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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #396 really gets the ball rolling, building up to issue #400 and, more importantly, writer Tom DeFalco’s eventual end game in issue #416. Also, cartoons!

The issue begins with “Dr. Doom” making a public appearance in the streets of Latveria. Of course it’s really a Doombot, used by Nathaniel Richards to convince the world that he’s Doom.  Sue is still hanging around Castle Doom, still demanding answers. Nathaniel says he must pretend to be Dr. Doom because he has a personal stake in safeguarding Latveria’s interests. When she insists on even more answers, there is a short fight between her and more Doombots, he doesn’t answer any of her questions about Reed or this other son Nathaniel mentioned. He says that if he and Sue are to discover Reed’s true fate, then she has to stick around and play along.

At Four Freedoms Plaza, Ben thinks the building is under attack, but it’s just Ant-Man watching the new Fantastic Four TV cartoon. (It’s not named, but this is supposed to be The Marvel Action Hour, featuring both the FF and Iron Man, which debuted around this time.) They see the mysterious apparition of Sue, once again attempting to give them a dire warning. Both Ben and Ant-Man agree that they thought this apparition business was done with during their recent time travel adventure (The “No One Gets Out Alive” story arc) and Ben says they should find Sue immediately. Elsewhere, we find the Watcher, who is of course watching all this. A mysterious man tells the Watcher that the FF will soon become suspicious of his actions, and the Watcher says if the FF come after him, they will be destroyed.

In Latveria, Nathaniel equips Sue’s FF time sled with a device that will take them to Nathaniel’s unnamed son. At FF HQ, Ant-Man uses Dr. Doom’s old time machine, which the FF still have, to follow Sue and Nathaniel. Sue and Nathaniel arrive on a snowy mountaintop in Tibet, where they are attacked by monks with laser weapons, calling themselves “the Monastery of Doom.” Sue somehow recognizes them as the ones who originally trained young Dr. Doom in the “dark arts.” While Sue fights the monks, Nathaniel sneaks into a cave, in search of his real objective.

In “the Great Western Desert,” Johnny is still at the ESU archeological dig, where he flirts big time with hot blonde Laura Green. Laura is secretly Lyja the Skrull in disguise, still following Johnny. She can’t believe he’s actually flirting with her. Then they see the apparition of Sue. Johnny flies off the rejoin his old teammates, and Laura/Lyja catches a ride to the airport for the same reason.

In Tibet, Sue follows Nathaniel into the cave, where she fights a Hulk-sized blind monk, whose hearing is so sharp that he knows where she is even when invisible. It’s a short fight, though, as his heightened hearing can’t stop her force fields. (This character is never named, and he never returns after this, which is too bad. Just imagine him fighting Daredevil.)

Sue makes her way through the monastery, apparently located inside the cave, where she finds a high-tech lab and two bodies in suspended animation pods. She thinks she has found Reed and Dr. Doom, but before she can open the pods and know for sure, Nathaniel steps out of the shadows and shoots her in the back. With her unconscious, Nathaniel makes a big speech about he will now gladly and eagerly unleash total evil onto the world.

To be continued!

Fade out: Inside the monastery, Sue walks past locales seen in past retellings of Dr. Doom’s origin, most notably issue #5, issue #278, and the miniseries Books of Doom. She comments about the contradictions in the different versions of Doom’s origins, and she speculates that these stories originated from Dr. Doom himself, always rewriting his own history.

Clobberin’ time: Apparently, Ben signed away the FF’s TV rights to help them get through their recent financial downturn, after all the troubles caused by Johnny destroying part of ESU a ways back.

Flame on: Johnny remarks that he has put the dark times behind him, and he’s feeling a lot more like the carefree, youthful “hothead” Johnny of classic Fantastic Four comics.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Although Ant-Man makes jokes about how awful the FF cartoon is (great cross-promotion work, Marvel) he later says he’s just kidding, and that his daughter Cassie has a Thing lunchbox (!).

The Alicia problem: In previous issues, Lyja said her “Laura Green” plot was to win back Johnny, but in this issue she seems repulsed at how he is flirting with her. I guess it’s because he’s flirting with “Laura” and not Lyja.

Commercial break: This issue has not one or two but three pages of ads for Nintendo’s Tin Star. It’s the WACKY wild west!

Trivia time: The Marvel Action Hour cartoon is canon, existing in Earth-534834, for those of you keeping spreadsheets. This is the third Fantastic Four comic in which the characters watch a TV cartoon based on their own exploits. The first was in issue #10, and the second was in issue #209.

Fantastic or frightful? A lot of this issue is Sue asking perfectly reasonable questions and Nathaniel refusing to answer to he can look all mysterious. It’s mostly setting up things to come. The references to Dr. Doom’s past are nice for fans, and the cartoon tie-in makes this an interesting trivia footnote, but that’s about it.

Next: Who watches the watchmen who watches those watchmen who watch those other watchmen?

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Wolverine slashed up the Thing’s face way back in issue #374. Now we’re at issue #395 and it’s time for a rematch — not to mention another sales-boosting Wolverine guest appearance.

