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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. A cosmic crisis just keeps getting more cosmic in issue #519, along with some big changes for our heroes.  

Recap: The FF are facing a financial and PR crisis following the Latveria incident (it’s a long story) just in time for aliens to attack New York. The aliens, led by a guy named Zius, are survivors of Galactus. They have perfected invisibility technology to hide entire planets from Galactus’ near-omniscient senses. They’ve come to Earth to find and possibly destroy Sue, who they learned has the power to make the invisible visible. Despite her teammates’ protests, Sue surrenders to the aliens.

This issue begins with Zius strapping Sue to a strange device to prevent her from using her force fields while the other aliens keep the rest of the FF at bay. Zius says he is no murderer, yet this seems like an execution. Sue pleads for one last chance to say goodbye to her children. Johnny tries to fight back but is stopped by the aliens. Zius is about to. Then Reed busts through a wall with one of the aliens’ weapons. Instead of fighting the aliens, however, he turns the weapon on Sue and fires.

Sue collapses while Zius checks his instruments. Reed explains that he didn’t hurt Sue, he merely took away her powers. He says this is preferable to her becoming a pawn in a game played by alien demigods. He tells Zius, “Get off my planet.” Zius uses mind-boggling alien tech to return Manhattan island to Earth, instantaneously repairing all the damage that was done.  

Reed gives a big speech to Zius, saying that the FF have defended Earth against Galactus multiple times and will do so again. He says that if Zius ever returns to Earth, “The Fantastic Four will make you regret it.” Because the aliens are still broadcasting their message to Earth, people all over the world hear Reed say this.

Cut to the roof of the new Baxter Building as the aliens are leaving. Ben insists that Reed use the weapon on him to make him human again. Reed says the weapon actually doesn’t eliminate anyone’s powers. He tells Sue to jump off the building (!). She does (!!) and then she flames on. She now has Johnny’s powers. Reed says the FF’s powers cannot be created or destroyed, but they can be reassigned. Johnny tries it, and he turns invisible, as he now has Sue’s powers.

Reed says the procedure can be reversed. He’s about to give Sue and Johnny their own powers back, when they look up to see a giant hand reach down and grab hold of the departing alien ships. There’s an image in the sky of Zius suffering in pain, and then the hand destroys the ships. Turn the page and we see it’s Galactus, looming large over the city.

Galactus fires an energy beam down at the building, striking Johnny. Johnny isn’t hurt, but instead is transformed. He’s glowing with energy and has a new outfit with a big eye on his chest. Johnny realizes it’s Sue’s powers that both Zius and Galactus are after. As Galactus’ hand reaches for Johnny, he says, “This bites.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: I’m a little unclear as to how Reed’s plan works. There’s one panel of Zius checking out an image of Sue on his computer, and that’s all we get to see that he’s been tricked, even though he’s been shown to have nearly godlike power. Let’s just say his weapon also messes with their sensors somehow.

Fade out: Sue says Johnny’s powers have a frightening burning sensation as first, but then it is freeing as the flames make her lighter than air.

Clobberin’ time: Ben is mostly comic relief this issue. When Johnny turns himself invisible, Ben says, “It’s a good look f’r ya!”

Flame on: Sue’s advice to Johnny about how to turn visible is to imagine himself as being seen, and it works.

Trivia time: What’s Galactus been up to since he came back from the dead during the Abraxus storyline? He was a major player in the Annihilation crossover, in which he created the “Galactus event” to counter the deadly Annihilation Wave. Then, in Nova, there was a complicated storyline about Galactus and his conflict with the Proemial Gods, and his fight with a cosmic being called the Harrow. It’s nice that they’ve given him interests other than just devouring planets.

Also, this is the final appearance of Zius, so we can assume that he did indeed die in Galactus’ attack.

Fantastic or frightful? This is issue is fast paced, with a lot of big moments and dramatic revelations told in a short space. I feel like the creators were rushing through this one to check off a lot of boxes in order to set up the good stuff in the next few issues. Such is the nature of monthly comics, I suppose, with a finite number of pages to work with. Mike Wieringo’s artwork continues to shine.

Next: Storm in space.

• * * * *

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 #518 is all about invisibility. Where’s King Mob and Ragged Robin when you need them?

