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Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. It might look like an ending, but issue #588 is more of an in-between issue following a major character death last issue and new lineup in the next one.

Gimmie a gimmick: Marvel stuck a big “Final Issue” stripe over the top of this issue’s cover, but everyone knew that wasn’t the case, because Marvel had been hyping what’s to follow for some time.

Recap: To stop Annihilus’ insectoid army from invading Earth through the FF’s Negative Zone portal, Johnny had to stay behind in the Negative Zone and seal the portal from the other end. He succeeded but was overwhelmed by the insectoids. He’s dead. (Spoiler: He’s not really dead.)

This story is told almost entirely through wordless panels. We see the Avengers arrive just after the fight, only to realize they’re too late. Days later, we see Sue is so distraught that she surrounds herself with a force field and does not let Reed console her. Reed consults his multiverse-hopping device the Bridge to confront Annihilus. We don’t hear their conversation, but we see Annihulus waving Johnny’s uniform in front of Reed. Then it’s time for the funeral, with various Marvel characters in attendance. Ben sulks in the corner the whole time.

After that, we cut abruptly to Latveria where Kristoff (yes, that Kristoff) is being coronated to the throne. He appears to be a full-on adult now, wearing some kind of bio-armor that’s wired directly into his skin. Dr. Doom watches this from a distance. Then we cut back to the funeral, where Doom similarly watches the graveside service from a distance.

There’s one page of Spider-Man talking with Franklin on a rooftop. Then we see the genius kids of the Future Foundation in their classroom. Valeria makes a to-do list of potential replacements for Johnny. She then erases it and changes to the to-do list to a single item, “Kill Annihilus.”

Somewhere out in the desert, Ben talks with two men, who conclude their chat by showing him an image of Johnny’s grave. There’s a flash of lightning, and we see the two men are Donald Blake, now transforming into Thor, and Bruce Banner, now transforming into the Hulk. There’s a brief slugfest, but Hulk refuses to fight back, instead taking Ben’s punches until Ben collapses with grief.

In Reed’s lab, his computer screen shows potential threats to be high, including multiple alien and/or other-dimensional invasions. The computer states that reforming the Council of Reeds is necessary. Then a portal opens, and Reed’s father Nathaniel steps out of it, saying, “Hello son, I’m home.” And so this final issue is… to be continued.

Then we have a backup story, “Uncles,” that tells the full story of Franklin and Spider-Man’s meeting. After finding Franklin sitting alone on the new Baxter Building’s rooftop, Spidey takes Franklin swinging around the city. They stop for hot dogs, and then eat them on another rooftop. Franklin wonders if he could have saved Johnny. Spider-Man tells Franklin about his own uncle, who he definitely knows he could have saved. Spider-Man gives Franklin a new variation on the classic power/responsibility line, saying “When you have gifts like ours, you don’t think about yourself first.” Their talk concludes when Spidey tells Franklin his uncle’s name was… Ben.

The final page of the issue is a letter from writer Jonathan Hickman to the readers, promising that although Johnny is gone, the story will continue – including all these storylines he’d introduced – in the upcoming new series, FF.  

Unstable molecule: Among Reed’s lists of potential threats to the world is Frankling reemerging mutant powers. Kind of not cool to put that on the list.

Fade out: Despite sealing herself in a force field at the start of the issue, Sue later holds Reed’s hand at the graveside. I guess that’s her character arc in this one.

Clobberin’ time: Impressive that Ben can punch Thor so hard that he knocks the thunder god off his feet. Maybe, like the Hulk, Thor is letting himself take the punches.

Flame on: Johnny’s grave features a life-size statue of him, with an eternal flame (of course) emerging from his hand.

Four and a half: You might recall that Franklin and Spider-Man already had this “Uncle Ben” conversation in Dan Slott’s Spider-Man/Human Torch miniseries. This story, however, takes place after the controversial One More Day event, in which the entire Marvel Universe forgot Spidey’s true identity, so that earlier conversation more or less never happened in continuity.

