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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. One of comicdom’s most popular – and most controversial – creators takes over the series in issue #554.

What can I possibly say about writer Mark Millar? With his indie work in stuff like Wanted, The Kingsman, Nemesis, Super Crooks, and especially Kick-Ass, he built a reputation of being “dudebro” or “edgelord” or other such titles. But it’s always struck me as cynical. The guy seems to enjoy stirring up controversy, to where being “edgelord” is his brand. This of course led to Marvel’s Civil War, where he made it a point to screw with the entire Marvel Universe. On the plus side, his work on The Ultimates, Ultimate X-Men, and The Authority shows his writing to be huge and cinematic. It’s no wonder that Hollywood took notice of his work when making the Marvel movies.

Speaking of cinematic, this issue also brings Bruan Hitch and Paul Neary on board for artwork. They exploded onto the scene with the above-mentioned The Authority, where they pioneered what came to be known as “widescreen comics” with big action and a sense of gigantic scale. They continued this style through the deluxe-sized JLA: Heaven’s Ladder, and then on The Ultimates with Millar, which brought them to Fantastic Four.

We begin in… the Old West! The FF, along with Franklin and Valeria, on a train being pursued by men on horseback firing at them. Reed says they’re heading for a time portal, which take them back to the present, and into Disneyland! There’s a lot of banter in this excuse-for-the-characters-to-use-their-powers-for-a-few-pages thing. Just as the train is about to collide with an oncoming mail train, it goes through the portal and instead crashes into the present. We learn that the plan was for the family to visit Disneyland’s opening day ceremonies in 1955, but things went awry.

There are moving boxes all around, as Johnny announces he’s moving out to a new loft inside NYC’s Flatiron Building. He says he has plans to start his own rock band and to star in a reality show. Sue talks about starting her own super-team to raise money for charity rather than fight supervillains, and Ben and Reed head off to Ben’s old school to do a presentation for some kids. At the school, the female teachers are all attracted to Reed, at least until he bores all the kids rambling on and on about physics. Ben cheers everyone up by showing the Fantasticar off to the kids. One of the teachers, Debbie, takes a liking to Ben rather than Reed, and she says yes when he asks her out.  

At the new Baxter Building, Sue is meeting with her new charity-focused super-team, with She-Hulk and the Wasp. Sue explains it’s a way to help people outside of the FF’s usual end-of-the-world scenarios. A portal opens, and out steps Alyssa Moy. (Who is this again? She’s Reed’s old girlfriend, now a millionaire scientist in her right.) Alyssa is not there to join Sue’s team. Instead, she says she needs to speak to Reed right away. She adds that she’s now married to secretive billionaire Ted Castle. Reed shows up, and says Ted is one of the greatest minds on the planet.

Alyssa says she and Ted are working on something that will affect the entire world. She says she needs Reed’s help, and she promises it’ll only take 24 hours. She and Reed disappear through the portal. It leads to a high-tech base at the North Pole called Portal Prime, home of an organization called the Earth Trust. Reed meets Ted Castle, who explains that the Earth Trust’s work must be kept secret to avoid mass hysteria. Ted says that if there’s a worldwide catastrophe, humanity can be evacuated through the giant portal at Portal prime. Alyssa offers to show Reed the other side of the portal, adding that work on the other side is still unfinished.

They travel through the portal, to see a planet and a moon, both under construction. We see the planet’s surface, but also a skeletal structure underneath. “Welcome to Nu-World, Reed,” Alyssa says. “This is where we’re going when the Earth dies.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed has refurbished a bunch of Doombots as the new Baxter Building’s household staff. Sue says she doesn’t know exactly where the Doombots came from.

Fade out: Sue is friendly with Alyssa at first, but then shows some hints of jealousy after Reed runs off with Alyssa. This issue has a few references to her and Reed still working things out after their breakup during Civil War.

Clobberin’ time: Back when Alyssa was a semi-regular part of the cast, there were hints of a romance between her and Ben. Upon seeing her in this issue, Ben remarks, “She’s about ten times hotter than I remembered.”

Flame on: There’s mention of Johnny’s previous career attempt as a Hollywood actor, which he says he’s left behind. Since then, he’s also worked as an NYC firefighter and as the FF’s chief financial officer, neither of which are mentioned here.

