Fantastic Friday: Blue meanies

Posted on July 5, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Volume 4 issue #4 continues our heroes’ expedition in spacetime. Want blue-skinned aliens? We got blue-skinned aliens!

Recap: Reed is taking his family on a year-long journey through both time and space. What he’s not telling them is that he’s dying, and the trip is a ruse for him to look for a cure. What none of them know is that a whole lot of craziness is going on with the replacement team filling in for them back home.

We begin with a flashback to young Reed as a lodger in a house, learning that the landlady’s niece is young Sue. In the present, Reed says the next stop on the spacetime trip will be with a spacefaring species called the Ayleth. He’s already been in contact with them, exchanging cultural and biological information, so he suspects this will be a peaceful visit. Johnny plays a joke on Ben and reacts with violence. Sue breaks them up, and Ben admits he’s been feeling lonely and cooped up.

On Ayleth, the FF are greeted by the blue-skinned aliens led by a female named Drae. She takes particular interest in Sue, calling her “the old-friend from many sleeps ago.” Drae asks about the planet’s Caves of Faen, and Sue says she’s already read about them from the info shared with Reed. The caves contain the earliest date of the Ayleth’s development of language.

There’s another flashback of young Reed and young Sue flirting as he moves into the boarding house. Back on the planet, we learn that the caves contain ancient artwork of the Fantastic Four as they appear now. The paintings have been a mystery until now. The FF want to see these caves, with Sue especially excited about their educational value, how this is where the planet’s language and art were born.

Another flashback, to Reed and Sue on their first date. Then, it’s nighttime on the planet, and Franklin wakes from a nightmare in the family’s guest room. Franklin had a vision in his dream, of what looks like the FF being bombarded by cosmic rays. He insists it’s more than a dream, and he says to Reed, “You knew, so it’s all your fault.” Sue tells Reed she’ll get the kids back to sleep and they’ll talk about it more in the morning.

The next morning, the Ayleth aliens escort the rest of the family to the caves, where they see the painting of themselves. Drae gives a big speech about how this painting was proof the Ayleth had friends somewhere out in the stars. Drae says this makes Sue a person of such importance that she could be a queen on Ayleth if she would only ask. Sue asks Reed to take care of the kids, while she stays behind.

Sue returns that night, dressed in the Ayleth’s robes. She said her experience with the aliens had “quasi-religious overtones.” She reflects on Franklin’s dream, and tells Reed she suspects he’s hiding something. In the narration, Reed admits that keeping this secret from her is a huge burden for him.

In the flashback, young Reed is leaving the boarding house. Sue is heartbroken, thinking Reed is dumping her. He admits that the productivity on his research is down, because she is all he can think about. This turns her around, and they kiss. In the present, Reed goes back to the ship while everyone sleeps. He uses the ship’s time travel abilities to go back to ancient Ayleth, where he’s the one creates the cave painting. He returns to the present. In their bedroom, he says to Sue, “We need to talk.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed was already “Dr. Richards,” in the flashback. He’s staying at the boarding house while working on his third doctorate.

Fade out: Sue’s aunt Mary is Marygay Wilkins, who we first met in the vampire-rific Before the Fantastic Four: The Storms miniseries, a pretty deep cut.

Clobberin’ time: Despite saying he wants to be left alone to sulk, Ben does join the team on their visit to the caves.

Flame on: Johnny weakened a leg on one of Ben’s chairs, and has been patiently waiting for weeks for Ben to sit on it at just the right angle so it breaks. That’s a lot of work for not a lot of payoff.

Four and a half: This issue remembers that prophetic dreams were part of Franklin’s powers during his time with Power Pack.

Our gal Val: Valeria keeps asking if the caves are haunted. You’d think someone as smart as her wouldn’t believe in ghosts. Maybe she’s just joking.

Trivia time: This issue rewrites Reed and Sue’s first meeting yet again, especially in reference to Sue’s age at the time. At first, she was much younger than him when they first met. This was changed to have them be the same age. Marvel even released a statement saying why they made the change (short version: so it wouldn’t be creepy.) But then this was rewritten again, to bring back their age difference, and now this issue rewrites it one more time, making them the same age again. I fear this is a continuity black hole that will never be properly rectified.

This issue is the only appearance of the Ayleth aliens, leaving a lot of questions unanswered. Is Reed still in regular contact with them? How did they feel about Sue not becoming their queen? If they’re spacefaring, how about having them visit Earth? And so on.

Fantastic or frightful? This issue is all about Reed’s inner monologue, and his love for Sue. While he cares for her deeply, he’s always had a hard time admitting when she’s right and he’s wrong. That leads to the ending of this issue, promising moving things forward in the main plot. But first we have to deal with Julius Caesar. You read that right.

Next: Moloid love.

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Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Fantastic Friday: Don’t panic and always carry a towel

Posted on June 21, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Matt Fraction’s multi-part epic kicks into gear in FF vol. 2 #3, with plenty of mystery and romance. Like Ford Prefect, I hope you brought a towel.

Recap: The Fantastic Four have left on a space-time expedition, which will be one year for them, but only four minutes on Earth. Except they never returned after that four minutes. In their place we have the replacement Fantastic Four – Ant-Man, She-Hulk, Medusa, and newcomer Darla Deering – to protect the Earth and take care of all the genius kids of the Future Foundation. Then things got further complicated by an appearance of an older, transformed Johnny Storm, who proclaimed, “The Fantastic Four are dead!”

