Fantastic Four #20: Paper or Plastic?

“Everyone should work retail at least once,” goes the adage. And that applies even to members of Marvel’s first family. Johnny and Ben try their hand at just that in Fantastic Four #20.

Johnny and Ben want to make some extra money while the team is staying at Aunt Petunia’s, so in Fantastic Four #20 they go out and get jobs. Their first gainful employment is as security at a brewery. It ends badly when Johnny sets the brewery aflame while joking around. After losing that job, they both interview at Foodtopia (without knowing). When both of them get hired, the most intense competition for Cashier of the Month begins.

Fantastic Four #20 borders on sitcom territory. It’s not quite the odd couple, but it is a recognizable idea in that there are two characters who are competitive and “don’t like each other” but actually like each other very much. The comedy, of course, builds out of that. In a plot sense, this might be the least complicated issue in the series’ current run. There are no science dilemmas or villains to deal with.

This issue’s reception hinges on how invested readers are in the characters on their own as opposed to whatever complicated plot they’re inserted in. North’s greatest success in his Fantastic Four run is developing Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben as both a team and a family. The Johnny/Ben interaction here works because of the work North has put into the latter. There is no actual animosity here (which is another reason the comedy works). Rather it’s reminiscent of the complicated relationship often seen with siblings.

Johnny’s treatment in the issue’s second half hits a genuine sad note. Once again, this is a testament to how well North handles these characters. A moment that could be played for laughs by leaning into Johnny as a goofy character goes for the heart strings and is very effective. North balances Johnny’s fun and sometimes unserious exterior with an honest and emotional core.

Gómez’s Johnny Storm is consistently expressive, sometimes to an over-the-top level. But that depiction perfectly matches North’s writing. His mood is often leaning toward the extremes–not in a bad way but in an energetic one. So even in the opening pages of Fantastic Four #20, when Johnny is bored at his security job, his boredom is not subtle.

This overly expressive depiction works wonders late in the book when Johnny hits that aforementioned sad moment. The character stands with his arms at his side, looking down. He is closed in and miles away from the Johnny presented so far. It’s a crushing visual.

Johnny’s flame remains consistently bright throughout the series. It’s a quality that immediately adds energy to every page it’s on regardless of the issue’s events. The choice to keep Johnny and Ben in vibrant yet opposite colors when they are not at work is a nice visual reinforcement of their competitiveness. At work they wear identical uniforms. But in the interview and at home Johnny is in bright orange while Ben is in blue.

Caramagna’s work is solid in the issue. The repeatedly referred to sad moment featuring Johnny sees him saying, “It’s not like that,” in a small bubble with tiny font. Set against a full page spread, it makes the character feel very small in the moment. There are also a number of fun sound effects in the issue which isn’t typical for the series. The best is a flaming BORED above Johnny’s head as he is laying it on a desk.