Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. As writer Jonathan Hickman prepares to move on to Avengers comics, he still has a lot of business to wrap up in the dual Fantastic Four and FF comics. Let’s see how that goes.

Issue #609 returns us to the increasingly convoluted continuity of Nu Earth and the New Defenders. Thousands of people from a dying future Earth were migrated to Nu Earth, a recreation of Earth in another dimension. This was powered by the New Defenders killing Galactus of the future and using the Power Cosmic in his corpse. Now, the New Defenders are stuck in the present. Also, Reed’s genius ex-girlfriend Alyssa Moy is here, but it’s not really her but a robot recreation of her after she died horribly. Were readers in 2012 really invested in these storylines?

Anyway, we’re at a construction site built around the dead Galactus (I think) where there’s a brief fight between Banner Jr. (the future Hulk of the New Defenders) and the FF, after which Banner calms down and everyone explores the site. Turns out the Galactus corpse has now been converted into a “god ship.” Banner says he’s ready to go home. The New Defenders take off in the ship, along with Alyssa and her husband Ted Castle. Reed explains that the god ship will take them all into the future, where they will make the Earth a better place. There’s some question of whether this mission will succeed, but Reed says, “They’ll make it. I know it.”

FF #20 continues to follow-up on previous storylines, reminding us that Black Bolt returned from the dead with a prophesized mission to defeat the Kree Supreme Intelligence. But now, just as the Inhumans wage war against the Kree, the adult Franklin Richards appears from the future yet again and tells Black Bolt that it’s time to go home. Black Bolt and the Inhumans return to the flying city of Attilan, now in orbit around Earth.

Johnny, after losing the Negative Zone election to Annihilus, prepares to return Annihilus to the Negative Zone. He’s joined by the Light Brigade, alien superheroes he befriended during his rise to power in the zone. They send Annihilus back, but Johnny says he’s keeping Annihilus’ cosmic control rod. At the Future Foundation’s new school, located on board the Foundation space station, Reed gives the kids a lesson about aliens, when Attilan approaches. There’s a bit of business where a Light Brigade member named Kal Blackbane is reunited with his mother (why is this in the comic???) and then Black Bolt and Medusa welcome them, letting Attilan be the Light Brigade’s new home.

Then it’s more kid stuff as Sue catches Valeria and Bentley-23 dreaming up ways to overthrow the Kree. Franklin is still hanging out with his future adult self, who has a real nostalgia trip at driving to Franklin to school and seeing all his classmates. Then we cut to Crystal and her new husband, Ronan the Accuser. They’re having a romantic moment out in space, only to be interrupted by Medusa and teleporting dog Lockjaw. Medusa tells Crystal it’s time to come home.

FF issue #21 starts with the Future Foundation kids wondering whether the Inhumans are there to fight now that they’ve forsaken Hala. There’s a flashback to Black Bolt and future Franklin confronting the Kree Supreme Intelligence, picking up from previous issues. The Supreme Intelligence draws Black Bolt into his mind, where he’s confronted by a bunch of other beings. Black Bolt fights them, and this appears to be him fulfilling the prophecy of his being the “Midnight King” that will destroy the Supreme Intelligence. But then Black Bolt surrenders, to make terms.

The flashback ends with Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Spider-Man entering Attilan. Medusa says there are complications, and the Inhumans’ newfound peace is in peril. This refers to Crystal and Ronan. In the flashback, we learn (sort of) that Black Bolt surrendered so that the Kree and the Inhumans would be separated. In the present, this means that Crystal and Ronan are to be separated. As they are driven apart, the captain asks who would dare ruin love. Turn the page and it’s Black Bolt sitting on the throne with the caption, “A king would dare.”

Fantastic Four issue #610 begins with the mad scientists of A.I.M. creating an international crisis after taking over the island nation of Barbuda. Reed, Captain America, Iron Man, and Hank Pym meet at the White House (!), where Reed says this is not A.I.M., but a splinter group of A.I.M. associated with the Wizard. The FF fly to Barbuda at the request of the president. When the Wizard learns they’re coming, he says, “Prayers answered.”

