Janne Pietikainen
Dec 4, 2007, 11:27 am
Fantastic Four #548
September 2007
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/newff548t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #548" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11127)
Story Arc: Reconstruction: Chapter Five
Story Title: Kind of an Expensive Test
Tie-In: The Initiative
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Hydroman and Titania of the Frightful Four want to finish Invisible Woman, now that they believe the Fantastic Four dead. First, the Wingless Wizard wants Invisible Woman to say that Wizard is superior to Mr. Fantastic in front of cameras, but she resists even when her powers have been neutralized.
The Fantastic Four is actually very much alive, thanks to the Black Panther, who suspected the trap and had the ships engines tested remotely. Mister Fantastic sends a hologram to Titan and threatens to nuke the Frightful Four from orbit if Sue is dead. He also offers a chance Wizard to beat him, one-on-one. The other villains want to escape, but Wizard forces them to stay.
On the way to Titan, the Black Panther goes through the briefing book on the Frightful Four and the team discusses about Wizard, who thinks that Reed’s achievements lessen his own and therefore wants to kill him. The Black Panther helps the others to sneak inside the house where the villains are keeping Invisible Woman hostage. A battle ensues, Mr. Fantastic taking on Wizard while the others take down the other villains. Wizard is doing better against Mr. Fantastic and wants him to say that Wizard is his superior for the cameras. When the other heroes tell Wizard to surrender, he unveils Klaw’s prosthetic sonic claw and reincorporates its owner.
Characters:
Black Panther
Human Torch
Hydro-Man
Invisible Woman
Klaw
Mister Fantastic
Storm
Thing
Titania
Trapster
Wizard
<hr>
Fantastic Four #549
October 2007
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/newff549t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #549" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11352)
Story Arc: Reconstruction: Chapter Six
Story Title: So I Guess You’re Saying the Honeymoon’s Over
Tie-In: The Initiative
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
The Frightful Four is now Frightful Five and Klaw takes down the Fantastic Four. Unfortunately for him, the Black Panther was able to slip the Thing a pair of vibranium ear pugs and the Thing is able to defeat Klaw.
Hydro-Man and Titania return to the game, but so does Invisible Woman, who single-handedly defeats the villains. Wizard is completely under her mercy and he eventually faints. The Fantastic Four (all six of them) secure the prisoners and take Reed’s fold-space vehicle. The Black Panther sends the Frightful Five back to Earth in a lifepod, which will arrive in 79 months unless the heroes want to retrieve them earlier.
The Fantastic Four must hurry to their next mission and head to hyperspace. They are on their way to Horologium supercluster, 700 million light-years away, where they plan to help the Oditopian race against the Contrasepsis. Suddenly the ship falls out of hyperspace for a brief moment. They find the space-time continuum damaged but they are still able to receive incoming transmission from Hank Pym. Pym was able to analyze the Oditopian artifact more and found out that they planned to use a quantum destabilizer against the Contrasepsis species. This weapon destroys space-time and the Oditopians have already used it, apparently exterminating themselves in the process.
At Horologium supercluster, the Fantastic Four find a congress of Watchers. Mister Fantastic’s readings tell that the disruption in space-time is spreading and that the universe is breaking down. The Fantastic Four is thinking what to do when they are attacked by the Contrasepsis.
Characters:
Black Panther
Contrasepsis
Human Torch
Hydro-Man
Invisible Woman
Klaw
Mister Fantastic
Storm
Thing
Titania
Watchers
Wizard
Yellowjacket
<hr>
Fantastic Four #550
November 2007
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/newff550t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #550" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11353)
Story Arc: Reconstruction: Conclusion
Story Title: Should Eternity Perish
Tie-In: The Initiative
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Quits: Black Panther & Storm
The six members of the Fantastic Four face the Contrasepsis in space. Mister Fantastic and the Black Panther reproduce the Oditopian weapon that destroys space-time and may have caused the trouble in the first place. After using the weapon, the Contrasepsis are gone but the universe is still falling apart. The heroes watch a Watcher fall into the destroyed space-time, while the other Watchers just watch nearby.
The Fantastic Four need to find the Contrasepsis in order to fix the universe, so the Black Panther uses a device built by Mr. Fantastic to mimic the energy signature of a certain type of planet to attract Silver Surfer there. The Herald of Galactus agrees to help them and leads the Fantastic Four to planes of physical reality that are still unexplored by Mr. Fantastic. There they find Dr. Stephen Strange fighting the Contrasepsis. Doctor Strange was trying to reach the source of the problem as well and the others join the fight.
According to Dr. Strange, the mindless Contrasepsis usually protect the universe from harm and destroy what they are pointed at by Eternity, the manifestation of the life force of the universe. Eternity was irritated by the Oditopians’ research into quantum destabilization and he sent more and more Contrasepsis to destroy the Oditopians, who just kept developing their weapons.
In order to save the universe, Doctor Strange will perform a surgery. Strom will hold Eternity’s essence, while the others keep the Contrasepsis off. Uatu the Watcher appears there to help them and retrieves Gravity, who can control gravity and can thus work as a scalpel in severing the fabric of space-time. Uatu promises Gravity that people will forget his secret identity if they survive. The surgery is a success and Doctor Strange cuts the damaged part of universe, creating a pocket universe that will perish with the Contrasepsis. Uatu leaves to accept his punishment from the Watchers, since he broke their sacred laws in helping the Earthlings.
The Black Panther and Strom offer a meal to the rest of the Fantastic Four, served by one of T'Challa's Wakandan aides. T'Challa and Ororo then take their leave, since there are other good places available for them and the Richards have returned to the team. The Black Panther knew that the Richards would not leave the team shorthanded, so he asked a “favor" to provide the Richards a good chance to take some time off and work on their marriage.
Characters:
Black Panther
Contrasepsis
Doctor Strange
Eternity
Gravity
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Mister Fantastic
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
Silver Surfer
Storm
Thing
Uatu the Watcher
<hr>
Fantastic Four #551
January 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-551t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #551" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11387) <img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-551vt.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #551 (variant)" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11474)
Story Arc: Epilogue, Chapter One
Story Title: The Beginning of the End
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Wil Quintana
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson (standard), Arthur Adams (variant)
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
75 years in the future, Prison 42, the last prison on Earth, locates at the bottom of the Mariana Trench and one of the six people imprisoned there escapes. One of the android guards is able to inform Dr. Richards that Dr. Doom has escaped.