We get a better look at Johnny, who says his name is John Storm now. He says the Fantastic Four died outside of space and time, and he’s been hunting the ones who killed them across space and time. He has white hair now, and a cybernetic arm and leg. John says that Dr. Doom, Annihilus, and Kang combined their powers and even their physical forms to create a new entity, Doom the Annihilating Conqueror. This new villain killed Reed, Sue, and Ben. John says he sealed the door behind him, but he fears Doom A.C. will find a way and hunt him down. Ant-Man has a brief flashback to his daughter’s death, and then says the team has to be assembled to “figure out who this guy is.” The first step is to get Darla back.

During all this, there are references to the Future Foundation’s four Moloid kids having run off. Deep underground, we see them secretly meeting with the Mole Man. They have stolen a “starheart” for him, and received his sanction as their reward. The Moloids also thank him for his recent attack on New York, which brought the Fantastic Four together. The Moloids ask the Mole Man not to tell him why he needs the starheart, so they don’t have to lie when the Fantastic Four eventually get involved.

We catch up with Darla, who left the FF after the last issue. Remember that she’s a huge popstar, and she’s performing a show on New Year’s Eve for a huge crowd. In the dressing room afterward, she feels like a phony and a coward. Ant-Man has sent flowers to her dressing room asking her to come back, and he’s secretly hiding on a flower pedal in his ant-sized form. Also note that for the rest of this issue, Darla is wearing only a towel and nothing else.

Darla also gets a package from the Yancy Street Gang. Fearing it’s a bomb, Ant-Man grows to normal size to rescue her. The “bomb” goes off, filling the room with whipped cream. A bunch of Yancy Streeters show up wearing Thing masks, accusing Darla of being a fake Thing. They take photos of her and Ant-Man and run off.

Back at HQ, She-Hulk and Medusa have brought Wyatt Wingfoot in to confirm that John is the real Johnny Storm. She-Hulk adds that all of Reed’s tech confirms he’s the real deal as well. Medusa says John is their only hope of saving the Fantastic Four, but also that she fears John is insane.

Ant-Man and Darla chase the Yancy Street Gang through the building, fearing they might be dangerous. (What concert venue is this that has all these long staircases?) Darla uses the express elevator to cut the gang off, knocking out two of them and taking their phones. The chase the last one outside in hopes of stopping the photos from getting out on the internet. They burst through a door, right out into Times Square on New Year’s, complete with confetti and everything.

Ant-Man says to Darla, “They’re gone,” meaning the Fantastic Four, not the Yancy Street guys. He says their last wishes were for the four of them to take their place, not three. Darla says she knows he’s right, but she doesn’t know what to do now. Scott shocks her by telling her, “We’re going to end Doom.” Later, Ant-Man assembles the entire Future Foundation, including John Storm, saying the FF will use their resources to take on Dr. Doom, to the point where they will eradicate the very thought of Doom from human existence. John Storm says, “That is a great idea, little man.”

To be continued!

Fantastic fifth wheel: The romantic/sexual tension between Ant-Man and Darla kicks off in a big way, with her nearly nude and him covered with whipped cream (wha-hey!).

Just as the Moloids referred to Ben as “the Ben,” they now call She-Hulk “the Jen.”

Darla’s concert has her in a fairy costume, with her band and backup dancers in furry mascot-like outfits. Okay, then.

Foundational: The four Moloids have only been comic relief up to this point, so it’s nice to see their serious sides in this. They now have some interiority, making choices that drive the plot.

Ant-Man wants the kids to go to bed early, only for Alex Power to say he’s nineteen years old and it’s New Year’s Eve. I want to know what kind of party Alex has planned.

Upon learning about Doom the Annihilating Conqueror, Bentley-23 responds with, “Siiick.”

The Marvel Wiki insists on calling John Storm “Old Man John.” We’ll have to see whether that name sticks.

Trivia time: The Marvel Wiki confirms that the underground scene is Subterranea, the Mole Man’s kingdom, except it looks abandoned. The new Baxter Building has a tunnel leading directly to Subterranea, somewhat oddly. I guess it functions like the Negative Zone portal. The Moloids say they wish they could seal the tunnel permanently.

Fantastic or frightful? Having Darla wearing only a towel throughout the issue is maybe more awkward than it is sexy, but I can see why they did it. She and Scott are given a moment to be vulnerable with each other, making a connection. The mysteries with John Storm and with the Mole Man are intriguing as well. This is truly an exciting time for Fantastic Four and FF.

Next: Blue meanies.

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Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Fantastic Friday: Nobody doesn’t love tentacles

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. In vol. 4, issue #3, legacy #614, our heroes begin their massive space-time adventure. Hope you like tentacles!

Recap: Reed is taking his family on a year-long expedition of time and space on board their ship the Pestilence. What he’s not telling them is that he’s dying, and this is his way of secretly looking for a cure. While it’ll be a year for them, it’ll only be four minutes back on Earth. (If you were reading only this series and not the accompanying FF series, you’d have no idea the craziness happening on Earth.)

It’s New Year’s Day on Earth, but the FF are thirty-seven light years from Earth. (Dante and Randal: “Thirty-seven?!?”). Their ship is approaching Zeta Doradus, a newly-formed planet made of unstable materials similar to the Fantastic Four’s famous unstable molecules. Alone, Reed muses about how this might be a cure to his condition. Reed continues not to tell his family that he’s dying. Franklin and Valeria debate who will be the first to step foot on the new planet. Everyone’s excited about the expedition, except for Ben, who is acting morose.

