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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. In the last issue, a villain created clones of our heroes. In issue #329, we see the plans are for those clones.

We begin in the middle of the story, with the FF in Reed’s lab, preparing for their next adventure. Alicia (who is secretly Lyja the Skrull in disguise) seems perplexed by what is happening. Reed is bossing the others around, Sue dotes on his every word, and Ben has not only mutated back to his “spikey” form, but he has a bad attitude, beginning most of his statements with “Bah!” Reed announces that the FF are going to travel to Monster Island and capture the Mole Man. Alicia points out that the Mole Man was abducted by lava men (in issue #313) and Monster Island was destroyed (in issue #296).  Reed says that’s no matter, as his science genius can raise an island.

Cut to our villain, Aron the Watcher, who is in his new hideout in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, which he describes as a wilderness so remote it is “hard to reach by human means.” He reveals that the FF we’ve been reading about are the FF clones he created, and he has the real FF trapped in suspended animation, along with their foes the Frightful Four. He further explains that, as a fugitive Watcher, he is limited in the use of power to stay hidden from other Watchers. His fake FF, however, are free to do his bidding however he wishes.

The fake FF fly a Fantasticar out to the ocean, where Reed does indeed raise the island to the surface and restore it to its former glory. From this point, most of the issue is a remake/homage/satire of Fantastic Four #1, repeating a lot of the same dialogue and story beats from the FF’s first adventure on the island. Our “heroes” occasionally stop to reflect on how their memories of everything that’s happened between then and now feel like a dream.

Speaking of dreams, we cut back to Aron, who is observing the dreams the real FF are having while in stasis. In Ben’s dream, Sharon dumps him because he’s human now. In Sharon’s dream, Ben dumps her for exactly the same reason. The caption informs us that these dreams will go on.

At Monster Island, the fake FF confronts the Mole Man, who says he’s had a change of heart following their last few encounters. He’s left his selfish and cowardly ways behind, and in now working for peace, fighting to unite all the world’s secret underground kingdoms. Still believing that they’re in issue #1, the fake heroes attack the Mole Man. It appears that the Mole Man and his various monsters are about to win the fight, until an energy beam shoots down from the sky and wrecks the island. The fake FF escape, while the Mole Man gives a big speech about how his faith in humanity is betrayed, and he hates the FF even more than ever now.

As the fake FF are escaping, fake Reed wonders why this adventure doesn’t conclude with an awesome explosion, only for the island to then explode. Back in Canada, Aron reveals that he’s the one who fired the energy beam at the island, so that his version of the FF could win the fight. He says his new FF will still take some work.

Clobberin’ time/Fantastic fifth wheel: The only time we see the actual FF in this issue is during the dueling dream sequences of Ben and Sharon. This appears to foreshadow Sharon’s eventual leaving the team, even though that still won’t be for a while.

The Alicia problem: Although she hasn’t been cloned, Alicia/Lyja seems written in an early 1960s style as well, being very naïve and unknowledgeable about the FF. Perhaps we can theorize that Lyja, a trained spy, can tell something is up, and she’s merely playing along.

Commercial break: This ad is way ahead of its time, in that the cool fantasy hero could be either male or female.

Trivia time: Monster Island, located near Japan, was created by Kro, an enemy of the Eternals, before the Mole Man took it over. Monster Island tends to get destroyed a lot, only for characters to visit it later to find it restored with no explanation. According to the Marvel Super Heroes role-playing game, Monster Island is longitude 136, latitude 40 north.

Fantastic or frightful? The idea here to play around with how the FF of issue #1 would interact with the Marvel Universe of today. This story only sort of does that, though, because we’re at Monster Island the whole time. The better moments are the ones that poke fun at the plot holes and overall goofiness of those early issues. It doesn’t really go anywhere, though, ultimately feeling like filler.

Next week: Sweet dreams are (not) made of these.

****

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. Issue #328 more or less kicks off writer Steve Englehart’s final arc on the series, for better or worse.