Fantastic fifth wheel: She-Hulk says she’s secured permission for Sue’s new team to be named after Miss America. This is not the pageant, but the World War II hero, often described as Marvel’s first female superhero.

Reed tells Alyssa that he dismantled H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot so the refurbished Doombots could use H.E.R.B.I.E.’s solar collectors. Is this the death of H.E.R.B.I.E.?!?

Four and a half/Our gal Val: Franklin and Valeria are here to remind readers that they’re part of the main cast. Franklin falls off the train during the opening scene, but Reed is quick to rescue him.

Trivia time: It’s odd that Johnny says he’s going to live in the Flatiron Building. The Marvel Wiki insists that it’s still the headquarters of Damage Control, even after they were exposed as evil war profiteers during Civil War. Here in the real world, it’s been home to various companies over the years, but the internet is telling me that a new renovation was recently announced to convert the building into condos. Now Johnny can live there in the upcoming MCU movie.

If the Fantastic Four had succeeded in visiting Disneyland’s opening day in 1955, it’s likely they wouldn’t have had a good time. The opening was famously a disaster, with broken-down attractions, unruly crowds, and live TV cameras only adding to the chaos.

Fantastic or frightful? We’ll see how things go, but as far as this issue is concerned, Mark Millar is doing right by Fantastic Four. He seems to have real affection for the characters, and he’s added a lot of deep lore for old-time fans. I know his run on the series will go places, but this issue is nonetheless a great opening.

Next: In with the Nu.

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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #553 is the last one for famed writer Dwayne McDuffie, full of time-twisting cosmic craziness.

Where were we? A future Dr. Doom time-traveled to the present, saying that Reed’s “idea 101” for improving the future will instead wreck the future with Reed becoming a tyrant. The FF fought Doom, not knowing what to think of this. Then an older Fantastic Four appeared, seemingly from the future as well.

This issue begins with diagrams of time travel, concluding that traveling to the past creates a new branch of timeline rather than altering what’s going on now. Then we’re back on the streets of NYC where the future FF confronts the present FF. Reed again quotes “You can’t change the past.” Doom disagrees saying that this timeline in particular can be changed. There’s a lot of back and forth about the present and the future, including future Ben’s ability to change into a human and back at will. Then there’s even more talking about possibilities, and the choices characters make when they do or don’t know the future.

The FF wonder who is telling the truth, future Reed or future Doom. Sue gives a big speech about how the whole Civil War thing has her seeing Reed’s flaws in a new light, but that she still loves him. Sue then argues that Doom told the truth, because while Doom might indulge in trickery, out-and-out lies are against his code of ethics.

Then more debating. Future Doom says future Reed will create utopia in the future, only for Reed’s ego to overtake him. Future Johnny disagrees and says Reed isn’t interested in power or leadership. When future Reed tries to take Doom back to the future (heh), Doom blasts him and requests asylum from the present FF. Ben and Johnny want to let the future FF have him, but Reed says they must agree to the asylum until they know what’s really going on. Reed’s teammates reluctantly agree.

The future FF won’t have this, so they fight. Future Ben’s strength has increased over the years, allowing him to overpower present Ben. Future Johnny is able to absorb the flame out of present Johnny. Future Reed and present Reed debate while they fight, with future Reed saying it’s about more than stopping Doom but also preserving the timeline. Reed attacks them to stop them talking, so both versions of Sue team up to pin Doom to the wall. Present Sue says to present Reed, “Tell us what Victor didn’t want us to hear.”

Present Reed gives a big speech about the “conservation of causality.” He says that minor disruptions in a timeline will work themselves out, and branching timelines only result from major disruptions. The two FFs then conclude that the future FF were just trying to keep the future the way it is, while Doom was the one actively trying to change history.

Sue confronts Doom about what the future is really like. Again, he cannot lie, and he admits the future is a paradise. There’s a big speech about all the ways the future is better. Doom loses it, insisting that these should be his accomplishments, not Reed’s.

Later, the two Reeds find a branching timeline where all the superheroes are dead. It’s a whole world ready for Doom to tame. Doom says he’s not a monster, and he adds, “Neither are you.” Future Reed and present Reed share a handshake. Reed asks how the future really turns out. Future Reed doesn’t offer specifics, but he says that there will be many challenges ahead, but love, family, and friendship will get them through it.

