Chip Zdarsky kicks off Marvel Two-In-One #8 by giving Ben Grimm almost everything he’s ever wanted, except Ben, is on an alternative universe lead by an evil Spider-Man. Are Ben and Johnny stuck there forever? The “THING” is, that’s not even the most significant questions of the issue. Let’s jump in and see!
WRITTEN BY: Chip Zdarsky
ART BY: Ramon K. Perez
COLORS: Federico Blee
LETTERS: Joe Caramagna
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #8 SPOILERS TOO!
Summary
Ben and Johnny have been trapped in this universe for a long time now. How long? Long enough that both of their powers are gone entirely. So, these two knuckleheads set up jobs, a house, and a life while they wait for Amadeus Cho to send out their message for help across the Multiverse.
Ben finally comes clean and tells Johnny that he lied about Reed and Sue being alive. So, the two of them duke it out. While fighting, they accidentally burn down their house and are left with nothing; sounds fun, right.
However, the issue ends with “a” Fantastic Four showing up to help Ben and Johnny. It turns out; this Fantastic Four is run by the Mad Thinker!
The Goods
Ben needed to tell Johnny the truth. It’s great for readers to see Ben come clean, especially since it’s been a theme since issue one. Zdarsky also does a great job of showing readers the love Ben has for Johnny. Ben indeed sees Johnny as a brother. I also left the issue interested in the Mad Thinker’s Fantastic Four. But that’s it; I was very underwhelmed with the issue.
The Art was meh
Perez’ heavy, dark, and thick outlines of characters makes the pages seem rushed and lacking detail. He overuses shadows and cuts panels frequently so that we can’t see characters full faces or simply their faces at all. Why? Is it a style choice that I don’t understand? Sometimes, the shadows are so dark readers can’t tell if characters have mustaches or if it’s their mouth.
When I read a comic, I want to know which character is talking. I want to see his or her face. The faces seemed misproportioned and didn’t resemble the characters very well. Heck, on page 3, one of the panels is all orange.
Should you buy this issue?
This hurts me to say it, but no. The series began with so much promise. However, the past two issues have been let downs. Zdarsky‘s story is fine but it’s lacking the crazy, out of this world storytelling the first six issues had that drew readers in, as well as the fantastic art! For Pete’s Peppers, we had Doom Galactus!
Ultimately, it was boring. Johnny finds out Reed and Sue are dead and they don’t have their powers anymore. I summarized it for you. Plus, Perez’ art lacks detail, Blee’s colors are drab, and nothing pops off the page. Perez draws with thick, huge outlines and I couldn’t tell who was Ben and who was Johnny half the time.
Should you add this to your pull list?
Again, I want to say yes but I can’t. I read this to get my Fantastic Four fix. But, this issue didn’t even give readers that! They weren’t in it at all. And, if readers are looking at these last two issues as a snapshot of the direction of this book, Zdarsky just seems done. The art has gradually become worse, and I genuinely don’t know if this series will end or if it will just go away when the Fantastic Four come back. This is just so disappointing for a book that has been so amazing in the past.
What did you guys think of MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #8? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @dispatchdcu