Recap: The FF are still dealing with financial and PR problems following the Latveria incident (it’s a long story). Then a bunch of giant pillars flew down from space and surrounded Manhattan, lifting the entire island into the sky. With no Avengers to call on for help after the Avengers: Disassembled storyline, the NYC mayor had no choice but to call on the FF for aid.

We begin with a couple pages of our heroes rescuing civilians during the crisis. Then it’s back to the new Baxter Building, where Reed provides two-way comm devices to his teammates. He says that one of the pillars contains viewports, suggesting someone is inside while another pillar is putting out a massive amount of energy, making it the power source. He’ll check out the power source, while the other three investigate the viewports.

Sue, Ben, and Johnny punch their way through their pillar, only to be attacked by unseen force. Similarly, Reed stretches into his pillar and bumps into an invisible wall inside. Sue uses her power of turning invisible things visible, and reveals a giant two-headed monster. Ben clobbers the monster real good, while Sue reveals the entire space filled with other monsters.

Reed deduces that he’s in a room with invisible machinery, and he works on way to hack it. Sue, Ben and Johnny fight the aliens, with Sue discovering they are intelligent and have a language. Then the aliens’ leader appears, a wizard-like fellow named Zius. Cut to outside Manhattan, where TV reporters find their signal hacked by Zius. Everything he’s saying is also being broadcast throughout the country. He says he and the aliens have come to Earth in hopes of stopping the deadliest being in the known universe… Galactus!

Zius explains that his world was devoured by Galactus and that he was the only survivor. He sought other survivors, and over time they developed technology that could turn entire planets invisible, fooling Galactus’ near-omnipotent sensors. Then they learned of someone on Earth with the power to make the invisible visible. They narrowed their search to Manhattan and plotted to launch Manhattan into the sun. But now, Zius says Sue is the one they’re looking for, and he insists she surrender.

Sue says she would never willingly help Galactus destroy planets, but Zius says it’s only a matter of time before Galactus comes to Earth to take Sue’s powers for himself. Over the two-way comm, Reed asks his teammates to stall while he thinks of an alternative, but Sue merely bows her head and offers her surrender.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: To figure out the invisible alien machine, Reed stretches his body around it to get a sense of its size and shape, and where its control panel is.

Fade out: This comic suggests that Sue is the only character in the Marvel Universe who can turn invisible things visible. Other than the cosmic, godlike beings, I can’t think of another with this power, unless Dr. Strange can do it with Eye of Agamotto.

Clobberin’ time: Ben punches out the first alien with no problem, but then the group aliens out-muscles him, pinning him to the floor.

Flame on: The aliens negate Johnny’s powers by dousing him with a yellow liquid that he can’t burn through. Let’s all hope it’s not what it looks like.

Four and a half/Our gal Val: Franklin and Valeria appear in the opening scene, and then there’s a line saying they’re going to stay with Alicia for the rest of this adventure.

Trivia time: The Marvel Wiki says the aliens’ planet-hiding invisibility tech is a reference to issue #48, the first part of the famous Galactus trilogy. In that issue, the Skrulls talk about “blacking out” their system to hide from Galactus.

Fantastic or frightful? A fun issue full of far-out sci-fi conceits. I like the idea of taking invisibility tech to extreme lengths. Mike Wieringo’s artwork really shines in the designs of all the kooky alien monsters. Big ideas, big action, and big drama – this is what Fantastic Four is all about.

Next: Switcharoo.

• * * * *

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. A new story arc begins in issue 517, one that kinda/sorta ties into a bigger Marvel event. Oh Marvel, you and your events.  

It’s Halloween! Ben is hilariously dressed as Johnny while taking Franklin and Valeria out trick or treating. Sue scares him by using her powers to make a Jack o’ Lantern look like it’s floating in midair. They discuss how no kids are wearing Avengers costumes after the government recently disbanding the Avengers initiative (this is our crossover with the Avengers: Disassembled event).

At the new Baxter Building, Johnny is still the FF’s chief financial officer, he and fellow executive Jian meet with Reed about possible new inventions. Finances are still struggling after putting more money towards the FF’s PR department to help save their public image after the Latveria incident (it’s a long story). Jian insists that despite all the FF’s recent troubles, she’s not looking for other work.