There’s a big fight with the A.I.M. goons, with the Wizard spouting apocalyptic end-of-the-world rhetoric the whole time. A.I.M. sends the Scientist Supreme, a guy in Iron Man-like armor, to capture the Wizard. Afterward, Reed shows the Scientist Supreme paperwork naming Reed the U.S. ambassador to Barbuda. The Scientist says the place is really A.I.M. Island. The Scientist says A.I.M. has a legal claim on the island, but they will let Reed stay on as ambassador and they will give him custody of the Wizard. Reed deduces that the Wizard is dying, so he arranges a meeting between the Wizard and his young clone, Bentley-23. Bentley gives the Wizard his old helmet, as a reminder of who he once was. The Wizard says the helmet belongs to Bentley now, and he says, “You put it on.”

Then we get FF #22, showing these events from Bentley’s point of view. After some horsing around with the other Future Foundation kids, Valeria and Bentley secretly follow the Fantastic Four to Barbuda during the conflict. In this version of the story, it’s not the Scientist Supreme, but a sleep dart fired by Valeria that knocks out the Wizard. There’s a bunch of comedy where Ben and Spider-Man inform the rest of the Foundation kids of what happened.

Then things get serious when Reed brings Valeria and Bentley outside of the Wizard’s cell. Valeria acts encouraging toward Bentley in meeting the Wizard, saying Bentley will know what to do. When the Wizard tells Bentley to put the helmet on, Bentley refuses, kicking the Wizard in the groin.Reed tells the Wizard that he promised to raise Bentley, so the boy would become something better. Reed says, “We are not slaves to our nature,” and says the even the Wizard can be whatever he wants to be. Back at the new Baxter Building, Bentley and Valeria have something of a romantic moment, where she praises him for standing up to the Wizard. But then she reminds him she’s too young for him.

Unstable molecule/Fade out: When Reed and Sue enter the Attilan throne room, they’re introduced as “the first family of Earth.” Does the rest of Earth know about this?  

Clobberin’ time: Ben barely appears in any of these issues, demoted to watching the Future Foundation kids when they’re not in school.

Flame on: Johnny keeps Annihilus’ Cosmic Control Rod, and even uses it in battle at one point. I wonder how long this is going to go on.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Spider-Man is still acting as a full-on member of the Fantastic Four throughout these issues, but he’s back in his classic red and blue uniform by now. In Attilan, a Light Brigade alien mistakes him for a human man she once romanced, for some comedy.

Crystal’s heart-to-heart talk with Sue is about having children, leading me to think that Crystal was pregnant and that was the cause of the Attlian-Kree strife, but the Marvel Wiki mentions no baby.

Medusa continues in her role as speaking on behalf of Black Bolt, but he actually silences her at one point to confront the Supreme Intelligence on his own.

Four and a half: These issues confirm that Franklin is attending a normal school, and not participating in the Future Foundation classes. But then he also reveals he’s still experimenting with creating pocket universes, including one where Leech is the ruler.

Our gal Val: Sue disapproves of Valeria scheming of how to defeat the Kree, even if it’s only for a paper for class. There’s a strangely dark moment where Valeria calls Sue a “hag,” and Sue whaps Valeria upside her head. I think this is meant to be funny, but it doesn’t come off that way.

Foundational: New girl Onome is mesmerized by the far-out tech of the Foundation satellite, and she shows off her skills by outplaying the Moloids at ping-pong.

There’s a curious bit of business where the Moloid Mik calls fellow Moloid Korr a “beautiful yellow love slug.” What’s going on between these two?

Trivia time: Reed’s lesson about aliens includes a number of alien societies from throughout Marvel history. The Badoon, the Ovoids, and Cotati are the ones I’m familiar with, but I see the Marvel Wiki has entries on most of these.

Fantastic or frightful? Bless the hardworking person who updated the Marvel Wiki for these issues, because otherwise I’d be utterly lost. Just imagine someone in 2012 who loved the Avengers movie and decided to check out some Fantastic Four comics, only to get this stuff. Good lord.

Next: Hick, man.

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