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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Another reality-twisting comes to an end in vol. 3 #49, legacy 478. This is when we say goodbye to Valeria, and we meet… Valeria?  

To recap, the godlike villain Abraxas (not the one from the Jesse Ventura movie) is on a killing spree across the multiverse, because he believes the only way to achieve perfection is in pure nothingness. The FF went on a cosmic quest across other universes to obtain the Ultimate Nullifier, which is powerful enough to destroy Abraxas. An alternate universe version of Johnny’s ex Frankie Raye a.k.a. Nova betrayed the FF and gave the Nullifier to Abraxas. This issue begins with him contemplating the Nullifier, saying, “And so it ends.”

The FF have reassembled atop the new Baxter Building, along with Franklin, displaced teenage Valeria, Roma the daughter of Merlin, and interdimensional royalty Saturnyne. Abraxas summons a whole bunch of alt-universe versions of Nova who surround the building. They reveal Johnny’s current girlfriend Namorita, who appears dead after Abraxas removed her ability to breath on land. The FF put up a fight, trying to battle their way through all the Novas to get the Nullifier away from Abraxas. Ben gets closest, only to get flung across the city by a single breath from Abraxas.

Reed is severely burned by the Novas, and he can sense alt-reality versions of himself dying elsewhere in the multiverse. Sue, Franklin, Valeria, and Saturnyne crowd around Reed, who is out of it. Franklin says he has to do something, something good and brave, something to make things right. Franklin and Valeria grasp hands and… WHAT is this look on Sue’s face?

Anyway, Franklin and Valeria grasp hands. Then… it happens. Franklin appears telepathically in Sue’s memories, reliving when she was pregnant with Reed and Sue’s second child, and the subsequent miscarriage. Franklin says this is the only other time she’s ever been this frightened. We then see Franklin with Roma in the otherworldy Haven, where Franklin has been attending school of sorts. He says Roma showed him something, that baby Sue thought was lost was not lost at all. Franklin “went back” and saved the baby. He saved her in another world, where she returned as the current Valeria. Franklin adds, “We’re all here together, Mom, for a reason.” Valeria tells Franklin to make a wish, adding “You know who we gotta bring back!” This is followed by an image of Eternity, screaming in pain, high above the Baxter Building.

Franklin and Valeria float upward into space, as Valeria tells Franklin to show them why Roma was tending to Valeria “all these years in the heart of Eternity.” Eternity and his counterpart Infinity then appear in the sky, while debris and explosions happen all around New York. Then Galactus appears, and Valeria confirms that this is “our” Galactus, meaning the Marvel Universe’s Galactus. She says this is “the first Galactus,” and this is who Franklin was bringing back.

Abraxas still armed with the Ultimate Nullifier, confronts Galactus. Galactus says to Abraxas, “You hold nothing. You are nothing.” The Nullifier disappears, and Galactus says the Nullifier was a part of him all along. The Novas attack Galactus, but he blasts them all into skeletons. (Damn!) Reed conveniently recovers from his injuries, and Galactus hands him the Nullifier, saying, “This day can end only one way.” Reed says Abraxas never intended to fire the Nullifier, “for the very same reason I must!”

Turn the page and there’s a two-page spread of Eternity in pain as he seemingly breaks apart into pieces… of Eternity? Okay.   The next page is half blank, and then we return to the Baxter Building, where (mostly) everything is back to normal. Namorita is alive again, and she and Johnny reunite. The Watcher appears, and he has his memory back (he lost his memory at the start of this story arc). Franklin comments that Abraxas is gone, and so is Valeria. The Silver Surfer flies by, back to life after he was “permanently” killed in vol. 3 #46.

The Watcher explains (kind of) that the universe was just erased and then rebooted. (“A rebirth” is how he puts it.) He then says that Franklin used up the last of his cosmic power to help make this happen. Sue steps onto the building’s roof from below to reveal… she’s pregnant!

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: How did Reed recover so quickly from being burned? The comic doesn’t say, but we can recall from other issues that established the FF uniforms are fireproof, so Nova’s flames couldn’t have burned Reed that badly.

Fade out: In the flashback to Sue’s pregnancy the doctors on the scene are Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk, and Michael Morbius, a.k.a. Morbius the Living Vampire. Look closely on the next page, and you can see the third doctor is Ben’s Uncle Jake.