The future FF returns to the future. Sue revisits what was said during Civil War, that Reed’s future predictions were based the actions of groups, but not individuals. He says he’s recalculated the number of individuals needed to change the world. “Four,” he says.

Unstable molecule: When the two Reeds fight, one stretches his hand into the other’s face in a weird way, kind of like they’re phasing into each other or something.

Fade out: The two Sues don’t fight, but instead communicate in a way none of the others do. Future Dr. Doom’s cool battle armor can’t withstand the combined strength of their force fields.

Clobberin’ time: While future Ben is stronger, he has the old-fashioned “lumpy” Thing look, which traditionally has been considered the weaker version of Ben’s exteriors. (Generally speaking, the “rocky” Thing is the standard, and the “spikey” Thing is the strongest.)

Flame on: Future Johnny burns with white flame, claiming to have greater control over his powers.

Trivia time: Not surprisingly, the future FF were never seen again after this. Likewise, we never learn how future Dr. Doom fared in his new superhero-less universe. Despite all this talk about preserving the timeline, the Marvel Wiki is quick to point out that these future characters are indeed from an alternate future.

This business about the “conservation of causality” is also called a “law of Kang.” This is a direct reference to Avengers #267, which introduced the infamous Council of Kangs, and argued about creating alternate timelines in place of outright changing the past.

Ben references “that Skrull business” among recent crises the heroes have recently faced. Except this story came out before the Skrull Invasion crossover. He could be referencing all kinds of “Skrull business” that’s happened over the years.

Fantastic or frightful? We writers obsess over the phrase “Show, don’t tell.” This almost all-dialogue issue is all telling rather than showing. This plot could have been stretched out across several issues. Act two could have been the FF granting future Doom his asylum, and then having to live with him, with the future FF being a constant threat the whole time. I feel terrible saying these things, because Dwayne McDuffie remains one of my favorite writers. Yet I can only conclude that his Fantastic Four isn’t his best work. Perhaps Marvel editorial is to blame, making him rush through the story to make way for a new, higher-profile creative team.

Next: We’re the Millars.

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Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first three chapters are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The original FF are back together in issue #551, but the shadow of Civil War still hangs over them. Also, time travel!

The issue begins with the caption, “Meanwhile, 75 years later…” at a high-tech future prison called Platform 42. It’s connected to the main prison facility at the bottom of the ocean, and staffed by powerful, incorruptible cyborgs. But wait – one prisoner has escaped, leaving the cyborgs trashed in his wake. One surviving cyborg contacts Reed Richards and says Dr. Doom has escaped. An older, grey-haired Reed answers, saying he knew this would happen, he just didn’t know when.

Cut to the present where the FF are returning from a successful battle against Diablo. There’s a few pages of classic FF banter to remind us that they’re one big happy family again. But then the intruder alarm goes off inside the new Baxter Building, and everyone jumps into action. Ben smashes through a door to find Black Panther, Alicia, and a much older Namor sitting around waiting for them. (I’m assuming they rigged the intruder alarm not to go off until the FF got home.) Namor says the FF look just like he remembers them. T’Challa unmasks, also revealing himself to be much older. Reed figures out what the reader already knows, that they’ve come there from the future. Oh, and Dr. Doom is also there, wearing spiky new armor.

Ben tries attacking Doom, but Doom has a new type of force field that Reed says is only theorized. Then Reed deduces that this is his own theory come to life. Before more fighting breaks out, T’Challa says he and Namor convinced Doom to come into the past with them. Sue doesn’t trust Namor, but Reed is willing to hear him out (!) because Doom was once honest with him on the Latverian Day of Reproachment. Namor does the talking, saying the three of them stole a time machine and came to the present on a mission to save the world.

Then another twist, when Reed asks who they’re saving the world from, T’Challa says, “From you.” Doom adds that they are there not because of something Doom did, but because of something Reed is going to do. Reed then shows everyone his private thinking room, with all his equations written all over the walls, which was introduced during Civil War. Doom says Reed’s writings are well-known in the future, as these are the 100 ideas he dreamed up with Tony Stark to improve the world. Sue still feels stung, reminding everyone that Reed’s calculations predicted (or perhaps led to) all the ugliness of the superhero civil war.

