Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. After everything that’s happened, it’s time for a vacation. I hear Wakanda is lovely this time of year.

Issue #607 begins with the Fantastic Four and the kids from the Future Foundation arriving in Wakanda to meet with Black Panther and Storm, still a married couple at this point. But then we learn that Wakanda’s famous Vibranium supply has been rendered inert by Dr. Doom, and that Black Panther recently stepped down from the throne. (This happened in Black Panther vol. 5 #8.) Despite no longer being in rule, Black Panther and Storm are still people of prominence, being addressed as “Your Majesty” and rolling out a royal welcome. T’Challa’s sister Shuri is now on the throne. Then there’s a flashback to ancient Egypt, where Anubis conquers the king Amun-Ra. Anubis tries to acquire Amun-Ra’s heart, but the king had already given his heart (literally!) the cat goddess Bast.

Back in the present, Reed says the Foundation kids have a lot of ideas for restoring Wakanda’s power and wealth. Black Panther is hesitant, saying Wakanda is a country that looks forward, not past. There’s another flashback where Bast uses the blood of Amun-Ra to anoint a warrior, making him the first Black Panther and more or less founding Wakanda. Later, during a fancy banquet, the skeleton warriors seen in the flashback attack, and the Panther says this is the real reason he asked the FF to come. Later, Reed and Black Panther visit an underground cavern deep beneath Wakanda, where they find a gigantic Anubis statue. Panther says this is where their journey begins.

FF #19 follows the Future Foundation kids in Wakanda, where a young Wakandan named Onome leads them through the jungle riding elephants and rhinos. She takes them to Wakandan reservoir, which promotes peace by providing water to four neighboring nations at once. The kids go swimming and it’s all fun until Alex Power spots a body nearby. It’s a warrior from the Hyena Clan, scavengers and thieves who know no nation. The kids accidentally set off a homing device, so the rest of the Hyenas teleport to the area. Their leader, Aardwolf, has a plan to steal all the water from the reservoir.

The kids fight the Hyenas while tinkering with the teleporter. Onome uses it to send the Hyenas straight to the palace where Dora Milaje arrests them. Onome says she wants Valeria to ask Reed if she can join the Future Foundation, and Valeria says she was already going to ask. She adds, “You’re going to love New York.”

In Fantastic Four #608, Reed and Black Panther open a door in the underground chamber, which Panther says is “forbidden to the living” and “This is where Black Panthers are laid to rest.” They arrive at the city of the dead, and they enter a temple where Bast is waiting for them. Bast says the two of them will be judged, and that this will create an inseparable bond between Reed and T’Challa. T’Challa starts to ask Bast how to defeat Anubis, but Anubis goads him into admitting what he really wants – to be king again. Bast says a great catastrophe is coming for Wakanda, and that T’Challa could be its salvation. He agrees to let Shuri remain on the throne so he can complete this greater work. He will be king of the Necropolis, with all the powers of past Black Panthers running through him.

Meanwhile, Sue, Storm, and Shuri are preparing a pilgrimage to the Wakandan gods so they may confront Anubis. This is done through some sort of meditation which transports them into another world or plane of existence or something. At least that’s what it seems. They fight a bunch of monsters before reaching Anubis. Anubis seems undefeatable until Bast appears and defeats him, after having made the deal with T’Challa in the previous issue. As the FF leave Wakanda, Bast gives them a warning, that dark days are ahead, and Reed and T’Challa must face them together.

Unstable molecule: When Bast asks Reed why he deserves to stand in the sacred space of the past Black Panthers, Reed answers, “Loyalty.”

Fade out: We’re told that the confrontation with Abubis was meant to be only for Storm and Shuri, but Sue insisted on joining them. It would have been nice to see this scene rather than hear about it afterward. But I get it, you only have so many pages.

Fantastic Fifth Wheel: Yes, Storm and Black Panther are still a couple at this time, with her continuing to bounce back and forth between Wakanda and the X-Men. T’Challa describes his friendship with Reed as being like brothers.

Four and a half: Once again, we raise the question of whether Franklin is considered a member of the Future Foundation. He has the uniform, but in this issue he refers to it as “their” school, and says his homework is different from theirs.

Our gal Val: In the Fantastic Four issue, Valeria says she wants to ride an elephant, and then the following FF issue opens with her riding one. Continuity! She also helps rewire the Hyenas’ teleporter.

Foundational: Welcome to the team, Onome! A lot of fans confuse her for Idie Okonkwo of the Jean Grey School, but they’re two different characters. The Marvel Wiki states that Onome’s big skill is using advanced mathematics to predict possible futures.

Dragon Man is often seen grouped together with all the kids like he’s one of the students, but in this issue he’s in a teacher role, instructing the other kids about the jungle. Alex Power is quite the powerhouse in this one, using his anti-grav powers to fly up to the top of a mountain, and then to take out the Hyena warriors. Bentley-23 shows he’s not all talk by fighting and defeating Aardwolf on his own.

Trivia time: While the Hyena clan was previously established as enemies of Wakanda, this is the only appearance of their leader Aardwolf. I’m assuming he got kicked out after being defeated by a bunch of kids.

Fantastic or frightful? Writer Jonathan Hickman again goes big with space gods and warring factions, but he does it in just a few issues instead of spending years building up to it. It’s curious that this big moment in Black Panther continuity is happening in Fantastic Four instead of his own comic, but it’s always nice to keep Black Panther and Wakanda connected to the FF.

Next: Ready, shoot, A.I.M.

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