Clobberin’ time: After the universe gets rebooted, Ben reappears on the FF’s roof and just says, “Huh.” I guess he’s been a member of the FF for so long that he has some sense of when a big cosmic event happened.

Flame on: There’s no mention of how Johnny’s powers have gone out of control in this issue. Previous issues established that he’s not currently wearing his special armor that lets him control his flame, yet there are several panels of him standing around in “flame off” mode. It’ll be a few more issues before his powers are canonically restored to normal.

Four and a half: Yes, Franklin’s reality-bending mutant powers will return, but not for a while. We’re entering his “ordinary human kid” years, and the powers won’t come back until the Dark Reign event.

Our gal Val: Let me see if I’ve got this straight. In this issue, Franklin reaches back in time to the birth of Reed and Sue’s second child. He time-displaces the baby into an alternate future where Sue is married to Dr. Doom. The girl is raised as Valeria Von Doom. As a teen, Valeria “time-dances” to the FF’s present to become a member of the family. And this was done so that Valeria could add her power to Franklin’s so Franklin could bring Galactus back to life to defeat Abraxas, after which Valeria was restored in the timeline back to being Reed and Sue’s unborn child. Is that it? I think that’s it.

Either way, this is last appearance of the Marvel Girl/Von Doom version of Valeria. Yes, she cameos in the recent Marvel Chris Claremont special, but that was yet another alternate timeline version of her.

I suppose this issue also the first appearance the “real” Valeria, although the birth won’t be for a few more issues.

Commercial break: Beyblade was huge that there were Beyblade ripoffs? Freakin’ Beyblade.

Trivia time: Not surprisingly, this is the final appearance of Abraxas. Considering more people associate that name with a cheesy Jesse Ventura movie and not Marvel Comics, I don’t think Marvel’s Abraxas will make a comeback anytime soon.

Who is this Infinity character? Just as Eternity is the living embodiment of all creation, Infinity is the living embodiment of all time. And the two of them are a couple, apparently.

Saturnyne and Roma are more or less done with Fantastic Four by this point as well, they will next appear in a Captain Britain story, with Saturnyne returning to her “Imperial Magestrix” villain status.

Other superheroes are briefly glimpsed during the battle include Spider-Man, Thor, Vision, Thor, the Rick Jones version of Captain Marvel, Swordsman, and Doc Spectrum from Squadron Supreme. But then the Marvel Wiki has to point out that these are – say it with me – alternate reality versions of these characters.

Fantastic or frightful? I don’t know. Going back and undoing the miscarriage still strikes me as being in horrible poor taste, but it’s a part of Marvel history now so there’s nothing more I can say or do about it. Then there’s Abraxas. For a cosmic, reality-ending threat, he never felt threatening. I suppose it’s because we only saw what happened after his attacks, but we never saw him actually use these powers on the page. For all this storyline’s importance, it feels like it’s been nothing but running around directionless. If you’re still reading along with me by this point, fear not – we’re ten issues away from the comic getting REALLY good again. As in, among the best it’s ever been.

Next: I’m speechless.

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Want more? Check out my new book, MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app. It’s a comedic/dramatic/romantic superhero epic!

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. In vol. 3 #48 legacy #477, we’re still lost in a quagmire of alternate universes, but the end is in sight.

We begin in Haven, at the center of the multiverse, where Franklin and time-displaced teenage Valeria are meeting with Roma, daughter of Merlin and self-proclaimed guardian of the multiverse. Also present is Saturnyne, an interdimensional evil queen, who was last seen worrying about Franklin’s potential reality-bending powers. I guess she came around because now she’s on Franklin’s side.

Roma gives the recap, explaining that godlike villain Abraxas (not the one from the Jesse Ventura movie) is on a killing spree throughout the multiverse. Each member of the Fantastic Four is in a different alternate reality in search of the Ultimate Nullifier, which can stop Abraxas. Sue is a doctor in “Atlanterra,” in which Atlantis is again attacking the surface world. Ben is in “Challengers of Doom,” where Dr. Doom leads his own version of the FF while Galactus attacks Russia. Reed is in “Five for the Future,” where is a 1930s-era adventurer leading a team of kooky characters.  Johnny, meanwhile, is in deep space, questing for the Nullifier alongside an alt-timeline version of his ex-girlfriend Frankie Raye a.k.a. Nova. Got all that?

