Todd McFarlane is a mega-millionaire with success undreamt of. I’m just some guy. But as I’ve been buying and reading – and enjoying! – Gunslinger Spawn, I’m struck with how the dialogue and captions are something of a mess. Hence, here’s my attempt to copyedit Gunslinger Spawn.
Previously, Gunslinger Spawn traveled from the Old West to the present, where he befriended teenage Taylor and battled enemy angels. Then he learned Taylor’s father is working with the angels. Issue #2 begins with another fight, and another awkward sentence:
There are several ways to tighten this, but how about this:
“Gunslinger has the element of surprise, but he knows that’ll only allow him to ambush the first one.”
The second caption might not be needed, as Brett Booth’s art conveys the idea of the angels taking advantage of their opening.
The fight continues, and we get this caption:
Remove the first “Unfortunately.” Also, we see the captions going from present tense to past tense and back again. Streamline the sentence like this:
“Heaven’s warriors react a second too slow.”
This isn’t a big change, but shorter captions can keep the action moving.
Gunslinger threatens to tear an angel’s wings off, and we see he’s not just a stoic Clint Eastwood type of cowboy. He’s got an animalistic rage to his fighting style, making him feel dangerous and unpredictable. Good stuff.
The angels flee, except for the wounded one. Gunslinger questions him, and we get exposition about how this story ties into the main Spawn series.
This dialogue can be cut into two sentences, for easier readability:
“Hey, s*** for brains, we both know you’re dying. Things get a whole lot worse for you if you don’t tell me what I need.”
The interrogation continues:
The phrase “come in contact with” is a little too wordy. And it doesn’t strike me as very cowboy-like. My suggestion:
“Why is every faction I run into acting like they’re on fire? Something big is going on!”
Taylor’s dad interrupts their talk by shooting Gunslinger in the chest. Taylor and his dad have this dialogue:
Rearrange Taylor’s line for simplicity, then break up the dad’s line into two sentences:
“Didn’t you see he was helping me?”
“Outta my way, boy. This is all your fault!”
What to make of words being bolded at random, such as Taylor’s dad’s “ALL” above? I’d say it’s unnecessary, yet comics writers and letterers have done this for decades. I’m willing to accept it as a stylistic exercise, more in line with the art than the writing.
It’s been pointed out to me that someone could through my own blog posts or even my novels and do the same thing I’m doing to Gunslinger Spawn. I never said I was perfect. Remember that I’m doing this because I like Gunslinger Spawn and I want to see it succeed.
Come back next week for the second half of issue #2!
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new 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. Issue #533 offers some Hulk action on one end, and legal action on the other.
We begin outside of Las Vegas, where the Hulk is working alongside some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, searching for a Hydra weapon of mass destruction. This is a “Professor Hulk” situation, where he has Bruce Banner’s intelligence. The weapon is in some caves out in the desert. The Hulk investigates while the agents hang back. He fights through some automated defenses and then discovers the weapon is a gamma bomb, the same type that originally gave him his powers. Further, the defenses set off a countdown. He tries to shut it down, but he’s not fast enough. A massive green mushroom cloud explodes over the desert.
At the new Baxter Building, there’s some business with the now-wealthy Ben playing the stock market. He loses $2 million, but then he says he can write it off on his taxes. He catches up with Reed, Sue, and Johnny, who have bad news. Simone DeBouvier of the NYC child welfare department is threatening to separate Franklin and Valeria from Reed and Sue until a formal hearing can take place. This goes back to the previous story arc of DeBouvier investigating the Richards family, arguing that FF HQ is not a safe place for the kids. (Our heroes did thwart an alien invasion during that arc, but I guess DeBouvier wasn’t swayed.)
Ben wants to help, but Reed instead assigns Ben to investigate the gamma explosion outside Las Vegas. Johnny is going with him, so his famous hotheadedness doesn’t interfere with Reed and Sue’s efforts to plead on behalf of the kids. Ben and Johnny leave in a Fantasticar, while Sue ponders how her situation isn’t something that can be solved with an old-fashioned superhero brawl.
At the blast site in the desert, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent says Ben and Johnny aren’t there to investigate the bomb, but the actions of the Hulk, who ran off to an abandoned airfield and then destroyed the place. The agent fears Banner may have regressed from Professor Hulk to a more primitive “Hulk smash” type of Hulk. He says Ben and Johnny are there to neutralize the Hulk. This is followed by some debate between Ben and Johnny as to whether Ben can defeat the Hulk in a fair fight. They fly off into the desert in search of the Hulk.
Back at HQ, Reed and Sue meet with DeBouvier. She says the decision is out her hands, and that it’s the courts who have decided to take the children. Reed finally agrees that the Baxter Building can be dangerous, so he agrees to her demands. But then he adds, “With just… one small request.”
Then we cut back to the desert, where someone throws a giant boulder at Ben and Johnny. They assume it’s from the Hulk, but they don’t see anyone around. They attacked again, with a blow so hard it shakes the ground. Then the Hulk appears, but it’s the grey Hulk, growling at Ben like a monster. Ben asks, “So, Doc… come here often?”
To be continued!
Unstable molecule: During Acts of Vengeance, Reed was opposed to superhero registration, but in the upcoming Civil War, he’ll be in favor of it? What changed? In this issue we see that going up against the government is not something he can use his powers to fight so easily. Also remember that he once told She-Hulk that, despite his great genius, the vagaries of the legal system were something he could never quite master.
Fade out: Sue is strangely silent during the discussion of the children’s future, except to go along with whatever plan Reed has cooking. She says to Johnny, “If we could save them from Doom, and rescue them from the gates of Hell itself… we can do this.”
Clobberin’ time: Ben’s stock market phone conversation is with someone named Stan. Could this be a reference to the time Stan Lee rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange the day that Marvel went public? That was about ten years before this, but it’s not like Marvel to name a character Stan at random.
Flame on: With special asbestos gloves, Johnny is able to lift up Ben and carry him as they fly across the desert. Remember that The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition states that Ben weighs 500 pounds. Let’s just assume Johnny created a cushion of hot air around Ben to lift him into the air.
SUE-per spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries revealed that Sue had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all along. Does Sue know anything about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s dealings with the Hulk at this time? It doesn’t appear so, yet S.H.I.E.L.D. are the ones who contacted the FF once the Hulk ran off.
Trivia time: Tracking the Hulk’s continuity (Hulk-inuity?) is tough during this time. The Marvel Wiki insists that this story takes place during the “Cure” storyline, in which Bruce somehow negotiated with various aspects of the Hulk, so he could transform at any time between the classic dumb Hulk, the grey Mr. Fixit Hulk, and his own mind as Professor Hulk. However, this issue was on stands the same time as the “Peace in Our Time” storyline, also known as “Prelude to Planet Hulk,” in which Bruce was a fugitive with an animalistic Hulk persona. (Could this FF story arc be part of the change in Hulk’s status quo?)
