The Fantastic Four comics are about four superheroes who got their superhero powers from a space mission.
Reed Richards is a scientist who was researching cosmic rays in space. Reed wanted to go to space and he needed an astronaut to fly the spaceship so he asked one of his friends, Ben Grimm to help him. Sue Storm, one of Reed’s scientist friends and former girlfriend, agreed to go too. She asked Johnny Storm, her brother to go too and they all boarded the spaceship and headed off to space.
Reed Richards started his research once in space, and Ben Grimm got in his space suit and left the space ship to collect particles. Suddenly, the cosmic rays caused an explosion and everyone helped pull Ben back into the spaceship so they could head away. They managed to get Ben back into the spaceship, but the effects of the explosion still reached them and changed them all in different ways.
Reed Richard gained the power to move his body like a rubber band, so he uses the name Mr. Fantastic and he was appointed the leader of the group.
Sue Storm acquired the power to make herself disappear, then reappear. She also has the ability to make a force field around herself, her team, and civilians to protect them. She calls herself The Invisible Women but using force fields for a very long time causes her to become weak.
Johnny Storm’s new power makes his body turn into flames, so he calls himself The Human Torch and turn himself into flames by yelling out "flame on".
Ben Grimm turned into a walking pebble like creature called The Thing, and he stays this way all the time. He is known for his catch phase "it’s clobbering time" which he says when he gets ready to punch an enemy.
The team of superhero heroes do not get along all the time. For example, Johnny Storm likes to make fun of The Thing and plays jokes on him. The Thing does not like this, so he destroys Johnny's car, which in turn, makes Johnny turn into The Torch and throw a fireball at The Thing's head. Since he is made of pebbles it rarely affects him which makes the two of them fight all the more. As a result, Sue Storm has to put a force field between them in an attempt to stop them. Reed Richard does is part by tying himself around The Thing's arm to restrain him from throwing punches.
What also makes this comic different from others is that these superheroes are always superheroes. Unlike Spiderman, who hides the fact that he is Peter Parker, the Fantastic Four do not have another identity to hide behind when they want a rest. This comic contains great adventure stories and you should check it out.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Toys