Our gal Val: Valeria’s initial list of replacements for Johnny are She-Hulk, Storm, Black Panther, Wyatt Wingfoot, Alex Power, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. This is a misdirect, as the actual new fourth member isn’t included.

Fantastic fifth wheel: FF alternate members attending the funeral are She-Hulk, Storm, Black Panther, Luke Cage. Namor is there as well, so let’s count this as acting in his capacity as a member of the team. (Remember that he got his “Welcome to the Fantastic Four” moment during the Onslaught crossover.)

No, you didn’t miss an issue. The circumstances of Kristoff’s return to Latveria are unknown at this point. What we do know is that Dr. Doom is stepping down from the throne after his intellect was reduced during Fall of the Hulks.

Foundational: The Future Foundation kids are also at the funeral. They appear to have mixed reactions to Valeria’s plan.

Trivia time: The missing dialogue between Reed and Annihilus will be revealed in issue #600.

Why wasn’t Spider-Man at the funeral? (Other than misdirection, that is?) This issue doesn’t say, but that month in Amazing Spider-Man, it was the middle of the ongoing Revenge of the Spider-Slayer storyline, teaming him up with the New Avengers and a bunch of other Marvel heroes.

Fantastic or frightful? The comics world was at such a place where everyone knew this so-called “final issue” wasn’t that at all, and that FF #1 would soon hit shelves. The wordless gimmick works well enough, but it’s still anticlimactic as an ending. But then, the whole “end and start with a new #1” is just what comics are now, so I guess we’d better get used to seeing it in Fantastic Four.

Next: For F’s sake.

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

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. We’ve all heard the jokes about comic book characters always dying and coming back to life. Our own Reed Richards was dead for a couple of years in the 90s. But now it’s time for another major character to bite the big one. Issue #587 is the final one in the “Countdown to Casualty” storyline, setting up writer Jonathan Hickman’s biggest swing on the series so far.

Recap: Reed recently founded the Future Foundation, a group of young geniuses now living at the new Baxter Building. The FF recently discovered and are caught up in the discovery of four lost civilizations, leading to conflict between Atlantis and the formerly lost Old Atlantis. Galactus is attacking Nu-World, which was co-founded by Reed’s ex, Alyssa Moy, and her husband Ted Castle. And finally, Annihilus is sending an army of his insectoids through the Negative Zone portal to Earth, straight through FF headquarters. Got all that?

The Future Foundation kids join Johnny and Ben in fighting the insectoids. Note that Ben is still human, during his new ability to spend one week per year as a human. Leech insists that someone punch him out. Valeria does, and this activates Franklin’s long-dormant mutant powers. He singlehandedly wipes out the insectoids. Johnny seals the Negative Zone portal, but Valeria says it won’t last for long. To close it permanently, she says they have to travel to the other side of the portal activate the shielding on the other side. Valeria says she can do it, with help of some of the other Foundation kids. A team of sorts is formed, with Johnny, Ben, Franklin, Valeria, Alex Power, Artie, Bently-23, and one of the Moloids.

Cut to Thailand, where negotiations between Atlantis and Old Atlantis have broken down following Namor’s murder of the Old Atlantis king. There’s a lot of confusing talk about who is or isn’t a pawn or a sacrifice. The Old Atlanteans say the king’s heirs are too young to take the throne in his place, so rule belongs to the king’s steward – Sue. They all bow before her. Things get even more confusing on Nu-Earth, where Ted says they will not evacuate the planet’s population. The people’s bodies are automatons, and their combined consciousness has been absorbed into the telepath Natalie X, who has evolved into Mother X, a “worldmind” with an impossible huge brain. To evacuate the entire planet, all they have to do is get Natalie off the planet. But then things accelerate, as Galactus isn’t trying to devour the planet like he usually does. In his outrage, Galactus will simply destroy the planet, killing them all so they can’t kill him in the future.

