Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. It’s the beginning of the end, people. As writer James Robinson takes over the series, we begin building up to the 2015 Secret Wars which closed the book (for a time) on the FF. But first, here’s vol. 5, issue #1.

James Robinson is of course famous for his revitalization of DC’s Starman, tying together all the past versions of the character in one big epic saga, while also making it accessible to casual readers. It’s one of the all-time greats. Beyond that, he’s worked a lot. Mostly for DC, but some for Marvel and indie comics. He’s also a Hollywood guy, working on the films Comic Book Villains (2002) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). On art, we have Leonard Kirk. He got his start on the always-awesome Dinosaurs for Hire, and he worked with Peter David on Supergirl, Aquaman, and X-Factor. His more recent work has included Avengers Inc. and two Sabretooth miniseries.

We begin in a dark place where Sue is writing a letter to Franklin and Valeria, hoping that someday they’ll understand the dark time their family is currently going through. Some time has passed, and we see that things have changed since the last issue. Sue says Reed has devoted himself to his lab work as a broken shell of a man. Ben is in prison after Reed’s testimony (!). Johnny has surrounded himself with drinking and women, with Sue saying he’s “too far gone.” Sue says she’s never felt more alone and heartbroken, even if not long ago things felt so bright and golden.

We flashback to the Fantastic Four in action, fighting the dragon Fin Fang Foom, who is attacking New York. Note that the heroes have on their stylin’ new red uniforms. No reason is given for this, but here they are. Reed has a neutralizer ready to take down Fin Fang Foom, but it takes time to calibrate, so the others have to keep the monster distracted. After some fighting and classic FF banter, they manage to defeat the monster. S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives under the leadership of the new Nick Fury, son of the original, to haul away the unconscious Fin Fang Foom. Reed thinks something is up, as Foom is normally intelligent, and not acting like a animalistic monster.

Back at HQ that night, we get a look at why Sue is so sad. Valeria has left her and Reed to go live with Dr. Doom in Latveria. Reed says it’s because they kept secrets from her during their yearlong trip through time and space from the previous story arc, and he encourages Sue to be patient and let Val have her space. They’re interrupted by the Future Foundation kids horsing around. This cheers Sue up a bit, while Reed informs her that Ben and Johnny have both taken off for the night.

Ben is visiting Alicia in her studio. He says their situation has been “casual” for a long time now, but he wants them to be a couple again. Alicia touches his face and says she’d like that too. Johnny, meanwhile, visits his manager about the release of his new album, Storm Warning. The manager says the record contract is contingent on Johnny not going into space or other dimensions. Johnny promises to keep things earthbound, and he signs the contract.

That night, Sue concludes the letter, saying that things seem bright even though Valeria left. But then, in the middle of the night, a doorway inside the new Baxter Building marked Gateway F switches from “sealed” to “unsealed” and a bunch of monsters burst out of it. Sue writes in the letter, “This day marked the end of happiness. The end of hope. The end of family.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed built an anti-Fin Fang Foom neutralizer some time ago, and just kept it around in case the monster decided to attack NYC. I wonder if he came up with this during his “solve everything” phase during the Jonathan Hickman days.

Fade out: Sue uses multiple force fields at once during the fight, standing on one while using two to keep falling debris away from civilians, and a fourth to keep Fin Fang Foom at bay.

Clobberin’ time: Ben and Alicia broke up way back in The Thing #1 in the ‘80s. While it’s often been strongly hinted at that there’s still romance there, they’ve not been an official couple again until this issue. (Does Ben even know about Alicia and the Silver Surfer?)

Flame on: Despite promising to stay on Earth, the final sequence has one panel showing Johnny flying through space already.

Four and a half: Franklin also wears the new red uniform, while the rest of the Future Foundation sticks with their usual white outfits.

Our gal Val: I’ve read ahead, so I know the circumstances of Valeria’s leaving will get more detail in the future. The Marvel Wiki tells me there’s also an issue of X-Factor from around this time dealing with Valeria and Dr. Doom, but there’s no footnote saying what issue it is, and I didn’t feel like reading a year’s worth of X-Factor this week.

Foundational: The Future Foundation kids are upset because they think Bentley-23 has invented a death ray. Turns out it’s a death-by-chocolate ray, which is not as frightening but could still be dangerous. Dragon Man promises to take care of the situation.

Trivia time: It’s Fin Fang Foom! Back in the pre-Fantastic Four monster comics days, he was a dragon-like alien who crashed to Earth in ancient China and filled with role of a Chinese dragon. After being defeated, he came back to life by combining a human’s body with a variety of lizards, which is referenced in this issue. Despite some possibly problematic culturalisms, Fin Fang Foom is a favorite among Marvel writers and artists whenever they want a giant monster fight. He previously encountered the FF in a miniseries called Fin Fang Four in 2005. I didn’t cover it for this blog because I have no copies or scans of it.

Fantastic or frightful? There’s a stark change in tone between the light and playful Matt Fraction run and the sad and morose feel of this one. Still, it does a good job of setting up the new status quo while dropping lots of hints as to where the story is going in the future – something Robinson did quite well in Starman. But, again, this is the beginning of the end. The question is, at one point did everyone at Marvel know the series was ending? I don’t think this issue was written with that in mind, but maybe.

Next: Quit bugging me.

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