In the present, the Fantastic Four return to their home at the Baxter Building after defeating Diablo. There they find Namor, the Black Panther and Dr. Doom from the future. The Thing first attacks Doom, but his attack is pointless due to Doom’s kinetic energy inversion field, which is based on Reed’s work. The time-travelling trio tells that they have come to save the world from Mister Fantastic. Doom takes the Fantastic Four to Reed’s private sanctuary where the walls are covered with calculations on social dynamics. The 100 Ideas to save the world, including supporting the Superhuman Registration Act, building a new Vault in the Negative Zone and cloning Thor, were based on these calculations. Doom warns them that Richards’ idea #101, “fix everything”, will eventually ruin everything.
Doom also mentions that Sue will leave Reed for Namor, after which Reed shoots Namor’s head off.
Characters:
Black Panther android
Doctor Doom [alternate future]
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Alicia Masters
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic [alternate future]
Namor android
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
Thing
<hr>
Fantastic Four #552
February 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-552t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #552" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11543)
Story Arc: Epilogue, Chapter Two
Story Title: The Middle of the End
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Wil Quintana
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Mr. Fantastic is attacked by the future Black Panther, whose head Reed shoots off as well, with the help of the shocked Invisible Woman’s force field. Reed had concluded that the future counterparts of Namor and the Black Panther were actually androids built by Dr. Doom to work as externals projectors for his kinetic energy inversion field.
Doom claims that his “minor” deception does not affect his claim that Mr. Fantastic will ruin the world with Idea #101. Doom points out that Richards has used some questionable means during the recent Civil War, for example building a prison in the Negative Zone, cloning people against the law and lying about his reasons to his family. Doom mentioning that he and Richards are very similar is too much for the Thing, who attacks Doom and tells him what a good man Reed Richards really is. Doom defeats the present Fantastic Four just before the arrival of the Fantastic Four counterparts from the future.
Characters:
Black Panther android
Doctor Doom [alternate future]
Human Torch
Human Torch [alternate future]
Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman [alternate future]
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic [alternate future]
Namor android (cameo)
Thing
Thing [alternate future]
<hr>
Fantastic Four #553
March 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-553t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #553" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11746)
Story Arc: Epilogue, Chapter Three
Story Title: The End
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Wil Quintana
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Kang’s Third Law of Time, also known as “the Conversation of Causality”, is that traveling to the past does not change the future, but creates a divergent timeline. The Fantastic Four from 75 years in the future have finally located their era’s Doctor Doom and seek to take him back to prison in their time. Doom uses a genetic code-reprogramming flash memory to revert the future Thing back to human, but only momentarily, since he is able to change back and forth in the future. Doom calls the future Fantastic Four tyrants and claims that they are going to kill him, requesting asylum in the present.
The present Reed Richards persuades his teammates to honor the request, to make sure that he won’t end up a tyrant. Unfortunately, the future Fantastic Four do not have time and attack their younger counterparts. The older versions are stronger and gain the upper hand. The present Mister Fantastic realizes that their future selves are trying to prevent branching of timelines, because apparently only major disruptions in time create new timelines, but he is silenced by Doom. The Invisible Women capture Doom, while the Fantastic Fours talk about disrupting timelines being difficult and how the conversation of history usually fixes the differences caused by time travelers by causing something similar to the prevented act to happen.
The future Doctor Doom finally confesses that the future is a paradise. He thinks that the honor should have belonged to him. Reeds come up with a conclusion; they send Doom to a branching timeline where Reed Richards is dead. Their own timeline does not diverge and the future Fantastic Four tell how the future will be great with some difficulties on the way, before returning to their own time.
The others agree to help Reed with his “Plan 101”, to fix everything. Reed can mathematically predict the actions of groups and tells that he needs only four people to change the world.
Characters:
Doctor Doom [alternate future]
Human Torch
Human Torch [alternate future]
Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman [alternate future]
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic [alternate future]
Thing
Thing [alternate future]
<hr>
Fantastic Four #554
April 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-554t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #554" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11677) <img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-554vt.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #554 (variant)" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11790) <img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-554v2t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #554 (zombie variant)" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11788)
Story Arc: World’s Greatest, Part One of Four
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Paul Neary
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Ted Castle, Earth-Trust, Debbie Green (unnamed)
New Identity: Alyssa Castle (nee Moy)
Reed wanted to take his family to Disneyland’s grand opening in 1955, but a sudden temporal storm scatters them all over time-stream. In the end, all return home safely. After many other wild business ideas, the Human Torch, who was not along for the trip, is now planning to form the world’s biggest rock band. Johnny has bought a loft at the Flatiron building for the filming of a reality show about his new band.
The Thing makes Reed go with him to his old school to tell about being super-heroes. After two hours of Reed’s rather dry lectures, the Thing takes the kids to play in the Fantasti-Car and asks the teacher out.
Meanwhile, Sue Richards has been talking with the Wasp and the She-Hulk about forming a charity super-team to help victims of superhuman incidents. They plan to use the name of Madeline Joyce, Miss America and the world’s first super-heroine, for the charity. They are interrupted by Alyssa Moy, Reed’s ex-girlfriend, who has come looking for him. Alyssa, now married to Dr. Ted Castle, adores the customized Doombots before teleporting Reed away for something extra-secret.
Alyssa takes Reed to the arctic base of the Earth-Trust, a very classified organization that the Castles belong to. Ted Castle transfers them to another dimension, where they have been building Nu-World, an artificial planet where people will move when the Earth dies.
Characters:
Alyssa Castle
Ted Castle
Debbie Green
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Mister Fantastic
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
She-Hulk
Thing
Wasp
<hr>
Fantastic Four #555
May 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-555t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #555" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-555.jpg)
Story Arc: World’s Greatest, Part Two of Four
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: CAP, Clancy, Johnny's band (unnamed), Kiel (unnamed), Miguel, Psionics (unnamed)
Mr. Fantastic is thrilled about Nu-World, a life-size copy of the Earth built by the Earth-Trust in a parallel dimension. The Earth-Trust was founded by the world’s wealthiest men when they estimated that the Earth will be uninhabitable in less than ten years because of environmental collapse. Alyssa and Ted Castle, who are showing Reed the place, tell that they should have acted eight years ago to save the Earth, because the damage cannot be reserved anymore. Therefore the Castles hooked up with Ted’s friends to found the Earth-Trust.