Fantastic or frightful? Another issue that’s all set-up, with the main storyline happening in the next few issues. The Ben/Johnny banter is maybe a little too jokey, but I do like when we get a superhero story that’s “just another day in the office” for the characters. Mike McKone’s artwork really shines, as he’s mastered how to do great facial expressions for Ben.
Next: Hulks of Future Past.
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. The first three chapters are FREE, so give it a shot! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.
Todd McFarlane is a mega-millionaire with success undreamt of. I’m just some guy. But as I’ve been buying, reading, and enjoying Gunslinger Spawn, I’m struck with the desire to pull out the old editing red pen. Here’s my attempt to copyedit Gunslinger Spawn.
After time-traveling from the Old West to the present, Gunslinger Spawn befriends a kid named Taylor. They are then attacked by sinister angels. We pick up on page 14 of issue #1, when Gunslinger attacks, except the enemy blocks Gunslinger’s shot with his wings. The caption provides some additional info:
There’s a lot of unnecessary wordiness again, and I fail to see why quotation marks are needed for “kill shot.” Also it’s redundant to tell us that bloodlust is also enraged. My suggestion:
“The angel is too quick for Gunslinger to get the kill shot.”
“Instead, bullets hit the wings, enraging the angel.”
Next panel:
Most of the captions in this comic are in present tense, but they switch to past tense here. Let’s fix that for the sake of consistency. The last sentence is also too wordy, as there are more efficient ways to get the point across. The next two captions could be:
“To defile an angel’s wings is blasphemy.”
“Gunslinger knows that. He also knows it’s his only chance…”
I cut off the end of the last sentence, so it can lead into the next caption, which is:
Then we get more banter between Gunslinger and his young friend Taylor. These scenes continue to be the best written part of the comic. We learn Gunslinger is armed with knives as well as guns, and we learn more about the enemy angels. Gunslinger says:
Definitely tighten this up, and rearrange the last sentence for clarity:
“Suit yourself. Their bodies dissolve minutes after you kill them, so you don’t have to clean up. God doesn’t want humans to know all the crap he’s up to.”
Gunslinger and Taylor get moving in this panel, with something of a run on sentence:
My edit:
“After a full tank of gas, which Taylor pays for, the Hellspawn pulls up outside his passenger’s home.”
Taylor discovers his father meeting with the evil angels. They drag Taylor outside, and we get this final narration:
Again, I suggest shortening and rearranging for clarity:
“As the heavenly warriors drag the screaming teenager from his house, they hear footsteps atop the wooden roof. The creator of that sound then descends upon them!”
This is still awkward, but we can allow a big dramatic flourish for the big cliffhanger at the end of the issue.
This raises a question. By shortening and simplifying McFarlane’s writing, am I taking something away from the drama and excitement of the story? I don’t believe so. Overly long and awkwardly worded sentences distract from the story, and flowery purple prose is no longer in fashion.
Come back next week to copyedit issue #2!
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. 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. Now that writer Dan Slott has made his presence known in FF lore, not to mention the Marvel Universe as a whole, let’s take a look at what many consider to be his signature work, the Spider-Man Human Torch miniseries.
This series explores Johnny and Spider-Man’s friendship (frenemy-ship?) over the years. Issue #1 takes place in the early days. Johnny is instrumental in a fight against the Mole Man, only to see the Daily Bugle publishing photos of Spider-Man instead of him. Peter Parker returns home to his aunt’s house to find Johnny waiting for him. Johnny wants to hire Peter as his personal photographer, making him as famous as Spidey. Peter initially doesn’t want to, but when he discovers Aunt May is hurting financially, he agrees to the job.
Peter follows Johnny around for a day. Johnny’s girlfriend Dorrie Evans gets all flirty with Johnny, much to the chagrin of both Johnny and Peter’s love interest Betty Brant. Johnny and Peter continue to bicker, so Peter comes up with a plan. He attaches a fireproof spider-tracer to Johnny and photographs him in secret as Spider-Man. Wanting some real superhero action, Johnny flies to the Latverian embassy to pick a fight with Dr. Doom. Doom captures Johnny in “subthermic particles,” so Spider-Man sneaks into the embassy. He puts on an act of swearing loyalty to Doom, so Doom allows him to “dispatch” Johnny. Spider-Man then escapes with Johnny and thaws him out. In the final scene, we see Johnny’s beloved blonde hair fell out due to the freezing, and Peter Parker finally gets the perfect pic of him.
Issue #2 is sometime later, when Johnny was dating Crystal. They visit the Coffee Bean, a regular hangout spot for Peter, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, and the rest. Flash Thompson flirts with Crystal, while Johnny can’t believe that both Gwen and MJ are smitten with Peter. Gwen’s dad, Captain Stacy, gives Peter a tip about super-villain activity nearby. Johnny and Spider-Man meet up outside, bickering about how the other one has it good. They decide to switch places for a day, with Johnny investigating Stacy’s villain, and Spider-Man joining the FF on one of Reed’s expeditions.
Johnny tries to investigate the crooks’ warehouse incognito, but some goons recognize him and knock him out. In the other dimension, Spider-Man uses his webs to seal cracks in the ship, but he fouls up Reed’s sensors in the process. Johnny wakes up and fights the goons, learning that Kraven the Hunter is their boss. Kraven’s hiding out at the zoo (of course) and he lures Johnny into a snake pit. But Johnny gets the upper hand when he fakes being poisoned. He gets a confession out of Kraven for Captain Stacy, who is listening in secret. The FF show Spider-Man the door when they get back to Earth, while Johnny is given the key to the city (!) for dealing with Kraven.
As issue #3 begins, we see a lot has changed. Gwen Stacy has died, Crystal has left, and Johnny is wearing his red and yellow “Toro” uniform. Also, Peter’s in college now, starting an internship at the Baxter Building alongside a Russian student, Nina Pushnikov. After some fun science shenanigans, we learn that Nina is secretly working for the Red Ghost. They’re plotting to steal an anti-gravity device from Reed’s lab.
At the Daily Bugle, Robbie Robertson tells Peter that the paper doesn’t need photos of the FF, and he asks for new Spider-Man pics. Spider-Man goes to the Baxter Building where Johnny is working on… the Spider-Mobile! They go for a drive around NYC, remarking that no superhero would be able to get around Manhattan traffic. Then Spidey gets the idea of using Reed’s anti-grav device on the car, while having a heart-to-heart talk about Gwen’s death.