We begin at the Last Gasp Saloon, an old-timey cowboy bar located on the shore of Lake Erie. The place has been trashed, and Wolverine is inside, alone, nursing a drink and a cigar. He is dwelling on how he slashed the Thing’s face, and he thinks “Time has come to see how deep those scars run.” A Fantasticar lands outside, and Ben enters, decked out in his trenchcoat-and-fedora look.

A bum outside the bar makes a phone call (with a 1995-era cell phone!) to the Mad Thinker, who still insists on calling himself just “the Thinker,” who as usual brags about how he predicated this would happen and all is going according to his plan. The Mad Thinker is still doing his mental projection thing, using his super-brain to manipulate his lab while his body is safely locked up in jail. Back at the bar, we see Ant-Man has snuck aboard the Fantasticar while all teeny-tiny, here to give Ben some backup, whether Ben wants it or not.

We then cut to the “Great Western Desert,” where Johnny and She-Hulk are messing around with their powers, using the desert as a makeshift Danger Room. Johnny wants to talk to the mysterious blonde who helped him out during the battle last issue, but she runs off before he gets a chance. The blonde instead meets up with feisty coed Bridget O’Neil. Bridget says the blonde is a source of much gossip. The blonde introduces herself as Laura Green, and she says she was a last-minute addition to this, their school archeology trip. They talk about Johnny, with Bridget says Johnny is recently divorced, and she tells Laura to “keep your distance.” Laura then reveals what the reader already knows, that she is Lyja the Skrull in disguise, in hopes that “Laura” will make Johnny forget he ever knew Lyja.

Ben shows a lot of anger toward Wolverine, saying that although he was already a rock monster, his scarred face didn’t make things any easier. Wolverine tries to apologize, saying he was in a bad place at that time, and that things have changed. He offers Ben a beer and says he wants to make amends. Ben refuses, smashes some furniture. Wolverine unleashes his claws and they’re about to fight. Then Ant-Man interrupts with a classic “We’ve got company!” Three guys in sci-fi body armor burst through the door, also looking for a fight.

In Latveria, Sue is staying at Castle Doom with Nathaniel Richards, who has tricked the world into thinking he’s Doctor Doom back from the dead. Nathaniel says he’s in search of his missing son, and Sue insists that Reed is still alive. Nathaniel won’t explain any more, saying he must first make improvements to his high-tech battle armor. Sue then sees an apparition of herself, seemingly the same one from issue #387. The apparition says to believe in Nathaniel, and “Only he holds the key!”

Back at the bar, Ben and Wolverine fight the three attackers. Okay, so who are these guys? One has Iron Man-like body armor, one has high-tech bullwhips, and one has an ice gun. The bullwhip guy is named “Kerekes” and the others’ names are never revealed. Further, the Marvel wiki only has one sentence about them, naming them assassins (not “the assassins” mind you, just “assassins”). It should come to no surprise that Wolverine and Ben defeat these guys with no problem.

Then a new opponent enters the bar, a new version of the Mad Thinker’s Super-Adaptoid, called the Super Android Model F-4. Just like the original Super-Adaptoid, the Super Android has the combined powers of the Fantastic Four. It punches Ben into the next building over and then starts choking Wolverine. Ant-Man watches from his teeny vantage point, wondering what he can do.

In Latveria, Nathaniel tells Sue about one of his earlier time-travel adventures. He crash landed (crash materialized?) in Latveria and was injured. A beautiful young gypsy woman took him in, healing him with “exotic potions” and “a form of witchcraft.” She and Nathaniel fell in love, and eventually had a son, whom Nathaniel calls the “absolute monarch of Latveria.” Sue (and the reader?) assumes this means that Reed and Dr. Doom are in fact long-lost brothers.

Meanwhile, Ben and Wolverine continue fighting the Super Android. It burns Ben in the face, where his scars are still more sensitive than the rest of his rock body. Ben admits it’s not appearance that upset him about the scars, it’s about having to feel vulnerable.  While they continue fighting the android, Ant-Man leaps onto its shoulder and attaches a container of “shrink gas” to it. The android shrinks down to ant size, an attack it has no defense for. With a flick of his finger, Ben sends the android flying into the lake. This apparently destroys it. The issue ends with the Mad Thinker in jail receiving a “Wish you were here” postcard from Ben, Wolverine, and Ant-Man.

Fade out: You might be thinking the mysterious apparition of Sue was from an alternate timeline where Galactus killed everybody. You’re right, it was. This version is all part of Nathaniel’s increasingly far-fetched plot to manipulate the FF. We’ll get there eventually.

Clobberin’ time: This issue answers the long-standing question of why Ben didn’t just use Marvel Universe super-science to fix his face. It’s because the real scars are the emotional ones.

Flame on: Johnny says he has no plans to return to the FF, even though he’s still wearing a blue shirt with the “4” logo on it.

Fantastic fifth wheel: The Marvel Wiki insists that Ant-Man’s “shrink gas” is actually Pym particles, the stuff that makes shrinking possible.

She-Hulk is just now learning that Reed is dead. She offers to re-join the FF, but Johnny tells her she’s talking to the wrong the person.

