The Impossible Man!
Man oh man, talk about drama! Well, despite the fact that I wasn't able to read the letters pages from the previous couple of issues, it's well known that Sue didn't initially go down with a select group of readers. It's something of a sidenote here in part 1's A Day With The Fantastic Four segment, but damn it's funny, and pretty innovative for a comic book of its kind. Also strong during this part is Sue and Reed's romance which is hinted at again, plus nice touches again with Ben and Johnny which are more than welcome and develop this bond even further amongst some nice nods to continuity. What doesn't quite pay off however is the very rushed and predictable backstories of Grimm and Richards meeting in college then fighting in the war. It's fine, but fails to add much to either of the two's characters.
And then... what? Hobo Jungles. And aliens from the planet Poppup! Boom. Actually, it sounds ridiculous, and for all intents and purposes it is, but Lee and Kirby know it and they run with it to the point that it comes off as a zany hoot contrasting part 1 nicely. That and the fact that, although this alien fella is obnoxious and downright irritating, his "power" of instant evolution is fascinating and not quite as trite as most villains of this age come off as. In the end, as Reed proudly deduces, it's boredom which defeats the Poppup alien who just wanted a fun holiday on Earth, but yeah; he sure gave me a laugh or two. A fun segment for sure.
Overall a fun issue that carries on the fourth wall breaking that we seen last month. The only major problem I have with it actually is that final panel which says everything goes back to normal again next month when the FF meet theHulk. Honestly, I just can't see that doing any better than what I just read. Just sayin'.
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