Roma then offers more exposition, saying that there is a Galactus in every universe, and each universe’s Galactus is what kept Abraxas at bay. When the Marvel Universe’s Galactus died in the Galactus the Devourer miniseries, that opened the door for Abraxas to begin his mad killing spree. Further, Roma explains that the alt-universe versions of Johnny on the world Reed, Sue, and Ben are visiting each contain one piece of the Nullifier’s location in their psyche. All this and we’re just on page 3 of the comic.

In “Atlanterra,” Sue is in the role of a small-town doctor, and alt-Johnny arrives with a familiar-looking vagrant in need of medical aid. Sue recognizes him as the long-lost Namor the Submariner, just as he was in the original Fantastic Four #4. A splash of water in Namor’s face is all that’s needed for his memory to return. Sue and Johnny’s father, who is alive in this timeline, tries to convince Namor to stop the Atlantis invasion. Then Sue uses a device Reed gave her to search Johnny’s memory, giving her one-third of the Nullifier’s location.

In “Challengers of Doom,” Dr. Doom’s super-team – made up of him, Reed, Sue, and the Hulk – have taken Ben hostage in his human form. New York is being torn apart by that universe’s Galactus attacking. While the others deal with the crisis, Ben pulls Sue aside and says he has to find Johnny. Sue says Johnny is a movie star with a penthouse on the other side of the city. Ben transforms into the Thing and races across town. Ben finds Johnny in a depressed state and takes his memory.

In “Five for the Future,” Reed learns this universe’s Johnny is dead. Sue, who is an investigative reporter here, delivers the bad news. The Five prepare to deal with supervillain the Monocle, who has a zeppelin attached to the Chrysler Building, and is drawing energy from the entire city. Reed puts his worries about Johnny aside and uses his counterpart’s tech to lead an assault on the zeppelin. The heroes stop the Monocle and send the zeppelin flying to the nearest air force base. Later, Sue explains that she saw a light in Johnny’s eyes just before he died. This is enough, as Reed is able to scan Sue’s memories and gain the third clue to the Nullifier.

In space, Johnny has been gradually remembering his way to the Nullifier. (this is seemingly the same path he took through the cosmos during the original Galactus trilogy in issues 49-51.) He and Nova travel through a portal into an alien complex where the Nullifier awaits. Just as Johnny grabs hold of it, Nova proclaims “And now Abraxas has it!” She blasts Johnny with flame and takes the Nullifier.

Johnny, Nova, and Abraxas appear in Haven. (Does this mean the Nullifier was in Haven? It’s not clear.) Abraxas says this Nova is his herald, working for him all along. Abraxas explains that he seeks perfection, and perfection can only be achieved in nothingness, hence his goal to destroy all universes. Back on Earth, Reed, Sue, and Johnny return to the new Baxter Building, only for Abraxas to join them, with Franklin, Valeria, Johnny, Nova, and Saturnyne with him. Nova gives the Nullifier to Abraxas. He says now that he has it, there isn’t a soul all the combined universes who can stop him. The final panel is a closeup of Franklin as Abraxas repeats, “Not a soul…”

Unstable molecule: Although Reed initially could not use his stretching powers while in “Five for the Future,” in this issue he regains the power, saying that it merely took time for his body to adjust to being in another dimension.

Fade out: Such has such control of her powers that she can turn Namor’s facial hair invisible to confirm it’s really him, and she takes a look at his fishy internal organs while she’s at it (ew).

Clobberin’ time: In “Five for the Future,” Ben, a.k.a. Mr. Grim in this timeline, was the only one to make the FF’s spaceflight, and therefore is the only one to have his super-powers. He maintains his “It’s clobberin’ time!” catchphrase, however, so some things are a constant across the multiverse.

Flame on: If Johnny’s powers are out of control and he’s more powerful than ever, than how could Nova knock him unconscious with fire? I guess she a) took him by surprise, and b) she has the Power Cosmic, which gives her something of an edge.

Four and a half: They want to depict Franklin as being older and smarter during this time, but when he sees Johnny on a screen, he says “Hi Uncle Johnny” as if Johnny can hear him. Maybe he’s just kidding.

Our gal Val: This is pretty much it for teenage Valeria. She trades a few barbs with Roma at the start of the issue and doesn’t do anything beyond that. And yet, next issue we’ll learn that this whole Abraxas story has been about her all along.

Commercial break: They should’ve put those thumb guys on the ad.