Reed launches an oxygen harvester ahead of them to the planet, to create a pocket of environment they can survive on when on the surface (although they still need spacesuits). They land on the planet, with Ben staying behind to pilot the ship, only to find that the harvester has been sucked underground. Franklin attempts to take a soil sample, which causes the surface to transform into tentacles that attack the entire family.

Everyone fights the tentacles and makes it back to the shuttle, only for it to be also surrounded by tentacles. Sue concentrates on keeping a force field between the shuttle and the tentacles, but it’s a struggle. Reed contacts Ben for help, but Ben has a different perspective. From the ship, he can see the entire planet changing shape.

Still inside the shuttle, Reed says the expedition has now become a fight for survival. Valeria wants to communicate with the planet, while Johnny argues against fighting the planet, saying “Them or us, Val.” Ben then takes action, jumping out of the ship without a spacesuit and falling straight down onto the planet, burning up in the atmosphere. He strikes the planet with a huge explosion and a classic, “It’s clobberin’ time!”

The shuttle escapes the tentacles, and then Johnny flies out to ignite the oxygen from the harvester. The flames free Ben and Reed stretches to grab him and return him to the shuttle. Back in space, far away from the danger, Reed deduces that Zeta Doradus is not a planet, but a planet-sized predator. Sue insists on no more danger during this trip, emphasizing less action, more adventure. Ben cheers up and says happy new year to everyone. Sue says the family’s resolution should be “No more surprises,” and Reed follows that up with, “Yes, of course. Here’s to no more ugly surprises.”

Unstable molecule: Reed compares the planet to real-life Earth predators the viperfish or the firefly squid. I’ll assume these were writer Matt Fraction’s inspirations for this issue.

Fade out: Considering some of the extremes that Sue has used her force fields in the past, it’s odd that she struggles this hard in surrounding the shuttle with a force field. I guess the tentacles’ attacks were just that aggressive.

Clobberin’ time: Ben turning himself into a bomb by falling through the atmosphere of a planet is a feat of strength like we haven’t seen from him before.

Flame on: Johnny’s full name is given in this issue as “Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm.” After much googling, I cannot confirm whether this was introduced previously.

Four and a half/Our gal Val: Franklin and Valeria have their own version of rock-paper-scissors called “Nullifier,” which they use to decide who steps first on the planet. In the end, they both take the first step simultaneously.

Trivia time: This is the only appearance of planet-sized predator Zeta Doradus. You’d think it’d be a natural to show up in Marvel’s far-out cosmic storylines. Just imagine a Galactus vs. Zeta Doradus throwdown.

Fantastic or frightful? An amusing space adventure, nothing more. The only real character beat is Reed keeping this huge secret from his family, and that weighing heavily on him. Ben’s fiery dive from orbit is worth the price of admission.

Next: Blue meanie.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Star Trek movie rewatch: Section 31 2025

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Star Trek movie rewatch! Between the time I started working on this series and now, Paramount went and released a new Trek movie?!? Here’s Section 31.

Here’s what happens: Starfleet Captain Phillipa Georgiou is not who she seems. She’s really the emperor of the Terran Empire from the violent n’ twisted mirror universe. A team from Section 31 – Starfleet’s top-secret deep-cover operatives – find Georgiou in Federation-banned space and end up working with her to track down a superweapon.

The mirror has two captains: Georgiou is an over-the-top comic book villain for most of the movie, but the movie’s more interesting bits are the flashbacks to her past. We see how she rose to power and how much it cost her. This gives an emotional core to what is otherwise a very cartoony film.

Welcome aboard: Let’s see, we’ve got a big cyborg guy, a microscopic guy piloting a human-sized craft (Remember Meet Dave?), a sexy bald lady, a shape-changer of some kind, and future Enterprise-C captain Rachel Garrett. But most of the character development is reserved for team leader Alok, a time-displaced genetically engineered super-soldier. (Are you getting all this?) His story is about being an outsider and wanting a place to fit in. He and Georgiou make a connection of sorts as the story goes on.

Continuity café: For as much as Deep Space Nine is my favorite, the Section 31 episodes always confuse me. Section 31 is introduced as a conspiracy deep within Starfleet. But then it was all fiction concocted by this guy Sloan. But then there really was a Section 31. Do I have that right? After DS9, Section 31 became a popular thing in the novels and comics after that, and now this movie.

What you leave behind: Yes, they’re trying to take the “ragtag bunch” trope and apply it to Trek, in the style of Guardians of the Galaxy and/or Suicide Squad. There’s a ton of new characters to keep track of, but the plot is simple so that we can have a lot of fights and wisecracks. I feel this way about the new Paramount Plus Star Treks, I get what they’re going for, and I respect that they’re well made, but they just don’t feel like Trek to me.

And that’s a wrap on Star Trek (for now). What should I do next for this blog. Any suggestions?

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Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Fantastic Friday: Suiting up

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. In FF vol. 2 #2, writer Matt Fraction’s mega-story truly kicks into gear.

