Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Writer James Robinson has already introduced several ongoing plots at once, and now, in Vol. 5 #6, we get the big Original Sin crossover thrown into the mix as well.
OK, what is up with Original Sin? The Watcher was murdered (!) and his eyes were stolen (!!!). The idea is that a supervillain could use the Watcher’s eyes to see anything and everything, giving them considerable power over others. All sorts of Marvel heroes were on the case. I won’t spoil who the culprit is, but I’ll reveal that the crossover ends up being a story about Nick Fury. Remember when Fury went into hiding during Civil War? Original Sin finally resolves that, as we see where he’s been. Also, age has caught up with Fury, and he’s revealed as being very, very old. Whether intentional or unintentional, this opened the door for the new Nick Fury, based on Sam Jackson from the movies.
What does any of this have to do with the Fantastic Four? Not much. Part of the way through the crossover, D-list villain the Orb got hold of the Watcher’s eyes and used them to reveal some of the superheroes’ deepest, darkest secrets – including the Thing.
In the FF’s own comic, they were put on trial, with legal opponents arguing that their behavior has endangered New York. The court ruled that Reed and Sue be separated from Franklin and the rest of the Future Foundation kids. In the Fantasticar, there’s a conversation about whether Reed and Sue want Ben to stick around or if they want to be alone. They drop Ben off on the street, with him saying he needs some alone time, too. Reed and Sue arrive at the new Baxter Building to find the Avengers waiting for them, with Captain America saying, “We’re sorry.”
But they’re not saying this about the kids, Iron Man steps in and says they can’t let the FF back into the building, as per the court’s ruling. Spider-Woman says the team’s personal effects – but not their science tech – will be packed up and sent to their new address. Sue doesn’t like that, and she throws everyone back with a huge force field.
At S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Camp Hammond, the Future Foundation kids are in custody of their new legal guardian, Jim Hammond, the original Human Torch. The kids are freaking out because the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are going to take apart Dragon Man, arguing that as an android, Dragon Man isn’t a living thing.
Cut to two days later, when Ben shows up at Johnny’s doorsteap. Johnny says no one has heard from Ben in days. Ben says, “I ain’t yer friend no more.” He accused Johnny of lying to him, along with Reed. Ben flashes back to Original Sin, saying the Watcher’s eyes unlocked a new memory for him… except the memory isn’t his.
Turn the page and we’re in a scene “years ago,” drawn in a retro style. Johnny discovers a device in Reed’s lab and messes with it. This machine is Reed’s latest attempt to cure Ben. Reed puts Ben in the machine, saying this is their last shot to cure him. It starts to work, and Ben becomes human again, only to then become a half-human, half-Thing monstrosity. And then, in the middle of a flashback, it’s…
To be continued?!?
Unstable molecule/Fade out: We’re officially in skipping-around-timelines mode in this story arc, so it’ll be revealed in upcoming issues when the flashback happened, as well as the result of Sue attacking the Avengers.
Clobberin’ time: When walking through the city streets, Ben says “I don’t care who sees me,” and interesting turn of phrase considering everything that happened in Original Sin.
Flame off: Johnny’s apartment is referred to in the captions as a “pied-a-terre,” which the internet tells me is a small apartment kept only for occasional use.
Fantastic fifth wheel: Luke Cage is among the Avengers. His only line of dialogue this issue is, “F’sure.”
Four and a half: Franklin is front and center among the Future Foundation, speaking on behalf of the entire group.
Foundational: As the 18-year-old “adult” of the Future Foundation, Alex Power acts as Hammond’s right-hand-man in this. The Atlantean Vil is shown wearing a fancy red dress rather than her usual Foundation uniform.
Trivia time: Iron Man’s wearing his black-and-gold Model 42 armor. It was made of “liquid smart metal” that he could don in an instant. Tony created it to be used only for testing out new tech and not for fighting, but of course he ended up fighting in it.
Fantastic or frightful? James Robinson is definitely writing for the trade, because this non-linear approach means ending the issue abruptly and in the middle of a flashback. But having Ben be the one with the uncovered secret makes for some good drama. We’ll see how Robinson wraps it up in future issues.
Next: How it went down.
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