book. My excitement was a little drained by the announcement that the issue was being handled by Joe Ahearne, writer of the lackluster Fantastic Force spinoff off Mark Millar’s run on Fantastic Four, Bryan Hitch, who just isn’t quite as good as he once was. It didn’t help that the plot, one about Johnny Storm impregnating a woman he doesn’t remember, seemed like it was only going to play to the careless side of The Human Torch so many writers only write him, a plot point I really hate. So imagine my surprise when I actually kind of enjoyed the book.
Joe Ahearne has a much better grasp of this family than I thought he did. His Fantastic Four was written just as they should be, aside from how Johnny reacts when he finds out the news about the pregnancy; here he reverts to his party boy self. Some of the other characters sound off and Reed doesn’t seem quite as smart as he should, but there actually is an in-story reason for this that makes sense given partway into the book. I was also presently surprised by the reveal of the villain who, while underwhelming in their own right and with a completely silly plan, sort of brings back one of the FF’s villain that hasn’t been seen in quite some time. There are even some good throwback lines to that villain’s seminal story. The plot ultimately allows Johnny some time to shine as an actual hero, something I was VERY pleased to see. It ends of something of a cliffhanger, that could possibly be picked up in an interesting way sometime in the future, but will likely be forgotten, but that might be for the best.
As for the art, Hitch is definitely better here than he has been in a while, with the possible exception of New Avengers Finale. It is a step up from Captain America Reborn and definitely better than his work on Fantastic Four himself. It’s far less scratchy and I really enjoyed his portrayal of the inside of Johnny Storm. He still has some sloppy panels and his brief depiction of Franklin was truly odd looking, but his art in no way detracted from the book. I especially enjoyed Hitch’s portrayal of Reed when he was stretching. I actually enjoyed his work again, something I was pleasantly surprised to say.
Fantastic Four Annual #32 definitely feels like a lost issue of Mark Millar’s run, but this isn’t actually a bad thing. Ahearne seems to get these characters better than Millar did and is able to craft a fun annual out of them and give every character their own chance shine and has some nice dialogue and cool imagery. If you like the Fantastic Four, especially Johnny Storm, then you should check this book out. It’s all about the FF with almost no supporting cast and is a nice, fun read. If you don’t have 5 dollars to spare, you won’t be missing anything huge, but if you have the money and want a good time, check it out.
Overall: 7.5/10
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