Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Writer Matt Fraction’s multi-part sci-fi epic across the multiverse goes back to Earth in vol. 4 issue #8, but not in a way you’d expect.

The FF are in the midst of a year-long expedition through time and space, as a front for Reed searching for a cure to a molecular illness that’s killing him. Along the way, Ben has been acting more and more irritable and short-tempered. Thanks to a formula created by the genius kids of the Future Foundation, Ben can now turn human for a week once per year. His time to do so is coming up, and he told Reed he wants to go back home.

We’re in old-timey New York, where an Ira Rosenbaum is running a pharmacy on Yancy Street. He’s getting pushed around by a couple of thugs who want him to pay protection money. They bust his nose and smash up the place when he refuses. After they leave, Ira says to himself that he’ll need a miracle to get out of this one.

Then we’re in the FF’s ship flying overhead, where human Ben is dressed in old-timey garb, saying he wants to look his best. It’s his last day of the week, so he’s got only eighteen hours. He goes from the ship down to the city (we don’t see how) as he strolls around the old neighborhood. He spots the gangsters, recognizing them as outsiders because of their nice car and expensive clothes. He follows them into an apartment building. There’s a brief scuffle, and Ben gets the gangsters to leave. They say they’ll remember his face, though. The door opens, and we see Ira is there, with his wife Petunia. This is our clue that this is Ben’s Uncle Ira and his oft-mentioned Aunt Petunia. He promises them they don’t have to be afraid anymore.

Aboard the ship, Franklin tells his family that he’s had a disturbing, possibly prophetic dream, in which his family abandons him and Valeria, and that Ben might have done something secret when he was younger – something that made him very said. Franklin elaborates that he dreamed Ben might have sabotaged Dr. Doom’s famous college experiment that scarred his face, setting Doom and the FF on their paths. (We first learned of this in issue #5.AU.) Valeria admits she had the same dream, but Reed is surprised to hear this.

In NYC, Ben has dinner with Ira and Petunia, saying that there’s a man who lives nearby who hurt a little girl he once cared about it, and now he’s here to do something about it – something violent. Petunia is upset by this, saying he’s no better than the gangsters. Ira keeps Ben around, though, as the two of them fix up the pharmacy later that night. Ira asks how Ben knows this man will hurt the girl, but the gangsters return before Ben can think of an answer. Ben fights the gangsters for real this time, beating them up real good. He tells them to go back to their bosses and tell them to stay off of Yancy Street. Ira says they’ll be back. Ben checks the time, and says, “Help is on the way.”

Later that night, the gangsters return with reinforcements, all armed with tommy guns. Ben, now transformed into the Thing, jumps out at them with a classic “It’s clobberin’ time! Their bullets bounce off him as he adds, “Yancy Steet don’t bend!” He throws them around and smashes their car, but the leader stands up to him, saying “You can’t protect ‘em forever.” But then the residents of Yancy Street all come outside and gather around Ben to show their support, outnumbering the gangsters.

The gangsters leave, and Ira asks Ben if he’s still looking for man who hurt the girl. Ben says he doesn’t know, and that no matter what he does, he always ends up back on Yancy Street. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back, and he asks Ira and the others to take care of Yancy Street until then. Ira says, “We will.” Ben returns to the ship, and there’s a bit of awkwardness where Reed and Sue ask if he anything to tell them. Before Ben can answer, Franklin and Valeria say they have an announcement. The hold up matching T-shirts with the word “college” on them, and Valeria says, “Guess where we’re going?”

To be continued?

Unstable molecule/Fade out: The dialogue has Reed and Sue gently asking Ben about his secret, but the artwork makes them look all ticked off.

Clobberin’ time: During the John Byrne years, we had the surprise twist that Aunt Petunia was actually a beautiful young woman. But since then, she’s only ever been an old lady. The Marvel Wiki suggests that the Petunia in this issue is not Ben’s aunt, but some other woman also named Petunia.

Flame on: Not a lot of action for Johnny in this issue. He’s shown sleeping in a chair when Ben returns to the ship. (There was no other science/time travel thing the FF could do during this time?)

Four and a half/Our gal Val: Remember that the entirety of the Age of Ultron crossover was an alternate timeline, so Franklin has to reveal Ben’s secret via a dream instead of Ben leaving behind a message. What’s curious is that Valeria dreamed of this also.

Trivia time: The violent man Ben is there to stop is most likely the Puppet Master, Alicia’s father. In Marvel Team-Up #6, it was revealed that Alicia was blinded due to Puppet Master’s abuse. (Geez.) However, New Mutants Annual #4 had Puppet Master as a child during this time.

But wait, just when does this story take place? No year is given. Everything is generally old-timey, so it’s vague enough to be anywhere from the ’20 to the ‘50s. I don’t buy the whole “sliding timescale” thing, what with it being ridiculous and all, so we’ll just have to suspend our disbelief here.

Fantastic or frightful? It would have been more meaningful if Ben had been there specifically to help Ira rather than just run into him like that. Also there’s no business about paradoxes and whatnot with Ben using his real name and appearing to his own family as the Thing. Does Ira remember this? But I’m nitpicking. It’s a nice story about Ben’s attachment to the old neighborhood, and a pleasant break from the cosmic craziness of this run.

Next: Pool-ius Caesar.

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