In the Negative Zone, Ben, Johnny, and Franklin fight more insectoids, while the rest of the kids use their genius to figure out how to seal the portal. Reed himself programmed the portal during his pro-reg Civil War days, making it impossible to reprogram. Bently jokes that they should just nuke the portal, but Alex suggests it as a real possibility. The kids set about using tech from the Baxter Building to create a bomb, while Valeria says one of them will have to stay behind to activate it.

In Thailand, Namor wants to wage war against Old Atlantis and kill them all, but Sue stands in his way. She says they’re under her protection now. He tries attacking her, but she swats him down with a force field. She says, “These are my people now. I rule here.” She drops her force field and tells Namor she’s going home. At Nu Earth, just before everyone can evacuate through a portal, they’re attacked by the Maestro, a.k.a. the Hulk from the future. He insists on joining them. Reed says, “Let’s go home,” mirroring what Sue just said. The portal is activated just as Galactus tears the planet apart.

Back inside the Negative Zone, the insectoid army has regrouped, giving everyone only a minute to activate the bomb. Ben volunteers to be the one who stays behind, sacrificing himself. The genius kids say there’s no other way, and Ben thanks Johnny for one of the best weeks of his life. The kids enter the portal, but then Johnny grabs Ben and throws him through, making Johnny the one who stays behind.

Johnny seals the portal, although everyone on Earth can still see and hear him. He activates the bomb. Ben tries to punch through the portal, transforming back into the Thing as he does so. Johnny asks the others to tell Reed this is where he made his last stand. He says to Ben, “You don’t wish it any more than I do.” He then faces the oncoming army of insectoids. With one last “Flame on!” he goes down fighting as the insectoids overwhelm him. We don’t see this bomb go off. Instead, the portal closes permanently. Ben holds Franklin and Valeria in his arms. The last page of the comic has a number 3 instead of a number 4 logo, with the title, “The Last Stand of Johnny Storm.”

Unstable molecule: Valeria at first says Reed made the portal so it can’t be reprogrammed. But, later in the issue, she says Reed would have a “backdoor” built in, suggesting Johnny can be saved. So, which is it?

Fade out: Sue punches out Namor by creating invisible force field armor around herself, complete with huge spikes. You have to wonder why she doesn’t do this all the time.

Clobberin’ time/Flame on: Despite my criticisms of this issue (see below), Johnny’s final moments are quite affecting. It’s clear that’s his sacrificing himself not so much to save Earth, but to save his friend Ben, just as Ben has found a new opportunity to find some happiness in his life.  

Four and a half: Franklin’s powers are back, but how are they manifesting this time? He’s just unleashing powerful energy blasts, something different than his usual create-pocket-universes power, or his lesser seen dreams/psionic power.

Our gal Val: With Reed not around, Valeria easily fills his role, not just in spewing out lots of science technobabble, but also in a leadership role.

Foundational: Bently-23’s job during the crisis is to watch the oncoming insectoid army and calculate how long until they’re able to attack. Artie uses his powers to create holograms of the portal’s inner mechanisms. Dragon Man is assigned as babysitter/protector for the kids who stay behind on Earth.

Trivia time: Is this Maestro the same one from the classic Hulk: Future Imperfect miniseries and its spinoffs? That does not appear to be the case, as this is the Hulk Jr. character we met a while back as part of the New Defenders, even though he looks and acts just like Future Imperfect’s Maestro in this issue. The Marvel Wiki says this Maestro is the same one who appeared in the ongoing Old Man Logan series, but regular Wikipedia disputes this, arguing that version of the Hulk was known simply as “The King.”

Johnny says the Avengers have been called for backup, but it’ll take them time to arrive. During this month’s issue of Avengers, the team was in crisis after Steve Rogers (who at this point was just “Captain Rogers” and not Captain America) learned about Iron Man’s involvement in the Illuminati, threatening to boot Iron Man off the team. It’s probably for the best that all this drama didn’t spill over into Fantastic Four.

And of course Johnny isn’t really dead. (Ooh, spoiler!) This story will be revisited in issue #600.