The Red Ghost and his Super-Apes break into Reed’s lab, but Johnny and Spider-Man have already taken the anti-grav device, driving the Spider-Mobile up and down skyscraper walls. The Red Ghost ambushes them and the apes drive off with the car. Then, get this: Johnny and Spidey stop the Super-Apes by distracting them with Hostess Fruit Pies (!!!). They then use the gravity machine to trap the Red Ghost. Reed lets Spidery use the machine one last time, allowing him to drive in circles on the wall outside J. Jonah Jameson’s office.
Issue #4 skips even farther ahead, during the short time in which Spider-Man wore the powerful alien costume, not yet knowing the costume was a living symbiote. Spider-Man’s new girlfriend Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat, wants to go to a party, so she can steal a Wakandan tribal mask her father once tried to steal. Peter doesn’t want to do it. They argue on a rooftop while Johnny eavesdrops, wondering how Parker knows Black Cat. When Black Cat walks away from Peter after being upset with him, Johnny confronts her.
Cut to later, where Peter is taking photos at the embassy party. Johnny shows up with Black Cat as his date. Johnny, Peter, and Felicia bicker some more. Johnny and Felicia are given a private viewing of the mask. Peter follows them, using the alien costume’s shape-changing powers to make himself look like a security guard. Peter is found out and guards chase him through the embassy, with him turning back to Spider-Man. Black Panther is there in person, and he too pursues Peter.
Felicia recruits Johnny into her heist, using his powers to shut down heat-seeking alarms. Alarms go off, and the guards find that the mask hasn’t been stolen. Black Panther fights Spider-Man, but Spidey uses the alien costume’s powers to make himself invisible so he can escape. He, Johnny, and Felicia reunite on another rooftop, where Felicia reveals she wasn’t after the mask, but her father’s lockpick, left inside the mask years earlier. Johnny is shocked to learn Spider-Man and Black Cat are a couple, when he thought she was dating Peter Parker.
Issue #5 has our two heroes meeting at their usual spot atop the Statue of Liberty, reminiscing about all their adventures over the year. Spidey admits which of their team-ups weren’t him but his clone. Then Johnny asks about what happened earlier that day. We flash back to Peter Parker’s current job, as a science teacher at New York’s P.S. 108. Johnny is at the school to do the same motivational speech he gave way back in Amazing Spider-Man #3, but the students are more excited to meet Peter’s wife, famous supermodel Mary Jane Watson. Then, gunmen rush the school auditorium and take everyone hostage. Johnny can’t fight back with the guns trained on the students and staff, while one gunman reveals he’s with the Maggia crime family. He’s there to kill the son of the district attorney that put his own son in jail.
The situation looks dire, until Johnny sees Peter Parker in the crowd doing the “itsy bitsy spider” motions with his hands. Johnny figures it out, while Peter smiles and points at himself. Johnny flames on as a distraction, allowing Peter to web up the gunmen on high up balconies. They then work together to defeat the Maggia goons, and Johnny sky-writes a message for Peter, stating, “the usual place.”
Cut back to the Statue of Liberty. Peter unmasks and tells Johnny everything. Johnny admits that he believes Peter has it all, a loving aunt, a genius brain, and a series of incredibly hot girlfriends. “God, how I envied you,” he says. Peter says he envies Johnny, with his wealth, fame, and adventures on the frontiers of science. They shake hands, with Peter webbing Johnny for a joke. Then Johnny asks, “I was kinda wonderin’ if you were doing anything tonight?”
Cut to later, when a Fantasticar lands at the Baxter Building, containing Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May. These three are currently living at Stark Tower, but Peter says the Avengers are work while the FF are friends. Sue makes introductions, saying, “It’s past time your family met our family.” Cue several pages of the Parkers and the Richards hanging out for the evening, with lots of fun references to all their past encounters. Reed takes a group photo, saying he’ll file it under “friends and family.”
Unstable molecule: Reed’s expedition is into a dimension whose portal is only open once every thousand years. Thanks to Spidey’s meddling, Reed only gets two minutes’ worth of data, but he later says those two minutes are invaluable.
Fade out: Sue points out that while Spider-Man has visited the Baxter Building(s) on several occasions, he’d only been in the upper floors and never the main residence before.
Clobberin’ time: Ben pilots the ship during the interdimensional expedition, reminding us of his history as a pilot (been a while since we had one of those).
Flame on: Yes, this is the first time Johnny and his team learn (confirm?) Spider-Man’s secret identity. It’s rare for a big change in comic characters’ lives to be permanent, but Marvel (mostly) stuck to the FF knowing Peter’s identity from here out.
Four and a half: Franklin and Peter Parker bond over the fact that they both have a beloved Uncle Ben.
Our gal Val: Baby Valeria is at the FF/Parker dinner, with Aunt May calling her “a sweet child.”
Fantastic fifth wheel: She-Hulk shows up at Johnny’s place to be his date at the Wakandan embassy, but he accidentally ruins her outfit, so she doesn’t go. This suggests a possible romance between Johnny and She-Hulk, something never hinted at before.
Crystal had left Johnny by issue #3 due to pollution on Earth affecting her. Spider-Man asks why Johnny didn’t leave with her, and Johnny has no answer. In issue #2, there’s a lot of comedy with Flash Thompson hitting on Crystal, and her summoning a rain cloud to drench him.
Reed introduces a new H.E.R.B.I.E. model that’s tiny, and is apparently used only for taking photos. He calls it a “cambot.” Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.
Luke Cage and Frankie Raye also get name-dropped as alternate members of the FF.
Sue-per Spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries revealed that Sue had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all along. We don’t see her reaction to learning Spidey’s secret identity. Could she already know it, thanks to her spy craft?
Trivia time: What’s the deal with the Spider-Mobile? Although he doesn’t need a car, Spider-Man made a deal with two advertising execs for a Spider-Mobile for some extra cash. (Behind the scenes, this was also Stan Lee’s deal for a Spider-Mobile toy.) He used the car to fight Hammerhead, Mysterio, and the Tinkerer. It later showed up at the Smithsonian, and Deadpool once stole it and renamed it the Dead Buggy.
Why is Captain Stacy giving tips to Peter about supervillains? Remember that just before Stacy died, he confessed to Peter that he knew Peter was Spider-Man all along.
A little kid seen briefly in issue #3 is Danny Ketch, who would grow up to be the second Ghost Rider.
Fantastic or frightful? Many fans consider this to be Dan Slott’s best work, and I’m inclined to agree. It has Slott’s winking humor and love of deep continuity, but it also has a lot of heart. The big reveal at the end was a long time coming, and it’s handled about as perfect as can be. But on the negative side, the Hostess Fruit Pies gag is Slott at his most self-indulgent, sacrificing plot and character for the sake of a hacky joke. I guess that’s the trick to reading Slott’s work – put up with the clunky bits to enjoy the good bits.
Next: The green and the grey.
