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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. It’s the final two issues for writer Jonathan Hickman. What’s his final word on our heroes?
Gimmie a gimmick: This issue and the following FF issue both have “Final issue” in big bold letters at the top. But this was Marvel’s usual shenanigans, as it had already been announced that a new team was taking over both series with new #1 issues.
Issue #611 begins with Dr. Doom on the other side of the Bridge, Reed’s portal to other universes, where he’s assembled his own version of the Council of Reeds, the Parliament of Doom. And he now has two Infinity Gauntlets from the Dr. Dooms of the other universes. Doom uses the bridge to find an empty reality and creates his own new universe, a world ruled by equal parts science and magic. He even gives his universe life, populating it with strange creatures.
On Earth, the adult versions of Franklin and Valeria are still hanging around. Future Valeria warns Reed that Doom is still alive. They are joined by Nathaniel Richards, who has a working version of the Bridge. They follow it through the old council chamber and then into Doom’s new reality, now called Doomworld. There, we learn that Doom has been overthrown, and there are six new rulers who have divided Doom’s Infinity Gems among themselves. It’s a short negotiation, but five of the six let Doom leave with Reed and the others. The sixth puts up a fight, sending a giant monster after our heroes. The monster almost comes through the Bridge, but he’s stopped by the rest of the Parliament of Doom. The force the beast back through the Bridge, after which Valeria blows it up.
Dr. Doom says he was a god in Doomworld, and adds, “I found it beneath me.” Valeria gives Doom a kiss on the cheek (!), and tells him, “Say thank you.” Instead, Doom only says, “Consider us even, Richards.” Back on Earth, Reed lets Doom return to his castle. Nathaniel and Valeria tell Reed they are not coming home. Instead, Nathaniel wants to continue exploring the multiverse for other Reeds who have been orphaned. Valeria will go with him to help. It’s a tearful goodbye, with the two of them promising to return someday. On the other side of the bridge, Nathaniel calls out Valeria on her B.S., asking what she really wants. We see she’s building a gigantic device of some kind, saying, “Here, I can build.”
FF #23 backs the timeline up a bit, so we see future Franklin and future Valeria discussing her plan to leave with Nathaniel. It’s another tearful goodbye, with her promising to see him again. All alone, future Franklin says, “So this is it.” Future Franklin meets with present-day Franklin and Leech, laying down some ground rules for young Franklin creating and exploring pocket universes. (There’s an amusing bit with young Franklin hiding a pet universe in his closet.) But then, inside one of these pocket universes, future Franklin tells his young self to chuck out all the rules and do whatever he wants. This is followed by several pages of the three of them letting their imaginations run wild, living any adventure they can dream of.
Franklin doesn’t want to show this universe to his sister, but future Franklin tells him not to worry about Valeria being so much smarter than him, because his creativity will someday match her intellect. “Creating is harder than knowing,” he says.
Later, Valeria is trying to teach complex mathematics to the other Future Foundation kids. She’s frustrated in their lack of interest, and she’s momentarily distracted as future Franklin pokes his head in to wave goodbye. He then shares a drink with Ben and Johnny, as his way of saying goodbye to them as well. He then says goodbye to Reed and Sue, saying there will be repercussions if he stays longer. Reed and Sue ask if they were good parents to him. He says they were perfect, and then he disappears. The last page is young Franklin leaping through the pocket dimension door in his closet for another adventure.
Unstable molecule: While Dr. Doom doesn’t exactly thank Reed as Valeria asked, Reed’s response to Doom is simply “Good enough,” and “Let’s go home.”
Fade out: Sue has a big speech about the doubts of parenting, saying it’s a constant struggle between uncertainty and hope.
Clobberin’ time/Flame on: Adult Franklin tells Ben and Johnny about the Fantastic Four’s last stand in the future. He says Ben got his clothes burned off, so he charged into battle wearing the Impossible Man’s pants. Johnny is, of course, amused.
Fantastic fifth wheel: This would appear to be the end for Nathaniel Richards, except that his final scene with Valeria promises more storylines with them in the future.