As we begin, the FF have been defeated by the combined might of the new Frightful Four and Aron the Watcher. Aron, with Dragon Man as his sidekick, has been following the Fantastic Four in secret for a long time now. Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Sharon Ventura are unconscious in the Frightful Four’s hideout, with a now-human Ben back at FF HQ. The Wizard wants to kill the FF, but Aron says he has other plans. He also takes a page to remind everyone that he’s a bad guy because he broke the Watchers’ oath only to watch and never interfere. Their disagreement becomes a full-on villain brawl. The Frightful Four — Wizard, Titania, Klaw, and Hydro-Man — appear to win at first, until Aron knocks them out with a snap of fingers. Aron takes skin samples from Reed and Sue, which is all he wanted, and then he teleports out of there.

Later, Ben arrives at Frightful Four’s hideout on an FF sky-cycle (at least, the Marvel Wiki identifies it the sky-cycle) and talks to the NYPD at the scene. The cops report that Dragon Man was seen carrying a bunch of bodies away. Ben goes back to HQ and contacts She-Hulk, asking her about when she recently fought Dragon-Man. She says he was spotted around the Empire State Building.

Ben and Alicia visit the Empire State Building, where a nearby news vendor tells them a monster has been seen flying around the building lately. They wander around inside the building, where people are acting strangely. Ben concludes that some sort of mind-control device is in effect. Ben questions another man inside the building, who turns into an octopus-like monster. This is then revealed to be a hallucination.

Ben then fights his way into the Wizard’s hideout inside the building, where the Wizard has the FF hooked up to some machine. Without powers, Ben relies on his old-school hand-to-hand combat training and manages to hold his own against the Frightful Four long enough to free his teammates. The FF make short work of the Frightful Four this time, combining their powers to defeat the villains quickly.

Just as it looks like it’s all over, both the FF and the bad guys are teleported to another dimension, where Aron is waiting for them. He says he has to hide out in this other dimension so the other Watchers can’t see what he’s up to. He then reveals why he’s been stealing skin samples from the FF. He introduces his own re-creations of the FF, which he calls his “pawns.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed defeats Titania by stretching himself into the shape of a big slingshot and flinging her into a wall.

Fade out: Sue traps Hydro-Man inside a Hydro-Man shaped force field, so that he cannot turn into water. This allows Sharon to knock him out.

Clobberin’ time: The cops don’t question Ben’s authority as a member of the FF, because they recognize him “from way back.” I wonder what the story is there.

Flame on: Johnny removes Klaw’s sound gun, saying that even though Klaw’s body is made of pure sound, Klaw is still harmless with his weaponry.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Ben suggests to Sharon that she could become human again, but she insists once again that her Thing body is who she was meant to be.

She-Hulk comments about a “guy named Byrne” following her around. This is a reference to John Byrne returning to Marvel to write and draw the comedy She-Hulk comic, famous for its breaking-the-fourth-wall gags.

The Alicia problem: The mind control stuff inside the Empire State Building has no effect on Alicia, who is secretly Lyja the Skrull in disguise. We’re told this is because she is blind (Lyja is actually wearing contact lenses to simulate blindness), but perhaps it’s because, as a shape-changer, Lyja is able to “see” beyond outward appearances.

Commercial break: I’m shocked that Spinjas never took the world by storm:

Trivia time: Not surprisingly, the Empire State Building is often a hotbed of activity in the Marvel Universe. Some highlights: We just had the Inferno crossover, where the X-Men fought demons there. The X-Men’s enemies the Fenris twins had an office in the building, as did Gabriel the Devil-Hunter (on the 13th floor, naturally). The Avengers, the Hulk and even Power Pack have battled multiple enemies there. Way back in the 1940s, the building was the site of an epic fight between the Sub-Mariner and the original android Human Torch.

Fantastic or frightful? A frustrating issue, in how little of it makes sense. Why does Aron leave the FF with the Frightful Four after defeating them? Why does the Frightful Four have to have two hideouts? Where did all this mind control stuff come from? The heart of the story is Ben proving himself even without his powers. That’s good, but everything around it is baffling. And it’s only going to get worse.

Next week: Dream a little (crappy) dream.

****

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. In issue #327, the original four are back together (sort of) for some old-fashioned villain-punching.

Recap: Reed and Sue have paid a visit to the new FF, and they may or may not be re-joining the team full time. A brand-new Frightful Four attacked, and during the battle, Reed’s latest machine turned Ben back into a human. As this issue begins, Ben is immediately overcome with doubt, losing his strength, while the battle continues all around him. Reed, Sue, Johnny, and the Sharon Ventura Ms. Marvel fight against the new Frightful Four, made up of the Wizard, Titania, Klaw, and Hydro-Man. Johnny turns Hydro-Man into steam, Sharon and Titania bicker about ugliness versus inner beauty as they trade punches, and Franklin uses a “mind thrust” to attack the Wizard, allowing Reed to take the offensive. The FF eventually defeats the Frightful Four to the point where the Frightful Four retreats. Reed says to let them go, so the FF can regroup.