The Castles see Nu-World as an opportunity to start from a clean state, so the deserts and the depleted rainforests are not replicated. Weapons are forbidden in Nu-World and Alyssa has designed the indestructible CAP, “Converse And Protect”, to keep the new world free of armies, guns and nuclear materials. Police will exist only in social support capacity in Nu-World and anyone with a weapon will become an outlaw. Every major hospital will have a Nightingale that can realign one’s atoms to cure most illnesses, but the Nightingales are still in process. Alyssa has also designed World Bank to guarantee a balanced global economy for at least a thousand years. There are also uncounted amount of other projects that haven’t even been started yet. The Castles don’t want Mister Fantastic but Reed Richards the scientist to help them and all the others build Nu-World.
Back at the Baxter Building, the Thing wants to tell Reed about the date he had with the teacher, but Reed has to catch a wormhole to the other end of the universe before even seeing his wife and kids. Ben mentions that this always happens with Alyssa, whom Sue calls “Mrs. Fantastic” because she is like a female version of Reed.
Miguel, the Human Torch’s manager, calls and wakes up Johnny six o’clock in the evening to tell that he’s two hours late from his band rehearsal. On his way from his new loft, the Human Torch happens to run into a diamond heist scene and fights one of the thieves, a super-powered female that psionically throws cars at him. Their battle continues in a deserted warehouse, but ends when they start kissing each other.
The Castles are having coffee at the cafeteria in the Earth-Trust’s North Pole Station Alpha. Ted thinks that part of Alyssa still loves Reed Richards, but Alyssa at least denies it. Their co-worker runs to tell them that CAP has escaped after hearing the Castles and Reed talk about Earth’s soldiers. CAP has already deactivated his emergency shut-down and is going south, looking for soldiers. In Alaska, CAP finds Clancy, Kiel and other Air Force servicemen.
Characters:
CAP
Alyssa Castle
Ted Castle
Clancy
Harvey
Human Torch
Kiel
Miguel
Mister Fantastic
Psionics
Red-Beard
Thing
<hr>
Fantastic Four #556
June 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-556t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #556" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-556.jpg)
Story Arc: World’s Greatest, Part Three of Four
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Psionics (named)
Death: Clancy, Kiel
The Air Force servicemen try to open fire at CAP, but in a few seconds only bones are left from them. CAP then hits the Air Force base with five hundred people. The Earth-Trust, following the situation at Portal Prime, locate CAP, but Alyssa Castle tells them to forget the base, because destroying it will only take CAP minutes. She designed CAP to take down the biggest weapons he could find, so the Earth-Trust tell S.H.I.E.L.D. to send all superhumans they have to a nuclear base few hundred miles from the Alaskan Air Force base.
The TV people are preparing Johnny Storm’s new loft for his reality show, which will start in ten days. Stevie from technical comes to tell Johnny that there’s someone there to meet him. This happens to be Miguel, Johnny’s manager, who has come to tell Johnny to take his new musical career more seriously. Johnny explains that he wasn’t able to come to their rehearsal the previous day because he was tussling with a super-villain the whole night. Miguel takes this as publicity and mentions that half of the Avengers have sent him demo tapes, before leaving. Johnny asks Stevie about the cameras, but apparently bedrooms and bathrooms are off-limits. Luckily so, because the super-villain, Psionics, had stayed the night at Johnny’s place. She promises not to tell anyone, leaves to work and plans to call him.
The Invisible Woman asks their staff if they have seen her husband, Mr. Fantastic. She wanted to talk with him about potential nannies for their children, but Reed is capturing a micro-galaxy and won’t be back for another ninety minutes. Alyssa teleports to the Baxter Building, asking for help, so Sue tells Franklin to go watch some DVDs with Valeria, while she, the Human Torch and the Thing go with Alyssa.
The three super-heroes and Alyssa go after CAP in the north and find the forty other super-heroes that S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent defeated by the peacekeeping robot. The three heroes are no match to CAP, who is programmed not to harm Alyssa or Ted Castle in any circumstances. The other heroes wake up to help them against CAP, who hurls Ben into the icy Atlantic Ocean. CAP then finds his teleporters and uses them to take him in other military bases around the globe. The Earth-Trust is shocked, with no ideas for how get out of the mess, when Mister Fantastic contacts them and tells that he is on his way.
Characters:
Ares
Black Panther
Black Widow
Luke Cage
CAP
Alyssa Castle
Ted Castle
Clancy
Doc Samson
Doctor Strange
Gauntlet
Gravity
Hawkeye
Hercules
Hulkling
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Iron Fist
Iron Man
Justice
Kiel
Miguel
Mister Fantastic
Ms. Marvel
Patriot
Psionics
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
Sentry
Spider-Man
Spider-Woman (Skrull)
Stature
Stevie
Storm
Thing
Vision
War Machine
Wasp
Wolverine
Wonder Man
Yellowjacket (Skrull)
<hr>
Fantastic Four #557
July 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-557t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #557" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-557.jpg)
Story Arc: World’s Greatest, Part Four of Four
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Tabitha Deneuve
Death: CAP
The Invisible Woman uses her force fields to rescue the Thing from the ocean. Ben is happy to see the anti- and pro-registration heroes united again, but in the meantime CAP’s powers are growing exponentially and after he will be finished with nuclear stockpiles he will eventually move down to destroy security guards and hunters.
The Earth-Trust people at their Portal Prime notice how CAP is getting faster. Pentagon is evacuated. Mister Fantastic and his staff are prepping his Anti-Galactus Suit in Central Park. Richards plans to lure CAP there with the biggest weapon around. The others don’t believe that he has a chance, but Reed is willing to take that risk. He tells Rosie, Frank and his other staff members to get clear when CAP teleports to Central Park. Also the other heroes are teleported there, but Reed tells them to get away from him or his plan won’t work.