One of Franklin’s imaginings in his pocket universe is a “Herb-pocalypse,” featuring gigantic H.E.R.B.I.E.s. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.
Four and a half: We get a glimpse of some of Franklin’s ideas he’s written down for his pocket universe. They include “rocket car,” “cloud tunnels,” “olive planet,” “jumping ray,” Moloid jazz,” and “chocolate ice cream mountain toys.”
Our gal Val: Reed questions why the adult Valeria would say Doom is alive while present-day child Valeria insists he died. Future Valeria says her young self is not to be trusted.
Foundational: Each of the Future Foundation kids has their own way of being bored with Valeria’s lesson. Artie is the only one who tries to solve the problem, but he gets it wrong.
Fantastic or frightful? I’ve been awfully critical of Jonathan Hickman as I’ve read all this stuff over the past few months. I see his huge ambition in crafting this expansive narrative with lost civilizations and cosmic grandeur, but I felt his reach exceeded his grasp. But I’m the outlier here, because Hickman’s Fantastic Four was a financial and critical success. These two issues conclude with an essay from Hickman, and I must admit I agree with his thoughts in these, and I appreciate how he gets to the heart of the matter. So, I’ll let Hickman have the final word:
Star Trek movie rewatch! Star Trek (2009) gives us a whole new Kirk and Spock, a new timeline – new everything, really.
Here’s what happens: A gigantic Romulan ship travels back in time, resulting in a whole new universe in which the lives of Kirk, Spock, and the rest play out similarly yet differently. Our heroes meet at Starfleet Academy and then quickly climb the ranks on the Enterprise, all while that Romulan ship is still out there…
The young captain: Kirk’s arc in this movie is pretty straightforward. He starts out brash and arrogant, and always ready for a fight. But then his conflict with Spock knocks him down a few pegs, so he can emerge as a true leader, and friend to Spock. The part I find interesting is how Captain Pike of the Enterprise sees all this prodigy-like potential in Kirk, almost to the point where Kirk is some sort of “chosen one” or “destined” to be a captain himself.
Lil’ pointy ears: The first six movies were all about Spock learning to accept his human half, and where that took him next. This movie finds him back at the start of that journey. He fights with Kirk over the logical thing to do, yet he also endangers the Enterprise in an attempt to save his mother – an emotional thing to do. Kirk further gets to him by playing on his emotions, but the two of them end the movie with a growing respect for one another.
Ol’ pointy ears: The original Spock from the original timeline is here as well, to tie things back to continuity. He provides a voice of wisdom when Kirk needs it the most. What’s more interesting is our ties back to Romulan/Vulcan reunification efforts where we last saw Spock on TNG. Turns out Romulus was destroyed by a supernova. You’d think that would be bad, but the follow-up tie-in fiction revealed this led to the Romulan Free State.
Welcome aboard: Chris Hemsworth is so good in his one minute of screentime that it basically launched his whole career. I also like Bruce Greenwood as Captain Pike, who does the confident captain swagger that we want from this franchise.
Continuity café: How does this compare to the original Trek timeline? Classic Trek had multiple references to the characters’ many misadventures at Starfleet Academy, but we the audience never saw the academy until TNG. Many fans assume that Kirk and Spock first met at the academy, but the Star Trek Wiki alleges they didn’t meet until much later, when Kirk was first officer on a ship called the Farragut.
What you leave behind: This is a fun, fast-paced adventure romp. I don’t know if it continues the “human adventure” themes of the previous films, but it’s hugely entertaining so why not? And the lens flares aren’t as distracting as everyone says.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. As writer Jonathan Hickman prepares to move on to Avengers comics, he still has a lot of business to wrap up in the dual Fantastic Four and FF comics. Let’s see how that goes.
Issue #609 returns us to the increasingly convoluted continuity of Nu Earth and the New Defenders. Thousands of people from a dying future Earth were migrated to Nu Earth, a recreation of Earth in another dimension. This was powered by the New Defenders killing Galactus of the future and using the Power Cosmic in his corpse. Now, the New Defenders are stuck in the present. Also, Reed’s genius ex-girlfriend Alyssa Moy is here, but it’s not really her but a robot recreation of her after she died horribly. Were readers in 2012 really invested in these storylines?