We begin with a retelling of the scene at the end of Fantastic Four #2, with Reed and his family taking off through a portal on their year-long exploration of time and space, which will only be four minutes of time on Earth. The temporary Fantastic Four – Ant-Man, She-Hulk, Medusa, and pop star Darla Deering – are counting down the seconds for their return. As time passes, one of the Future Foundation Moloid kids says “Uh-oh.” There’s a pause, and Ant-Man responds with his own “Uh-oh.”

Cut to later, where this new FF has made headlines, along with the Richards’ family disappearance. Around the breakfast table, the Future Foundation kids question Scott Land (a.k.a. Ant-Man) about his ex-con past. He assures them that he’s on the straight and narrow. He further assures them that Fantastic Four will be fine, and are sure to return.

Artie and Leech catch up with Darla on the building’s roof. The “chrono-fold” portal to space-time is still there, waiting for Reed and co. to return. They show her Reed’s lab, where Dragon Man is at work. He’s monitoring the “chronostellar manifold” that can predict heightened activity around Earth, including the return of the Fantastic Four. An alert goes off, but it’s not coming from the portal. Turn the page and we see the Mole Man bursting up through the streets of New York with a giant monster, declaring the temp team to be imposters.

She-Hulk and Medusa are the first to jump into battle. Dragon Man insists that, as the fourth member of this new Fantastic Four, Darla must join them. Ant-Man joins the fight, shrinking down and poking Mole Man in the eye. The fight seems to go well, until Medusa and She-Hulk are knocked around by the monster. Inside the building, Dragon Man shows Darla Ben Grimm’s old high-tech Thing suit. He explains to her (and the readers) that Reed built the Thing suit during the time when Ben was turned human but still needed his super-strength.

Now wearing the Thing suit, but with her own pink-haired head exposed, Darla runs into action. But it’s She-Hulk and Ant-Man who stop the monster. She punches just as he shrinks inside it and messes with its brain. Reporters take their photos again, and the next day the headline reads, “City to Fantastic Four: Pay Up!”

Around the breakfast table that morning, Darla has her bags packed and says she’s leaving. She thinks she’ll accidentally get someone hurt or killed, and she doesn’t believe the original FF will return. Then the alarm goes off and everyone rushes to the roof, thinking the originals are returning. The portal opens, and it looks like Johnny has flown through, saying “I’m alive!” He then says, “You didn’t kill me!” and he blasts the portal with his flame, sealing it shut. Johnny lands in front of everyone, and we see a blue-skinned, white-haired version of Johnny, who announces, “The Fantastic Four are dead!”

To be continued!

Clobberin’ time: In addition to the Thing suit, in the background we can see Ben’s metal helmet he wore for a while after Wolverine scratched up his face.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Scott says Reed knew about his ex-con past when he asked Scott to lead the team. He says that paying the price for his crimes is what put him on his current path. He adds that he hasn’t broken “too many laws” since then.

Medusa doesn’t join everyone for breakfast because she’s in bed waiting for servants to tend to her. They’re really playing up the “royalty/queen” aspect of her.

We get a look at She-Hulk giving a lecture to the Foundation kids about the laws of man compared to the laws of science. She mentions considerations of public welfare, which seems to predict Darla wanting to leave the team for fear of being liable.

In addition to watching the portal. Darla also does some yoga on the roof. She’s informed that one of the kids ate her breakfast while she was up there.  

Foundational: Wakandan genius Onome isn’t familiar with the phrase “ex-con.” I guess they’re doing the thing with her where she’s good at science but not so good with ordinary life stuff.

There’s a gag with Atlanteans Vil and Wu stabbing each other in the hand during breakfast, just to make them seem weird and alien, I guess.

Trivia time: The Thing suit, also known as the Thing exoskeleton, was introduced way back in issue #169, and Ben wore it off and on until getting his powers back in issue #175. The suit returned a number of times (more often than you’d think), usually during those times when Ben turned human again.

Fantastic or frightful? I think we all predicted that the Fantastic Four wouldn’t return so we could have adventures with this new team, but this issue does a great job of setting up the mystery of what might have become of them. It’ll be a while until we get real answers. In the meantime, this issue also does a good job establishing the dynamics of this new team, seen mostly through Darla’s perspective.

Next: Nobody doesn’t love tentacles.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Star Trek movie rewatch: Star Trek Beyond 2016

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Rewatching the Stark Trek movies! The alternate timeline established in the 2009 movie comes to a end (of sorts) as the Enterprise crew goes… beyond.

Here’s what happens: It’s halfway through this new Enterprise’s version of the fabled five-year mission. The crew gets a break from exploration upon visiting the paradisical new space station, the Yorktown. After a ship is attacked inside a nearby nebula, the Enterprise investigates, only to be attacked as well. Now, Kirk and his crew are stranded and separated on a hostile world with an unlikely new ally and an enemy force with eyes on the Yorktown.

The young captain: The movie begins with Kirk feeling malaise, as all the time in space has left him with the same-old, same-old. The movie would have us believe that this adventure is what snaps Kirk out of his doldrums and renews his enthusiasm for space, but does that come across?

Lil’ pointy ears: Similar to Kirk, Spock experiences two big personal changes to his life at the start of the movie. He considers leaving the Enterprise and starting a new life for himself. Similar to Kirk, this adventure is what changes his mind and has him stick with the crew.

