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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.

* * * *

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.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Writer Jonathan Hickman starts tying story threads together (or does he?) in issue #583.

Gimmie a gimmick: This issue’s cover has a big “Three” logo at the top with a “Countdown to casualty” counting down from four to one. This issue gets the four.

We begin in “the neutral zone,” where the High Evolutionary’s lost city had risen from underground to the surface, and the FF are in battle against its primitive inhabitants. This only lasts for one page, though, as we cut to the new Baxter Building, where young Valeria is sneaking into her father’s lab. She finds the Bridge, Reed’s doorway into the multiverse he created in hopes of solving every problem in the world that needed to be solved. She watches a holographic recording of Reed telling her (and us) all about the Bridge. This includes the Council or Reeds, made up of Reeds from other universes, who wanted him to join them at the cost of his own family. He says he promised Sue he would not rebuild the Bridge, but now Valeria sees he has.

Cut to Latveria, where Dr. Doom is in bad shape. He’s recently lost part of his genius after an encounter with Intelligencia in a recent Incredible Hulk issue, but he’s not done yet. He announces to his servant Boris that he will temporarily abdicate his throne until he can reclaim what he lost. And he wants to abdicate to Kristoff, the child genius who believed he was Dr. Doom for many years. At that moment, Valeria teleports into Doom’s throne room and says, “What’s up?” Doom surmises that Valeria’s parents don’t know she’s there. She tells him that her father built a “very bad machine” and that she found it. Then she says, “What would Uncle Doom do?”

Then, in an entirely wordless sequence, we get a flashback to Valeria entering the Bridge and catching up to the Council or Reeds. Just like we saw them last time, they’re in battle against the Mad Celestials. Four of the Reeds rescued Valeria and brought her back to Earth, checking out a map of the planet while they were there.

Valeria tells Dr. Doom that her father made the wrong choice, choosing his “personal happiness” over the good of the world. Doom asks why she’s telling him this, and she says, “All hope lies in Doom.” (Remember that this was the message the adult Franklin from the future gave Valeria back in issue #574.)

At the High Evolutionary’s city, the fight continues. Ben is exposed to radiation which causes him to evolve, growing a huge cranium (!). The evolutionary engine at the center of the city is about to reach critical mass. Sue traps it inside a force field and has Johnny unleash his all-powerful nova flame inside the field to destroy the engine. With the fight over, Reed says he will have a talk with the city’s ruling council on how to be better neighbors with the surface world.

The FF return home and are greeted by their kids, and a few of the kids from the newly formed Future Foundation. Reed asks Valeria if anything interesting happened while they were gone. Then we flashback to the rest of the meeting between Doom and Valeria. She says she can tell he’s recently suffered some sort of brain damage, and he admits he has. She offers to turn him back to normal if he helps Reed. He agrees to the deal. Back in the present, Valeria answers Reed’s question with, “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

The issue ends in deep space, where the Silver Surfer has been drawn by instinct to a distant world. He finds the corpse of Galactus from the future, and he says “Unacceptable.” (Recall that this Galactus corpse was used by the New Defenders when they came to the present, starting in issue #559.)

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: This issue states that Reed rejected the Council of Reeds for his “personal happiness,” but I read it at the time more that he left them out of love for his family. Can they be considered the same thing, or is this something that will be explored more in the future?

Fade out: Sue struggles to maintain her force field against the evolutionary engine, even though we’ve seen her create city-sized force fields before. I guess this is because of all the radiation the engine gives off.

Clobberin’ time: Ben’s evolution will be a thing (heh) in upcoming issues.

Flame on: Johnny shows off his brains as he gets in on the science-talk by deducing that the evolutionary engine is about to blow.

Fantastic fifth wheel: We get a partial answer as where Kristoff has been since last seen at the end of the Onslaught crossover. We can surmise Dr. Doom found the kid after he returned from the Heroes Reborn universe, and sent him into exile until such time that he could be useful.

Our gal Val: For many Marvel readers, Valeria’s weird “relationship” with Dr. Doom is what defines her character. It really began when Doom helped Valeria be born, but their first real meaningful interaction is here.  

Trivia time: What happened in Incredible Hulk #606? Doom was attacked by the Cosmic Hulk, which is yet another Hulk robot lookalike. He tried to siphon the robot’s cosmic power, except that the Leader snuck a “poison pill” into the robot, dropping Doom’s intelligence from super-genius down to ordinary.  

Fantastic or frightful? The Dr. Doom/Valeria scenes are well written, and the High Evolutionary stuff continues the ongoing storyline about the four hidden cities the FF recently discovered, so that’s all good. I struggled my way through the last few Jonathan Hickman issues, so hopefully this is a turn back in the right direction.

Next: Human again, and mutant again.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The time-traveling and dimension-hopping fun continues in issue #581, along with dire warnings about the future.