Trivia time: The Marvel wiki lists this is the “apparent death” of Roma, and yes she does look a little corpse-like after Abraxas knocks her out. But she’ll back up and at ‘em next issue, and she’ll go on to be a recurring guest star in various X-Men comics after this.

Fantastic or frightful? The three-page exposition dump at the start of the issue is some dense reading, but it helps to have some grounding during all this craziness. The plot is a lot easier to follow than the previous couple of issues. Beyond that, we spend so little time in the other timelines that those stories have little time to breathe. And we’re building up to the big reveal about Valeria, but you wouldn’t know it because she’s just hanging out in the background. So, a mixed bag, I guess.

Next: Meet the new Val, same as the old Val.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my new book, MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app. It’s a comedic/dramatic/romantic superhero epic!

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. You want more alternate universes? We got more alternate universes! It’s vol. 3, #47, legacy #476.

Godlike supervillain Abraxas (no, not the one from the Jesse Ventura movie) is a killing spree across the multiverse, and he has now arrived on Earth. The FF and their allies have split up into teams to search for the Cosmic Nullifier, a weapon which can defeat Abraxas. This issue begins with Abraxas in NYC, where various alternate timelines are converging all at once, everything from World War III to Curly of the Three Stooges being elected mayor of New York. Abraxas enter the Baxter Building, where he briefly confronts time-displaced teenage Valeria. Valeria discovers that Namorita, Johnny’s current girlfriend and an Atlantean, has lost her ability to breathe out of water. Abraxas says Valeria and Namorita aren’t the ones he seeks, and that he will wait.

In space, Johnny and an alternate timeline version of Johnny’s ex-girlfriend Nova (a.k.a. Frankie Raye) search for the Nullifier. Nova says that while she may not be the same Nova he once knew, her feelings for him aren’t any less real.

Then things get weird. We get a series of one-panel glimpses of “what if” alternate timelines for the FF. Of particular note is a timeline in which Reed and Sue’s second child, a baby girl, had survived the miscarriage.

Then we cut to another alt-timeline where Sue is working as a doctor in a small seaside town, using her powers to diagnose and set broken bones. Johnny shows up at her door with an injured bum, who we the readers recognize as Namor the Submariner as he was back in Fantastic Four #4, as an amnesiac bum. He’s been injured before Sue can let him in, Atlantean warships come flying out of the ocean.  

Then we’re in yet another alt-timeline, a world the Marvel Wiki has labeled “Challengers of Doom.” Ben, coming from the Marvel Universe in search of the Nullifier, lands in an alternate New York where no one has ever heard of him. While he runs from a mob and some gun-happy cops, we the reader learn that this world’s most beloved superheroes are the Challengers of Doom, made up of Dr. Doom, Reed, Sue, and the Hulk. Doom goes on television and tells everyone that Galactus attacking Russia is a hoax. Ben transforms into his human form (he can do that during this time) and he goes to the Baxter Building, where Doom takes him hostage. Ben learns that Sue is his ex-wife in this timeline.

Then we cut yet ANOTHER freakin’ alternate timeline. The Marvel Wiki calls this one “Five for the Future.” Reed finds himself in a pre-WWII New York, as one of a group of heroic biplane pilots in conflict with a villain named the Monacle. Reed is joined by Mister Grim (who is Ben wearing a hood over his face) and his new teammates Mister Strange, Mister Feral, Mister Strange, and Mister Fixit. Sue shows up, revealing that she is an intrepid investigative reporter in this world. She tells Reed that her brother Johnny was recently killed by the Monacle.

Finally, we have scene set in Haven, one more alternate universe for the road, where Franklin and Valeria have traveled to meet with Roma, daughter of Merlin and guardian of the omniverse. With an image of Eternity (who is the living embodiment of all creation) behind her, Roma says, “If we do not act soon, all of time will be lost to us.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Sorting out who is who among the Five for the Future was a little tricky. Reed is Doc Fantastic and Ben is Mr. Grim, obviously. Mister Strange is Dr. Strange, and Mister Feral is Beast from the X-Men. The other two took quite a bit of googling. Mister Fixit is not Bruce Banner (as the Hulk called himself “Mr. Fixit” for a while), but the villain-turned-hero the Fixer, later known as Techno. Mister Nelson is a buffed-up version of Foggy Nelson from Daredevil. Because Foggy’s real name is Franklin, some fans believe that this is a grown-up Franklin Richards, but it’s the Daredevil guy.