Ol’ pointy ears: It’s here that we learn Spock from the original timeline has died. Probably out of respect to the late Leonard Nimoy, detail of Spock’s death are minimal. We’re told he died of natural causes on New Vulcan, still helping rebuild Vulcan society after the shakeup in the 2009 film. From what I can tell, no tie-in fiction has brought him back from the dead… yet.

Welcome aboard: The big deal in this movie is the introduction of Jayla. She comes off a savage warrior woman-type at first, only to later be revealed as an expert engineer who gets the Enterprise flying again. It’s a scene-stealing performance by Sofia Boutella, and it’s too bad she didn’t come back for more sequels. Speaking of, the Trek wiki alleges that Jayla appears only in this movie and no other tie-in materials, not even the endlessly unwieldy Star Trek Online. Shouldn’t a Star Trek: Jayla comic series be a slam dunk?

Continuity café: There’s always talk of the Enterprise’s five-year mission. What happened at the end of year five, though? It’s never been revealed for this new timeline. In the original timeline, it happened in DC Comics’ Star Trek annual #2, where the Enterprise has one last conflict with the Klingons and the telepathic Talosians. Commander Decker from The Motion Picture also appears. After that, a couple of novels describe the Enterprise retrofit prior to TMP, but they are all contradictory.

What you leave behind: Having the crew be shipwrecked on a hostile planet makes for a fun, high-adventure romp. I don’t know that the character arcs are fully lined up with the main plot. It seems like character growth is only here in scenes where screenplay structure demands there be a moment for character growth and that’s it. We really could have used another movie or two (or more) with this cast in this timeline to continue their journeys, both cosmic and personal.

Next: Buying a sectional.

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Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Fantastic Friday: Countdown

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. We’re still in the beginning of writer Matt Fraction’s mega-long story arc, preparing for a journey and assembling the new team in vol. 4 #2, legacy #613.

Recap: Reed learned he is dying, that his own powers are slowly killing him. He has devised a plan to take his family on a year-long trip through space and time as a ruse for his search for a cure. They will only be gone for four minutes in Earth time, but the team is nonetheless rounding up a temporary replacement Fantastic Four in case a crisis arises during those four minutes.

This issue begins with Ben back on Yancy Street again, shouting out for the Yancy Street Gang, saying this is his last will and testament. He says that if he dies during the trip, then everything he owns will go to the gang, so they can use it to protect the neighborhood. In Reed’s lab, Ant-Man (Scott Lang) has shrunk down to go all Fantastic Voyage inside Reed to take some cell samples. Reed makes him swear absolute secrecy about Reed’s mission. Nearby, Sue introduces Medusa to the Future Foundation kids, and it’s awkward.

Ben and She-Hulk horse around inside the FF’s gym, until they get notice for a senior staff meeting. Reed has called everyone to the “Omega Room,” the new Baxter Building’s version of a panic room, where the FF can go in case of an extreme emergency. He’s brought the new team and the original team there for a proper introduction to the FF headquarters. But someone is missing. Johnny never properly recruited a replacement for himself.

Cut to later, where Johnny visits his new girlfriend, pop star Darla Deering, and finally asks her to take his place on the team. He insists that it’s only a P.R. stunt, but she’s busy preparing for a nineteen-country world tour (!) and can’t do it. Johnny asks her to let him show her just how amazing the FF is.

At the Baxter Building, Reed and Johnny show Darla an ape-like primitive human from millions of years ago who followed the FF back from yet another time travel adventure. Darla insists they return him to his home, 2.6 million years in the past. Johnny, Darla, and the primitive return to the past. He tells her that this is just another wonder that the FF gets to experience. Then the primitive human attacks with a giant red dinosaur. Johnny fights them for a bit before he and Darla return to the present. Darla responds with “Wow.”

This takes us right into the next scene, where Darla is alongside Ant-Man, Medusa, and She-Hulk as the new FF. Reed asks Johnny if Darla is up to this task, and Johnny says not to worry, because it’s only going to be four minutes. Reed, Sue, Ben, Johnny, Franklin, and Valeria all board the space-time machine and prepare for takeoff. The ship flies through a portal, and the Fantastic Four are off on their adventure.

On the rooftop, Ant-Man says, that for the next 240 seconds, he, She-Hulk, Medusa, and Darla are the Fantastic Four. He reads the countdown. At the two-minute halfway point, he assures the others that everything is going fine. “Be over before we know it,” he says. “We won’t even know they’re gone.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed is still hiding his condition from his family, but he’s also still wearing the high-tech metal cast on his injured arm.

Fade out: Sue arranges the meeting of Medusa and the Future Foundation in the living quarters, hoping a more intimate setting would go over better than in the classroom.

Clobberin’ time: Ben naming Yancy Street in his will might seem altruistic, but he also threats that if anything happens to the neighborhood while he’s gone, he’ll find his way back and make everyone pay.

Flame on: Johnny spends the staff meeting listening to music on headphones until the others demand his attention. He insists throughout the issue that the replacement Fantastic Four is only a PR stunt.

Fantastic fifth wheel: We see Ant-Man using his new “coil” devices for the first time, using them to fly around while ant-sized. It seems that they work as a sort of anti-grav cross-country skiing.

Medusa wonders why none of the Future Foundation kids bow upon meeting her, what with her being queen of the Inhumans and all. Sue says it’s enough that they all held still for a minute.

Our old friend The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition states that She-Hulk can lift or press 75 tons, but in this issue she pushes herself to life 85 tons, the same as the Thing’s limit. Ben suggests reaching the mythical 100 ton limit, but they don’t get there.