Fantastic or frightful? Johnny’s death was a big enough deal at the time that a few mainstream media outlets did some brief stories on it. I always felt that it came out of nowhere, not foreshadowed or built up at all. Upon this re-read it occurs to me that Hickman was trying a bait-and-switch, making us think Ben was going to die with all the “human again” stuff. Either way, this sets up the storylines that are the most well-known of Hickman’s run, and the team’s most famous alternate member.

Next: The end. (Not the end.)

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

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #586 continues the ongoing storylines from past issues, while I pray that writer Jonathan Hickman will tie all this together somehow.

Gimmie a gimmick: This issue continues the “Three: Countdown to Casualty” cover logo, this time with the number one out of four circled.

We’re off the coast of Thailand, during the negotiations between Atlantis and the recently-discovered Old Atlantis. Except negotiations have failed, because Namor just threw a spear threw the chest of Ul-Uhar, the Old Atlantis king. Sue, acting in her role as ambassador tries to argue for peace, but then realizes that this whole thing was a setup on Namor’s part, and the Atlantean army attacks in full. She puts a force field around the structure where everyone the negotiations are occurring, declaring that no one gets in or out.

In space, Reed is aboard Taa II, the space station home of Galactus, where Galatcus has summoned him to prevent his death in the future. He’s reunited with billionaire Ted Castle, who once built the alternate Earth called Nu-World, and Reed’s old flame Alyssa Moy, who has long since died and been rebuilt as the robotic Moy-2512. Reed explains that Galactus discovered that in the future, the New Defenders will use his corpse to travel to the present. Taa II arrives at Nu-World, and the Silver Surfer (who has gone back to being Galactus’ herald at this point) says the entire planet now consists only of AIs.

In New York, the man known as the Anti-Priest, whom we know is working with Annihilus, tells his followers to “pierce the portal.” Indeed, portals open up inside the new Baxter Building while Ben and Johnny are playing cards. Note that this is still during the one week per year that Ben is able to be human. Portals open all around then, and they’re attacked by the Anti-Priest’s henchmen. The kids from the Future Foundation join the fight. The three Moloid try to reason with the attackers, while Alex Power uses his classic gravity-manipulating powers to reveal the henchmen are giant insects with heavy exoskeletons. The henchmen lay eggs (!) which are about to hatch, with the hatchlings planning to head straight for the Negative Zone portal in Reed’s lab. Franklin tells Ben and Johnny that the Future Foundation kids are also headed for the lab.

In space, Galactus and co. make it to Nu-Earth to find it a wasteland. Galactus says the people of Nu Earth consumed to much energy, leading to their deaths. He asks Reed if this future can be avoided. There’s a brief flashback to two members of the Council of Reeds stating they can feed the people on the planet by stabilizing its star. Reed insists he can “solve everything” and he can save this world. Galactus responds with a classic, “I hunger.” Ted Castle says Nu-Earth has a gateway to Earth that is still functional, and that Nu-Earth’s remaining survivors could make it back to Earth. Galactus says this is a fool’s errand, but Reed says he has to try.

In Thailand, a day has passed and Namor has not budged in his antagonism against New Atlantis. He approaches Sue, who has maintained the force field all this time. Namor says all is not what it appears, and that Old Atlantis is made up of murderers who were intentionally exiled a millennia ago. He says they were planning on killing the Atlanteans, and Sue as well.

At the Baxter Building, Johnny and Dragon Man fight the Anti-Priest’s henchmen while Valeria and Bently-23 quickly invent a high-powered gun for Ben. Valeria says the Negative Zone portal is closed, but she’s not sure about the shielding, which has been tested on the other side, but not on Earth’s side. We see all the insectoid henchmen, who are now fully insects, chewing on the portal door. The door fails, the portal opens, and even more insectoids burst through, with one stating, “Annihilus.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed’s promise to “solve everything” recalls his invention of the Bridge, the multiverse-accessing device which has, to date, only caused trouble.

Fade out: Sue maintains a force field around the Thailand Atlantean base for an entire day, apparently not eating or sleeping the whole time.

