I had dropped this book, but with the strong outing that #7 put out, I gave it another shot, and am VERY happy that I did. I don’t know if it is just in relation to the overly average issues of F4 we have been getting, but this issue felt like gold in my hands.

This is a Ben Grimm story through and through, and had little to do with space, and more to do with time. He decides to spend his day away from his rocky skin in a 1930’s rain soaked Yancy Street visiting family and with a brutal agenda. The story was excellent! The comic books from the newstand added a nice touch (it was a F4 #1 cover spoof), the interactions seemed realistic, the dialogue read smoothly, and I liked the realistic touch that he came to do one thing, but ended up doing another. Ben Grimm’s characterization was very good in my novice F4 opinion. This story also set the stage for a very interesting Doom story that I think might tie in with what’s been happening in FF. This may be my POTW. Everything came together so well.

Thus far, Bagley and space have not mixed well for my taste, and that’s a problem when you’re reading a comic about space adventures. Now, Bagley drawing 1930’s New York is a whole other story! The story flowed flawlessly from one panel to the next, the characters were well-proportioned and had great acting. This was the best drawn book of the series. The rain was good, the mood and colors were perfect. I just couldn’t bring myself to give it a 5, so please read the 4 as a 4.4.

I’m very happy I picked this up. It has been the most enjoyable issue of the series. Story and art worked together to provide a realistic trip back to the early days of the Yancy Street Gang. The space family dynamic was there and kept the plot moving forward and the tone of the story intact, but Ben Grimm stole the show (and in his own way kept the family dynamic I think) with a look into his past. I was very surprised and will be picking up #9 now. Hope it keeps up.