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. The first three chapters are FREE, so give it a shot! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Except I’ve been having internet issues all week, so here’s this instead:
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. The first three chapters are FREE, so give it a shot! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The 2006 Thing solo series was all about Ben exploring his new life as a millionaire while still getting into superhero adventures.
Issue #5 begins with a flashback to the recent past, with Ben attending a fancy movie premiere. He’s confronted by Shecky, a.k.a. Old Man Sheckerberg, from Yancy Street. Shecky says Ben promised to help out at his store, but Ben is too busy being rich now. Ben offers to write Shecky a check, but Shecky refuses. Cut to the present, and Ben has had a change of heart, showing up at the store. He sees folks in the old neighborhood helping each other through hard times, reminding him of his own tough childhood.
The Yancy Street Gang makes their presence known by vandalizing Ben’s car, and then splashing him with water as he waits for the bus. Ben calls architect Arlo North, and Alicia answers the phone. He thinks he’s called the wrong number, not knowing Alicia and North are dating. He calls again and talks to North, asking for help. Ben later announces to reporters that he’s going to build a Grimm Youth Center on Yancy Street. Shecky is unimpressed, thinking Ben’s just doing this for his ego. Goons from the Maggia crime family try and fail to stop Ben, so they contact Paste-Pot Pete, um, I mean the Trapster for help. Ben and North work on the new building when they’re attacked by both the Trapster and the Sandman.
Issue #6 begins with Ben fighting Sandman for a bit before firing the “4” signal flare. The rest of the FF are busy elsewhere, so instead Spider-Man shows up to help. He’s wearing is new red and gold “Iron Spider” armor. He and Ben defeat Sandman by mixing his sand with Trapster’s glue. Ben then prevents Trapster from setting off a bomb.
Spidey and Ben chat for a bit, and then Damage Control arrives to clean up after the battle. Hercules is now with Damage Control, helping out as well. Arlo North then comes clean, telling Ben about him and Alicia. Later, at the youth center’s grand opening, Ben is remorse after losing his shot to get back with her. He dedicates the center to his brother Daniel, which convinces some street kids not to throw a brick through a window. Shecky remains unimpressed, telling Ben he still has to come help at the pawn shop. Later that night, an exhausted Ben falls asleep on a sidewalk bench, and the Yancy Street gang take the opportunity to paint graffiti all over him.
Issue #7 has Ben still jealous about Alicia dating Arlo North. Sue helps by inviting Alicia and Ben over to babysit the kids. Ben wants to use his new pet, the Inhumans’ teleporting dog Lockjaw, to teleport Alicia to France for a visit to the Louvre. When Alicia says she’s been there before, Ben comes up with another plan – the FF’s time machine. He takes her back to ancient Greece, to be present when all the classic sculptures were made. They run into Hercules, posing for a sculpture. Hercules mistakes Ben for a troll and they fight, accidentally breaking the arms off the Venus de Milo.
Alicia and Ben have a heart-to-heart talk, where she insists can only be just friends because there’s too much history between them for it to be otherwise. Later that night, Reed finds that New York has been transformed into a gigantic Italian villa, and he deduces Ben has been messing with the time machine again. “We’ll fix it in the morning,” he says.
Issue #8 begins with Ben in better spirits, hosting not just poker night but an entire poker tournament in his new apartment. Tons of superheroes and even a few villains show up. Even joke heroes the Great Lakes Avengers are there, and Squirrel Girl tells everyone about how she and Ben first met while fighting the Bi-Beast.
Impossible Man is also there, and he tells the story of how he got a rare Popuppian disease which caused his powers to haywire. He came to Earth hoping for Reed to cure him, and ended up fighting Ben in the Himalayas. Ben cures Impossible Man by scaring him, like you’d do with the hiccups. The fight destroyed a village’s immersive art habitat, so Ben hires Arlo North to rebuild it. This frees Alicia to attend the poker tournament.
Cut to one month earlier, when Shecky tells Ben that his debt is paid, and Ben doesn’t have to help at the shop anymore. Shecky takes Ben to the neighborhood temple, where a rabbi reminds Ben that Ben never had his Bar Mitzvah. Ben agrees to go through with it, practicing and studying. The FF, Alicia, Ben’s Uncle Jacob, and a bunch of superheroes attend the big day. Ben gives a speech about the story of Job from the Torah. He says he’s realized that, despite being a monster, he’s got it pretty good.
Then we cut back to the poker tournament, where Flatman of the Great Lakes Avengers outplays Ben in the final game. Ben is angry, but then Alicia whispers something in his ear that convinces him to kick everyone out except the two of them. The miniseries ends when Spider-Man asks, “Is that it?” and the caption says, “Yeah, that’s it.”
Unstable molecule: When Ben calls for help from his teammates, Reed cannot respond because he’s in the Negative Zone fighting Blastaar the Living Bomb-Burst. I’d really like Marvel to tell this full story someday.
Fade out: Sue doesn’t answer Ben because she’s in the ocean with Namor, using her force fields to stop an oil spill from spreading.
Clobberin’ time: This series would seem to set wheels in motion for Alicia and Ben becoming a couple again, but it won’t actually happen officially until after the 2015 Secret Wars.
Flame on: Johnny doesn’t respond to Ben’s call because he’s rescuing Beyonce (!) from Dragon Man.
Fantastic fifth wheel: She-Hulk cameos at the opening to the youth center, remarking that she’s been away from the FF for so long that she’s surprised at how much taller the kids are. She’s also at the poker tournament.
Other alternate members of the team at the poker game are Luke Cage, Namor, Impossible Man, and Tigra. Remember that those last two were part of the so-called “Fantastic Seven” for a short time in the ‘70s. Also, She-Hulk, Luke Cage, and Medusa are all at Ben’s Bar Mitzvah.
Spider-Man mentions what he thinks is his membership in the FF by recalling when he, Wolverine, Hulk, and Ghost Rider were the so-called “New Fantastic Four.” In response, Ben famously quips, “You think that counts?”
Four and a half/Our gal Val: Franklin and Valeria appear only briefly, at the youth center opening and when being babysat.
SUE-per spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries revealed that Sue had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all along. In this series, Ben asks Sue to dig up into on Arlo North, which she does easily. Could this be her spy training at work?
Trivia time: Who are the Great Lakes Avengers? Most Marvel fans know Squirrel Girl by now, and the others are Mr. Immortal, Flatman, Big Bertha, and Doorman. This one also starts the running gag of them wanting a new team name. They call themselves the Great Lakes X-Men, the Great Lakes Defenders, and the Great Lakes Champions in this one.
What’s this “Iron Spider” business about? Spider-Man was living at Stark Tower at this time, as a member of the New Avengers. Tony Stark built the Iron Spider armor after Spidey died and came back in a battle against Morlun. The armor’s attributes included three (not four) mechanical spider arms, a glider, and chameleonic shape-changing powers.