Ben asks Reed how his transformation is possible, since Reed said Ben could never be human again because of his mental block. Reed promises to do some tests to find the answer. Sharon expresses concern about how small Ben is now, and that she could potentially crush him, but Ben responds by giving her a big hug. He still loves her! Reed gets to work not on Ben’s condition, but on the building’s defenses, finding out how the Wizard got inside. Sue tells him it’s not official that he’s team leader again. He assumes he is, but she tells him nothing has been decided.

Back at the Frightful Four’s headquarters, a warehouse in Long Island, the team bickers while the Wizard gives a big speech comparing him and Reed. He says their intellects are equal, so it’s their teams that make the difference. Reed’s team is like family, and loyal to him, while the Wizard’s team is made up of hired thugs, loyal to themselves. The Wizard sees a shape fly by outside the window, and thinks he’s found someone new to hire.

Back at Four Freedoms Plaza (I still don’t like that name) Ben says he’s enjoying being human, but again reassures Sharon that he loves her no matter what her body type is. Reed says he has not only found the computer virus the Wizard used to break into the building, but he’s tracked it back to the source, locating the Frightful Four’s hideout. Ben turns leadership of the FF over to Reed, so Reed, Sue, Johnny and Sharon take off to attack the villains.

Catching the Frightful Four by surprise, the FF make short work of the baddies. Just as they’ve won the fight, an unseen force knocks them all out. The Wizard then introduces his new recruits — Dragon Man (the shape he saw flying by earlier) and Aron the Watcher (whom we know has been stalking the FF for some time).

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed punches out Klaw with metal knuckles made of Vibranium. Because Klaw is made of pure sound, Vibranium has no effect on him. Predictably, we’re not told where Reed got these things from.

Fade out: Sue says she doesn’t know if she could handle all the ups and downs Ben has gone through lately. Are we just ignoring the emotional hell she suffered during the whole “Malice” story arc?

Clobberin’ time: Ben has some clothes stashed away from the last time he turned human (not counting his time on Battleworld) and jokes about the ‘70s wide lapels on shirts. Predictably, we’re not told how these clothes survived the destruction of the original Baxter Building.

Flame on: You’d think Hydro-Man would be a good opponent for Johnny, but he doesn’t stand a chance. Johnny turns him into steam during the first fight, and then turns him into ice by drawing the heat from his body in the second fight.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Once again, the comic is ahead of its time by having Sharon be a non-conventionally beautiful hero, but then the others have to keep reassuring her that she is loved over and over. Baby steps, I guess.

Four and a half: Where did Franklin get this telekinesis-like “mind-thrust” power from? In Silver Surfer and Avengers, we saw Reed decide to encourage Franklin using his powers and exploring what all Franklin can do, rather than trying to repress those powers.

The Alicia problem: Alicia, who is secretly Lyja the Skrull in disguise, is quick to approach Ben and touch his face. Remember that Lyja wears contacts to simulate blindness, so this is the first time she’s “seen” Ben as a human.

Commercial break: The Campbell’s kids are sooo creepy:

Trivia time: What happened with the Avengers after Reed and Sue left? Captain America established a “revolving door” team, meaning that different Avengers would and wouldn’t be on the team at any given time, sort of like the Defenders constantly-changing membership. During this time, the Avengers faced some Fantastic Four villains, Dr. Doom and Blastaar.

Fantastic or frightful? I wonder if someone at Marvel editorial demanded more action, because this issue is pretty much all fighting. I love a superhero brawl as much as anyone, but it’s better to have more of a balance between slugfest and story, something this issue lacks.

Next week: Who watches this watcher? No one!

****

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. Getting used to the “new” Fantastic Four? Too bad, because issue #236 hits the reset button.