Mr. Fantastic guessed right, his ex-girlfriend Alyssa had programmed CAP not to hurt her, her husband Ted, or Reed. CAP cannot do a thing when Reed uses his Anti-Galactus Suit to destroy the mighty robot. Quick after his victory, Reed tells Rosie to shut down the power, because it costs a billion dollars a second to run.
The incident is discussed in the White House. The President is afraid that Nu-World becomes public knowledge after the destruction and death CAP had caused globally, but the Secretary of State tells that the Russians and the Chinese are willing to keep the entire situation secret. All this is done to protect Nu-World, their last hope.
Reed is helping with the cleanup in Central Park, when Alyssa mentions that the job offer is still open. Reed declines because he disapproves the whole cover up and wants to save the Earth instead. Alyssa then says that they married the wrong people and tries to prove that they’re the perfect match. Reed tells that he loves Sue and kisses Alyssa goodbye.
Reed and Sue are having an anniversary dinner and Sue is laughing at the whole Alyssa deal. Reed gives Sue a ring with a micro-galaxy and over forty million loving couples in it. Sue gives Reed a new CD. Reed tells Sue that they’re in the past and they watch their younger versions bumping into each other in the street.
The Human Torch finds Psionics in his bed, rolling in money after robbing a bank. They start kissing again. Meanwhile at the Baxter Building, the Thing, his date and the Richards kids run into Mrs. Tabitha Deneuve, whom Sue was supposed to interview about the nanny position. They are interrupted by the beaten Doctor Doom, who breaks in and tells to get Reed Richards, immediately.
Characters:
Black Panther
Luke Cage
CAP
Alyssa Castle
Ted Castle
Tabitha Deneuve
Doc Samson
Doctor Doom
Doctor Strange
Frank
Debbie Green
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Iron Fist
Iron Man
Justice
Mister Fantastic
Ms. Marvel
President of the United States
Psionics
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
Rosie
Sentry
Spider-Man
Spider-Woman (Skrull)
Stature
Storm
Thing
United States Secretary of State
Wasp
Wolverine
Yellowjacket (Skrull)
<hr>
Fantastic Four #558
August 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-558t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #558" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-558.jpg)
Story Arc: Death of the Invisible Woman Part 1
Story Title: The New Defenders
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editors: Molly Lazer & Thomas Brennan
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Alex, Lightwave (unnamed), Natalie X
Victor von Doom demands to see Mister Fantastic at once. The kids, the nanny candidate Mrs. Deneuve and the Thing's date Debs run to the panic room, while three unidentified super-humans teleport inside the Baxter Building and hit the Thing a few blocks away. The girl with psychic powers paralyses Doom before they teleport away with him.
Debs is shaken about the incident. Mister Fantastic is unable to identify Doom's capturers. Invisible Woman is very satisfied with Mrs. Deneuve and hires her, even though she hasn't even interviewed her yet. Wasp and She-Hulk arrive with a jet for their Friends of Miss America meeting and Debs decides to leave home after too much excitement. Outside, a man is waiting for her, having wondered how much time she was going to spend with the Thing, calling him a freak.
Mr. Fantastic has gone to the Raft to see what their surveillance cameras have got from Doom's kidnappers. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents escort Mentallo to him. Mentallo, another inmate, claims to have seen everything in a dream. He won't reveal anything, but does tell that the group is called the New Defenders and that their leader is an old friend.
The Human Torch is having a band rehearsal, when Psionics comes by and boasts about her latest string of robberies. Johnny does not find this cool and breaks up with Cindy. Meanwhile, Mrs. Deneuve has put the kids to bed and tells Valeria that they can speak as freely as she wants and that no one can hear them now. Deneuve has calculated that Valeria's intelligence took a huge leap three months earlier and that she's already almost as smart as her father. Valeria thinks telling her family would only upset them, but Deneuve tells her that her parents will be very supportive. Valeria thinks she knows who Deneuve is beneath her facade.
Psionics happens to be a member of the New Defenders and meets with the rest. The group includes her father, who is sorry about her breakup, and they are led by Doctor Banner, the Hulk.
Characters:
Alex
Tabitha Deneuve
Doctor Doom
Debbie Green
Harvey
Hooded Man
Hulk
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Lightwave
Mentallo
Miguel
Mister Fantastic
Natalie X
Psionics
Red-Beard
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
She-Hulk
Thing
Wasp
<hr>
Fantastic Four #559
September 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-559t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #559" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-559.jpg)
Story Arc: Death of the Invisible Woman Part 2
Story Title: The Hooded Man
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Jeanine Schaefer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Harvey (named), Lightwave (named), Red-Beard (named)
The Thing and Debbie Green are on a double date with Debbie's workmate and her Bobby. They go to the Letterman show, where the Human Torch's band is playing. Debbie is embarrassed about all the publicity. Johnny's manager, Miguel, is unhappy about Johnny being late after meeting two playboy centerfolds. Johnny's band mate, Red-Beard tells that if he doesn't show up in five minutes, Harvey will replace him as the lead-singer. The Human Torch is then attacked by Lightwave, father of Psionics and member of the New Defenders.
Invisible Woman meets Alyssa Castle for dinner. Alyssa is in trouble. The Earth-Thrust doesn't plan to save the whole human population, but only the elite. She's too embarrassed to go Reed and doesn't know how to expose the Earth-Thrust, which includes presidents, prime ministers, heads of media and multinational corporations.
Lightwave and Psionics aren't doing well in capturing the Human Torch, so the Hooded Man of the New Defenders takes him down by crashing him down a skyscraper. Reed gets a holographic call from Hank Pym and tells how he's now thinking how to save the planet. They’re interrupted by Mrs. Deneuve, who comes to tell them about Johnny.
The Human Torch wakes up at the New Defenders' secret base, tied next to Doctor Doom. The Hulk tells them that they need their power for a machine they’re building, but that its main battery is beneath their feet. Johnny looks down and sees Galactus.