Anyway, we’re at a construction site built around the dead Galactus (I think) where there’s a brief fight between Banner Jr. (the future Hulk of the New Defenders) and the FF, after which Banner calms down and everyone explores the site. Turns out the Galactus corpse has now been converted into a “god ship.” Banner says he’s ready to go home. The New Defenders take off in the ship, along with Alyssa and her husband Ted Castle. Reed explains that the god ship will take them all into the future, where they will make the Earth a better place. There’s some question of whether this mission will succeed, but Reed says, “They’ll make it. I know it.”
FF #20 continues to follow-up on previous storylines, reminding us that Black Bolt returned from the dead with a prophesized mission to defeat the Kree Supreme Intelligence. But now, just as the Inhumans wage war against the Kree, the adult Franklin Richards appears from the future yet again and tells Black Bolt that it’s time to go home. Black Bolt and the Inhumans return to the flying city of Attilan, now in orbit around Earth.
Johnny, after losing the Negative Zone election to Annihilus, prepares to return Annihilus to the Negative Zone. He’s joined by the Light Brigade, alien superheroes he befriended during his rise to power in the zone. They send Annihilus back, but Johnny says he’s keeping Annihilus’ cosmic control rod. At the Future Foundation’s new school, located on board the Foundation space station, Reed gives the kids a lesson about aliens, when Attilan approaches. There’s a bit of business where a Light Brigade member named Kal Blackbane is reunited with his mother (why is this in the comic???) and then Black Bolt and Medusa welcome them, letting Attilan be the Light Brigade’s new home.
Then it’s more kid stuff as Sue catches Valeria and Bentley-23 dreaming up ways to overthrow the Kree. Franklin is still hanging out with his future adult self, who has a real nostalgia trip at driving to Franklin to school and seeing all his classmates. Then we cut to Crystal and her new husband, Ronan the Accuser. They’re having a romantic moment out in space, only to be interrupted by Medusa and teleporting dog Lockjaw. Medusa tells Crystal it’s time to come home.
FF issue #21 starts with the Future Foundation kids wondering whether the Inhumans are there to fight now that they’ve forsaken Hala. There’s a flashback to Black Bolt and future Franklin confronting the Kree Supreme Intelligence, picking up from previous issues. The Supreme Intelligence draws Black Bolt into his mind, where he’s confronted by a bunch of other beings. Black Bolt fights them, and this appears to be him fulfilling the prophecy of his being the “Midnight King” that will destroy the Supreme Intelligence. But then Black Bolt surrenders, to make terms.
The flashback ends with Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Spider-Man entering Attilan. Medusa says there are complications, and the Inhumans’ newfound peace is in peril. This refers to Crystal and Ronan. In the flashback, we learn (sort of) that Black Bolt surrendered so that the Kree and the Inhumans would be separated. In the present, this means that Crystal and Ronan are to be separated. As they are driven apart, the captain asks who would dare ruin love. Turn the page and it’s Black Bolt sitting on the throne with the caption, “A king would dare.”
Fantastic Four issue #610 begins with the mad scientists of A.I.M. creating an international crisis after taking over the island nation of Barbuda. Reed, Captain America, Iron Man, and Hank Pym meet at the White House (!), where Reed says this is not A.I.M., but a splinter group of A.I.M. associated with the Wizard. The FF fly to Barbuda at the request of the president. When the Wizard learns they’re coming, he says, “Prayers answered.”
There’s a big fight with the A.I.M. goons, with the Wizard spouting apocalyptic end-of-the-world rhetoric the whole time. A.I.M. sends the Scientist Supreme, a guy in Iron Man-like armor, to capture the Wizard. Afterward, Reed shows the Scientist Supreme paperwork naming Reed the U.S. ambassador to Barbuda. The Scientist says the place is really A.I.M. Island. The Scientist says A.I.M. has a legal claim on the island, but they will let Reed stay on as ambassador and they will give him custody of the Wizard. Reed deduces that the Wizard is dying, so he arranges a meeting between the Wizard and his young clone, Bentley-23. Bentley gives the Wizard his old helmet, as a reminder of who he once was. The Wizard says the helmet belongs to Bentley now, and he says, “You put it on.”
