Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Except that Fantastic Four is over, and the series has now rebranded as FF #1. Oh, and Spider-Man is here. Maybe I should have led with that.

We begin with scientists from A.I.M. opening a portal and venturing into it, saying “All death leads to be rebirth” and “We have to find some new ideas.” (Subtext is text.) Then there’s a title page stating the following:

A lot of readers at the time disliked that the initials FF stands for Future Foundation and not Fantastic Four (never mind that social media at the time used it as a hashtag for “follow Friday”) but here the comic makes it official. Anyway, at the new Baxter Building, Reed replays a recording Johnny made before he died. It’s the classic “If you’re reading this, that means I’ve died” thing you always see in fiction. He encourages his teammates to remember what they stand for, and he tells them to give Spider-Man his spot on the team.

There’s a luxurious two pages of Spider-Man swinging through New York on his way to the Baxter Building. It’s very classic Spidey, in his original red and blue suit. He arrives at building’s rooftop and jokes that there’s no door, only for Sue to greet him in a sci-fi pop-up elevator thing, telling him he just has to know where to look. They exchange pleasantries, with her asking about his family. Note that she’s wearing a new uniform, a sleek black number with white highlights.

She tells him about how things have changed since the last time he (and the reader) have visited the team. Nathaniel Richards has returned from the future, he and Reed reconnecting. The kids of the Future Foundation are developing all kinds of exciting new technology in hopes of transforming the world for the future. Sue is dividing her time between New York and the recently-discovered Old Atlantis, where she is the acting regent. Ben, Franklin, and Valeria are still deep in mourning Johnny. Ben especially has taken it hard, blaming himself for Johnny’s death.

Spider-Man now has his own bedroom in the building (that was quick) and Sue gifts him with his new FF uniform. It’s his one with white with black highlights, but with a spider-symbol in place of Sue’s new symbol of three matching hexagons. Sue says the “4” logo is out, because she was in the mood for something different. She can transform her outfit to a white one matching his, as the unstable molecules have been programmed to respond to their thoughts, changing their appearance as well. Spidey makes his outfit into a black one for one panel, but he then changes it back.

Cutting back to the A.I.M. scientists, they appear through their portal not into another world, but into yet another start scientific facility. They break through a huge door to find a man on the other side. He says, “Is that the fluttering of angel’s wings I hear?” The new FF fly up to the P.A.V.L.O.V. facility, which you’ll remember was described as “metahuman psychiatric facility” in response to a break-in. This is the same location A.I.M. has portal’d into, and our heroes fight all the yellow-suited A.I.M. guys.

Spider-Man attempts some funny banter with Ben during the fight, but just says all he wants to do is punch somebody. The mystery man that A.I.M. is rescuing makes a comment about “deliverance,” and Reed deduces that A.I.M. is rescuing the Wizard. During the fight, Reed mentions Bently, and the Wizard says, “You have something of mine.” The A.I.M. guys return the Wizard’s cybernetic helmet to him, and he uses it to teleport them out of there in a huge explosion.

Despite having lost the fight, everything’s jovial back at HQ later as most of the Future Foundation gathers for dinner. Alex Power gives a nondenominational and science-based blessing for the meal. Reed suggests terraforming the moon for the Inhumans, and for possible human expansion. Nathaniel says it’s a terrible idea. There’s a moment of tension as everyone feels this will become a fight, but Reed welcomes the differing opinion.

Later, Nathaniel and Valeria tell Reed they need to talk. We don’t see what Valeria reveals to Reed, but he’s upset by it, so much that he threatens to cut her out of the Future Foundation immediately. Nathaniel argues that what she did has to be done for things to work out in the future, but Reed says that Nathaniel’s future is only one of many possibilities. A hooded figure approaches, and Nathaniel says, “We’re going to need him.” Nathaniel says he trusts Reed’s leadership in this situation.

Turn the page and we see the hooded figure is Doctor Doom. Valeria says to him, “Welcome to the club.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed gives Franklin advice on beating a video game, that Franklin has to look for pattern, because there are patterns programmed into everything. If you find them, Reed says, you can win. What could this be foreshadowing?

Fade out: It’s not said why Sue greets Spider-Man in the black version of the new uniform, except to show off how the uniform can transform. It’s a cool look for her, though.

Clobberin’ time: Ben’s wallowing in grief is a storyline that will continue into the next issue. He does crack one joke during the dinner scene, though, showing that the old Ben we all love is still in there.

Flame on: I’d really like to know when Johnny recorded this message. It has to be recent, but what in recent continuity might have inspired him to do it?

Fantastic fifth wheel: Welcome to the team, Spider-Man! After so many team-ups over the years, we can now list him as an official member. Although he’s technically joining the Future Foundation and not the Fantastic Four, there’s all that talk about him taking Johnny’s place, and he’s prominent alongside Reed, Sue, and Ben as their fourth.

Dr. Doom is considered an alternate member of the Fantastic Four, thanks to those rare occasions where and he and our heroes have worked together to fight a common foe. Now he’s coming to live with the team as a full-time member, which will be a little different, one assumes.

The Baxter Building computer A.I. has the face of H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot, except that H.E.R.B.I.E. isn’t included in this issue’s Marvel Wiki entry. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.

Four and a half: Franklin insists on keeping a seat empty for Johnny at dinner, making Spider-Man take another spot at the table.

Our gal Val: It seems harsh that Reed would threaten to cut Valeria out of the FF completely if she doesn’t stay in line, but extreme measures are probably likely when you consider how her genius puts her so far ahead of everyone.

Foundational: Artie Maddicks is shown helping prepare dinner, but he doesn’t sit at the dinner table with everyone. Instead, he stands behind Reed, peering over Reed’s shoulder the whole time. Does Artie not eat? The famously mute Artie is also developing some speech, saying words aloud when he hears others say them.

The Moloid Turg, the one who is a head in a floating jar, isn’t at the dinner table at first, but then he floats up for some food. His jar has a little opening at the mouth for him to eat. Is the jar not filled with liquid? How does Turg work?

Trivia time: The previous issue made it seem as though the Fantastic Four no longer know Spider-Man’s secret identity following the One More Day event. After the entire Marvel Universe forgot his identity, Spidey revealed it to the FF again in Amazing Spider-Man #591.

Similarly, the events of this issue were retold in Amazing Spider-Man #657, with them happening quite differently. In that version, we see Reed play the message for Johnny for the whole family, and Johnny has an additional message for Spidey. Upon rereading both these issues, the best explanation is that the Amazing issue takes place before FF #1. Amazing Spider-Man #658-660 follow up with Fantastic Four stories, emphasizing how Spidey fits in with the team. Maybe I’ll cover those on this blog. I don’t know.

Where is Spider-Man at in continuity at this point? He’s one busy spider. He’s joined the big brains at Horizon Labs for his science-y day job, he’s still a member of the New Avengers, and now he’s a member of (and living with?) the FF.

Fantastic or frightful? The issue does a good job setting up the status quo for this new team, but it also relies on the reader having read Fantastic Four up to this point to know who all the Future Foundation kids are. The Wizard plot and especially the Dr. Doom plot overshadow Spider-Man joining the team, despite Spidey’s big intro.

Next: Doom gets schooled.

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