Characters:
Alex
Bobby
Alyssa Castle
Tabitha Deneuve
Doctor Doom
Galactus
Debbie Green
Harvey
Hooded Man
Hulk
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Lightwave
Mister Fantastic
Natalie X
Psionics
Red-Beard
Valeria Richards
Thing
Yellowjacket (Skrull)
Fantastic Four #536-547 | Fantastic Four #548-559
September 2007
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/newff548t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #548" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11127)
Story Arc: Reconstruction: Chapter Five
Story Title: Kind of an Expensive Test
Tie-In: The Initiative
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Hydroman and Titania of the Frightful Four want to finish Invisible Woman, now that they believe the Fantastic Four dead. First, the Wingless Wizard wants Invisible Woman to say that Wizard is superior to Mr. Fantastic in front of cameras, but she resists even when her powers have been neutralized.
The Fantastic Four is actually very much alive, thanks to the Black Panther, who suspected the trap and had the ships engines tested remotely. Mister Fantastic sends a hologram to Titan and threatens to nuke the Frightful Four from orbit if Sue is dead. He also offers a chance Wizard to beat him, one-on-one. The other villains want to escape, but Wizard forces them to stay.
On the way to Titan, the Black Panther goes through the briefing book on the Frightful Four and the team discusses about Wizard, who thinks that Reed’s achievements lessen his own and therefore wants to kill him. The Black Panther helps the others to sneak inside the house where the villains are keeping Invisible Woman hostage. A battle ensues, Mr. Fantastic taking on Wizard while the others take down the other villains. Wizard is doing better against Mr. Fantastic and wants him to say that Wizard is his superior for the cameras. When the other heroes tell Wizard to surrender, he unveils Klaw’s prosthetic sonic claw and reincorporates its owner.
Characters:
Black Panther
Human Torch
Hydro-Man
Invisible Woman
Klaw
Mister Fantastic
Storm
Thing
Titania
Trapster
Wizard
<hr>
Fantastic Four #549
October 2007
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/newff549t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #549" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11352)
Story Arc: Reconstruction: Chapter Six
Story Title: So I Guess You’re Saying the Honeymoon’s Over
Tie-In: The Initiative
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
The Frightful Four is now Frightful Five and Klaw takes down the Fantastic Four. Unfortunately for him, the Black Panther was able to slip the Thing a pair of vibranium ear pugs and the Thing is able to defeat Klaw.
Hydro-Man and Titania return to the game, but so does Invisible Woman, who single-handedly defeats the villains. Wizard is completely under her mercy and he eventually faints. The Fantastic Four (all six of them) secure the prisoners and take Reed’s fold-space vehicle. The Black Panther sends the Frightful Five back to Earth in a lifepod, which will arrive in 79 months unless the heroes want to retrieve them earlier.
The Fantastic Four must hurry to their next mission and head to hyperspace. They are on their way to Horologium supercluster, 700 million light-years away, where they plan to help the Oditopian race against the Contrasepsis. Suddenly the ship falls out of hyperspace for a brief moment. They find the space-time continuum damaged but they are still able to receive incoming transmission from Hank Pym. Pym was able to analyze the Oditopian artifact more and found out that they planned to use a quantum destabilizer against the Contrasepsis species. This weapon destroys space-time and the Oditopians have already used it, apparently exterminating themselves in the process.
At Horologium supercluster, the Fantastic Four find a congress of Watchers. Mister Fantastic’s readings tell that the disruption in space-time is spreading and that the universe is breaking down. The Fantastic Four is thinking what to do when they are attacked by the Contrasepsis.
Characters:
Black Panther
Contrasepsis
Human Torch
Hydro-Man
Invisible Woman
Klaw
Mister Fantastic
Storm
Thing
Titania
Watchers
Wizard
Yellowjacket
<hr>
Fantastic Four #550
November 2007
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/newff550t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #550" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11353)
Story Arc: Reconstruction: Conclusion
Story Title: Should Eternity Perish
Tie-In: The Initiative
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Quits: Black Panther & Storm
The six members of the Fantastic Four face the Contrasepsis in space. Mister Fantastic and the Black Panther reproduce the Oditopian weapon that destroys space-time and may have caused the trouble in the first place. After using the weapon, the Contrasepsis are gone but the universe is still falling apart. The heroes watch a Watcher fall into the destroyed space-time, while the other Watchers just watch nearby.
The Fantastic Four need to find the Contrasepsis in order to fix the universe, so the Black Panther uses a device built by Mr. Fantastic to mimic the energy signature of a certain type of planet to attract Silver Surfer there. The Herald of Galactus agrees to help them and leads the Fantastic Four to planes of physical reality that are still unexplored by Mr. Fantastic. There they find Dr. Stephen Strange fighting the Contrasepsis. Doctor Strange was trying to reach the source of the problem as well and the others join the fight.
According to Dr. Strange, the mindless Contrasepsis usually protect the universe from harm and destroy what they are pointed at by Eternity, the manifestation of the life force of the universe. Eternity was irritated by the Oditopians’ research into quantum destabilization and he sent more and more Contrasepsis to destroy the Oditopians, who just kept developing their weapons.
In order to save the universe, Doctor Strange will perform a surgery. Strom will hold Eternity’s essence, while the others keep the Contrasepsis off. Uatu the Watcher appears there to help them and retrieves Gravity, who can control gravity and can thus work as a scalpel in severing the fabric of space-time. Uatu promises Gravity that people will forget his secret identity if they survive. The surgery is a success and Doctor Strange cuts the damaged part of universe, creating a pocket universe that will perish with the Contrasepsis. Uatu leaves to accept his punishment from the Watchers, since he broke their sacred laws in helping the Earthlings.
The Black Panther and Strom offer a meal to the rest of the Fantastic Four, served by one of T'Challa's Wakandan aides. T'Challa and Ororo then take their leave, since there are other good places available for them and the Richards have returned to the team. The Black Panther knew that the Richards would not leave the team shorthanded, so he asked a “favor" to provide the Richards a good chance to take some time off and work on their marriage.
Characters:
Black Panther
Contrasepsis
Doctor Strange
Eternity
Gravity
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Mister Fantastic
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
Silver Surfer
Storm
Thing
Uatu the Watcher
<hr>
Fantastic Four #551
January 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-551t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #551" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11387) <img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-551vt.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #551 (variant)" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11474)
Story Arc: Epilogue, Chapter One
Story Title: The Beginning of the End
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Wil Quintana
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson (standard), Arthur Adams (variant)
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
75 years in the future, Prison 42, the last prison on Earth, locates at the bottom of the Mariana Trench and one of the six people imprisoned there escapes. One of the android guards is able to inform Dr. Richards that Dr. Doom has escaped.