The Alicia problem: Lyja is secretly pursuing Johnny in the hopes of seducing him in the “Alice Green” persona. Just what are we to think of Lyja by this point? Villain? Love interest? Troubled victim? I just don’t know anymore.

Commercial break: “Alpha, bring me my Zune.”

Trivia time: Why is Wolverine so interested in making amends with Ben? This issue is following X-Men #25, where he lost all his Adamantium and X-Men #30 in which he was sad about Jean Grey marrying Cyclops instead of him. So the newly no-longer-invulnerable Wolverine has been making the rounds in the Marvel Universe hoping to make amends for all the bad things he’s done. Yes, this also means that this issue features Wolvie’s notorious bone claws, though they’re drawn and colored to still look all metallic.

The Super Android makes one more appearance after this, in the Fantastic Four Unplugged miniseries of the mid-90s.

Fantastic or frightful? An okay-to-good issue, where the heroes fight actual villains instead of each other. It’s also nice to see Ant-Man finally do some actual Ant-action as a member of the team. So, yeah, I guess I liked this one.

Next: Saturday morning car-Dooms.

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The FF have split up and gone their separate ways, so in issue #394 we’re catching up with old friends and fighting a supernatural dinosaur man, like you do.

Gimmie a gimmick: This issue originally shipped to stores polybagged (wrapped in plastic) containing a 16-page minicomic promoting the Marvel Action Hour Saturday morning cartoon. The ‘toon featured Iron Man and our very own Fantastic Four. Somehow, Biker Mice From Mars first debuted as part of this cartoon, but they’re not in the minicomic.

Issue #394 a variation on the classic “the characters show off their powers for a few pages” thing with Wyatt Wingfoot riding his cool motorcycle through an obstacle of Johnny shooting fire at him and She-Hulk throwing boulders at them both. As noted in my recent Fantastic Force write-up, She-Hulk’s solo series had recently ended with her working for Millie the Model (!) and acting in a soap opera (!). These issues find her back practicing law while also reconnecting with her old Fantastic Four pals. Also, she and Wyatt split up in the miniseries She-Hulk: Ceremony, but they’re still good friends. Everybody’s out in the “Great Western Desert” where Johnny and feisty coed Bridget O’Neil and some ESU students are helping Wyatt’s tribe on an archeological dig. Also working the archeology dig is the mysterious blonde woman from the previous issue, who is secretly Lyja the Skrull spying on Johnny.

But all is not well in the desert, as tribal leader Stalking Fox is angry at the students for disturbing a sacred burial site. We discover that the students have uncovered an ancient totem. Stalking Fox is ticked off, saying they will soon face the wrath of… Raptor the Renegade. (In case you’re wondering, this issue was on shelves a year and a half after Jurassic Park.)

In New York, Alicia shows up at the Baxter Building asking to see Ben, only for Roberta the robot receptionist tell her that Ben asked not be disturbed. Alicia leaves, angry. Ant-Man confronts Ben about this, and Ben says it’s time that he and Alicia both got on with their lives. He also admits he’s been dwelling lately on how Wolverine slashed up his face back in issue #374. This also foreshadows next issue.

At the dig site, local cop Officer Chavis mediates the dispute between Stalking Fox and students, while archeology professor Simon Janson secretly reassembles all the pieces of the totem, saying it’s his “important work.” He accidentally (or not?) cuts his finger and spills a drop of blood on the totem, which of course causes dark magic to stir. The totem zaps Janson with an energy beam, transforming him into Raptor the Renegade, a half-man half-pterodactyl.

While flying around and terrorizing the students’ camp, Raptor takes time to explain his origin. He and his fellow dinosaur-men once ruled the Earth, only for primitive men to trap him in a totem and bury him, so that humanity could be free of his evil and whatnot. Bridget gets on the radio and contacts Johnny, who is out in the desert with Wyatt and She-Hulk. Lyja transforms into a dinosaur herself to protect Bridget from being harmed.

Cut to Latveria, where Sue is staying as a guest in Castle Doom. She is apparently on better terms with Nathaniel Richards, who has convinced the world that’s Dr. Doom come back from the dead. Nathaniel proudly announces that he’s located his son. Sue assumes this means Reed is still alive, but Nathaniel responds, “who’s talking about Reed?”

Johnny and She-Hulk fight Raptor, with nothing they harming him. Meanwhile, Wyatt deduces that the totem is the source of Raptor’s powers. Raptor boasts that only a “sun god” can destroy the totem. Johnny is hesitant to use his super-powerful nova flame, remembering that the last time he used it he nearly destroyed Empire State University. He overcomes his fear and goes nova, destroying the totem. This transforms Raptor back into Professor Janson. Johnny and Bridget embrace, all with him wondering who that blonde was.

Back at FF HQ, Ant-Man receives a message from Wolverine, telling Ben that Wolvie wants to set up a meeting. Ben says, “I’m giddy with the prospect.”

To be continued?

Fade out: Sue finds a classic FF uniform inside her guest room at Castle Doom, and she tells a Doombot to “burn it.” Did that uniform belong to Dr. Doom or to Nathaniel? And which is creepier?

Clobberin’ time: Other than his scars being unusually sensitive, Ben has shown little anger over his already monstrous face being scarred. Never underestimate the power of a profitable guest star, I guess.