It’s not stated in this issue, but Ben is working at the pawn shop to pay off the Star of David he took in vol. 3 issue #56. Shecky refuses a check from Ben, insisting that Ben work off the debt.
Why is Sandman a villain again, after all that time spent on his redemption? He even spent some time alongside the Avengers. Turns out the Wizard tinkered with his brain in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #12, making him evil again.
Spider-Woman and Yellowjacket are also at the poker game, but it’ll later be revealed that these are Skrulls in disguise.
Fantastic or frightful? These issues are more typical of writer Dan Slott’s style, with all the eye-winking humor based on Marvel continuity. The gags feel overdone after a little while, and all the drama between Alicia and Ben goes nowhere at the end. The Bar Mitzvah scenes are nicely done, however, as is Ben’s big speech at the end of it.
Next: The old Parker luck.
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. The first three chapters are FREE, so give it a shot! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.
Todd McFarlane is a mega-millionaire with success undreamt of. I’m just some guy. But as I’ve been buying, reading, and enjoying Gunslinger Spawn, I’m struck with the desire to pull out the old editing red pen. Here’s my attempt to copyedit Gunslinger Spawn.
Issue #1 begins as Spawn from the main Spawn series leaves Gunslinger Spawn alone in the woods. This first page doesn’t spend any time on Gunslinger’s origin or history, instead giving readers just enough detail to jump right into the story. Gunslinger says, “Like I said, I had my own reasons.” Then Spawn’s response is so long-winded and janky, it inspired me make this blog post. He says:
That second sentence is a lot of thoughts at once. For clarity, it can be made clearer by breaking it up. My suggestion:
“I’m sure you did. I need to know why. What drew you to that island? As far as I know, you’re new this entire planet. So, why that place?”
Each sentence is now its own separate thought, with easy-to-read flow from one to the next. The phrase “this entire planet” is curious, as it suggests Gunslinger is not merely from the past but an alternate universe. Either that, or it’s some comic book-y exaggeration. You almost never need to start a sentence with “So,” but I kept it to show that Spawn’s train of thought has led him to this conclusion.
The narration captions for the rest of page 1 are nicely written, establishing that Gunslinger has traveled from 1864, he has a motorcycle hidden nearby, and he’s got a lot of rage under the surface. On page 2, we meet Taylor. He’s a young guy working at a gas station, getting chewed out by his boss, Mr. Santo. The comma use in his dialogue could use some tweaking.
Break up that first sentence so it reads:
“I’m heading home now. Make sure you lock everything up when you close.”
The first sentence in Santo’s second word balloon can also be broken up and shortened:
“And put that phone down. Customers like it when they seem important to us.”
A more direct order on the boss’s part has him be more domineering, making Taylor’s plight more sympathetic to the reader. Starting a sentence with “and” is controversial among grammar nerds, but I kept it in this case to emphasize that this one of a long list of orders Santo has been barking at Taylor all day. Taylor’s friends show up, asking him to blow off work. A caption says:
The comma in this sentence is wholly unnecessary. It should read:
“Taylor decides now is the perfect time.”
Why do I keep going on about commas? I suspect the comic is “writing for the actor.” This is when a writer will add a comma in hopes that’s where an actor will add a dramatic pause. It’s unneeded. The writer can trust the reader to fill in these dramatics on their own.
The next page starts with a very unwieldy sentence:
This is a lot. Four clauses only barely connected with a lot of needless words. My suggestion:
“Gunslinger pushes his bike to the edge of town. He never had to do this with any horse.”
This is the same idea and information, but more succinct and to the point.
Taylor returns to the gas station after hanging out with friends. He’s enamored with Gunslinger’s bike, and then he’s confronted by Gunslinger himself. The comic’s writing is at its best in Gunslinger’s interactions with Taylor. Todd and his team have done a great job giving the character a distinctive voice. Gunslinger says:
Definitely lose the “first” at the start of the sentence. Get straight to the point. The “that contraption that” is odd sentence structure. I suspect they’re trying to make Gunslinger sound cowboy-ish, but his use of “contraption” gets that across. My suggestion is to simplify:
“You know why that contraption won’t work?”
Then there’s a two-page spread with our villains meeting inside a museum full of dinosaurs. The caption states:
Remove needless words and rearrange sentences so they don’t have as many clauses:
“On the border of Mexico and Arizona sits a private museum dedicated to those that ruled the Earth millions of years ago. For those that have been there since the beginning, it serves as a reminder of how long their struggles have gone on.”
We see a lot of overwriting in the second caption. The wording “are sensing” is passive voice, which should be avoided. The comma after “that” is erroneous. There are a bunch of ways this sentence can get simplified. My suggestion:
“Today, a few of them sense a new opportunity.”
The there’s the villains’ dialogue:
Here’s a case where “So” is unnecessary. Beyond that, we can tighten this dialogue to read:
“We’re all in agreement. Cogliostro’s misguided attempts to recruit a new Spawn backfired. Question is, what’re you planning to do about it? More importantly, is it going to conflict with our side’s plans?”
A second villain responds:
A writer can go crazy searching a manuscript for clichés, but here a few big ones. The “Thank you for coming here on such short notice” phrase is cliché. The “as we’ve talked about” phrase is a variation of the classic “As you already know” dialogue that should always be avoided. My suggestion:
“Gentlemen, I’m hopeful that, because of Cogliostro’s actions, we’ll find a common purpose for both our cartels. I believe that purpose begins with the hellspawn called Gunslinger.”
On the next page, the villain speech continues:
Again, this is a lot of separate thoughts crammed into one, making it hard to decipher just what our villain is talking about. Breaking these long sentences into shorter, choppier ones can better get these thoughts across. The phrase “in no position to resist joining” is also awkward and could be replaced with “will,” but that might too simple. As written, it suggests the villains have big plans for manipulating the Gunslinger. My suggestion:
“Are you willing to call a truce between our factions, Cyrus? After my boss gets what he wants, he will ensure Gunslinger is in no position to resist joining your side. A gift like that could improve the frayed relationship with your leaders.”
The next panel has Cyrus answer, “I can handle them. What about your boss, when do we meet him?” The comma after “boss” needs to be a question mark. The next line is:
I have no idea what “fairly significant” means. Change this line to:
“He’s planning to go public in a big way.”
Or even simpler:
“He’s planning to go public.”
Next, we get more dialogue between Gunslinger and Taylor. There’s some humor with Gunslinger not knowing about the present, and we learn Gunslinger is searching for something he buried long ago. Gunslinger and Taylor’s interactions continue to be the best-written parts of the comic. After Gunslinger and Taylor get to know each other, they are attacked by an enemy:
Just a few tweaks can make these thoughts clearer. I’m not sure why there’s a need to name-drop Al Simmons, except perhaps to establish that Gunslinger isn’t as powerful as Simmons. My suggestion:
“I told them you’re too stupid to hide. You’re going to find out God’s warriors have evolved in two hundred years. And you’re half the man Al Simmons is.”