The windows in Johnny’s office shatter, and Reed announces a city-wide atmospheric disturbance. Crazy winds blow all over New York, and then gigantic green pillars fall from the sky, embedding themselves in the water around Manhattan. The NYC mayor calls for the Avengers, only to learn they have disbanded. He’s then told not to call the FF because they are a political liability. But the FF are already on the scene, saving civilians from tidal waves caused by the pillars.

New Yorkers see the FF in action and fear that the team is taking over NYC like they took over Latveria. While everyone at the mayor’s office debates whether to cooperate with the FF, the city is rocked with a huge quake. Turn the page, and we see that Manhattan is being lifted upward into the sky. The mayor reaches into his desk, pulls out an old-school FF flare gun, and fires the “4” signal into the sky.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Some confusion here about the FF’s finances. First we’re told that Reed invented a self-inflating basketball (!) that is selling well. But then he has a prototype for x-ray sunglasses that’s not ready for market, because it causes blindness. (How does Reed know this? Did he test it on someone?)

Fade out: Sue struggles to hold back the tidal wave, and Ben jokes that Marvel Girl could’ve done it better. I’m embarrassed to admit that it took me forever to remember that Marvel Girl is Jean Grey’s codename.

Clobberin’ time: Ben intimidates a suburban dad into giving the kids all of his Halloween candy, so sometimes it’s good to be a giant rock monster.

Flame on: Johnny wants to give Jian a raise, but she refuses. He looks through the papers in her office trashcan (not cool!) and finds she has rejected offers from headhunters for better jobs, simply because she still believes in the FF.

Four and a half: Franklin has a cowboy Halloween costume. I suspect he’s supposed to be Woody from Toy Story, but it’s hard to tell.

Our gal Val: Valeria has now aged up from baby to toddler, walking on her own while trick-or-treating. She has a clown costume.

Fantastic fifth wheel: In the background there are trick-or-treaters dressed as FF alternate members Luke Cage and Ant-Man. Future alternates Storm and Spider-Man are also represented as Halloween costumes.

Trivia time: What’s Avengers Disassembled about? There was a huge battle among all the Avengers, with some of them being hospitalized and even killed (!). This was due to the Scarlet Witch driven to violence over the loss of her children she subconsciously created (sound familiar?). The follow-up comic, Avengers Finale, is the one where the UN and the US government both sever all ties with the Avengers because of this incident.

In the hardcover collection’s bonus materials, Mark Waid states that this issue’s original ending was the mayor dialing Reed’s cell phone to ask for help. Writer Karl Kesel came up with the idea to bring back the classic signal flare, for a more dramatic and visual cliffhanger.

The mayor is not named. There’s disagreement online among fans whether this character is generic unnamed mayor, or if it’s real-life NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The Marvel Wiki states that the entire run of Marvel Knights: 4 took place between last issue and this one. I’m planning to cover that series in upcoming blog posts.

Also, the Marvel Wiki makes it a point to mention that both humans and mutants appear in this issue. Do they mean Franklin?

Fantastic or frightful? The first half of the issue is slice-of-life stuff with a lot of family banter, and then some disaster movie rescue action in the second half. It’s a light, breezy read, setting up bigger things, but Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo continue to get the characters just right.

Next: “I love you, Dr. Zaius!”

• * * * *

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. In issue #516, we’ve got the Fantastic Four in one corner and the new Frightful Four in the other corner. They both come out swinging.

 Recap: We met the new Frightful Four, made up of the Wizard, the Trapster a.k.a. Paste-Pot Pete, Hydro-Man, and Salamandra. Along for the ride is Cole, a beautiful young woman with gravity-defying powers, who turned out to be the Wizard and Salamandra’s long-lost daughter. The Frightful Four attacked and defeated the FF, with the whole thing televised, for the sole purpose of humiliating the heroes in public. While the Frightful Four fell apart with in-fighting, Cole ran back to Johnny and asked for his help. The FF plan retaliation.

The issue begins with an incredibly kinky scene. Salamandra is taking a bath, and the bath water is… Hydro-Man?!? An alarm goes off, and the two of them join the Wizard to find Cole sneaking back into the Wizard’s HQ. The Wizard spies on Cole talking to someone, and he deduces that the Fantastic Four are there, unseen thanks to Sue’s invisibility powers. Cole makes it inside, and the villains confront her. The Frightful Four attack, but they hit nothing. Then the Wizard learns that Cole’s ring, which he gave to her, was a high-tech signal ring that Reed hacked into his teleporter. The Fantastic Four teleport into the hideout, standing alongside Cole.