Fade out: It’s only referenced in one panel, but the Sue of the “Doctor Storm” timeline is the Marvel Universe Sue dropped into her alternate’s life, Quantum Leap-style.

Clobberin’ time: Ben escapes into the sewer to escape a crowd, in a reference to him doing the same thing in Fantastic Four #1.

Flame on: Johnny’s powers are still out of control, but he says he’s able to truly cut loose out in space with him and Nova around. (The previous issue explained that Johnny’s uniform is keeping him alive while in space.)

Four and a half: The last time we saw Franklin last issue, he was telling the FF that he had a prophetic dream about Abraxas. Next, he was playing a game at home before Abraxas arrived on Earth. Then, in this issue, he’s in Haven for a prearranged meeting with him, Roma, and (maybe?) Eternity. What cosmic odyssey did he go on between issues that we see?

Our gal Val: This is the beginning of the end for Valeria Von Doom, a.k.a. Marvel Girl. The reference to Reed and Sue’s second child surviving is a big clue as to how this storyline will end up.

Sue-per spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries established that Sue has had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all this time. In this issue she can use her powers to diagnose and then set a broken bone. Could this be her spy training at work?

Commercial break: Lord of the Rings was a big deal in 2001. The toys were perhaps less of a big deal.

Trivia time: “Five for the Future” is an obvious tribute to classic pulp hero Doc Savage. Would you believe that Doc Savage is also a canonical Marvel character? Marvel published two short-lived Doc Savage comics, in 1972 and 1975, which were firmly set in the Marvel Universe. Savage also teamed up with the FF’s own Thing in Marvel Two-in-One #21 in 1976. Like Marvel’s Godzilla, Transformers, and Rom: Spaceknight, it’s unlikely that these will ever be reprinted due to legal issues.

Fantastic or frightful? I like alt-universe “what if” stories as much as anyone, but there’s such a thing as too much. Every few pages, or even panels, there’s another new timeline to follow, and it gets to be too much. Knowing how this storyline will wrap up, I wonder why we’re bothering with these certain-to-be-inconsequential what-ifs.

Next: Back to the (alternate) future.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my new book, MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app. It’s a comedic/dramatic/romantic superhero epic!

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. In vol. 3 #46, we’re continuing with yet another mind-blowing cosmic epic. It’s mind-blowing cosmic epics all the way down.

New math: It’s around this time that marvel starts dual-numbering issues, so this is both vol. 3 #46, and legacy #475. This means the anniversary 450th issue was vol. 3 #21, the one where the FF went into the underworld and fought Hades and Hippolyta.

Previously, in the 2001 annual, various alternate timelines were converging onto the Marvel Universe proper. The cause of the disturbances is a godlike being named Abraxas (no, not the one from the Jesse Ventura movie), who stole the Watcher’s medallion, leaving the Watcher with no memories. This issue begins with the Reed and Sue consulting with Code Blue, the NYPD’s superhuman crimes division. They’re reunited with Franklin and time-displaced teenage Valeria.

Back at the new Baxter Building, Johnny is bemoaning that he’s trapped inside a suit of armor to keep his powers from going haywire, saying this is the end of his acting career. His girlfriend Namorita tries to console him. Nova, an alternate dimension version of Johnny’s ex-girlfriend, watches from a distance. The entire FF family is reunited, to learn that a meteor shower is headed for Earth. Ben shows Franklin that he can transform into a human now, and Johnny is jealous, feeling his armor makes him the monster now. Nova tells Reed that the meteor shower is coming from Abraxas, and Franklin says he’s seen Abraxas in his dream.

The FF travel to the Watcher’s home on the moon, where the Watcher is comatose. They’re joined by the Silver Surfer Captain Marvel, Quasar, and Moondragon. (Note that this is the Rick Jones/Genis-Vell version of Captain Marvel from the fan-favorite Peter David series.) We learn a little more about Abraxas, how he is traveling from universe to universe, leaving death and destruction behind in each one. The meteors come crashing down, only they’re not meteors but armor-clad aliens. These are Abraxas’ troops. The heroes fight them off for a few pages. The aliens are after the Watcher’s body. The Silver Surfer flies in and teleports the Watcher away, but a great cost. The Surfer is consumed by the aliens’ flame weapons, and… he dies!