Doom chides Reed for telling his teammates about the 100 ideas. Then he says the ideas have led to massive global societal upheavals. Even if Reed predicted that, Doom says, that’s not the sole reason he didn’t tell his family. Instead, Doom says, there is a 101st plan that Reed currently has in the works. Doom says he, Namor, and T’Challa are there to prevent 101 from happening.  

Ben is ready for a fight again, but Doom says they’re not there to kill Reed. T’Challa says their mission is convince Reed to make the right decision. Ben presses Reed on what plan 101 is, and he says that it’s “fix everything.” It’s a single equation that could result in a worldwide utopia. Reed insists that it’s possible, but then he looks at his three visitors and asks, “Or is it?”

Doom says that in the future, Reed’s equation worked, and the Earth did indeed become a utopia, without crime or disease, and with all people living in abundance. But then the populace started worshipping Reed, the praise went to his head, and Sue left him for Namor.

As the others react to this, Namor shares his side of the story. As Reed’s future good works increased, he became more and more distant, driving his family and friends out of his life. Namor is apologetic, but he insists that they’ve come to the present because the stakes are so high, and that something must be done. Reed agrees, saying he’s worked out the answer. He pulls out a high-tech gun (!) and he shoots Namor in the face (!!). On the last page, a shadow falls over Reed’s face as he stands over Namor’s bloody corpse, saying “See? Problem solved.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: I doubt the scribblings on the walls in Reed’s thinking room are meant to add up to anything in the real world. Some of the words on the walls are, “possibilities,” “never assume,” “infinite,” behavior,” and “added with previous results.”

Fade out: While Sue admits that Reed’s actions during Civil War were to prevent an even greater Armageddon, the tone and the look on her face suggests that there’s still some hurt feelings there.

Clobberin’ time: Ben is in a celebratory mood with the team being back together and fighting villains again. This is likely why he’s so eager for a fight throughout the issue when everyone wants to talk.

Flame on: Upon seeing writing all over the walls of the thinking room, Johnny is the one who asks Reed why he doesn’t just use a notebook instead. (The answer: Reed likes to see the equations all at once.)

Fantastic fifth wheel: Black Panther is on hand to act as the voice of reason. With Namor on one side and Doom on the other, he’s someone the FF can trust in this situation. (Or is he?)

Four and a half/Our gal Val: Why is Alicia at the meeting? She’s there to babysit Franklin and Valeria while the FF were away, and she escorts the kids out of the room before the conversation gets too heated.

Trivia time: If the FF’s fight against Diablo has ever been told in another comic, I don’t know when that was. From what I can tell, his next appearance after this will be a supernatural-ish fight against Night Thrasher and a brand-new New Warriors team in New Warriors #10.

The story about the Latverian Day of Reproachment was told in the “My Dinner with Doom” story from 2005’s Fantastic Four Special #1.

No point is made of it, but the FF are back in their original light blue uniforms as of this issue.

Fantastic or frightful? This issue is pretty much all exposition, setting up big things to come in upcoming issues. (Feels like I’ve said that about the last couple of story arcs.) But the character work is spot-on, especially with Reed taking some responsibility and letting his family in on his secrets. Doom’s spiky armor is a pretty great design, too.

Next: Future shock.

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Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first three chapters are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The World War Hulk event put the Fantastic Four in the Hulk’s angry crosshairs.

I was debating whether to include World War Hulk on this blog, since the FF are supporting characters and the event doesn’t crossover much with the main Fantastic Four series. Upon rereading, though, I see how important World War Hulk is to this time in Marvel history.

Recap: During the buildup to Civil War, the Illuminati felt that the Hulk had gotten too dangerous, and something had to be done. Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Black Bolt, and our own Reed Richards voted to send him to space and exiling him on a planet of his own. Professor X abstained from the vote, and Namor voted against it. While the Civil War exploded on Earth, Hulk was on planet Sakaar, a.k.a. Planet Hulk. After a lot of ups and downs, he eventually became king and found love with warrior woman Caiera. But then the Illuminati’s original ship exploded, taking all of Sakaar with it, including a pregnant Caiera. Now the Hulk and his new friends the Warbound are on the way back to Earth for revenge.