We’re told that Johnny and Darla have been dating for months, but he’s just now seeing her apartment and meeting her roommates for the first time. We only get to know one of her four roommates, Julian, who appears to be a punk rocker type, so rebellious that she’s wearing a Superman T-shirt in a Marvel comic!

Four and a half: Sue does Franklin’s seat belt for him on the ship. Isn’t Franklin old enough to that himself now?

Our gal Val: There’s a joke about whether Valeria will “boot” during takeoff. I assume “boot” means throwing up in this context, but this is some slang I’ve not heard before.

Foundational: Turg, the Moloid who’s just a head in a floating jar, is the only one impressed by Medusa, addressing her as “Your majesty.”

Trivia time: Do the primitive human and the red Tyrannosaurus seem familiar? The Marvel Wiki confirms that these are cult fave characters Moon Boy and Devil Dinosaur. After running around the present-day Marvel Universe for a while and eventually finding a home in the Savage Land, the pair returned to their original timeline in the miniseries Skaar: King of the Savage Land.

A four-armed robot named Coachbot assists Ben and She-Hulk in the gym. The Marvel Wiki has no entry for Coachbot.

Fantastic or frightful? Again, I’m impressed with the patience of this storyline. Three issues in, and we haven’t gotten to the big surprise yet about the whole “only four minutes” thing. But I like all the little character moments, and the fact that writer Matt Fraction is taking the time to let things breathe a little. Reed keeping this big secret from his family is still my sticking point, but for now it’s exciting to see how all this unfolds.

Next: Suit up.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Fantastic Friday: Check the tapes

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Writer Matt Fraction just kicked things off with a new #1, and now here’s an altogether different #1 for companion series FF.

Gimmie a gimmick: Those little “AR” symbols started showing up all over Marvel comics during this time, including this issue. The idea was that you could scan these things with your phone or iPad to unlock extras connected to that page. I could never get them to work.

Recap: Reed learned he’s powers are failing, and this will eventually kill him. To seek a cure, he’s outfitted Johnny’s new battleship into a space-time machine for a one-year tour of a multiverse for him and his family. They’ll only be gone for only four minutes in real world time, but plans are under way to find a replacement Fantastic Four for just those few minutes.

We begin with Valeria and Franklin explaining who the Future Foundation is, saying they’re the next generation of the Fantastic Four and that they are here to solve unsolvable problems. We see this is a video they’re making for Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man. You’ll remember he was once a member of the Fantastic Four during the Tom DeFalco years when everyone thought Reed was dead. Scott is in his lab working on a “coil” to help him navigate while small, as an alternative to riding around on a flying ant. Reed says he’s there not just to help, but also to give Scott a job offer – leader of the FF for four minutes.

Bentley-23 and Dragon Man get the next interview segment. Bentley expresses his desire to become a supervillain someday while Dragon Man patiently keeps him in check. Sue visits Attilan, the Inhumans’ city, which is still floating in the air over NYC. She meets with Medusa, and they have a chat about juggling their relationships with their responsibilities. Then Sue brings up the job offer.

The four Moloids – Mik, Tong, Korr, and Turg – get the next interview segment. They praise Ben for rescuing them from underground, and for showing them so many scientific wonders. This leads to Ben and She-Hulk working out in the gym. She says she’s been itching for some action lately, and he gives her the job offer, saying “When does anything go the way we plan it?”

Another interview segment, where Wakandan teen genius Onome says she’s the new girl on the Foundation, and she doesn’t know what to make of the Atlanteans Wu and Wil, who sit motionless in the same room as her. But wait, we’re not calling them Atlanteans now. They are Uhari, in reference to ancient civilization of offshoot Atlantis the FF recently discovered. Then we catch up with Johnny and his new girlfriend Darla Deering. They’re in bed together (wa-hey!) when he wakes from a nightmare. He knows he has to remember to ask her something, but he doesn’t remember what.

The next interview is Alex Power, alongside Artie and Leech. Alex muses about being a child superhero, saying it gave him perspective of how so-called ordinary kids don’t know how awful the world can be. Medusa and She-Hulk both agree to the job offer. Darla just jumps up and down on Johnny’s bed, and Scott says no. He doesn’t want anything to do with the Future Foundation kids. See, Scott recently lost his daughter Cassie, a.k.a. Stature of the Young Avengers. Reed says Scott is needed for the Future Foundation because he’s a father. Inside Reed’s lab, Scott catches a glimpse of one screen and deduces that someone is very sick. Reed reveals the truth about his sickness and the real purpose of the space-time voyage. Reed insists that the Future Foundation children will be good for Scott, and he’ll be good for them, no matter how long it lasts.

Scott addresses the Future Foundation, asking them what the future means to them. He asks them to teach him about the foundation, setting up the interview segments seen throughout this issue.

To be continued.

Unstable molecule: Reed still has his arm in the metal cast from the previous Fantastic Four #1. Ant-Man comments on microscopic images on Reed’s screens, but not on the cast.

Fade out: Sue addresses Medusa as “Your highness,” but then Medusa calls Sue “Your highness” as well. This refers to Sue’s status among the Uhari, which apparently is still an ongoing concern.

Clobberin’ time: In the gym, Ben keeps accidentally breaking water bottles before he can drink. We’ve seen his fingers can be gentle when he wants them to be, so he must be frazzled about the upcoming journey through space-time.