Flame on: I’m not sure if this issue means Johnny and Bridget O’Neil are a couple now, but I like her in this issue. She keeps her head and helps out during the crisis, making her solid “superhero love interest” material.

Fantastic fifth wheel: She-Hulk jokes (or not?) that she dislikes being called “Greenskin,” saying that nickname is reserved for her more famous cousin.

Crystal appears in this issue as well, in this Marvel house ad:

The Alicia problem: The dinosaur Lyja transforms into is a “Gammara tortoise” and it not surprisingly looks like giant movie turtle Gamera.

Commercial break: I have no idea what this is for or what it’s trying to say:

Trivia time: This is the one and only appearance of Raptor the Renegade. The comic hints at Professor Janson being his civilian identity for future stories, but it never happened. There are, however, five other characters named “Raptor” in the Marvel Universe. One is a lizard-man who fought Spider-Man and Moon Knight, one is a guy in a high-tech bird suit who also fought Moon Knight, one is a half-human half-bird who helped the West Coast Avengers fight Ultron, one is a Hulk-like green-skinned cyborg who fought Death’s Head, and the fifth is a Hawkgirl-style flying thief who eventually became a hero in the “MC2” alternate future.

You might think that Stalking Fox is Wyatt’s grandfather, seen back in the Lee/Kirby days, but no. Wyatt’s grandfather was Silent Fox, who died back in issue #269. That story arc ended with Wyatt choosing to travel the world rather than taking his grandfather’s place, so I guess we can assume that this Stalking Fox guy is now chief in Wyatt’s place.

Fantastic or frightful? Enjoyable but forgettable, I suppose. A generic plot and a generic villain, but at least it’s a story with structure and a beginning, middle and end, as opposed to the soup of subplots that the comic has been for most of this era.

Next: Rock, paper, adamantium.

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The splash page for issue #393 calls this “quite possibly the most haunting tale ever produced.” Yeah, let’s see.

The issue begins with a whopping seven pages of recap, in which Ant-Man makes a record of the FF’s activities, starting the whole Alicia/Lyja thing, up to Reed’s supposed death, and finally the team’s recent break-up, concluding that the Thing is currently going it alone as a “Fantastic One.”

We then catch up to Ben back in his old neighborhood of Yancy Street, where he’s responding to a mysterious summons. After scaring off a thug, Ben encounters the Puppet Master as the one who sent for him. Ben is immediately suspicious, as Alicia hasn’t been seen since Alicia ran off and/or disappeared way back in issue #376. Turns out Ben is right to be suspicious because the Puppet Master gases Ben into unconsciousness.

Then there’s a quick scene of Johnny applying to start school at Empire State University, but is refused because of the damage he caused in issue #375. He also is reunited with feisty coed Bridget O’Neil, and they flirt while a blond woman watches them from a distance. We cut from there to Latveria, where Sue sneaks into Castle Doom, investigating how Dr. Doom could be alive when it appeared he died fighting Reed. Rather than fight, Dr. Doom reveals that he’s really an imposter, Sue’s own father-in-law Nathaniel Richards. She slaps him (!) and accuses him of abducting young Franklin and not using his knowledge of the future (the past, now?) to save Reed. Nathaniel says he is on a quest to find Reed, and he asks Sue to join him.

Ben wakes up in what appears to be Alicia’s apartment, she makes a big speech about how much she admires his nobility and sensitivity, and it’s as if they are a couple again. The romance is interrupted by Johnny, for some 1960s-ish playful banter. Not only is there, but so are Reed and Sue, and it’s as if the FF are back together and everything is the way it used to be. Ben concludes, “Something’s real wrong!”

Ben wakes up again to reveal that Puppet Master has him hooked up to a machine. What he just experienced was the puppet version of him living in Liddleville, which you’ll remember is an entire town of miniature robot people last seen inside Castle Doom. Puppet Master says he only has the best of intentions, that in Liddleville, Ben and Alicia can have the happiness they’ve always wanted.

Ben smashes the Puppet Master’s mind control device (but he leaves Liddleville intact), saying “Ya can’t live in the past!” As Alicia starts to regain consciousness, Ben leaves, saying she and Puppet Master have a lot to talk about.

Unstable molecule: Sue initially assumes that Nathaniel is another Doombot posing as Doom, referencing all the times the FF has been fooled by Doombots in the past.

Clobberin’ time: Ben says a younger version of him would have clobbered the thug on Yancy Street, but now these days he’s mellowed out some.

Flame on: Johnny learns Bridget is a history student, and is heading out west for an archaeology conveniently setting up next issue.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Ant-Man says that although the FF has split up, he is still on their payroll, so he’s going to stick around as long as the checks keep coming in.

The Alicia problem: The blonde spying on Johnny and Bridget is secretly Lyja in disguise, so the soap opera is still soap opera-ing.

Commercial break: Power Rangers! But wait, did the Rangers ever actually use this sword on the show?

Trivia time: This is the last time we’ll see Liddleville in Fantastic Four, but not in the Marvel Universe. After one appearance in X-Force, the teeny town becomes a semi-regular fixture in various Hulk comics, where a puppet Bruce Banner gets to enjoy the quaint small-town life the real one never had.