After 20 or so issues of the “new” Fantastic Four, Reed and Sue are back, and we’re abruptly getting the classic team back together with little fanfare. Writer Steve Englehart alleges that readers loved his bold new direction. He further alleges that Marvel editorial re-wrote his scripts to the point where almost nothing of his original work remained.  Marvel editorial allegedly cited low sales, and readers’ fondness for the original four. I’m using “allegedly” a lot because we’ll probably never know what really happened. What we do know is that for the remainder of his run on Fantastic Four Englehart’s writing credit is replaced with the pseudonym “John Harkness.”

We begin with Reed and Sue out for a walk, with Reed admitting he isn’t happy. Despite their recent short-lived membership in the Avengers, Reed says his mind isn’t “active,” and that he wants to stay involved and engaged. Sue reminds him that he promised he wouldn’t interfere with Ben’s leadership in the new FF team. He says he won’t and that he’ll just pay the FF a friendly visit instead.

Inside FF headquarters, Reed is attacked by all the automatic defenses, the same ones he invented. He switches the defenses off, and is reunited with Ben, Johnny, and Sharon. Note that Johnny’s flame is still burning out of control since the Inferno event. Reed knows his machines need adjustments, but he doesn’t want to say so in front of Ben. Reed then says he’ll look into Johnny’s condition, all the while reassuring Ben that he’s not there to get in Ben’s way.

Cut to the FF’s old enemy the Wizard, who is spying on them from inside his new hideout, a “nondescript warehouse” in NYC. We learn the Wizard has assembled a brand-new Frightful Four, made up of him, Klaw, Titania, and Hydro-Man. Titania is a super-strong brawler, Hydro-Man is a bank-robbing thug who can turn himself into water and back, and Klaw is the master of sound, who recently regained his sanity after losing it during the first Secret War. The Wizard says now that Reed is back, it’s time for the new Frightful Four to strike.

At FF headquarters, Sue and Franklin arrive, and there are hugs all around as the family is reunited. While Reed works in the lab on Johnny’s cure, Sue and Ben have a heart-to-heart. She too says Reed isn’t there to take leadership away from Ben. Reed and Sharon have a heart-to-heart, with Reed saying how impressed he is with her.

Reed finishes a device to cure Johnny, saying part of it comes from what he learned in his recent magic-based adventure with the Silver Surfer (in Silver Surfer #15-17). Johnny is hooked up to the machine, and says he feels a freezing sensation as all the excess flame is being drawn out of him. Just as the procedure reaches a crucial point, the Frightful Four attack. (The Wizard used a computer virus to help his team gain entry.)

Everybody fights, with Reed warning them the whole time not to interrupt Johnny’s procedure. The two teams seem evenly matched, until Klaw and Titania team up against Ben, throwing him into the machine curing Johnny. The machine falls apart, and in the wreckage we see that Johnny is cured and Ben is… human again!

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed makes a big deal of how he owns a personal computer now, hooking it up to the machines in his lab. He says it’s remarkable that there’s one in every home now.

Fade out: Sue’s FF uniform is missing the “4” symbol in the chest, with just a plain white circle in its place. Not sure what we’re supposed to make of that.

Clobberin’ time: Ben says he and Titania are evenly matched, except that he has a lifetime of fighting experience she doesn’t have. (According to The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Titania can lift or press 85 tons, while Ben in his spikey form can lift or press more than 100 tons.)

Flame on: Johnny is at first hesitant to accept Reed’s help, because Reed never cured Ben. It’s not until Reed says the machine is partially based on magic that Johnny comes around, because the Inferno magic is what caused his problems to begin with.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Sharon approaches Reed on whether she is able to turn back into a human. Reed doesn’t directly answer, instead saying he’d heard she didn’t want to be human anymore.

Four and a half: Franklin says he’s going by “Frank” from now. We’ll how long that lasts.

The Alicia problem: Alicia, who is secretly Lyja the Skrull in disguise, appears briefly, saying she’s concerned for Johnny. When the fight begins, if you look closely you can see her in the background leading Franklin to safety. That’s Lyja’s spy training in action, no doubt.

Commercial break: I dare somebody to call this number:

Trivia time: After the Secret Wars, Titania was in a relationship with Absorbing Man for quite a while. After a recent Thor story, she believes Absorbing Man is dead. She doesn’t mention him in this issue.

This is the first time Hydro-Man appeared outside of a Spider-Man comic. When we last saw him, Spidey mixed him with some cement. No word on how he got out of that, though we can probably assume the Wizard found him and helped him out.