In the present, the Fantastic Four return to their home at the Baxter Building after defeating Diablo. There they find Namor, the Black Panther and Dr. Doom from the future. The Thing first attacks Doom, but his attack is pointless due to Doom’s kinetic energy inversion field, which is based on Reed’s work. The time-travelling trio tells that they have come to save the world from Mister Fantastic. Doom takes the Fantastic Four to Reed’s private sanctuary where the walls are covered with calculations on social dynamics. The 100 Ideas to save the world, including supporting the Superhuman Registration Act, building a new Vault in the Negative Zone and cloning Thor, were based on these calculations. Doom warns them that Richards’ idea #101, “fix everything”, will eventually ruin everything.
Doom also mentions that Sue will leave Reed for Namor, after which Reed shoots Namor’s head off.
Characters:
Black Panther android
Doctor Doom [alternate future]
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Alicia Masters
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic [alternate future]
Namor android
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
Thing
<hr>
Fantastic Four #552
February 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-552t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #552" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11543)
Story Arc: Epilogue, Chapter Two
Story Title: The Middle of the End
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Wil Quintana
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Assistant Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Mr. Fantastic is attacked by the future Black Panther, whose head Reed shoots off as well, with the help of the shocked Invisible Woman’s force field. Reed had concluded that the future counterparts of Namor and the Black Panther were actually androids built by Dr. Doom to work as externals projectors for his kinetic energy inversion field.
Doom claims that his “minor” deception does not affect his claim that Mr. Fantastic will ruin the world with Idea #101. Doom points out that Richards has used some questionable means during the recent Civil War, for example building a prison in the Negative Zone, cloning people against the law and lying about his reasons to his family. Doom mentioning that he and Richards are very similar is too much for the Thing, who attacks Doom and tells him what a good man Reed Richards really is. Doom defeats the present Fantastic Four just before the arrival of the Fantastic Four counterparts from the future.
Characters:
Black Panther android
Doctor Doom [alternate future]
Human Torch
Human Torch [alternate future]
Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman [alternate future]
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic [alternate future]
Namor android (cameo)
Thing
Thing [alternate future]
<hr>
Fantastic Four #553
March 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-553t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #553" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11746)
Story Arc: Epilogue, Chapter Three
Story Title: The End
Writer: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciler: Paul Pelletier
Inker: Rick Magyar
Colorist: Wil Quintana
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Cover Artists: Michael Turner & Brandon Peterson
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
Kang’s Third Law of Time, also known as “the Conversation of Causality”, is that traveling to the past does not change the future, but creates a divergent timeline. The Fantastic Four from 75 years in the future have finally located their era’s Doctor Doom and seek to take him back to prison in their time. Doom uses a genetic code-reprogramming flash memory to revert the future Thing back to human, but only momentarily, since he is able to change back and forth in the future. Doom calls the future Fantastic Four tyrants and claims that they are going to kill him, requesting asylum in the present.
The present Reed Richards persuades his teammates to honor the request, to make sure that he won’t end up a tyrant. Unfortunately, the future Fantastic Four do not have time and attack their younger counterparts. The older versions are stronger and gain the upper hand. The present Mister Fantastic realizes that their future selves are trying to prevent branching of timelines, because apparently only major disruptions in time create new timelines, but he is silenced by Doom. The Invisible Women capture Doom, while the Fantastic Fours talk about disrupting timelines being difficult and how the conversation of history usually fixes the differences caused by time travelers by causing something similar to the prevented act to happen.
The future Doctor Doom finally confesses that the future is a paradise. He thinks that the honor should have belonged to him. Reeds come up with a conclusion; they send Doom to a branching timeline where Reed Richards is dead. Their own timeline does not diverge and the future Fantastic Four tell how the future will be great with some difficulties on the way, before returning to their own time.
The others agree to help Reed with his “Plan 101”, to fix everything. Reed can mathematically predict the actions of groups and tells that he needs only four people to change the world.
Characters:
Doctor Doom [alternate future]
Human Torch
Human Torch [alternate future]
Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman [alternate future]
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic [alternate future]
Thing
Thing [alternate future]
<hr>
Fantastic Four #554
April 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-554t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #554" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11677) <img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-554vt.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #554 (variant)" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11790) <img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-554v2t.jpg" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #554 (zombie variant)" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/4images/details.php?image_id=11788)
Story Arc: World’s Greatest, Part One of Four
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Paul Neary
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Ted Castle, Earth-Trust, Debbie Green (unnamed)
New Identity: Alyssa Castle (nee Moy)
Reed wanted to take his family to Disneyland’s grand opening in 1955, but a sudden temporal storm scatters them all over time-stream. In the end, all return home safely. After many other wild business ideas, the Human Torch, who was not along for the trip, is now planning to form the world’s biggest rock band. Johnny has bought a loft at the Flatiron building for the filming of a reality show about his new band.
The Thing makes Reed go with him to his old school to tell about being super-heroes. After two hours of Reed’s rather dry lectures, the Thing takes the kids to play in the Fantasti-Car and asks the teacher out.
Meanwhile, Sue Richards has been talking with the Wasp and the She-Hulk about forming a charity super-team to help victims of superhuman incidents. They plan to use the name of Madeline Joyce, Miss America and the world’s first super-heroine, for the charity. They are interrupted by Alyssa Moy, Reed’s ex-girlfriend, who has come looking for him. Alyssa, now married to Dr. Ted Castle, adores the customized Doombots before teleporting Reed away for something extra-secret.
Alyssa takes Reed to the arctic base of the Earth-Trust, a very classified organization that the Castles belong to. Ted Castle transfers them to another dimension, where they have been building Nu-World, an artificial planet where people will move when the Earth dies.