Fighting! Sue goes after Salamandra, who transforms into a dragon (!) to bust free of Sue’s force fields. Johnny and Cole make a run for it. They talk about how Cole wants Reed to remove her powers, and Johnny reminds her that he can’t do it without access to the Wizard’s data. Johnny tells Cole she’s worth the risk, and they kiss.

The Wizard and Reed seem evenly matched, until Ben picks up Hydro-Man and throws him at the Wizard. Hydro-Man recovers, chases after Cole and gets attacked by Johnny. Cole uses her powers to defend herself. The Wizard also recovers, trying to subdue Ben with one of his gravity discs, but Reed steps in and grabs the disc for himself. He uses the disc to de-gravitize Salamandra, and Sue traps Hydro-Man in a force field.

Reed checks on Johnny and Cole, only to find her weakened to a barely-alive state. He says her powers have a transference effect, and that when she increases an object’s mass, she decreases her own. Reed goes off in search of the Wizard’s data, while the Wizard confronts Johnny. The Wizard alters the gravity inside his hideout, throwing Johnny and Sue around the room and freeing Hydro-man.

The Wizard nabs Cole and takes her to his lab. He saves her life by hooking her up to a machine that replenishes her depleted mass with gravitons from a cable. It works and she is healthy again, but then he wants to experiment on her, asking to see what happens when she absorbs excess mass. Reed attacks, only to be held back by more gravity discs. The Wizard says Cole can’t trust Reed, and that Reed won’t be able to cure her.

Cole then reconfigures the Wizard’s gravity, so he attaches to one of the Trapster’s glue traps, sealing the Wizard inside fast-hardening super-strong glue. Cole then demonstrates her ability to absorb extra mass, making the whole place go haywire. The hideout, secretly located within abandoned NYC subway tunnels, breaks up through the street flies into the sky over New York. This effort transforms Cole into a blob-like monstrosity. The Wizard says he loves her, and she says that even through the Wizard has done terrible things, she can’t let him die. She says, “If I don’t care what happens to you… who will?” Turn the page, though, and this heartwarming scene turns deadly, when Cole adds, “But I can’t let this go on, either.” She drops the hideout and the two of them in the water outside the city.

Later, the FF conduct a search, but find no trace of any of the Frightful Four. Johnny wants to keep looking for Cole, but there’s no trace of her. It’s a melancholy ending, where Johnny insists that Cole is not a bad person, and her fate should not be tied in with the Frightful Four. Ben responds with, “Ya can’t pick your family, kiddo.”

Unstable molecule: Reed says he could have successfully removed Cole’s powers, because the Wizard’s genetic procedures were nineteen years old, which he says is “very simple” by present-day super-science.

Fade out: How, exactly, does Salamandra break free of Sue’s force fields? It’s hard to tell because it happens in one panel, but my guess is Sue dropped the force field out of shock upon seeing Salamandra transform into a giant dragon monster.

Clobberin’ time: When the Wizard thinks he has the upper hand, he quotes Ben’s “It’s clobbering time.” Ben, weirdly, has no comment on this.

Flame on: Johnny asks why Reed can’t use his graviton detecto-graph to find Cole like it did before. This is appropriate, since Johnny is the one who gave Reed the idea for the device in the first place. Reed says the Wizard saturated the area with free-floating gravitons, making the detecto-graph useless.

Trivia time: Cole never returned after this, with the Marvel Wiki listing this issue as her “apparent death.” Salamandra only had one other appearance after this, in the now-infamous scene in Fantastic Four: Foes, that had a bunch of FF villains in one scene. That’s too bad, as she could have been a major adversary for our heroes.

The next time we see the Trapster, it’s in the 2005 Secret War event, where he’s one of several tech-based villains getting funding from the new Latverian government. There’s no mention of how he escaped the Wizard’s time-prison, so let’s assume he was freed when Cole destroyed the hideout. The Wizard is also present at the Secret War fight, so maybe they patched things up? During the Civil War event, he and the Wizard will be back at it with yet another new Frightful Four.

Fantastic or frightful? It’s been a long time since there’s been an entire issue devoted only to the big slugfest between the heroes and villains. It’s a big, broad superhero brawl with action in the classic Marvel manner! What’s not to love?

Next: Halloween town.

• * * * *

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.