Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Everybody loves Jonathan Hickman’s run on the series, but I must admit I’m struggling my way through it. Will issue #584 be the one that turns it around for me?

Gimmie a gimmick: Again, this issue comes with a cover logo exclaiming “Countdown to Casualty” with a countdown from four to one. This time the number three is highlighted.

Picking up from last issue, Ben was exposed to radiation during an adventure in the High Evolutionary’s old city, causing top of his head to grow to unusual size. That city, by the way, is one of four ancient civilizations the FF recently unearthed and have taken a continued interest in. This issue begins with the effect seemingly wearing off, but still leaving Ben as a rock monster. He checks in with Johnny and the Future Foundation kids, who tell him that Sue is leaving for a few days to continue her ambassador work with Old Atlantis, an offshoot of regular Atlantis and another ancient civilization recently discovered.  

Cut to later, where Ben is considering the potion the Foundation kids made for him, which they say can turn in back into a human for one week per year. With Johnny keeping watch, Ben drinks the formula. It works, and Ben is once again human. Johnny encourages Ben to take advantage of this, and make up for years’ worth of missed opportunities. He promises, “The best day you’ve had in a very long time.”

Johnny and Ben spend a day hanging out, going to a ball game, and even enjoying a poker game with other superheroes. On their way back to the car, Johnny and Ben are confronted by the Yancy Street Gang, who are no longer street kids, but full-grown adults in business suits. Ben says they’re all recession-era (era) failed Wall Street guys now. Even in human form, Ben is able to punch them out.

Sue arrives not in Old Atlantis, but Utopia Island, home for half of the X-Men. Cyclops’ team live in Utopia, doing the superhero thing, while Wolverine’s team is back at their old school doing the New Mutants thing. She’s greeted by Cyclops and Emma Frost, and then by Namor for the first official negotiation between Old Atlantis and New Atlantis.

Back in NYC, Johnny says he has one last surprise in store for Ben. He takes her to Alicia’s apartment. It takes her a sec to realize what’s happened, and then they kiss. Waiting outside by the car, Johnny remarks, “Good for you, Ben.”

Later that night at the new Baxter Building, Reed is studying a special anomaly far out in space which he nicknames “the Fault.” Then the Silver Surfer flies up and says Reed has more pressing matters, ones involving Galactus. The Surfer says he is angry, and that he found the Galactus corpse hidden deep beneath the Earth. (Remember that the New Defenders used the future Galactus’ body as a power source during their story arc several issues back.) Silver Surfer can tell that the FF had been there, and that the dead Galactus is from the future. Reed promises to explain, but the Surfer says his master is the one who wants explanations. Turn the page, and there’s Galactus himself, looming over the building. “And he would have them now,” the Surfer says.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed offers to be Sue’s backup on her ambassadorial mission, but she says she can handle it. He agrees to mind the kids while she’s away.

Fade out: Sue and Emma Frost act awfully cold to one another, despite having formed a friendship of sorts after the FF/X-Men miniseries a while back. The mutant extremism of the Utopia X-Men have no doubt made things tense between them.

Clobberin’ time: Ben’s mutation ends up not mattering, except to remind him that he’s still a monster.

Flame on: At one point, Johnny asks Ben if the one-week-per-year thing is good, or if it’ll make things worse in the long run. Ben says he won’t take it for granted.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Reed speaks to H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot while investigating the Fault, but we don’t see H.E.R.B.I.E. on the page. Instead, he only responds via voice, as if he’s the Enterprise computer from Star Trek. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.

Luke Cage is one of the heroes at Ben and Johnny’s poker game.

Foundational: During breakfast, the Moloid kids do the sci-fi alien thing where they describe breakfast cereal in overly wordy and scientific terms. Leech and Artie can be seen playing an Iron Man video game that looks a lot like the 2008 Iron Man movie.

SUE-per spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries revealed that Sue had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all along. Here we see her flying off to go on a solo mission. How many other times has she done that over the years?

Trivia time: Remember that Ben and Alicia haven’t been a couple for a long time, despite occasional hints that there’s still some romance there. The Marvel Wiki states they don’t officially reunite until much later, but it looks to me like they’re reuniting now.

All the characters at the poker game are members of the New Avengers, making for some easy-to-follow continuity. And yes, that’s Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as the two old friends that Ben and Johnny catch up with during dinner.

Fantastic or frightful? It’s nice to have more of a character-based story, rather than rushing through the story to cover tons of plot points at once. There are still hints that big cosmic events are coming, but this “FF as a family” stuff is part of the characters’ appeal, and it works well in this issue.

Next: Andromeda-o-rama.

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