World War Hulk #1 kicks off with the Hulk arriving on the moon to confront Black Bolt. Black Bolt uses his powerful voice against the Hulk, but Hulk is stronger than ever after absorbing alien radiation on Sakaar, and he fights back. Hulk’s ship then arrives in the sky over New York, broadcasting the Illuminati’s message to him throughout the entire world. Now everyone knows about the Illuminati and what they’ve done. He says he’s giving New Yorkers 24 hours to evacuate the city, and to bring him Reed, Iron Man, and Strange. He then holds up a beaten and bloody Black Bolt for the world to see.

The New Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. begin the evacuation. Iron Man tries to hack satellites to control all the Earth’s nuclear weapons and unleash them on the Hulk, but the Warbound outhack him. Iron Man and Reed ask the Sentry for help. Sentry agrees, but only after asking Tony for, “a word.” Iron Man then shows up in NYC with a new Hulkbuster armor, and he and the Hulk fight. During the battle, Tony broadcasts a message to the whole world, taking responsibility for sending the Hulk to space. He insists he did it for the good of humanity. The fight reaches Avengers Tower, destroying the entire building. Hulk emerges from the wreckage with Iron Man unconscious.

Most of issue #2 has the New Avengers fighting the Warbound while Dr. Strange searches for someone who can help. Then we check in properly with the Fantastic Four. Except this is the “Fantastic Six” of recent issues, with Black Panther and Storm alongside the original four. Reed is working on a huge superweapon. He tells Black Panther to evacuate because B.P. wasn’t involved in sending the Hulk to space. Black Panther stays, to fight on behalf of all humanity. Hulk and the Warbound show up before the weapon is done. It’s another big fight, where Hulk withstands Johnny’s powerful nova flame, as well as the full force of Storm’s lightning. And of course we must have a Thing/Hulk slugfest. Even with the Hulk stronger than ever, Ben puts up a good fight, with them going at it for several pages. Just as the Hulk is about to finish off Ben, the Sentry interrupts them.

But wait, it’s not the Sentry. This is Reed posing as the Sentry to distract the Hulk. Now it’s Reed and Sue’s turn to fight him. Sue begs Hulk to stop, saying he’s not a monster. Hulk points to Reed and says, “No. He is.” Reed knocks Sue out by punching hard against her force fields, and then he beats Reed senseless. Hulk leaves with the unconscious Reed, while Sue contacts Sentry to say they failed. Reed’s weapon was powered by Sentry’s energy, and it failed. Out in the streets of NYC, Hulk’s old friend Rick Jones appeals to him to stop the violence, and then Dr. Strange attacks, teleporting the Hulk to just outside the city. There, it’s the next big battle against Hulk’s old rival, General Thunderbolt Ross, and the armed forces.

Issue #3 has the Hulk fighting Ross’s forces physically, while Dr. Strange confronts him mentally in some sort of astral plane. Strange reaches beyond the Hulk to Bruce Banner, but then Hulk’s anger reemerges, driving Strange out. Hulk then defeats Ross and all the army goons. The Sentry continues to watch from a distance, while the US President pleads with him to be a hero. It looks like Hulk has won, with the Warbound taking over the remains of New York. Then Dr. Strange attacks again, looking more like Dormammu than Dr. Strange.

Issue #4 explains that Dr. Strange merged with an evil entity named Zon to fight the Hulk. Their fight goes on for several pages, stopping only so Hulk can rescue some civilians from the crossfire. Rick Jones catches up to them, reminding Hulk that he’s a hero, and that he’s human. The phrase “Hulk is Banner” is repeated between them. Hulk finally breaks through the Zon spell and punches Strange right in the face (!).

Hulk and the Warbound turn Madison Square Garden into their new headquarters. They’ve taken most of the superheroes hostage, including the FF, and affixed them with “obedience disks” to keep them from fighting back. Reed insists that Illuminati did not destroy Sakaar, but Hulk won’t listen. He makes Reed, Tony, Strange, and Black Bolt fight a bunch of monsters in his own gladiatorial pit, just like the ones he survived on Sakaar. Then he makes them fight each other.

Then we get a flashback to Sentry’s private conversation with Iron Man at the start of the story. Sentry admits he has agoraphobia, making it difficult to join the fight. Also, with the Hulk’s increased power levels, it could be disastrous if Senty were to lose control, even for a second. Tony insists that Sentry’s power is needed, saying, “It’s time to play god.” When the Hulk orders the deaths of the Illuminati, Senty sees it on TV. It’s at that point that he finally leaves his house and flies to New York, repeating, “It’s time to play god.”