Flame on: What is this plain, featureless room that Johnny and Darla are in? Is it a hotel room, or does one of them live weirdly sparse?

Fantastic fifth wheel: The Marvel Wiki conveniently uses this issue to point when these former alternate members were part of the team. Medusa was a member in issues #132-159, She-Hulk in issues #265-300, and Ant-Man from #384-408.

Darla is not yet an official member of the team yet, but the cover reveals just what role she will play in this new Fantastic Four.

Crystal is on hand aboard Attilan to give Sue a formal welcome.

Four and a half: Starting with this issue, Franklin is listed an official member of the Future Foundation, where previous issues suggested he wasn’t.

Our gal Val: Valeria talks about the seriousness of the Future Foundation while Franklin makes funny faces at her. She doesn’t let it get to her.

Foundational: Dr. Doom is no longer listed as an official member of the Future Foundation, understandably. While I’m at it, Spider-Man isn’t in the story or on the recap pages, so I guess he’s now out of FF as well.

Trivia time: How did Cassie Lang die? It was in the Children’s Crusade crossover event, where Dr. Doom attempted to steal Scarlet Witch’s powers, and Cassie sacrificed herself to stop him. This would seem to contradict Doom’s recent struggles in Fantastic Four, but Doom goes get around, doesn’t he? Case in point, Doom is the one who will later bring Cassie back to life during an Axis-style story in Avengers World, when the morals of characters get switched around.

The four Universal Inhumans from Jonathan Hickman’s run appear in the Attilan throne room, so that’s another thing Hickman introduced that is continuing.

Fantastic or frightful? We’re now two #1 issues into this storyline, and we’re only in the middle of the setup. That’s how much patience Marvel and Matt Fraction have in this story. Reed hiding his illness from his family still strikes me the wrong way, as it goes against all his character development over the years. But this is nonetheless an exciting time for these two series, as Marvel is saying in a big way that Fantastic Four is fun again.

Next: Countdown.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Star Trek movie rewatch: Star Trek Into Darkness 2013

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Star Trek movie rewatch! We’ve established a new timeline with a new Kirk and Spock, so where do we go now? We go… into darkness.

Here’s what happens: Starfleet is ready to demote Kirk for being too reckless, but then he’s called back to action when a rogue scientist goes on the run with a plot that endangers the entire Federation. But not everything is as it seems, and darkness is brewing deep within Starfleet.

The young captain: At its heart, this movie is about Kirk willing to violate the rules to do the right thing, while Spock sticks to rules no matter what – even at the cost of his own life. When the threat is revealed as not just one rogue scientist but a conspiracy among Starfleet, Kirk and Spock’s stances on following orders are put to the test.

Lil’ pointy ears: Don’t forget that Spock is in a relationship with Uhura in this timeline, and his hardline logic puts a strain on their relationship in this one. There’s a great scene aboard the shuttlecraft when Spock describes the ways in which he does care about life and death – and about her.

Ol’ pointy ears: Leonard Nimoy is back again, maintaining continuity with the original Trek timeline. There’s little mention as to how things are going with him rebuilding Vulcan society.

Welcome aboard: A big part of the movie’s marketing was keeping it secret just which character Benedict Cumberbatch is playing. The reveal was met by fandom with a big shrug. Cumberbatch is quite good in this, and I wish he were playing an original character rather than a nostalgia throwback.

The movie’s inciting incident has Kirk violating the Prime Directive to save Spock, allowing the primitive Nibrian aliens to see the Enterprise. It’s never been revealed what became of the Nibrians after this. Did they go into space earlier than expected? Did they not evolve because of this? We’ll likely never know. (Side note: the wiki informs me that the Nibrians’ makeup was designed and overseen by Nightmare on Elm Street’s own Heather Langenkamp. Awesome!)

Continuity café: What has the crew been up to since the last movie? The IDW comic series fills in the gaps, by doing new versions of classic episodes set in this timeline. Then, starting with the seventh issue, the series started telling stories about this new crew, following up on the destruction of Vulcan and the conflict with the Romulans.

What you leave behind: A lot of fans dislike how this movie deals with conspiracies, terrorist attacks, and suicide bombings in what is supposed to be the utopian Trek future. But remember that Vulcan was destroyed in the last movie, so this is an Earth and Federation without the Vulcans’ influence. But beyond that, the movie is just overly serious with its heady post-9/11 theming. I like that the movie is ambitious, but I wish it were more fun.

Next: From beyond.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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Fantastic Friday: A Fraction of a second

Posted on May 9, 2025 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. We’ve reached an interesting and exciting time in the series’ history. This is still two comics, Fantastic Four and FF, now restarted with new #1 issues, both written by Matt Fraction, and both telling a single ongoing story meant to go for more than a year in real-world time.

Gimmie a gimmick: This issue is adorned with a “Marvel Now!” logo, and the tagline, “Join the Re-evolution.” I believe the idea behind “Marvel Now” was to draw in readers who had only seen the Marvel movies but hadn’t tried the comics. No idea how well it worked.

We begin with the caption “One year from now.” The Fantastic Four, along with Franklin and Valeria, are inside what looks like a crashing spaceship. Oh, and Ben is human again. But then we turn the page and see Franklin waking up, with this being a nightmare he’s having. He calls out for his mom, only to comforted by very creepy “Mombots.”