We get two narrative captions describing the fight:
Is the line about two trains colliding a cliche? You could argue that. The second panel reminds us that Gunslinger is displaced in time. Except we already know that. Dropping it in the middle of the sentence is awkward. I suggest keeping it short to keep the action moving.
“The battle is a complete mess for both opponents.”
“In the midst of the barrage, the new hellspawn sees an opening.”
Again, these are just suggestions. Let me reiterate that I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t enjoy Gunslinger Spawn. Yet this is what runs through my head as I read the comic. Come back next week when I’ll go over the rest of issue #1.
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. The first three chapters are FREE, so give it a shot! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. When J. Michael Straczynski took over the series, he added a twist by making Ben Grimm a millionaire, with all the fun and trouble that comes with it. Writer Dan Slott and artists Andrea DeVito and Keiron Dwyer took that idea and ran with it in the spinoff 8-issue Thing miniseries.
Issue #1 begins like any old Marvel Two-In-One caper, with Ben and Goliath fighting supervillain Cauldron. But after the fight, reporters accost Ben with questions about his newfound wealth, and Goliath wants him to invest in some new tech. Ben has moved out of the new Baxter Building, and is now living in a penthouse apartment off Central Park West. He’s dating a celebrity actress, Carlotta LaRosa, who wants him to join her at an exclusive party in the Hamptons. We also meet Carlotta’s friend, a supermodel named Milan Ramada (get it?). She learns she isn’t invited, and then she’s abducted by a mysterious man with hologram tech.
We get a glimpse of Alicia, reading about Ben in the tabloids. She’s now dating a man named Mr. North. At the Hamptons, Ben is surprised to find the party hosted by a white collar criminal, Irma Roberts, who is there on house arrest. Tony Stark is at the party, as is millionaire crimefighter Kyle Richmond (a.k.a. Nighthawk) and third-rate villain the Constrictor. A statue of Ben is on display, but it’s actually a robot. It fights and subdues Ben and the others. They wake on an island, where they’re confronted by the villain Arcade. He’s constructed a new “Murderland” amusement park, and he wants all the partygoers to play his life-or-death games.
In issue #2, Alicia learns what happened at the party, telling police that the statue wasn’t hers, but a replica. At Murderland, Arcade’s robot sidekick Brynocki explains that there’s an immunity zone at the center of the island. If the partygoers can make it there without getting killed, they win. Nighthawk and Constrictor get to have their tech, but Tony Stark has no armor, and a jamming field prevents him from contacting the Avengers.
Then, action! There’s a beach lined with mines, a high-speed rollercoaster, a runaway Ferris wheel covered with spikes, and an army of toy soldiers armed with real guns. The Constrictor runs off, and Nighthawk chases him. Carlotta pretends to pick a fight with Ben as a distraction, so Tony Stark can sneak away into the island’s behind-the-scenes tunnels. Ben leads everyone further into the island, to “Marvel’s Islands of Adventure,” which here is a recreation of Times Square. Ben fights and defeats a Hulk robot, only for a bunch more Hulk robots to appear in its place.
In issue #3, Tony Stark contacts Ben from the underground tunnels, saying the immunity zone is real and not one of Arcade’s tricks. Nighthawk and Constrictor call a truce. They fly in to help Ben. Then Tony makes a bunch of Thing robots appear to fight the Hulk robots. Then everyone makes it to “Murderland Studios,” where they fight robot facsimiles of famous movie characters. They get to the immunity zone, only to find it too small for everyone to stand on.
In New York, Alicia and attorney Matt Murdock investigate a gallery making fakes of her sculptures, learning they were backed by an “A.R. Cadenski.” They get the location of Arcade’s private island. At that island, Carlotta tries to escape on a flying platform, only to be shot down. Ben has everyone stand on that platform. He holds them all over his head while standing on the immunity zone, thereby winning Arcade’s game. Tony Stark reprograms Byrnocki to be a miniature Iron Man, and they capture Arcade. Tony says the FF are on the way for the rescue, but it was Alicia and not Reed who found them. Later, Alicia has another meeting with Matt Murdock. She tells him she no longer has romantic feelings for Ben. Murdock, with his heightened senses, can tell that she’s lying.
Issue #4 begins in Attilan, the Inhumans’ city on the moon. Teleporting dog Lockjaw has a sliver of moon rock stuck in him. No one can get it out, so he teleports to the new Baxter Building. This is just as Ben returns from Murderworld. Sue and Reed put on a show of fighting about one of Reed’s experiments just so Ben will have an excuse to babysit little the kids for an afternoon.
Ben takes the kids on a whirlwind afternoon around NYC, with him throwing money around like crazy. They end up at the horse track (!), where a high-tech villain named Shockjock attacks. Lockjaw teleports the kids to Attilan while Ben fights the villain. Shockjock puts up a good fight, but then Lockjaw returns and bites the wires that give him his electric powers. Later, the Inhuman royal family tell Ben that Lockjaw has decided he wants to return to Earth and live with Ben in his new apartment. Ben agrees, and they play teleporting catch in the park.
Unstable molecule: Reed fakes Ben out by saying that he’s building a Newtonian matter generator. He later admits to Sue that such a device would be impossible, even for him.
Fade out: Is Sue in on Reed’s ruse, or isn’t she? She’s furious with Reed at first, but then is all in with the idea of Ben babysitting the kids for a day.
Clobberin’ time: Ben’s romance with Carlotta is short-lived, as he breaks up with her at the start of issue #4. He feels she’s only interested him for his money, and her own social status.
Flame on: Now that Ben has moved out, Johnny uses this as an opportunity to take his sky-cycle for a ride. He nearly crashes it, though, because the cycle is built specifically for Ben’s weight and strength.
Fantastic fifth wheel: Medusa is a few panels, speaking on behalf of Black Bolt and the royal family. She-Hulk and Impossible Man appear in a one-panel flashback of various heroes Ben has teamed up with in the past.
This is the first appearance of the Fantasti-Bus, which our heroes can use to transport larger groups of people. This is all to say that Johnny uses H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot as an autopilot for the Fantasti-Bus. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.
Four and a half: Franklin tells Ben a story about the time that Reed gave him a thousand bucks to spend on whatever he wanted. He says it was fun at first, but then he got bored with it – a valuable lesson about how some things are more important than wealth. Ben says Franklin is “the smartest kid I know.”
Our gal Val: Little Valeria enjoys seeing the horses at the racetrack, exclaimed “Haw-see!” In Attilan, when she sees Gorgon, she also calls him “Haw-see.” (And let’s never forget that Gorgon once singlehandedly defeated the entire FF.)