Then we get FF #22, showing these events from Bentley’s point of view. After some horsing around with the other Future Foundation kids, Valeria and Bentley secretly follow the Fantastic Four to Barbuda during the conflict. In this version of the story, it’s not the Scientist Supreme, but a sleep dart fired by Valeria that knocks out the Wizard. There’s a bunch of comedy where Ben and Spider-Man inform the rest of the Foundation kids of what happened.
Then things get serious when Reed brings Valeria and Bentley outside of the Wizard’s cell. Valeria acts encouraging toward Bentley in meeting the Wizard, saying Bentley will know what to do. When the Wizard tells Bentley to put the helmet on, Bentley refuses, kicking the Wizard in the groin.Reed tells the Wizard that he promised to raise Bentley, so the boy would become something better. Reed says, “We are not slaves to our nature,” and says the even the Wizard can be whatever he wants to be. Back at the new Baxter Building, Bentley and Valeria have something of a romantic moment, where she praises him for standing up to the Wizard. But then she reminds him she’s too young for him.
Unstable molecule/Fade out: When Reed and Sue enter the Attilan throne room, they’re introduced as “the first family of Earth.” Does the rest of Earth know about this?
Clobberin’ time: Ben barely appears in any of these issues, demoted to watching the Future Foundation kids when they’re not in school.
Flame on: Johnny keeps Annihilus’ Cosmic Control Rod, and even uses it in battle at one point. I wonder how long this is going to go on.
Fantastic fifth wheel: Spider-Man is still acting as a full-on member of the Fantastic Four throughout these issues, but he’s back in his classic red and blue uniform by now. In Attilan, a Light Brigade alien mistakes him for a human man she once romanced, for some comedy.
Crystal’s heart-to-heart talk with Sue is about having children, leading me to think that Crystal was pregnant and that was the cause of the Attlian-Kree strife, but the Marvel Wiki mentions no baby.
Medusa continues in her role as speaking on behalf of Black Bolt, but he actually silences her at one point to confront the Supreme Intelligence on his own.
Four and a half: These issues confirm that Franklin is attending a normal school, and not participating in the Future Foundation classes. But then he also reveals he’s still experimenting with creating pocket universes, including one where Leech is the ruler.
Our gal Val: Sue disapproves of Valeria scheming of how to defeat the Kree, even if it’s only for a paper for class. There’s a strangely dark moment where Valeria calls Sue a “hag,” and Sue whaps Valeria upside her head. I think this is meant to be funny, but it doesn’t come off that way.
Foundational: New girl Onome is mesmerized by the far-out tech of the Foundation satellite, and she shows off her skills by outplaying the Moloids at ping-pong.
There’s a curious bit of business where the Moloid Mik calls fellow Moloid Korr a “beautiful yellow love slug.” What’s going on between these two?
Trivia time: Reed’s lesson about aliens includes a number of alien societies from throughout Marvel history. The Badoon, the Ovoids, and Cotati are the ones I’m familiar with, but I see the Marvel Wiki has entries on most of these.
Fantastic or frightful? Bless the hardworking person who updated the Marvel Wiki for these issues, because otherwise I’d be utterly lost. Just imagine someone in 2012 who loved the Avengers movie and decided to check out some Fantastic Four comics, only to get this stuff. Good lord.
Rewatching the Star Trek movies! Nemesis (2002) brought in a new director, Stuart Baird, who had no Trek experience and allegedly knew nothing of the franchise before this. The hope at the time was that he’d be an exciting new voice for the series. Was this a smart choice or was it fool… Hardy? (Couldn’t resist.)