The battle ends when an image of Abraxas appears in the sky overhead. Moondragon telepathically scans Johnny, and determines that Johnny was also Abraxas’ target. Back during the original Galactus storyline, the Watcher selected Johnny to fly through space to obtain the Ultimate Nullifier, which could defeat Galactus. Abraxas wants the power of the Nullifier for himself, and Johnny must make that same journey again. But there’s another complication. Captain Marvel uses his “cosmic awareness” to determine that the Nullifier hidden in one of three places throughout the multiverse.

Preparing for the journey, Reed says Johnny’s special armor won’t survive in space, so Johnny leaves it behind. (All that drama about the armor for nothing?) He and Nova take off for space, while Reed, Sue, and Ben prepare the teleporter to search in a second location. Namorita stays behind to protect Franklin and Valeria, only for the red alert alarm to go off inside the Baxter Building. Cut to the moon, where Abraxas arrives in person.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed dons a new version of his thought projector (from back in the Lee/Kirby days as well The Fantastic Four Roast) to help deliver exposition.

Fade out: Sue is depicted wearing earrings with little number 4s on them. That’s adorable.

Clobberin’ time: Ben says to Franklin that they can now play football and “wrassle” as they couldn’t before, for fear of him accidentally hurting Franklin.

Flame on: After all the drama of having Johnny trapped inside this suit of armor, it’s jarring to see him standing around without it at the end of the issue. I’m hoping this will be addressed in upcoming issues.

Four and a half: Another reference is made to Franklin being several inches taller now, as the characters attempt to age him up a little more during this time.

Our gal Val: Valeria explains that she and Franklin traveled from Haven to Earth, and then went searching for the FF at the site of the crisis from last issue. That’s where they were picked by Code Blue at the start of this one.

Commercial break: I’ve seen it, and it does not rock.

Trivia time: This issue’s letters page has a message stating that yes, the Silver Surfer is really dead, and he’ll never, ever, ever come back. I suspect shenanigans.

There’s a mention of the Avengers dealing with the destruction of the United Nations building. This happened during their battle with Kang in Avengers #21, seemingly unrelated to this Abraxas stuff.

You’ll notice Quasar has a bunch of little green blobs stuck to him. This is a side-effect of him having absorbed Ego the Living Planet during the Maximum Security miniseries.

Fantastic or frightful? Basically an issue full of set-up, promising big things in issues to come. Abraxas remains an unimpressive villain compared to other Marvel cosmic entities. The best stuff is the Johnny/Namorita/Nova love triangle, but not much space is devoted to it.

Next: Challenge of the super friends.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my new book, MOM, I’M BULLETPROOF, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app. It’s a comedic/dramatic/romantic superhero epic!

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. How long has it been since there’s been a universe-spanning cosmic epic? Not long, you say? Well, here’s another one in FF Annual 2001.

The annual begins with a bang, as the severed, skullified head of Galactus comes falling out of space into the center of Manhattan. The Fantastic Four and Namorita (who’s currently dating Johnny) are quick to arrive on the scene. Reed is even quicker to deduce that this is a Galactus from an alternate universe, not the Galactus everyone knows. Further, this Galactus has been… murdered!

Galactus’ helmet opens up, and inside is his herald Nova. Remember that Nova is Johnny’s former girlfriend Frankie Raye. Namorita can tell this, just by Johnny’s reaction. Fortunately for Johnny (or not?) Nova is in a dormant state, like a coma. Just as he suggests taking her to the Baxter Building, the Hulk shows up and starts a fight with the FF. After several pages of fighting, Hulk says the FF are not his enemies the U-Foes, and he jumps off saying this deserves more study.

At the Baxter Building, Nova becomes lucid for a moment, and is shocked to Johnny, saying she believes he died. She tells him she never stopped loving him. This upsets Namorita, but she’s nonetheless stuck with staying behind to watch Nova while the FF take off. They’re headed to the moon, to ask the Watcher if he knows what’s going on. They arrive in the Watcher’s home, only to discover that the Watcher has lost his memory. He asks, “Do you know who I am? I don’t know who I am!” Ben notices that the Watcher only has half the gold necklace is always wears, and whoever has the other half might be behind what’s going on.

There’s a brief interlude of Franklin and time-displaced teenage Valeria in an otherworldly landscape being chased by a shadowy figure. Back at the Baxter Building, Reed gets a call from the U.S. President, asking for an update. Except that the president is Hillary Clinton. (Recall this was summer 2001.) Based on this, Reed next deduces that the FF’s Earth is merging with alternate realities. Namorita chooses then to tell the FF that Nova escaped and flew off.