Trivia time: The Hulk robots are based on various looks the Hulk has had over the years, including the futuristic Maestro, the bowl-cut Professor Hulk, the grey Mr. Fixit, the “clown robot disguise” Hulk from Avengers #1, and even that time that Bruce Banner got the Hulk’s unstoppable rage without any of the strength.
The Thing statues and the Thing robots also reflect Ben’s various looks, including his metal mask, his original lumpy form, his spikey form from the Steve Englehart days, and the Blackbeard outfit from way back in Fantastic Four #4. It’s unknown how Arcade would know about some of these alternate versions of the characters.
Then there are Arcade’s robots based on movie characters. King Kong, the Mummy, the alien from Alien, and the Jurassic Park T-rex are instantly recognizable, but the rest are just different enough to avoid lawsuits. I see a blonde Edward Scissorhands, a grey monster that’s maybe a troll from Lord of the Rings, orange robots who might be Star Wars stormtroopers. There’s also a green-skinned, four-armed guy holding an axe, who I’m guessing is some Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat character.
The robot Brynocki has been around for a while, having been a supporting character in Master of Kung Fu. He also appeared in Rom and Moon Knight. These issues have him adopting a new persona as Iron Boy, but that never goes anywhere. These issues are his last appearance.
Arcade’s other two sidekicks are Locke and Chamber. Except this isn’t the real Locke, but an android. Locke died in the miniseries Wolverine/Gambit: Victims. As for Chamber, this mini is his only appearance. He’s not related (that I know of) to the energy-mouthed X-Man of the same name.
What’s the deal with supermodel Milan? The Marvel Wiki confirms that she paid for Arcade to abduct everyone from the party. This was her revenge for not being invited. I don’t know that this is made clear in the actual comic. She never gets her comeuppance because she never appears again after issue #1. Also, The Drew Carey Show also had a Paris Hilton ripoff character named Milan. Same character? Shared universe?
Fantastic or frightful? What can I possibly say about Dan Slott’s writing that hasn’t already been said. Slott enjoys playing around with obscure comic book trivia, which is both his biggest strength and his biggest weakness. It’s fun playing “Where’s Waldo” with all the different Things and Hulks in one scene, but the actual plot takes a back seat to Slott playing in Marvel’s sandbox. The second half of the series is when things (heh) get a little more serious, so we’ll see.
Next: The original Poker Face.
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. The first three chapters are FREE, so give it a shot! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #532 goes way back – all the way back – to explain everything about the universe and reality itself. That’s a tall order. Can it succeed?
How to recap all this? Reed took a job with the government, who wanted to recreate the FF’s original spaceflight with a bunch of astronauts. Deducing that the cosmic rays that gave the FF their powers contained a message from unseen aliens, Reed sabotaged the astronauts’ flight and went on the run. He and his teammates then met the Entity, the alien who sent the message. He wanted to find other seekers of the truth like himself. The Entity’s people, who accused him of being a heretic, arrived on Earth and attacked. The Entity and Reed tried escaping into the Negative Zone, but the portal was damaged, sending them to a void before the creation of the universe. The Entity, wanting to understand all things, went ahead and created the big bang. Got all that?
This issue begins with Reed floating in space as he witnesses the origin of the universe. He says it’s too much even for his mind to comprehend. He further says “This isn’t how it’s supposed to work,” and that it’s all just chaos. He says it’s all unstable, with forces of energy fighting against one another.
The Entity contacts Reed telepathically, and says he cannot control it all. The Entity says he was searching for truth, while Reed searched for knowledge. The big bang can only happen when truth and knowledge are in balance. He says Reed much let the Entity into his mind, or else the universe will collapse into destruction. Reed agrees, and then he screams in pain. Reed tries to cling to his sanity while experiencing all of time and space at once, including the creation of life on Earth.
The Entity says he understands why there is life in the universe, and Reed says he understands it, too. Reed explains that sentient life always struggles to understand, because the universe itself is a living, sentient consciousness that is struggling to understand itself. The Entity, addressing himself as, “I/we/the universe,” says he will continue to grow and expand, until he finally understands himself. He promises Reed that Reed will be there to see that moment, just as he was there to see the beginning.
Cosmic rays then appear, blasting through Reed. He says he can feel his thoughts affecting the rays, and his mind dwells on his three teammates, so far away. He then deduces that those thoughts are the message inside the rays, eventually turning into the force that gave the FF their powers. The intelligence behind the origin of the FF was Reed himself.
The Entity tells Reed that Reed is now free of his human bonds, and can go anywhere in time or space. Reed glimpses the FF’s original spaceflight, the birth of Franklin, and the FF fighting Dr. Doom. Reed says his family is his whole universe. The Entity tells him, “Choose your moment.”
Turn the page, and Reed is back on the U.S. Army base talking with scientist Dr. Love. They talk about how there’s never enough time for both work and family, and she hopes to get ahead of schedule so Reed can get back to New York. She asks the same question she did a few issues earlier: if the FF were struck by the exact same cosmic rays, how did the rays affect each of them differently. Reed says there must be some random factor he missed. Dr. Love suggests that Reed can’t see this random variable because he’s “in the fishbowl.”
Then the other scientist, Dr. Crane, calls Reed and Dr. Love to his office. He says the composition of the cosmic rays have changed, and they are no longer the exact same combination that gave the FF their powers. The astronauts’ spaceflight will have to be suspended and probably shut down. Reed’s only response is that he’d like to go back home.
Back in New York, Sue is frustrated after dealing with the social worker investigating whether the new Baxter Building is a safe place for the children. Reed returns, and he and Sue are happy to see each other. Later that night, Reed catches up with Ben and Johnny. Ben has bought another fancy suit with his newfound wealth (his one-fourth of Fantastic Four Inc.’s money was preserved when the rest of the team lost theirs some time ago).
Reed returns to his lab, to study the miniature planet from the beginning of this story arc. He says it would be easy to interfere in their culture, ending war and bloodshed. He doesn’t, however, saying there’s a difference between history and the smaller moments in all our lives. He concludes that the smaller moments are the parts that really matter. Reed and Sue go off to bed, saying it’s good to see their whole family together, and looking so happy. Alone in his room, Ben sheds a single tear, suggesting that he’s not so happy after all.
Unstable molecule: Does Reed remember what happened, or doesn’t he? At first, it seems like he does, but the issue doesn’t say. It’s left up to reader’s imagination.
Fade out: After spending the night together, Sue says she’s thankful for the cosmic rays, suggesting that Reed used his powers in creative ways in bed. Has Banky from Mallrats read this issue?
Clobberin’ time: Ben’s new life as a multi-millionaire, and the complications that come with that, will be further chronicled in the Thing miniseries that debuted shortly after this issue.