There is no mention of where Puppet Master’s hideout is, or how he got Liddleville away from Dr. Doom. (Maybe they’re in Doom’s castle, but I find it highly unlikely that this is happening a few doors down from Sue confronting Nathaniel.) The Appendix of the Marvel Universe fan site suggests that Puppet Master built his own Liddleville just for this occasion.

Fantastic or frightful? Shrug. The long opening recap and the ongoing subplots mean we don’t have a lot of time to explore the Twilight Zone-ishness of the Liddleville concept. It’s not a bad comic, it’s just we’ve been here before.

Next: Cowboys vs. dinosaurs.

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. After the Fantastic Four broke up in the mid-90s, Marvel published 18 issues of the spinoff Fantastic Force. How well did these new young heroes fill the FF’s void, and how did end?

Fantastic Force is:

• Franklin Richards, now a telepathic teenager thanks to time travel craziness.
• Huntara, barbarian swordswoman and long-lost stepsister to the FF’s Reed Richards.
• Vibraxas, a teen Wakandan mutant, with earthquake-creating powers.
• Devlor, an inhuman teen who can transform into a giant apelike monster.
• Black Panther, who acts the mentor/Professor X type for the team. His Manhattan loft is the team’s HQ.

Issue #10

The child Franklin who appeared at the end of the last issue is not here via time travel, but is instead a psychic projection of Franklin’s, along with another known as the “Ego-Spawn.” There’s some talk of Franklin being “the Avatar” of these various “psycho-plasmic entities.” After much in-fighting among the teammates, Franklin agrees to turn leadership of Fantastic Force over to the Human Torch. This new team then travels to Turkey in search of the Omnivirus, which could cure all diseases but could also (of course) be used for evil. They encounters villains Lord Moses and Zarathrustra, also in search of the virus.

Issue #11

Franklin and his other-self constructs return to the alternate universe of Elsewhen, where he learned to be a warrior during his years of time-traveling. He is reunited with alien warlord Kargul, who warns him of doom. On Earth, the Fantastic Force manage to defeat Lord Moses and stop the Omnivirus, but not before Devlor is exposed to the virus. The team then travels to Elsewhen where they are confronted by a new villain, Vangaard.

Issue #12

Fantastic Force teams up with Kargul to fight Vangaard, who is revealed to be Johnny Storm from an alternate reality, last seen way back in Fantastic Four #163. Everyone but Franklin escapes, while Franklin heads out to fight Vangaard on his own. He unleashes the full extent of his potentially world-ending powers to stop Vangaard, seemingly killing himself in the process. It doesn’t work, as Vangaard survives. The team re-confronts Vangaard, and Johnny manages to reason with him, helping Vangaard regain his humanity. Meanwhile, She-Hulk and Wyatt Wingfoot show up again, where they encounter a mysterious homeless man in New York.

Issue #13

Franklin is alive, placed in a “zero chamber” to heal, and his psychic constructs have been absorbed back into his brain (or something). Huntara then announces that she is leaving the team, as Elsewhen was always meant to be her home. Back in New York, the team encounters She-Hulk under control of the Puppet Master, stealing artifacts from a museum. Johnny invites She-Hulk to join the Fantastic Force, filling in for Huntara, and she accepts.

Issue #14

The team travels to Wakanda, where Vibraxas stands trial for the gang member he inadvertently killed in issue #5. She-Hulk conveniently acts as his lawyer. The homeless man from two issues ago is revealed to be Diablo, who says he has She-Hulk in his “thrall.” Vibraxas is reunited with an old girlfriend, R’Shumba, and his father, N’Kano. Vibraxas tries to destroy a vibranium research facility, which was the source of the accident that gave him his powers, accidentally unleashing a vibranium monster from underneath the building.

Issue #15.

Fantastic Force fights the vibranium monster, called the Vibravore. The monster contains the “psychic-static” of everyone who died in the accident that gave Vibraxas his powers, including Vibraxas’ mother. It’s a big fight, with Devlor rapidly losing control of his animalistic side. The fight ends with no trace of Vibraxas’ long-lost mother. Back at the trial, the Wakandans find Vibraxas not guilty, but they also vote to revoke Fantastic Force’s funding. At that moment, Devlor loses control, transforming into an even more beastly form.

Issue #16

Back in NYC, Devlor continues to mutate out of control, thanks to his exposure to the Omnivirus. Johnny has departed, leading everyone to wonder whether Fantastic Force is even a team at all anymore. Vibraxas takes a job from a friend, a Korean shop owner, to help fight off local street gangs. Villainess Zarathrustra escapes from the cops and battles encounters fellow villain Go-Devil, who is also part of the street gang plot. Finally, Devlor appears to die, only for his body to give “birth” to a new Devlor, looking just like he did back in issue #1. Gross.

Issue #17

The Wakandans evict Fantastic Force from Black Panther’s loft in Soho, so She-Hulk has the team use her apartment as its new HQ. Once there, the team experiences a bunch of weird hallucinations, revealed to be the work of Diablo. What’s more, Diablo reveals he’s working alongside the demon Mephisto.