While the FF pursue Nova over the skies of New York, they’re attacked by the Hulk and his team, the Law Enforcement Squad. In keeping with the “merging alternate realities” thing, Hulk’s team is made up of an odd assortment of Marvel characters – Bucky Barnes, Dr. Druid, Captain Universe, the Shroud, the Rose, the Whizzer (heh), the Living Lightning, Red Raven, and Battling Jack Murdock. This team puts up a good fight against FF, Nova, and Nova. Then we meet the final member of Hulk’s team, Namora, an alternate version of Namorita’s mother. There’s much drama as the two of them fight.

Dr. Druid breaks up the fight, telling the Hulk that the FF are not the cause of this conflict. Johnny pleads with Nova, saying that if Galactus is dead, then she and Johnny now have a second chance. Dr. Druid and Captain Universe take Reed into space, where they confront Eternity, the living embodiment of all things. Captain Universe says that within Eternity exists a place of chaos and order, a balance which has become upset. They travel farther into Eternity to confront the one behind all this confusion, a cosmic being named… Abraxas!

Sadly, this is not the character from the Jesse Ventura movie. Instead, he’s a big green-skinned guy surrounded by Galactus corpses from other universes. Also, he has the other half of the Watcher’s necklace. Abraxas teleports Reed and the others back to New York, where the words “I am coming.” Appear in flaming letters over the sky. Meanwhile, in Haven, which is yet another alternate dimension where Franklin and Valeria are attending school, Franklin wakes from a nightmare in a terrified state, proclaiming “He’s coming!”

To be continued!

Then there’s a backup story, where Ben is out in the woods fighting Dragon Man. Instead of fighting, though, Ben sees that Dragon Man is an innocent animal. He lets Dragon Man go free, saying “Us monsters gotta stick together.”

Unstable molecule: When investigating Galactus’ head, Reed outfits the FF with matching goggles. No explanation of what these goggles are, or why they’re needed.

Fade out: Sue manages to stop the Hulk by surrounding his head with a force field, threatening to cut off his oxygen. We never get to see whether this would work, because he agrees to the FF’s terms before things go any farther.

Clobberin’ time: The comic remembers that Ben can now turn human and back at will, as he starts the fight with Dragon Man while in his human form.

Flame on: Mention isn’t made of it, but Johnny is still wearing his bulky armor that’s preventing his powers from going haywire.

Fantastic fourth wheel: Johnny acts as though this Frankie is the one he knew, even after it’s established she’s from another universe. What Johnny apparently doesn’t know is that the Marvel Universe’s Frankie Raye died in Silver Surfer vol. 3 #50. She’ll later come back from the dead in the Heralds miniseries.

Four and a half: Franklin having prophetic dreams recalls his dream-based powers from his days in Power Pack.

Our gal Val: Valeria shares a bedroom with Franklin, which is probably awkward. For what it’s worth, the caption introduces her as “Valeria Richards” and not “Valeria Von Doom.”

Sue-per spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries revealed that Sue has had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all along. The backup story suggests that Sue sent Ben to capture Dragon Man so Dragon Man can entertain at Franklin’s birthday party. This doesn’t make much sense, so perhaps we can assume subduing Dragon Man was secretly one of Sue’s spy missions?

Commercial break: The annual has three of these minimalist Cartoon Network ads.

Trivia time: The Hulk’s Law Enforcement Squad never appears again, so we’ll never know what their story was, or how this odd assortment of characters got together.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition states that Namorita can lift or press 10 tons, small change compared to the Hulk’s 100-plus ton strength. Yet in this issue, Namorita can take on the Hulk in hand-to-hand combat. I guess the whole merging alternate realities thing will have to explain this as well.

Dragon Man will later develop intelligence and become an official member of the FF, after the team expands to create the Future Foundation. I wonder if this backup story is the beginning of his transformation.

Fantastic or frightful? Have I reached Fantastic Four fatigue? During the Chris Claremont run, we went through several alternate timelines, not to mention all that time spent in the Heroes Reborn universe before it. And before that, we had godlike cosmic villains Hyperstorm and Onslaught. Now here’s yet another story with alternate timelines and a new godlike cosmic villain. All I can do is hope the creative team has some surprise in store.

Next: Abrax-R-Us.

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