Clobberin’ time: Why would Ben, with only one week to be human, spend a night at home playing cards with Johnny and watching the kids? Maybe after his wild night out a few issues back, he knows what his priorities are.

Flame on: Johnny takes the lead on fighting the Baxter Building’s invaders, with little foreshadowing of what’s to come.

Four and a half: Franklin is alongside the Future Foundation kids during the fight, even reporting on where they’ve gone. Are we sure he’s not an official Foundation member?

Our gal Val: Valeria is in the middle of the action when she’s attacked by one of the insectoids up close. Johnny and Bently-23 are there to rescue her.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Once again, the building’s security alarm has the face of H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot on its screen. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.

Foundational: Korr of the Moloids tries to be friendly with the insectoids, saying he enjoys romantic comedies and games of chance. Bently-23’s gun includes “variable particle injectors, infrared tracking, and rotating power cores.” Bently also quick-invents a bomb which saves Valeria’s life during the fight.

Yes, Alex Power still has his gravity powers, despite all the times he switched powers with his siblings in Power Pack. For a while, he had all their combined powers in New Warriors, but then he returned his siblings’ power to them just before joining the Future Foundation. Further, the Marvel Wiki states that Alex was pro-reg during Civil War and is technically a member of the Initiative. Could he secretly be reporting to S.H.I.E.L.D. about the FF’s activities during this time?

Even more further, the Marvel Wiki states that it’s around this time that Alex changed his codename from the dorky Gee to the more cool-sounding Zero-G. I don’t know when that was made official, though.

Trivia time: The two members of the Council of Reeds seen in the flashback are two of its three founders, whom we met back in issues #571-572. You can tell by the suit on one and the chest insignia on the other.

Fantastic or frightful? Everything regarding Nu-Earth has reached “Donna Troy’s origin” levels of confusion. Originally, the emotional story of Nu-Earth was not the planet itself, but in Reed reuniting with his old flame and her new hubby, wondering about how his life might have been gone differently. Without that, the idea of Nu-Earth is just random sci-fi wonkery. The same goes for Old Atlantis and the Anti-Priest – just ideas without character. Next issue is the big one, though, so let’s see if writer Jonathan Hickman can stick the cosmic landing.

Next: Burnout.

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

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. We’ve got both Galactus and Atlantis in issue #585. All these storylines must be building to something, but what?

Gimmie a gimmick: The cover continues this series of issues with a “Three” Countdown to Casualty logo, this time with a circled number 2.

We begin with the same scene as the last issue, but from Ben and Johnny’s POV this time. They drive up in Johnny’s car to see Galactus hovering over the new Baxter Building. Galactus says “Explain” to Reed. Reed tells him how the New Defenders needed their people to escape from an apocalyptic future, so they used future Galactus as a power source, killing him. Reed says he gave the body a proper burial because it seemed like the right thing to do. Reed then reveals that the New Defenders now live on an artificial Earth, which he says is on the other side of the galaxy. Galactus says, “Locate it.” The Silver Surfer can find it just by looking at the stars, and then Galactus departs for Nu Earth. What’s more, Reed accompanies him, instructing Ben and Johnny to watch the kids while he’s gone.

Cut to under the sea, where Sue is setting up the first negotiation between Atlantis and the recently discovered lost city of Old Atlantis. Andromeda of Atlantis does not like the terms Sue has set up, but Namor overrules her. Andromeda leaves, and Namor says she believes Sue doesn’t have Atlantis’ best interests at heart. Sue says she wants what’s best for everyone, and Namor says, “If only things were so simple.”

Reed and Galactus arrive at Galactus space station home, Taa II. They’re going to wait while the Silver Surfer searched Earth for a select group of others who also had exposure to the future Galactus’ remains. Galactus gets a lot more dialogue than usual, where he says he intends to prevent his future death. Then he says to Reed, “We have to talk about your son.”

At the Baxter Building, Ben is telling the kids of the Future Foundation about the time he defeated the Mad Thinker’s Awesome Android, and the kids are more interested in how the android worked than in Ben’s heroism. After the kids go to bed, Ben and Johnny discuss having children. Johnny says he definitely wants to be a father someday, while Ben assumed he never would. Now that he has the ability to be human one week per year, he muses on the possibility.