Fantastic or frightful? Editorial meddling or not, this issue feels like a step in the right direction. It’s not just that Reed and Sue are back, it’s that the team genuinely comes across as a family again.

Next issue: Human again.

****

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. Issue #325 wraps up the storyline that’s been happening during the Inferno crossover. Johnny’s powers are out of control, Mantis wants the FF’s help to rescue her son from aliens, and Kang stranded Johnny. Now you’re all caught up.

We begin with the Silver Surfer surfing through space. At this point in Marvel history, he’s been freed of his captivity on Earth, but still visits for crossovers and whatnot. He investigates a disturbance near Mercury, where he finds Johnny floating in space. Johnny’s newly increased powers are barely keeping him alive. Johnny fills him in on what’s happened. When the Surfer learns Mantis is in involved, he grabs Johnny and speeds back to Earth.

At FF headquarters, Ben, Sharon and Mantis are preparing the FF’s spaceship for launch, for a dual mission of rescuing both Johnny and Mantis’ infant son, who had been abducted by plantlike aliens called the Cotati. The Silver Surfer arrives with Johnny, and he Mantis catch up. (They have a history, these two.) The Surfer tries to cure Johnny, but the demonic of Inferno is somehow stronger than the Power Cosmic.

Speaking of cosmic, three objects appear in the sky over New York. One is Kang’s time ship, the other is a big pyramid with the Cotati (who are big trees) in it, and the third is a small pod which Mantis says holds her long-lost son. Kang steps out of his ship and says the Cotati will let Mantis live if she agrees to their terms. She, the Surfer, and the FF refuse, so the Cotati send their followers, the Priests of Parma. They’re a bunch of kung fu fightin’ monks, so we get several pages of fighting.

The monks are able to electrocute Ben and Sharon, but they’re no match for Johnny’s new powers or Mantis’ awesome fighting skills. Kang manages to subdue the Silver Surfer with some 30th century technology, until the Surfer’s surfboard flies up behind Kang and knocks him down. (The time-traveler didn’t see that coming.)

Mantis confronts the Cotati, engaging them in a “battle with the mind,” which I guess is some sort of psychic vs. psychic fight. The Cotati are defeated, and vanish into what Mantis says “the realm of pure thought.” Knowing he’s been beaten, Kang flees into his spaceship and disappears to another time. Mantis says that in order to pursue the Cotati and get her son back, she must abandon her physical form. She kisses the Silver Surfer goodbye, and then simply drops dead! Heartbroken, the Surfer returns to space. Sharon comments on Mantis’ self-sacrifice, saying “Nobody’s ever been as alone as that one.” Bummer.

Clobberin’ time/Fantastic fifth wheel: At one point during the fight, Sharon’s heart stops when one of the monks electrocutes her. Ben uses his strength to give her super-strong CPR through her rocky hide. Perhaps this is a metaphor for their relationship, in that he’s the only the one who can “get through” to her?

Flame on: The issue ends with Johnny swearing revenge on Kang, saying that Kang will be in trouble if or when he returns.

Commercial break: I looked them up and sure enough, both of these “one-time offers” are on Youtube.

Trivia time: Although it’s barely mentioned in this issue, this wraps up the Inferno crossover. I’m going to try to summarize it here, but (as is the case with X-Men lore) it’s way too complicated. Cyclops’ second wife Madeline Pryor was revealed to be a clone of Jean Grey. We met lil’ baby Nathan Summers, who would go on to become Cable. Illyana Rasputin (a.k.a. Magik of the New Mutants) lost her demonic powers and was de-aged back to childhood. The X-Men and X-Factor teams learned of each other’s existence and stopped the demon invasion. That’s all I’ve got.

Not counting her unofficial appearances in other companies’ comics, Mantis returned to the Marvel Universe in Avengers: Celestial Quest, where her soul was restored, and she helped the Avengers save the life of her son. The son, named Quoi, decided to stay with Cotati and make a new life with them. (There was an another Avengers story where she came back as a villain married to Kang, but this was revealed to be a Space Phantom disguised as Mantis.)

Fantastic or frightful? A simplistic ending after such a long-winded set-up. We get a lot of action, and we kinda/sorta wrap up Mantis’ storyline. All that is good, but there’s not much else of substance here.

Next week: Look who’s back.

****

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