Flame on: The cover image has Jonny in place of Reed at the center of the universe. I assume this is because each other character were prominent on the previous three covers, so Johnny got his due, even though he’s barely in the issue.
Four and a half: Franklin is one panel, as Reed checks on him sleeping. The flashback scene would have to be Franklin’s birth, as Dr. Doom was present for Valeria’s birth.
SUE-per spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries revealed that Sue had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all along. In this issue, she’s walking around the Baxter Building wearing camouflage pants and a form-fitting dark green t-shirt. Not the sort of thing she normally wears. Was she just coming home from spy training, or even a mission?
Trivia time: The Entity never appeared again after this. Although, if he became the universe, you could argue that he’s in every Marvel comic. (What is the Entity’s relationship to Eternity? Or the Pheonix Force? Or the Beyonder? These and similar questions will likely never be answered.)
This story arc is also the only appearances of Dr. Love and Dr. Crane. Crane is quite obviously modeled after actor Paul Giamatti, but I can’t find any official sources from Marvel that confirms this.
Years later, writer Dan Slott will do a story similar to this one, in which an alien called the Overseer was responsible for the cosmic rays that gave the FF their powers. How to reconcile that with this story? This one says the Entity manipulated the rays to send a message to the FF, but did not create them. Let’s see if this holds up when we get to those Slott issues.
Trash website Aint It Cool News once published a review of this issue, except that it was mostly the words “Where are the editors?” repeated over and over.
Fantastic or frightful? There we have it, the origin of the Marvel Universe and the true story of the Fantastic Four’s powers. So, why wasn’t this a mega-event that rocked the entire comics world to its core? It’s very much a philosophical discussion, and not pulse-pounding superhero action. Also, because Reed (probably) doesn’t remember any of this, it comes off as inconsequential. If the characters go on like nothing happened, then why shouldn’t the reader?
Next: Green Vegas.
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. The first three chapters are FREE, so give it a shot! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. If you thought this story arc was getting far-out and cosmic already, issue 531 goes even further… by going back.
Where were we? After taking a top-secret government job, Reed deduced that the cosmic rays that originally gave the FF their powers was no accident. The rays contained a signal from an alien being hoping to contact explorer-geniuses like himself. Then a battleship from the alien’s home world shows up. They are threatening to attack the Earth, believing the alien to be a heretic. Also, the U.S. Army is out to get Reed, after he sabotaged their attempt to recreate the FF’s powers for a bunch of astronauts. Also-also, a social worker is investigating Reed and Sue with concerns that the new Baxter Building in unsafe for their kids.
The FF and the alien have a quick debate about how a scientific, space-faring race can also have crimes against heresy, the alien teleports himself and the FF to a deserted tropical island for their safety. Reed insists on going back to protect New York from the invaders, but the alien says he must do whatever it takes to survive. They debate it some more, and the alien uses the last of his strength to teleport everyone back. The Baxter Building is under fire, with little Franklin and Valeria still inside, being babysat by a group of prospective nannies.
Sue takes the alien down to Reed’s lab, with Reed naming the alien “the Entity” for the first time, making it his name from now on. Johnny is tasked with getting the kids to safety, and Reed slingshots Ben into the sky to clobber the alien ships. Inside, the Entity takes notice of the Negative Zone portal, which hilariously has a big “Do not touch!” sign.
The Entity contacts Reed telepathically. Reed leaves the others to the fight and joins the Entity in the lab. The Entity says the Negative Zone is the one place where he can go that his people cannot find him. Reed says it’s too dangerous, but the Entity is willing to take the risk. He says it’s better to end it all than to keep running.
Outside, Sue and Johnny manage to drive back the invaders, only for them to call in reinforcements. In the lab, Reed recalibrates the Negative Zone portal for the Entity’s unique energy signature. The Entity says he’d been searching for someone like him for three hundred Earth years. In all that time, Reed was the first to respond. He thinks that Reed is despairing, because he’s spent his life only seeing and not truly living. He warns Reed not to become like him, a question in living form. Reed readies the portal, but then tells the Entity, “I want to understand everything.”
We get some more fighting outside the building. Then back in the lab, the Entity offers Reed his hand, saying “You will see all that I know, and all that I still seek.” Then one of the invaders’ missiles gets past Johnny and hits the building. This causes the Negative Zone portal to go haywire. He and the Entity are transported to an outer space scene, which Reed describes as, “Between then and now. Between existence… and the void.”
Reed further elaborates that he is touching the fabric of creation itself, and he’s being hurtled backwards millions of years through time. He and the Entity end up surrounded by darkness, which the Entity says is the void, a time before the big bang. The Entity obsesses over how life came to exist from nothingness. He adds that he must also understand himself. A light appears, and the Entity says it came from “that which is the galaxy within me.” Reed asks if the Entity’s desire for understanding is what caused the big bang. The Entity says, “There is but one way to be sure,” and, “Let there be light.”
Turn the page, and we see the Entity expanding outward, being the big bang, with Reed still floating at the center of it all.
To be continued!
Unstable molecule: This issue tries to get at the heart of who Reed is as a character, suggesting that Reed is unfulfilled because of his desire to understand the nature of the universe. Does this line up with everything we’ve seen about the character we’ve seen before? It’s debatable.
Fade out: Sue takes a leadership role during the battle, hanging back and giving orders to Ben and Johnny.
Clobberin’ time: Ben jokes about wanting the Millennium Falcon to fly down from space and save the day, only to be disappointed when it doesn’t happen. At least, I hope this is a joke.
Flame on: Johnny’s big hero moment is when he rescues the kids and the nannies by blasting a bunch of aliens out of the building. But then he fails to stop an alien missile, which sends Reed and the Entity back to the big bang.
Four and a half/Our gal Val: Franklin and Valeria also get a hero moment, putting themselves between the invaders and the nannies. They maintain faith that Johnny will save them, which he does.
Trivia time: The Marvel Universe has established multiple reasons for why and how the big bang happened. The most well-known is how it’s tied into the origin of Galactus, as seen in Super-Villain Classics #1. But then, an Avengers story stated that the big bang came when leftover matter from a bunch of alternate universes crashing into each other. And then, in Venom of all places, the symbiote king/god Knull said the Celestials did the big bang, and that Knull was there at the time. This FF storyline, meanwhile, is not included in the Marvel Wiki’s entry about the big bang.
Fantastic or frightful? In earlier posts, I praised J. Michael Straczynski for bringing far-out cosmic sci-fi to Fantastic Four, but does he go too far in this issue? Tying the creation of the universe to one character’s search for meaning is some seriously heady stuff. And the thing is, it’s going to get even headier.
Next: Time and again.
* * * *
Want more? Check out my new ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a city full of far-out technology and hidden dark magic. The first three chapters are FREE, so give it a shot! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.
macmcentire 