Here’s what happens: The Enterprise is sent deep into Romulan space following a coup by the Remans, the Romulans’ worker class. What’s more, the leader of the coup, Praetor Shinzon, is a clone of Picard, discarded after a failed plot to replace him. Shinzon has a plan of his own, setting his sights on both Romulus and Earth – and Picard himself.
Captain’s holiday: What’s the point of making the villain a clone of Picard, rather than the usual scheming Romulan? Picard got his found family on board the Enterprise after being a loner for so long, and now here comes Shinzon to suggest the path Picard’s life might have gone if things had been different.
Ol’ yellow eyes: Oh yeah, there’s a whole other storyline. The Enterprise randomly (or not?) finds another Data-like android on a desert planet. This is B-4, an early Data prototype from Data’s creator. The idea is that B-4 is another road not taken. He’s what Data could have been if Data had not longed to be human. I get it, but I don’t know if Data’s story mirrors Picard’s in the ways the filmmakers hoped. (This would have been another good use of Data’s emotion chip, but it’s not even mentioned this time.)
Welcome aboard: At the time, actor Tom Hardy was considered to be a “boy band” type (silly in retrospect), but his back-and-forth dialogues with Patrick Stewart are electric, and the movie’s best scenes. I find Shinzon’s story to be quite tragic. Picard easily could have saved Shinzon and taken him away from the Remans to start a new life. But in the end, Shinzon only had his hatred.
Continuity café: Does Data ever return? Does B-4 become the new Data? Uh… both and neither, kind of. Continuity gets really weird in following what becomes of them in the various novels/comics/games that followed. The short version is that many writers took a stab at bringing back Data and/or B-4, each putting their own bizarre spin on it. Then Star Trek: Picard apparently closed the book on all things Data… but you never know.
Continuity café dessert: And just because I know everyone’s going to ask, my antiquated two-disc DVD set has the Wil Wheaton deleted scene where we catch up with Wesley Crusher. There’s no mention of him running off with that Traveler guy, but we learn he’s back in Starfleet and that he’s joining the crew of Riker’s new ship the Titan. (Talk of the Titan in this movie sets up a long-running series of novels, but that’s a whole other thing.)
What you leave behind: This is an overstuffed movie with a bunch of other subplots and sci-fi business I haven’t mentioned. It’s also a lot of action, fighting, and explosions, but I must admit I enjoy the talky dialogue scenes more than all the bombast. My big concern is Data’s exit from the franchise. After all this talk about aspiring to be something better than who we are, I don’t see Data’s sacrifice as him fulfilling that. Again, I’m in that place where I enjoy the movie, but I wonder about the movie it could have been.
Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. After everything that’s happened, it’s time for a vacation. I hear Wakanda is lovely this time of year.
Issue #607 begins with the Fantastic Four and the kids from the Future Foundation arriving in Wakanda to meet with Black Panther and Storm, still a married couple at this point. But then we learn that Wakanda’s famous Vibranium supply has been rendered inert by Dr. Doom, and that Black Panther recently stepped down from the throne. (This happened in Black Panther vol. 5 #8.) Despite no longer being in rule, Black Panther and Storm are still people of prominence, being addressed as “Your Majesty” and rolling out a royal welcome. T’Challa’s sister Shuri is now on the throne. Then there’s a flashback to ancient Egypt, where Anubis conquers the king Amun-Ra. Anubis tries to acquire Amun-Ra’s heart, but the king had already given his heart (literally!) the cat goddess Bast.
Back in the present, Reed says the Foundation kids have a lot of ideas for restoring Wakanda’s power and wealth. Black Panther is hesitant, saying Wakanda is a country that looks forward, not past. There’s another flashback where Bast uses the blood of Amun-Ra to anoint a warrior, making him the first Black Panther and more or less founding Wakanda. Later, during a fancy banquet, the skeleton warriors seen in the flashback attack, and the Panther says this is the real reason he asked the FF to come. Later, Reed and Black Panther visit an underground cavern deep beneath Wakanda, where they find a gigantic Anubis statue. Panther says this is where their journey begins.
