Marvel Monsters: Fin Fang Four #1

Writer: Scott Gray
Artist: Roger Langridge
Colors: J. Brown
Letters: Dave Lanphear

After being imprisoned for years on Monster Island Fin Fang Foom, Elektro, Gorgilla, and Googam, Son of Goom, agree to take part in a rehabilitation program created by Reed Richards. The four monsters are shrunk down to human size, stripped of their powers and given jobs in the Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic Four. The monsters try to make the most of their situation, except Googam whose desperate plan to rescue his father from another dimension goes horribly awry. Instead of freeing his father, Googam unwittingly unleashes another Marvel Monster called Tim Boo Ba who intends to take over the world. Fearing that Richards will send them back to Monster Island, Fin Fang Foom assembles the other monsters and sets out to stop Tim Boo Ba.

I wasn’t that impressed with the first Marvel Monsters one shot and I didn’t think I’d really like any of the others. Fin Fang Four has proven me wrong. This book is a blast. It’s like a really, really good sitcom featuring four former world conquering monsters trying to make it as real people. It’s hilarious, touching (Elektro’s crush on Roberta, the FF’s robot secretary), exciting and features great art to boot. Roger Langridge can draw the heck outta some monsters. I almost wish this book were the first issue in an ongoing series. I would definitely pick it up month to month.

This issue also reprints the first appearance of Fin Fang Foom in Strange Tales #89 by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.

Special thanks go out to Jeremy Shorr, owner of Titan Comics for allowing us to use his advance preview books for review purposes.

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