Issue #18

With the team still under Diablo’s spell, Diablo reveals his partnership with Mephisto is all an act, and that he really wants to use Franklin’s powers to destroy Mephisto, like Franklin did back in Fantastic Four issue #277. Diablo mind-controls She-Hulk to attack her teammates. Each team member overcomes Diablo’s influence, and they work together to destroy Diablo’s potions. Thinking he’s won, Diablo travels to Hell, only to be attacked by Mephisto’s minions. Back on Earth, the series ends when the heroes are reunited with the one and only Fantastic Four, revealing… well, this blog will get there soon enough.

Four and a half: Franklin is really put through the wringer in these issues, first by sacrificing himself to save the day, and then trying and failing to keep his new team together. Also there are a ton of continuity nods to his character’s history.

Barbarian swordswoman: This is pretty much the last hurrah for Huntara. She will appear again briefly during the Onslaught crossover, and in Civil War she is mentioned but not seen as a potential recruit for the Fifty States Initiative. (Does this mean she came back to Earth at some point?)

Good vibrations: Vibraxas will go on to occasionally guest star in Fantastic Four, and has been a recurring character in various Black Panther comics over the years.

Talking about my de-evolution: Poor Devlor pretty much disappeared from the Marvel Universe after this. His only other notable appearance was when he joined a group of characters all interviewing for the job of nanny for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s baby. Other potential nannies included D-Man, Squirrel Girl, Groot, Molly from Runaways, Beverly from Howard the Duck, and (of course) Deadpool.

Wakanda forever: I’m not clear on who these Wakandan judges are, who boss around Black Panther, their king. But, hey, what do I know about politics?

Flame on: Bringing Johnny on board as team leader for five issues then abruptly writing him out stinks of editorial interference. His confrontation with his alternate self Vangaard is interesting, but Vangaard remains a hokey character.

Force-tastic fifth wheel: She-Hulk appears here shortly after the cancellation of her solo series which, at the end, had her working with Millie the Model and acting in a soap opera (!). Also, she and Wyatt split up in the miniseries She-Hulk: Ceremony, so they are hanging out in this series just as friends.

Trivia time: Fantastic Force had one other notable appearance, in Secret Defenders #25. That issue had a variety of psychic characters around the world sensing the appearance of supervillain Sloriath, including our own Franklin.

The title Fantastic Force returned in 2009 with none of these characters and an entirely different premise. Six superheroes from a post-apocalyptic future — including Hulk and Wolverine — traveled to the present to stop their apocalypse. The other members of that team were Lightwave, Psionic, Natalie X, and Alex Ultron. This version ran only four issues.

Fantastic or frightful? While I enjoyed the first half of this series quite a bit, it unravels in the second half, with meandering storylines and the obvious dark cloud of Marvel editorial forcing the Human Torch and She-Hulk into the series to make it more like FF. Still, Fantastic Force is fun when it sticks the more character-based stories. Unfortunately, plots are way too interested in alternate realities and alternate timelines which too often distract from the good stuff. So, a mixed bag. Here’s hoping someone incredibly talented can bring these characters back someday and make them work.

Next: Puppet power.

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The FF broke up at the end of the last issue, so it’s time for the next generation to step up and fill the void. Marvel published 18 issues of the spinoff Fantastic Force in the mid-90s. Here’s the first half.

Fantastic Force is:

• Franklin Richards, now a telepathic teenager thanks to time travel craziness.
• Huntara, barbarian swordswoman and long-lost stepsister to the FF’s Reed Richards.
• Vibraxas, a teen Wakandan mutant, with earthquake-creating powers.
• Devlor, an inhuman teen who can transform into a giant apelike monster.
• Black Panther, who acts the mentor/Professor X type for the team.

Issue #1

We begin right after the breakup of the Fantastic Four, with T’Challa (a.k.a. the Black Panther) encouraging Frankling and Huntara to stay with him and start a new team to carry on the FF’s legacy. Vibraxas and Huntara don’t get along, both too eager for a fight, while Devlor just wants to fit in and enjoy human stuff like TV and hamburgers for the first time. Klaw attacks T’Challa’s fancy Manhattan loft, reminding us that he’s one of Black Panther’s chief antagonists. With Franklin’s telepathic help, the new heroes manage to work together and defeat Klaw. They decide to stick together as Fantastic Force.

Issue #2

Our heroes battle new villains Zarathrustra and Lord Moses, who reside beneath the Arctic Circle. The baddies are after an experimental “omnivirus” which has the potential to cure all diseases. Vibraxas threatens to quit the team (a breakup plotline in only the second issue?) but eventually joins the fight.

Isssue #3

Franklin insists that Devlor be enrolled in school, which Devlor sees as “captivity.” The Inhuman known as the Seeker attacks, hoping to return Devlor to the Inhumans. There’s a big fight, but the Seeker comes around and ends things as friends with Devlor. There’s also some real cringe-y ‘90s preachiness as Vibraxas learns a very special lesson about racism.