Issue #5 begins with Hulk dialing back on the death penalty, not killing the four Illuminati after all. He says he will make sure the world knows the Illuminati are traitors and killers, and he threatens to raze NYC to the ground. Then the Sentry finally shows up, destroying the Warbound’s ship, and fighting the Hulk. Sentry unleashes the fullness of his power against the Hulk, leveling multiple city blocks. With the Warbound ship destroyed, Reed and Tony get back to work on hacking Earth’s satellites.

As they exchange blows, Hulk and Sentry debate whether they are saviors or destroyers. They eventually pummel each other so hard that Hulk transforms back to Bruce Banner and Sentry transforms back into Bob Reynolds. One of the Warbound tries to kill Banner, but Rick Jones jumps between them, taking the blow. This enrages Banner. He transforms back into the Hulk and this time he attacks the Warbound.

Then one of the Warbound, Miek, reveals the bomb that destroyed Sakaar was planted by him, in hopes that Hulk would not be king of Sakaar, but the prophesied “world breaker.” Even though the Illuminati did not destroy the planet, the Hulk still blames them. He argues that none of this would have happened if they hadn’t launched him into space. Then Iron Man succeeds in hacking the satellites, unleashing an unidentified red energy onto the Hulk. This succeeds in turning him back into Banner and knocking him unconscious. S.H.I.E.L.D. takes Banner into custody while the rest of the superheroes are left to reconcile with what’s happened. Far out in space, a musclebound green figure arises from among the remains of Sakaar…

Unstable molecule: Reed’s weapon might look like a big cannon, but it’s to make the Hulk think that Reed is the Sentry, so Hulk can talk some sense into the Hulk. It almost works, as Hulk is mesmerized at that moment.

Fade out: We’ve seen super-strong characters break through Sue’s force fields in the past, so it makes sense that a stronger-than-usual Hulk can do so. But it says a lot about how strong Sue is that she’s able to recover and call Sentry in the next scene.

Clobberin’ time: I’m so happy that this story took time to give Ben and Hulk a proper slugfest. We all knew Ben wouldn’t be the one to save the day, but the comic reminds us all how these two are great rivals.

Flame on: Johnny attacks the Hulk not just with his ultra-powerful nova flame, but his nova flame combined with the full might of Storm’s lightning. The Marvel Wiki alleges that Storm has been given “omega-level mutant” status, meaning her power is nearly limitless, so she and Johnny must have really hit the Hulk good.

Fantastic fifth wheel: It’s a continuity question as to how Black Panther and Storm are still with the FF at this point, when they left the team in issue #550. It looks to me like they announced they were leaving in #550, and then hung around for a bit to fight the Hulk, and then left for real.  

She-Hulk is seen throughout, helping with the NYC evacuation and then fighting alongside the New Avengers. She’s quick to remind panicking New Yorkers that she’s a hulk, but not the Hulk. Luke Cage is also seen among the New Avengers, fighting the Warbound.

Medusa is alongside Black Bolt when the Hulk arrives on the moon. She survives, of course, and will be a major player in the Silent War miniseries.

Trivia time: The green mystery man at the end of the series is Skaar, son of Hulk and Caiera. He’ll soon arrive on Earth for much drama. Until then, though, Marvel sort of closed the book on the Hulk for a while. His series was renamed The Incredible Herc as Hercules took over.

How do Tony Stark’s satellites work, exactly? It’ll soon be revealed that they syphoned gamma radiation out of the Hulk’s body. This radiation will be used in the origin of the Red Hulk.

Rick Jones survived his injuries. He was sent to the original gamma base from way back in Incredible Hulk #1 to recover, and that’s where he too crossed paths with the Red Hulk.

Fantastic or frightful? It’s nice to see the Fantastic Four playing such a large role in World War Hulk. It forces Reed to face up to what he’s done as part of the Illuminati, a character thread that we’ll pick up in issue #551. But he’s also right in that the Illuminati didn’t destroy Sakaar, showing that he’s striving to be a good person and do what’s right. It’s odd to see Miek revealed as the villain, considering he’s comic relief in the Marvel movies. It feels like this might be the bigger conflict Civil War was building toward, except that the Initiative is barely referenced. Beyond that, World War Hulk is a great read, full of classic Marvel action and drama.

Next: Headshot.

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Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first three chapters are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.