Elsewhere, a sinister figure called the Anti-Priest speaks to a large gathering. He says people’s dread comes from a fear of dying, but he has come up with an offer for everyone to live forever. Backstage, the Anti-Priest is revealed as an insectoid alien who contacts Annihilus. He and a bunch of the insectoids are planning to seize the Baxter Building and use the Negative Zone portal to unleash another Annihilation Wave.

In Thailand, the Atlantean negotiations begin. Old Atlantis wants access to certain parts of the ocean, but Andromeda will not budge. Namor tells the Old King that the world has changed while Old Atlantis was sealed up for hundreds of years. Namor says he agreed to this meeting to see what awakened from a long time ago. He says, “My course has been set,” and he attacks the Old King. He’s too fast for Sue to stop him, and he stabs the Old King in the chest. He declares, “There is but one king under the sea!”

Unstable molecule: Once again, Galactus considers Reed the only human worth conversing with. But, to be fair, Galactus does not when Johnny joins the conversation. I guess he’s just being polite.

Fade out: The particulars of this treaty is that Atlantis and Old Atlantis are to be treated as equals and have the same number of guards, but Andromeda wants Atlantis to outnumber Old Atlantis three to one. None of this ends up mattering during Namor’s confrontation at the end.

Clobberin’ time: The story Ben tells the kids is his version of the FF’s original encounter with the Mad Thinker way back in issue #15.

Flame on: Johnny’s admission of wanting to be a father someday is interesting. I think the intent is to show he’s a good person, but unintentionally it shows his character growth, and where he may or may not go in the future.

Four and a half: Franklin is shown alongside the Future Foundation kids, listening to Ben’s story. He is the first thing you see when you turn the page after Galactus says, “We have to talk about your son.”

Our gal Val: Valeria is quick to remind the other Future Foundation kids that the Mad Thinker’s creation was an android, not a robot.

Foundational: In their discussion of the Mad Thinker’s awesome android, Alex Power questions the android’s base DNA, Dragon Man questions the android’s power source, while the Atlantean Vil praises the Mad Thinker’s use of unstable molecules. Bently-23, however, points out that he’s met the Mad Thinker and dismisses his “limited facilities.”

Trivia time: Taa II is not the second of Galactus’ homes. It’s the same one he’s had all along. The “II” is because it’s named after his long-lost homeworld of Taa.

Like a lot of Marvel characters who’ve only had supporting roles, Andromeda’s continuity is difficult to follow. She’s spent a lot of time with Dr. Strange and the Defenders, and she was a major character in the Atlantis Attacks events.  A Marvel Handbook-style Defenders: Strange Heroes comic established her as returning to Atlantis leadership during this time.

Fantastic or frightful? Hickman continues these varying storylines he’s set up, with me wondering the whole time when or if they will build to something. If this were something from the Mark Waid era (era) then I’d know where going somewhere with this. If this is from the directionless ‘70s Fantastic Four comics, or the all-over-the-place nature of the Tom DeFalco years, then I’m nervous. EDIT: I did some reading ahead, and I see now that we are indeed heading toward a major event in FF history. Not sure how I feel about what’s to come, but we’ll see.  

Next: Black Hole High.

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

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Everybody loves Jonathan Hickman’s run on the series, but I must admit I’m struggling my way through it. Will issue #584 be the one that turns it around for me?

Gimmie a gimmick: Again, this issue comes with a cover logo exclaiming “Countdown to Casualty” with a countdown from four to one. This time the number three is highlighted.

Picking up from last issue, Ben was exposed to radiation during an adventure in the High Evolutionary’s old city, causing top of his head to grow to unusual size. That city, by the way, is one of four ancient civilizations the FF recently unearthed and have taken a continued interest in. This issue begins with the effect seemingly wearing off, but still leaving Ben as a rock monster. He checks in with Johnny and the Future Foundation kids, who tell him that Sue is leaving for a few days to continue her ambassador work with Old Atlantis, an offshoot of regular Atlantis and another ancient civilization recently discovered.  