Issue #4

The mad scientists at AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics) create a new Super Adaptiod, which goes on the loose, heading straight for NYC. Captain America, suffering a loss of his strength from his super-soldier super-serum, fights the Adaptoid. The Fantastic Force goes shopping so Huntara can buy “normal girl” clothes, while Vibraxas stops a convenience store robbery. The team helps Captain America fight the Adaptoid, with Huntara opening a portal and transporting it into a “void of non-existence.” Cap gives the young heroes an approving pep talk.

Issue #5.

While exploring New York at night, Huntara comes across a rave and tries to help a woman in trouble. She then is confronted by the symbiote Dreadface. Franklin joins the fight, and Dreadface temporarily takes over Franklin. Huntara eventually banishes Dreadface to another realm, like she did with the Adaptiod. Meanwhile, Lord Arcadus, current ruler of the Inhumans after the fall of the Royal Family, is investigating Devlor in hopes of returning him to the moon.

Issue #5

The public learns of Fantastic Force’s existence after the media catches them defeating the Grey Gargoyle. Then there’s more preachiness about cultural sensitivity in the midst of a gang war between an Asian gang called the Sons on Sinaju and the Wakandan Lords. Fantastic Force breaks up the fight, with Franklin proudly proclaiming that they’re more than a team — they’re family.

Issue #7.

We cross back into Fantastic Four continuity when Fantastic Four is approached by Lyja the Skrull, who says she’s concerned about Sue Richard’s safety. The team follows Sue to Doctor Doom’s castle, where Franklin learns that “Dr. Doom” is currently his grandfather Nathaniel Richards in disguise. The team then teleports to the Watcher’s home on the moon, where they are reunited with the Fantastic Four, and help rescue Sue from the Negative Zone. There’s a lot of talk about contacting the leaders of the Watchers, ending on a cliffhanger leading into Fantastic Four #400.

Issue #8

This issue is part 7 of Marvel’s 11-part Atlantis Rising crossover, so we’re dealing with the destruction of Attlian, Thor fighting Morgan Le Fay, and Atlantis emerging onto the ocean’s surface. Franklin, Huntara and Devlor fight the crossover’s main villains, the Crimson Cadre, while Vibraxas deals with the drama of having accidentally killed a gang member during the gang fight in issue #5. Finally, a reporter named Paul Alvarez catches up with the team, claiming that Huntara is really his long-lost sister.

Issue #9

This is part 9 of Atlantis Rising. Meanwhile, the city of Attilan survived, being shrunk down inside a bottle and all the crossover participants are fighting over it. That Alvarez guy claims that his sister disappeared into a mysterious portal when she was a child, only to be snatched into another timeline by Nathaniel Richards, who raised her as his own. Huntara doesn’t buy it, but Franklin considers it. The team then travels again to Latveria, to rescue the FF’s own Johnny Storm from being brainwashed by Maximus the Mad. Finally, a child version of Franklin appears, wearing his “Tattletale” costume from Power Pack. This is not the return of classic kid Franklin, even though that’s what the issue wants you think. What it really is, is…

To be continued!

Four and a half: The series establishes that Franklin’s “hound” scars he got in the Days of Future Past timeline appear on his face whenever there is space-time weirdness nearby, basically an early-warning sign that villains are in the area.

Barbarian swordswoman: According to the Marvel Wiki, the mystery of Huntara’s origin is never revealed. Most fans seem to agree that she is not Alvarez’s long-lost sister, and the sister is really Zarathrustra from issue #2 but, again, the truth has never been revealed. The Marvel Wiki also states that Huntara’s birth name is Tara Richards.

Good vibrations: Although initially introduced as a mutant, this series establishes that Vibraxas was exposed to energized Vibranium as a child. His body is infused with the Vibranium, giving him his vibratory powers.

Talkin’ ‘bout my de-evolution: Lord Arcadus is obsessed with Devlor because he believes Devlor’s evolution-based powers could be the key for all Inhumans to “break free from genetic stagnation.”

Wakanda forever: Aside from letting the team stay in his Manhattan loft (which has its own danger room, of course) and dispensing the occasional bout of fatherly wisdom, Black Panther doesn’t do a whole lot of team mentoring. I guess he prefers the “hands off” approach.

Commercial break: The month of issue #1, Marvel used its precious Bullpen Bulletins page to promote Fantastic Force. Sadly, the promo gets Devlor’s name wrong, calling him “Giganto.”

Fantastic or frightful? All the gang/racism stuff is handled poorly, in that they-meant-well-but-accidentally-made-it-worse way. Also, forcing the book into a bigger crossover creates a lot of confusion, but that’s nothing new for Marvel readers. Other than these two complaints, though, there’s a lot to like in Fantastic Force. It has a lot of the “superhero soap opera” feel that helped make the X-Men so popular for so long.

Next: Fantastic Force goes green.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. After teasing a team breakup for several issues now, our heroes finally go their separate ways in issue #292.

Where were we? The Watcher transported Sue, Ben and Johnny into an alternate dimension where Galactus once succeeded in destroying the Earth, in hopes that they could go back and stop him this time. They failed, and this issue starts with alt-universe Reed crying over the death of his teammates. Cut to “an alternate plane” where the Watcher has now teleported Sue, Ben and Johnny, rescuing them from their apparent deaths at the end of the last issue. He says that although they failed, it is not yet their time to die.

