Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Volume 4 issue #4 continues our heroes’ expedition in spacetime. Want blue-skinned aliens? We got blue-skinned aliens!

Recap: Reed is taking his family on a year-long journey through both time and space. What he’s not telling them is that he’s dying, and the trip is a ruse for him to look for a cure. What none of them know is that a whole lot of craziness is going on with the replacement team filling in for them back home.

We begin with a flashback to young Reed as a lodger in a house, learning that the landlady’s niece is young Sue. In the present, Reed says the next stop on the spacetime trip will be with a spacefaring species called the Ayleth. He’s already been in contact with them, exchanging cultural and biological information, so he suspects this will be a peaceful visit. Johnny plays a joke on Ben and reacts with violence. Sue breaks them up, and Ben admits he’s been feeling lonely and cooped up.

On Ayleth, the FF are greeted by the blue-skinned aliens led by a female named Drae. She takes particular interest in Sue, calling her “the old-friend from many sleeps ago.” Drae asks about the planet’s Caves of Faen, and Sue says she’s already read about them from the info shared with Reed. The caves contain the earliest date of the Ayleth’s development of language.

There’s another flashback of young Reed and young Sue flirting as he moves into the boarding house. Back on the planet, we learn that the caves contain ancient artwork of the Fantastic Four as they appear now. The paintings have been a mystery until now. The FF want to see these caves, with Sue especially excited about their educational value, how this is where the planet’s language and art were born.

Another flashback, to Reed and Sue on their first date. Then, it’s nighttime on the planet, and Franklin wakes from a nightmare in the family’s guest room. Franklin had a vision in his dream, of what looks like the FF being bombarded by cosmic rays. He insists it’s more than a dream, and he says to Reed, “You knew, so it’s all your fault.” Sue tells Reed she’ll get the kids back to sleep and they’ll talk about it more in the morning.

The next morning, the Ayleth aliens escort the rest of the family to the caves, where they see the painting of themselves. Drae gives a big speech about how this painting was proof the Ayleth had friends somewhere out in the stars. Drae says this makes Sue a person of such importance that she could be a queen on Ayleth if she would only ask. Sue asks Reed to take care of the kids, while she stays behind.

Sue returns that night, dressed in the Ayleth’s robes. She said her experience with the aliens had “quasi-religious overtones.” She reflects on Franklin’s dream, and tells Reed she suspects he’s hiding something. In the narration, Reed admits that keeping this secret from her is a huge burden for him.

In the flashback, young Reed is leaving the boarding house. Sue is heartbroken, thinking Reed is dumping her. He admits that the productivity on his research is down, because she is all he can think about. This turns her around, and they kiss. In the present, Reed goes back to the ship while everyone sleeps. He uses the ship’s time travel abilities to go back to ancient Ayleth, where he’s the one creates the cave painting. He returns to the present. In their bedroom, he says to Sue, “We need to talk.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed was already “Dr. Richards,” in the flashback. He’s staying at the boarding house while working on his third doctorate.

Fade out: Sue’s aunt Mary is Marygay Wilkins, who we first met in the vampire-rific Before the Fantastic Four: The Storms miniseries, a pretty deep cut.

Clobberin’ time: Despite saying he wants to be left alone to sulk, Ben does join the team on their visit to the caves.

Flame on: Johnny weakened a leg on one of Ben’s chairs, and has been patiently waiting for weeks for Ben to sit on it at just the right angle so it breaks. That’s a lot of work for not a lot of payoff.

Four and a half: This issue remembers that prophetic dreams were part of Franklin’s powers during his time with Power Pack.

Our gal Val: Valeria keeps asking if the caves are haunted. You’d think someone as smart as her wouldn’t believe in ghosts. Maybe she’s just joking.

Trivia time: This issue rewrites Reed and Sue’s first meeting yet again, especially in reference to Sue’s age at the time. At first, she was much younger than him when they first met. This was changed to have them be the same age. Marvel even released a statement saying why they made the change (short version: so it wouldn’t be creepy.) But then this was rewritten again, to bring back their age difference, and now this issue rewrites it one more time, making them the same age again. I fear this is a continuity black hole that will never be properly rectified.

This issue is the only appearance of the Ayleth aliens, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. Is Reed still in regular contact with them? How did they feel about Sue not becoming their queen? If they’re spacefaring, how about having them visit Earth? And so on.

Fantastic or frightful? This issue is all about Reed’s inner monologue, and his love for Sue. While he cares for her deeply, he’s always had a hard time admitting when she’s right and he’s wrong. That leads to the ending of this issue, promising moving things forward in the main plot. But first we have to deal with Julius Caesar. You read that right.

Next: Moloid love.

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