Recap: We’ve learned more about Reed’s time-traveling father Nathaniel Richards, who had been forced into a Hunger Games-style life-or-death competition against all his other selves from other timelines. With only him and one other combatant left, Nathaniel traveled back to Reed’s college years to recruit him, Ben, and young Victor Von Doom to join him in the fight. We’ve also been getting glimpses of Franklin and Valeria in the future, also working with Nathaniel.

As this issue begins, the time-traveling foursome (heh) explore the ruined city of Chronopolis, where they’re confronted by the enemy Nathaniel, known only as “the Beast.” After a brief fight, the Beast summons his backup team of warriors, the Anachronauts. There’s more fighting, and Nathaniel thinks they should retreat. Reed and Ben fight on, though, turning the tide. Doom finally manages to overpower the beast. Doom tells Nathaniel to deal the killing blow, but Nathaniel refuses. Doom then kills the beast himself. He tells Reed to always remember this day.

Back in Reed’s dorm room, Nathaniel says his goodbye. Reed says that now his father is back, they’ll see each other more often, right? Nathaniel says, “I hope so, Reed. There is always hope.” Then he disappears through a time portal, leaving Reed alone, again.

In the present, future Valeria speaks with Sue. She says that Franklin doesn’t like how things turned out, so he’s time-traveling to prepare his younger self for what’s to come. Sue asks Valeria what she wants, and we don’t see the answer. Cut to “Collapsing Space-time,” where Nathaniel reunites with future Franklin. He announces that the mission was a success, and that he’s the only Nathaniel Richards left. Franklin says, “Good,” and threatens to drop Nathaniel into a void. He says, “Something significant was gained today,” and he won’t waste it.

In the present, Valeria says that after the Last War (!) all timelines collapsed into a single one where the death of everything was imminent. But, post-collapse, Franklin is working on a new future. Back in Space-time, Franklin says Nathaniel will be able to save himself if he jumps into the void and promises never to return. Nathaniel says if he does that, then he’ll have no control and will become lost in time. Nathaniel says he’s now the only Nathaniel Richards in the multiverse, and that means he might survive the upcoming “revision wave.” Franklin says there’s of guarantee of that.

In the present, Valeria warns Sue of dark times ahead. Sue says Valeria is just like her father, trying to fix everything. Valeria says this was all Franklin’s plan. In Space-time, Franklin says that the killing of all other versions of Nathaniel Richards. He says, “Every boy deserves a father,” and he kicks Nathaniel into the void. In the present, Valeria leaves Sue with one final warning, that only Sue can hold things together in the dark times to come. She asks, “Can you be strong, mother?”

Then things fade away in a two-page spread that’s almost entirely white with only faded imagery in two corners. Turn the page and Valeria returns to Space-time. Franklin’s pocket universe is falling apart, and he says their new future is still 250 yards away. (We’re measuring time travel stuff in yards?) Valeria believes he can create a tunnel for them to go through, but he doesn’t believe they’ll make it. They both agree that they have to try. The last page is the two of them leaping forward, into the unknown.

Unstable molecule: The forlorn look on Reed’s face after Nathaniel disappears suggests that Reed somehow knows he won’t see his dad against for a very long time.

Fade out: Valeria’s final warning to Sue is that there will be a point when Sue will feel like giving up. At that moment, Valeria says, all Sue must do is look to the sky. Let’s see how this foreshadowing will play out.

Clobberin’ time: The Beast defeats Ben with a powerful blow to the chest, making it look like Ben dies. Reed later states that Ben only had a couple of cracked ribs, and that he’ll be fine.

Four and a half/Our gal Val: Rather than have a letters page with actual letters, the one in this issue is a Q&A between writer Jonathan Hickman and our own Franklin Richards. This includes a drawing Franklin made of his sister:  

Fantastic fifth wheel: In the opening flashbacks of all the different Nathaniels all killing each other, one of them is dressed just like Nathaniel during the time he lived with the FF and was an alternate member of the team, during the Tom DeFalco years. Do we dare toy with the idea of that version of Nathaniel not being the original?

I suppose we can count this issue as another instance of Dr. Doom acting as an alternate member of the FF, fighting alongside of them as one of the team.

Trivia time: And then there’s the Anachronauts. Originally henchmen of time-travelling villain Kang, the Anachronauts later struck out on their own. The gimmick is that different members of the team are from different time periods. They eventually get tied in with the Black Knight’s complicated continuity and were recurring characters in Force Works, but none of that matters. The Anachronauts seen in this issue are a whole other group of characters from a whole other timeline. This is their only appearance, and their names have never been revealed.

Despite young Dr. Doom’s admonition about remembering what happened, the Marvel Wiki states that he, Reed, and Ben don’t remember this happening at all, and that their memories of this event were erased through unknown means.

Fantastic or frightful? The fun of this issue is supposed to be the young versions of Reed, Ben, and Doom teaming up with Nathaniel as a sort of proto-FF. But that’s over as soon as it starts, so most of this issue can be characters standing around talking about alternate timelines and futures. It’s meant to be all dramatic and foreboding, but it’s just more multiverse mumbo-jumbo.

Next: Who are you, again?