With that over, the Watcher teleports the three back to Four Freedoms Plaza where Johnny learns his and Lyja’s “child” was really a Sha’Barri monster sent to kill them. Lyja says now the danger has passed and they can start anew, but Johnny won’t have it. He calls her a  “miserable witch” and he is angry over all the times she deceived him. He leaves, saying “from this forward, wherever the human torch flies, he flies alone!”

Namor wants to comfort Sue, but Ant-Man suggests they give the original team some space. He leads Namor and new character Rafael Suarez outside. Lyja also leaves, saying that without Johnny, there is no reason for her to stay. Now it’s Ben’s turn to comfort Sue, saying the Fantastic Four had split up before and always reunited, but Sue argues that the FF is “an idea whose time is finally over.” They are interrupted by the arrival of the Dark Raider, still on his quest to kill every alternate Reed Richards in every alternate universe. He again demands that Sue and Ben turn over the Reed of their universe. They fight, with the Dark Raider driving Sue and Ben back with a high-tech “tornado whip.”

On the roof of Four Freedoms Plaza, teenage Franklin and barbarian swordswoman Huntara arrive in their stolen time sled, in response to the psychic vision Franklin had about Sue being in danger. They’re met on the roof by Black Panther, along with Wakandan teen mutant Vibraxas and inhuman teen Devlor. Black Panther has brought the kids there in hopes the FF can help them adjust to their new powers. Franklin, who is still struggling with Malice’s psychic influence in his brain, senses the Dark Raider inside the building.

Sue and Ben are no match for the Dark Raider, whose gadgets are designed as counter attacks for each of their powers. He’s not prepared for Black Panther and the teens, though. Vibraxas knocks him off his feet with earthquake powers, Black Panther has a bunch of high tech gadgets of his own, Huntara’s psionic blade can slice through the Raider’s force fields. Devlor transforms into a giant monster (that’s his power — he de-evolves) but the Raider takes him out of the fight. Sue and Franklin set aside their differences for a combined attack on the Raider, only for him to drive them back again.Then the Watcher reappears, saying it’s time for the truth. The Dark Raider takes off his mask to reveal that he is… Reed Richards!

Sue quickly deduces that this is yet another Reed from yet another alternate dimension. The Raider says his world was destroyed thanks to his/Reed’s careless curiosity, so he’s made it his mission to seek and destroy all Reeds in all realities. The Raider then reveals he has Galactus’ Ultimate Nullifier, and he threatens to use it, taking out the whole planet if he has to.

Sue says the heroes must find a way to shatter the Dark Raider’s mental control of the Nullifier, and she and Franklin both consider Malice. Working together, Franklin and Sue transfer Malice from Franklin’s mind into the Dark Raider’s mind. This distracts the Dark Raider long enough to lose control of the Nullifier, allowing the FF to snatch it. The Watcher says the Dark Raider is too dangerous to let live, and must be killed. Sue insists that the FF are not murderers (this despite her having murderous intent in recent issues) so the Watcher breaks his sacred vow and kills the Dark Raider (and Malice?) right in front of everyone. Overcome by his actions, the Watcher says he will now exile himself to a place so distant that there is nothing to watch.

Without pausing for a breath, Sue goes right back into insisting that Reed (her universe’s Reed, that is) is still alive, and she plans to leave the FF and search for him on her own. Ben starts to disagree, but Franklin steps in and says Sue is free to make her own choices. Sue, Ben, and Franklin say a teary goodbye as Sue takes the time sled and leaves. Black Panther, who is still hanging around with the super-powered teens, asks what will become of the Fantastic Four. Ben says from now on, he’s flying solo as, “the Fantastic One.”

Fade out: Sue believes that the Dark Raiders attack is proof positive that her Reed is still alive, hence the extra motivation for leaving.

Clobberin’ time: Ben tells Sue to call him if she ever needs help, throwing a bone to readers who can guess the team’s breakup is temporary.

Flame on: In addition to leaving because of Lyja, Johnny also has a line stating that he’s through risking his neck, and says he’s done with venturing into the unknown.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Ant-Man does his part simply by playing peacemaker, and knowing when his teammates need some personal space. He no doubt picked up these skills during his time with the Avengers.

Four and a half: After being at odds for so long, Franklin and Sue finally accept one another as mother and son.

The Alicia problem: An argument could be made that Lyja truly does love Johnny, but this whole pregnancy-was-really-a-killer-alien-implant thing does make her look bad. Look for her behavior to take another turn in issues to come.

Commercial break: Welcome to my reality.

Trivia time: What’s with these new characters? This is the “stealth pilot” for Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Force spinoff series, starring Franklin, Huntara, Vibraxas and Devlor, with Black Panther acting as their Professor X mentor-type.

This issue is the final appearance of Rafael Suarez, who got laser-blasting super powers from Lyja. They brought back Wildstreak during Civil War, but not this guy?

Fantastic or frightful? This issue would appear to be the big finale, wrapping up a bunch of subplots that have been going on for a long time now, except I’ve read ahead a little, and these subplots are going to keep on sub-plotting.

Next: Nothin’ but puppets.

****

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