During an investigative-research space flight, four stalwart explorers are accidentally exposed to cosmic radiation. But though it looks deadly, they’re actually blessed with superpowers that help them defend the world.
During an investigative-research space flight, four stalwart explorers are accidentally exposed to cosmic radiation. But though it looks deadly, they’re actually blessed with superpowers that help them defend the world.
It was supposed to be a special exploratory space mission—and a dangerous one at that. But with seasoned astronaut Ben Grimm at the controls, his passengers needn’t have worried. It would be as simple as a Sunday stroll … until it wasn’t.
The brilliant scientist Dr. Reed Richards and his crewmates—his fiancée, Sue Storm; and her brother Johnny—were exposed, along with Ben, to strange cosmic radiation. The world saw it as a devastating and deadly accident.
However, when the crew found their way back to Earth, they realized that they had gained amazing powers: Reed’s body became elastic. He could stretch like rubber. Ben gained immense strength, and his skin turned into … indestructible rock! Johnny now had incredible control of fire. He could actually turn himself into one big flame. And Sue found that she could become invisible and project protective force fields.
It was seemingly impossible, but they had become superheroes!
And so they took on the public names of Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing!
Being famous supers, however, isn’t always fun. There were villains such as the Mole Man and the metal-clad Dr. Doom who wanted to unleash destruction on innocent citizens of the world.
So the fantastic friends determined that they would always, always put the needs of others first and defend those who couldn’t defend themselves.
They would work together; they would always fight for justice.
And they would be called … The Fantastic Four!
None. But the book suggests that good friends and good people should always make upright choices to help those in danger and be kind to people around them (along with other biblical values.)
The Fantastic Four gain unexplained powers. And like most early superhero comics, readers are just asked to believe that unrelated powers might somehow come from a mysterious blast.
Reed and Sue are the leaders here. They get married and then lead their team as a devoted, loving couple. Ben Grim is gruff, but stalwart and strong. And Johnny’s traditional “hot headedness” doesn’t come into play in this book. He’s simply caring and brave.
We also meet some other familiar Marvel heroes here, too, such as the Black Panther, the X-Men and Iron Man. But they are just presented as the team’s supportive friends.
There’s one action scene where the teammates are flying into action to face Dr. Doom. But other than Doom’s deflected power blast, there’s no violence on display.
Reed and Sue look at each other adoringly during their wedding.
Have you ever wished you could be a superhero? What would you want your power to be? What would you do with it?
Are there ways you can help people even though you don’t have superpowers?
Take a look at James 2:14-17 and James 2:15-16. Both verses talk about putting our faith in God into action. What kinds of things can we do that would make that happen?
When you think about it, isn’t that sort of like a “superpower”?
This children’s board book offers an inviting flashback to the straightforward, heroic comics of yesteryear; written and illustrated by creator Jack Kirby. It focuses on the heroes as they gain their powers and then fight against injustice. It’s a colorful book for tiny superhero fans who might be too young to see the film hitting theaters later this month.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