Cut to later, where Ben is considering the potion the Foundation kids made for him, which they say can turn in back into a human for one week per year. With Johnny keeping watch, Ben drinks the formula. It works, and Ben is once again human. Johnny encourages Ben to take advantage of this, and make up for years’ worth of missed opportunities. He promises, “The best day you’ve had in a very long time.”

Johnny and Ben spend a day hanging out, going to a ball game, and even enjoying a poker game with other superheroes. On their way back to the car, Johnny and Ben are confronted by the Yancy Street Gang, who are no longer street kids, but full-grown adults in business suits. Ben says they’re all recession-era (era) failed Wall Street guys now. Even in human form, Ben is able to punch them out.

Sue arrives not in Old Atlantis, but Utopia Island, home for half of the X-Men. Cyclops’ team live in Utopia, doing the superhero thing, while Wolverine’s team is back at their old school doing the New Mutants thing. She’s greeted by Cyclops and Emma Frost, and then by Namor for the first official negotiation between Old Atlantis and New Atlantis.

Back in NYC, Johnny says he has one last surprise in store for Ben. He takes her to Alicia’s apartment. It takes her a sec to realize what’s happened, and then they kiss. Waiting outside by the car, Johnny remarks, “Good for you, Ben.”

Later that night at the new Baxter Building, Reed is studying a special anomaly far out in space which he nicknames “the Fault.” Then the Silver Surfer flies up and says Reed has more pressing matters, ones involving Galactus. The Surfer says he is angry, and that he found the Galactus corpse hidden deep beneath the Earth. (Remember that the New Defenders used the future Galactus’ body as a power source during their story arc several issues back.) Silver Surfer can tell that the FF had been there, and that the dead Galactus is from the future. Reed promises to explain, but the Surfer says his master is the one who wants explanations. Turn the page, and there’s Galactus himself, looming over the building. “And he would have them now,” the Surfer says.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed offers to be Sue’s backup on her ambassadorial mission, but she says she can handle it. He agrees to mind the kids while she’s away.

Fade out: Sue and Emma Frost act awfully cold to one another, despite having formed a friendship of sorts after the FF/X-Men miniseries a while back. The mutant extremism of the Utopia X-Men have no doubt made things tense between them.

Clobberin’ time: Ben’s mutation ends up not mattering, except to remind him that he’s still a monster.

Flame on: At one point, Johnny asks Ben if the one-week-per-year thing is good, or if it’ll make things worse in the long run. Ben says he won’t take it for granted.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Reed speaks to H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot while investigating the Fault, but we don’t see H.E.R.B.I.E. on the page. Instead, he only responds via voice, as if he’s the Enterprise computer from Star Trek. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.

Luke Cage is one of the heroes at Ben and Johnny’s poker game.

Foundational: During breakfast, the Moloid kids do the sci-fi alien thing where they describe breakfast cereal in overly wordy and scientific terms. Leech and Artie can be seen playing an Iron Man video game that looks a lot like the 2008 Iron Man movie.

SUE-per spy: The 2019 Invisible Woman miniseries revealed that Sue had a double life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent all along. Here we see her flying off to go on a solo mission. How many other times has she done that over the years?

Trivia time: Remember that Ben and Alicia haven’t been a couple for a long time, despite occasional hints that there’s still some romance there. The Marvel Wiki states they don’t officially reunite until much later, but it looks to me like they’re reuniting now.

All the characters at the poker game are members of the New Avengers, making for some easy-to-follow continuity. And yes, that’s Stan Lee and Jack Kirby as the two old friends that Ben and Johnny catch up with during dinner.

Fantastic or frightful? It’s nice to have more of a character-based story, rather than rushing through the story to cover tons of plot points at once. There are still hints that big cosmic events are coming, but this “FF as a family” stuff is part of the characters’ appeal, and it works well in this issue.

Next: Andromeda-o-rama.

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