Then we cut to “The moment when everything went wrong,” according to the caption. The Fantastic Four are in some sort of cave, where Reed’s arm is crushed between two large sharp objects. Despite his stretching power, this injures him. As the scene goes on, we learn this is the distant past, and the four heroes are actually trapped inside the mouth of a giant dinosaur. Its teeth are what bit down on Reed’s arm. They debate the best way to get out of the dinosaur, when a portal opens and drops the four of them back to the new Baxter Building, onto the breakfast table no less.

There are a lot of comedy antics with the kids of the Future Foundation reunite with the heroes for breakfast. Franklin wants comfort from his mom, still troubled by his dream. He tries warning them not to go to space. Reed gets distracted during breakfast and wanders off. In his private “think tank,” Reed experiments on his own injured arm and concludes by saying, “Uh-oh.”

Cut to outer space (again!) where Johnny is on a date with his new girlfriend, a pink-haired pop star Darla Deering. She chides him for only talking about himself. We then see their romantic dinner is floating on a platform inside the Negative Zone, with Annihilus leading his insect armies into battle in the background. He says he brought her there so they could have a little privacy without paparazzi around. He pulls out a small box, and she thinks he’s about to propose. But inside is merely a slip of paper with his phone number. She says, “You sure know how to make a girl feel special.”

At the Grimm Youth Center on Yancy Street. We see the modern-day Yancy Street Gang has broken in during the middle of the night for some illegal boxing. (A fight club, as it were…) Ben shows up and breaks up the fight, but not before a bunch of the Yancy Streeters push him over (!). He then sees that the whole thing has been caught on camera and broadcast on the internet with the headline “Yancy Street Gang vs. Dummy.”

Back in Reed’s think tank, he deduces that the unstable molecules that give him his stretching power have reached cellular entropy. His body is slowly breaking apart. He further deduces that there is nothing in the known universe that can reverse this molecular decay, and that just leaves… unknown universes.

That night, after Sue checks in on the sleeping Future Foundation kids, Franklin tells her he’s been having nightmares and wants to sleep in her and Reed’s room. Still later that night, Reed returns from the think tank and says he’s had an amazing idea. In the morning, we’re reunited with Johnny’s warship from the Negative Zone. Reed is remodeling it from a warship into a flying classroom. He wants the Fantastic Four to take the Future Foundation with them on their adventures. It’s now a space-time machine, suggests taking one year to explore all of the universe, history, and the future. Then there’s a flashback of Franklin waking up from his nightmare, saying he doesn’t want to go to space.

Reed further says that it will be one year for the FF, but only a few seconds for New York. He suggests recruiting four replacements, so that there will still be an active Fantastic Four during those few seconds. Sue asks him if a year-long adventure is wise considering Reed was just injured. Reed answers, “I’m fine. Trust me.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: What I find interesting about this issue is how Matt Fraction picks and chooses various bits of recent-ish FF continuity to play around with. Reed’s so-called think tank was his secret room in the lead-up to Civil War, which he later wiped clean when he changed his ways. In this issue, the think tank is redesigned to be less creepy and more high tech.

Fade out: When Reed’s arm is injured, Sue puts an invisible force field cast around it, and she maintains the cast throughout their escape from the dinosaur.

Clobberin’ time: The Grimm Youth Center is a leftover story bit from when Ben became super-rich during the J. Michael Straczynski era (era). Another example of Fraction pulling out surprise pieces of continuity.

Flame on: During Johnny’s date with Darla, we can see he still wields the cosmic control rod, with it attached to his arm via some kind of alien armor. We’ll see how much longer this goes on.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Contrary to popular belief, this is not the first appearance of Darla Deering. She previously appeared in Marvel Now Point One, an anthology comic of various short stories. In the Ant-Man story, Darla and Johnny were seen attending a fancy banquet.

When discussing possible temporary replacements for the FF, Reed shows an image of potential candidates. These include former alternate members of the team Medusa, Luke Cage, She-Hulk, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man. Wolverine and the Hulk of the ad-hoc New Fantastic Four are also included.

Reed chats with a new version of H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot while inside the think tank. This one is taller and thinner than previous versions. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.  

Four and a half: After all this business about Franklin being an omega-level mutant who can create pocket universes, now we’re back to him having dream-based powers. This is no doubt a shoutout to his old Power Pack days.

Our gal Val: If Franklin was sleeping in Sue and Reed’s room, then who is the blonde boy sharing a bedroom with Valeria? Process of elimination suggests it’s Alex Power. Either that, or Franklin left that bedroom and went to Sue’s room between panels.

Foundational: The Moloid kids are enamored of Ben, delighted to see him return from time traveling, and even having a poster of him on their wall. Ben plays along, horsing around with them during breakfast.

Trivia time: Hey, remember when Reed reprogrammed a bunch of Doombots so they could help around the house? We see a couple of them in this issue, working on the new space-time ship.

Fantastic or frightful? This is a prelude of what’s to come, mostly table-setting. It shows a lot of patience, telling readers “We’re in this for the long haul.” I don’t know about Reed keeping his condition secret from his family, as previous stories had him learn his lesson about doing this and being open and honest instead. But, again, we’ll be in this story for a long time, so we’ll see.

Next: Seconds, anyone?

* * * *

Want more? Check out my novel MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF. It’s a comedic/romantic/dramatic superhero epic! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XPXBK14.

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