Characters:
Alyssa Castle
Ted Castle
Debbie Green
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Mister Fantastic
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
She-Hulk
Thing
Wasp
<hr>
Fantastic Four #555
May 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-555t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #555" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-555.jpg)
Story Arc: World’s Greatest, Part Two of Four
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: CAP, Clancy, Johnny's band (unnamed), Kiel (unnamed), Miguel, Psionics (unnamed)
Mr. Fantastic is thrilled about Nu-World, a life-size copy of the Earth built by the Earth-Trust in a parallel dimension. The Earth-Trust was founded by the world’s wealthiest men when they estimated that the Earth will be uninhabitable in less than ten years because of environmental collapse. Alyssa and Ted Castle, who are showing Reed the place, tell that they should have acted eight years ago to save the Earth, because the damage cannot be reserved anymore. Therefore the Castles hooked up with Ted’s friends to found the Earth-Trust.
The Castles see Nu-World as an opportunity to start from a clean state, so the deserts and the depleted rainforests are not replicated. Weapons are forbidden in Nu-World and Alyssa has designed the indestructible CAP, “Converse And Protect”, to keep the new world free of armies, guns and nuclear materials. Police will exist only in social support capacity in Nu-World and anyone with a weapon will become an outlaw. Every major hospital will have a Nightingale that can realign one’s atoms to cure most illnesses, but the Nightingales are still in process. Alyssa has also designed World Bank to guarantee a balanced global economy for at least a thousand years. There are also uncounted amount of other projects that haven’t even been started yet. The Castles don’t want Mister Fantastic but Reed Richards the scientist to help them and all the others build Nu-World.
Back at the Baxter Building, the Thing wants to tell Reed about the date he had with the teacher, but Reed has to catch a wormhole to the other end of the universe before even seeing his wife and kids. Ben mentions that this always happens with Alyssa, whom Sue calls “Mrs. Fantastic” because she is like a female version of Reed.
Miguel, the Human Torch’s manager, calls and wakes up Johnny six o’clock in the evening to tell that he’s two hours late from his band rehearsal. On his way from his new loft, the Human Torch happens to run into a diamond heist scene and fights one of the thieves, a super-powered female that psionically throws cars at him. Their battle continues in a deserted warehouse, but ends when they start kissing each other.
The Castles are having coffee at the cafeteria in the Earth-Trust’s North Pole Station Alpha. Ted thinks that part of Alyssa still loves Reed Richards, but Alyssa at least denies it. Their co-worker runs to tell them that CAP has escaped after hearing the Castles and Reed talk about Earth’s soldiers. CAP has already deactivated his emergency shut-down and is going south, looking for soldiers. In Alaska, CAP finds Clancy, Kiel and other Air Force servicemen.
Characters:
CAP
Alyssa Castle
Ted Castle
Clancy
Harvey
Human Torch
Kiel
Miguel
Mister Fantastic
Psionics
Red-Beard
Thing
<hr>
Fantastic Four #556
June 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-556t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #556" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-556.jpg)
Story Arc: World’s Greatest, Part Three of Four
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Psionics (named)
Death: Clancy, Kiel
The Air Force servicemen try to open fire at CAP, but in a few seconds only bones are left from them. CAP then hits the Air Force base with five hundred people. The Earth-Trust, following the situation at Portal Prime, locate CAP, but Alyssa Castle tells them to forget the base, because destroying it will only take CAP minutes. She designed CAP to take down the biggest weapons he could find, so the Earth-Trust tell S.H.I.E.L.D. to send all superhumans they have to a nuclear base few hundred miles from the Alaskan Air Force base.
The TV people are preparing Johnny Storm’s new loft for his reality show, which will start in ten days. Stevie from technical comes to tell Johnny that there’s someone there to meet him. This happens to be Miguel, Johnny’s manager, who has come to tell Johnny to take his new musical career more seriously. Johnny explains that he wasn’t able to come to their rehearsal the previous day because he was tussling with a super-villain the whole night. Miguel takes this as publicity and mentions that half of the Avengers have sent him demo tapes, before leaving. Johnny asks Stevie about the cameras, but apparently bedrooms and bathrooms are off-limits. Luckily so, because the super-villain, Psionics, had stayed the night at Johnny’s place. She promises not to tell anyone, leaves to work and plans to call him.
The Invisible Woman asks their staff if they have seen her husband, Mr. Fantastic. She wanted to talk with him about potential nannies for their children, but Reed is capturing a micro-galaxy and won’t be back for another ninety minutes. Alyssa teleports to the Baxter Building, asking for help, so Sue tells Franklin to go watch some DVDs with Valeria, while she, the Human Torch and the Thing go with Alyssa.
The three super-heroes and Alyssa go after CAP in the north and find the forty other super-heroes that S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent defeated by the peacekeeping robot. The three heroes are no match to CAP, who is programmed not to harm Alyssa or Ted Castle in any circumstances. The other heroes wake up to help them against CAP, who hurls Ben into the icy Atlantic Ocean. CAP then finds his teleporters and uses them to take him in other military bases around the globe. The Earth-Trust is shocked, with no ideas for how get out of the mess, when Mister Fantastic contacts them and tells that he is on his way.
Characters:
Ares
Black Panther
Black Widow
Luke Cage
CAP
Alyssa Castle
Ted Castle
Clancy
Doc Samson
Doctor Strange
Gauntlet
Gravity
Hawkeye
Hercules
Hulkling
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Iron Fist
Iron Man
Justice
Kiel
Miguel
Mister Fantastic
Ms. Marvel
Patriot
Psionics
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
Sentry
Spider-Man
Spider-Woman (Skrull)
Stature
Stevie
Storm
Thing
Vision
War Machine
Wasp
Wolverine
Wonder Man
Yellowjacket (Skrull)
<hr>
Fantastic Four #557
July 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-557t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #557" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-557.jpg)
Story Arc: World’s Greatest, Part Four of Four
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Molly Lazer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Tabitha Deneuve
Death: CAP
The Invisible Woman uses her force fields to rescue the Thing from the ocean. Ben is happy to see the anti- and pro-registration heroes united again, but in the meantime CAP’s powers are growing exponentially and after he will be finished with nuclear stockpiles he will eventually move down to destroy security guards and hunters.
The Earth-Trust people at their Portal Prime notice how CAP is getting faster. Pentagon is evacuated. Mister Fantastic and his staff are prepping his Anti-Galactus Suit in Central Park. Richards plans to lure CAP there with the biggest weapon around. The others don’t believe that he has a chance, but Reed is willing to take that risk. He tells Rosie, Frank and his other staff members to get clear when CAP teleports to Central Park. Also the other heroes are teleported there, but Reed tells them to get away from him or his plan won’t work.