FF #19 follows the Future Foundation kids in Wakanda, where a young Wakandan named Onome leads them through the jungle riding elephants and rhinos. She takes them to Wakandan reservoir, which promotes peace by providing water to four neighboring nations at once. The kids go swimming and it’s all fun until Alex Power spots a body nearby. It’s a warrior from the Hyena Clan, scavengers and thieves who know no nation. The kids accidentally set off a homing device, so the rest of the Hyenas teleport to the area. Their leader, Aardwolf, has a plan to steal all the water from the reservoir.
The kids fight the Hyenas while tinkering with the teleporter. Onome uses it to send the Hyenas straight to the palace where Dora Milaje arrests them. Onome says she wants Valeria to ask Reed if she can join the Future Foundation, and Valeria says she was already going to ask. She adds, “You’re going to love New York.”
In Fantastic Four #608, Reed and Black Panther open a door in the underground chamber, which Panther says is “forbidden to the living” and “This is where Black Panthers are laid to rest.” They arrive at the city of the dead, and they enter a temple where Bast is waiting for them. Bast says the two of them will be judged, and that this will create an inseparable bond between Reed and T’Challa. T’Challa starts to ask Bast how to defeat Anubis, but Anubis goads him into admitting what he really wants – to be king again. Bast says a great catastrophe is coming for Wakanda, and that T’Challa could be its salvation. He agrees to let Shuri remain on the throne so he can complete this greater work. He will be king of the Necropolis, with all the powers of past Black Panthers running through him.
Meanwhile, Sue, Storm, and Shuri are preparing a pilgrimage to the Wakandan gods so they may confront Anubis. This is done through some sort of meditation which transports them into another world or plane of existence or something. At least that’s what it seems. They fight a bunch of monsters before reaching Anubis. Anubis seems undefeatable until Bast appears and defeats him, after having made the deal with T’Challa in the previous issue. As the FF leave Wakanda, Bast gives them a warning, that dark days are ahead, and Reed and T’Challa must face them together.
Unstable molecule: When Bast asks Reed why he deserves to stand in the sacred space of the past Black Panthers, Reed answers, “Loyalty.”
Fade out: We’re told that the confrontation with Abubis was meant to be only for Storm and Shuri, but Sue insisted on joining them. It would have been nice to see this scene rather than hear about it afterward. But I get it, you only have so many pages.
Fantastic Fifth Wheel: Yes, Storm and Black Panther are still a couple at this time, with her continuing to bounce back and forth between Wakanda and the X-Men. T’Challa describes his friendship with Reed as being like brothers.
Four and a half: Once again, we raise the question of whether Franklin is considered a member of the Future Foundation. He has the uniform, but in this issue he refers to it as “their” school, and says his homework is different from theirs.
Our gal Val: In the Fantastic Four issue, Valeria says she wants to ride an elephant, and then the following FF issue opens with her riding one. Continuity! She also helps rewire the Hyenas’ teleporter.
Foundational: Welcome to the team, Onome! A lot of fans confuse her for Idie Okonkwo of the Jean Grey School, but they’re two different characters. The Marvel Wiki states that Onome’s big skill is using advanced mathematics to predict possible futures.
Dragon Man is often seen grouped together with all the kids like he’s one of the students, but in this issue he’s in a teacher role, instructing the other kids about the jungle. Alex Power is quite the powerhouse in this one, using his anti-grav powers to fly up to the top of a mountain, and then to take out the Hyena warriors. Bentley-23 shows he’s not all talk by fighting and defeating Aardwolf on his own.
Trivia time: While the Hyena clan was previously established as enemies of Wakanda, this is the only appearance of their leader Aardwolf. I’m assuming he got kicked out after being defeated by a bunch of kids.
Fantastic or frightful? Writer Jonathan Hickman again goes big with space gods and warring factions, but he does it in just a few issues instead of spending years building up to it. It’s curious that this big moment in Black Panther continuity is happening in Fantastic Four instead of his own comic, but it’s always nice to keep Black Panther and Wakanda connected to the FF.
macmcentire 