* * * *

Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

Fantastic Friday! In issue #581, we’re time traveling back to college. No Triple Lindy, though.

To recap: Reed has recently formed the Future Foundation, a sort of combination school and think tank composed of genius kids and others. Some time earlier, Valeria was contacted by a time-traveling future version of Franklin, who warned her about an upcoming conflict between four cities. This is likely a reference to four seemingly unrelated hidden cities the FF recently discovered.

This issue begins with future Franklin on another time travel jaunt, seeing images of the FF and Dr. Doom, culminating in him telling young Valeria “All hope lies in doom.” He says the mission was a success, and we see an adult Valeria telling him he better be sure. Turn the page and we see they’re both working for Reed’s long-lost father Nathaniel, also a time traveler. He tells them that, success or failure, they’re committed to their path. Valeria travels through a portal, telling Nathaniel to let her worry about the past and focus instead on his own future. Nathaniel prepares for a mission of his own while Franklin uses his powers to create a pocket universe as a cosmic escape hatch. Nathaniel enters a portal and disappears.

Cut to “years ago,” when Reed is in college, taking an ethics class. He argues that actions in one’s best interest begins with the self, then with family and friends, then the community, and then all mankind. The teacher praises this answer, but young Victor Von Doom stands up and argues that the only right action is one that promotes survival, evolution, and ascendance. Later, Reed commiserates with young Ben about Doom, when the two of them walk into some cosmic energy, right into Nathaniel, just traveled there from the previous scene. Reed hugs him, proclaiming, “Dad!”

Reed is somehow not full of questions about how and why his father disappeared, and instead it’s all jovial as he introduces Ben to Nathaniel. Nathaniel tells a story about how, in the future, he fought a man with a powerful quantum machine inside him. He failed, and the resulting explosion unstuck Nathaniel through time, and pulled all other Nathaniels from all other alternate realities into one. That man became Immortus, who founded the Auditors, a time police force. A war broke out between all the Nathaniels and all the variants of Immortus. Immortus won, and insisted that all but one Nathaniel had to die in a big Hunger Games/Battle Royale type of death sport. Now there are only two Nathaniels left and they’re hunting each other throughout the timeline/multiverse.

Nathaniel says this visit is his last chance to say goodbye to Reed before the end, but Reed wants to save his father. He then does the unthinkable and goes to Victor for help. Victor has been developing weapons (!) including some big robots. Later, we see Ben outfitted with a high-tech mech suit. It enhances his physical strength, and he says, “I could get used to this.” Not to be outdone, Victor dons a suit of armor of his own, like the classic Dr. Doom armor. Nathaniel opens a portal and says, “Time to go.”

Cut to the present, where the new Baxter Building’s alarms go off, announcing a “timequake.” A portal opens in front of Sue, and adult Valeria steps out. She fills the room with some sort of glowing blue energy that she says is for privacy. There’s a brief fight, until Sue realizes who Valeria is.

Then we cut to the future, in the ruined city of Chronopolis. Nathaniel leads young Reed, Ben, and Victor through the ruins, with a giant fortress in the distance. They enter the fortress, and Nathaniel and Victor both sense Nathaniel’s enemy nearby. Turn the page to see the alternate Nathaniel floating in air above them, saying, “Let the great hunt come to a close.”

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Again, it’s interesting that Reed is happy to see his father, but Reed doesn’t ask any questions about where Nathaniel has been or how he just teleported into Reed’s dorm room wearing a suit of future tech.

Fade out: I thought at first that Sue was hand-washing dishes when Valeria appears, but upon a closer look, we can see she’s simply making herself some tea.

Clobberin’ time: Back in college, young Reed wants to spend the weekend in the lab, but young Ben encourages him to come to a party and meet a girl. I wonder how this weekend would have happened without Nathaniel showing up.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Nathaniel Richards’ first appearance, the “Warlord” storyline from Fantastic Four #271-273, is one of my all-time favorite FF stories. So I’d gotten a little tired of Nathaniel’s following appearances never referencing it. Then this issue introduces the fortress at Chronopolis, which is the same design as the Warlord’s fortress from that original story. The Marvel Wiki states that Nathaniel’s time as the Warlord happened just after the great hunt depicted the past in these issues.

The alarm graphic on the FF’s computer screens is the face of H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.

Four and a half: Future Franklin has controlled his mutant power to create pocket universes, while we the readers have seen those powers start to reemerge in the present.

Our gal Val: We get a future/alternate timeline version of Valeria, but no reference to the first version of Valeria we met, who was Marvel Girl from an alt. future.

Trivia time: In true time travel fashion, some of the images future Franklin sees at the start of the issue haven’t happened yet, but they will in upcoming issues.

Fantastic or frightful? It’s yet another issue of setup, promising big things to come. I’m reminded of Chris Claremont’s years on X-Men, where storylines would be introduced and then paid off years later. Is writer Jonathan Hickman attempting a similar long game with Fantastic Four? We’ll see.

Next: It’s time to pay the price.

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