Mr. Fantastic guessed right, his ex-girlfriend Alyssa had programmed CAP not to hurt her, her husband Ted, or Reed. CAP cannot do a thing when Reed uses his Anti-Galactus Suit to destroy the mighty robot. Quick after his victory, Reed tells Rosie to shut down the power, because it costs a billion dollars a second to run.
The incident is discussed in the White House. The President is afraid that Nu-World becomes public knowledge after the destruction and death CAP had caused globally, but the Secretary of State tells that the Russians and the Chinese are willing to keep the entire situation secret. All this is done to protect Nu-World, their last hope.
Reed is helping with the cleanup in Central Park, when Alyssa mentions that the job offer is still open. Reed declines because he disapproves the whole cover up and wants to save the Earth instead. Alyssa then says that they married the wrong people and tries to prove that they’re the perfect match. Reed tells that he loves Sue and kisses Alyssa goodbye.
Reed and Sue are having an anniversary dinner and Sue is laughing at the whole Alyssa deal. Reed gives Sue a ring with a micro-galaxy and over forty million loving couples in it. Sue gives Reed a new CD. Reed tells Sue that they’re in the past and they watch their younger versions bumping into each other in the street.
The Human Torch finds Psionics in his bed, rolling in money after robbing a bank. They start kissing again. Meanwhile at the Baxter Building, the Thing, his date and the Richards kids run into Mrs. Tabitha Deneuve, whom Sue was supposed to interview about the nanny position. They are interrupted by the beaten Doctor Doom, who breaks in and tells to get Reed Richards, immediately.
Characters:
Black Panther
Luke Cage
CAP
Alyssa Castle
Ted Castle
Tabitha Deneuve
Doc Samson
Doctor Doom
Doctor Strange
Frank
Debbie Green
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Iron Fist
Iron Man
Justice
Mister Fantastic
Ms. Marvel
President of the United States
Psionics
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
Rosie
Sentry
Spider-Man
Spider-Woman (Skrull)
Stature
Storm
Thing
United States Secretary of State
Wasp
Wolverine
Yellowjacket (Skrull)
<hr>
Fantastic Four #558
August 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-558t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #558" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-558.jpg)
Story Arc: Death of the Invisible Woman Part 1
Story Title: The New Defenders
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Production: Irene Lee
Assistant Editors: Molly Lazer & Thomas Brennan
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Alex, Lightwave (unnamed), Natalie X
Victor von Doom demands to see Mister Fantastic at once. The kids, the nanny candidate Mrs. Deneuve and the Thing's date Debs run to the panic room, while three unidentified super-humans teleport inside the Baxter Building and hit the Thing a few blocks away. The girl with psychic powers paralyses Doom before they teleport away with him.
Debs is shaken about the incident. Mister Fantastic is unable to identify Doom's capturers. Invisible Woman is very satisfied with Mrs. Deneuve and hires her, even though she hasn't even interviewed her yet. Wasp and She-Hulk arrive with a jet for their Friends of Miss America meeting and Debs decides to leave home after too much excitement. Outside, a man is waiting for her, having wondered how much time she was going to spend with the Thing, calling him a freak.
Mr. Fantastic has gone to the Raft to see what their surveillance cameras have got from Doom's kidnappers. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents escort Mentallo to him. Mentallo, another inmate, claims to have seen everything in a dream. He won't reveal anything, but does tell that the group is called the New Defenders and that their leader is an old friend.
The Human Torch is having a band rehearsal, when Psionics comes by and boasts about her latest string of robberies. Johnny does not find this cool and breaks up with Cindy. Meanwhile, Mrs. Deneuve has put the kids to bed and tells Valeria that they can speak as freely as she wants and that no one can hear them now. Deneuve has calculated that Valeria's intelligence took a huge leap three months earlier and that she's already almost as smart as her father. Valeria thinks telling her family would only upset them, but Deneuve tells her that her parents will be very supportive. Valeria thinks she knows who Deneuve is beneath her facade.
Psionics happens to be a member of the New Defenders and meets with the rest. The group includes her father, who is sorry about her breakup, and they are led by Doctor Banner, the Hulk.
Characters:
Alex
Tabitha Deneuve
Doctor Doom
Debbie Green
Harvey
Hooded Man
Hulk
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Lightwave
Mentallo
Miguel
Mister Fantastic
Natalie X
Psionics
Red-Beard
Franklin Richards
Valeria Richards
She-Hulk
Thing
Wasp
<hr>
Fantastic Four #559
September 2008
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-559t.gif" align top align=left alt="Fantastic Four #559" border="0"> (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/ffv3-559.jpg)
Story Arc: Death of the Invisible Woman Part 2
Story Title: The Hooded Man
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciler: Bryan Hitch
Inkers: Bryan Hitch & Andrew Currie
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: VC’s Rus Wooton
Associate Editor: Jeanine Schaefer
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Joe Quesada
Publisher: Dan Buckley
First Appearance: Harvey (named), Lightwave (named), Red-Beard (named)
The Thing and Debbie Green are on a double date with Debbie's workmate and her Bobby. They go to the Letterman show, where the Human Torch's band is playing. Debbie is embarrassed about all the publicity. Johnny's manager, Miguel, is unhappy about Johnny being late after meeting two playboy centerfolds. Johnny's band mate, Red-Beard tells that if he doesn't show up in five minutes, Harvey will replace him as the lead-singer. The Human Torch is then attacked by Lightwave, father of Psionics and member of the New Defenders.
Invisible Woman meets Alyssa Castle for dinner. Alyssa is in trouble. The Earth-Thrust doesn't plan to save the whole human population, but only the elite. She's too embarrassed to go Reed and doesn't know how to expose the Earth-Thrust, which includes presidents, prime ministers, heads of media and multinational corporations.
Lightwave and Psionics aren't doing well in capturing the Human Torch, so the Hooded Man of the New Defenders takes him down by crashing him down a skyscraper. Reed gets a holographic call from Hank Pym and tells how he's now thinking how to save the planet. They’re interrupted by Mrs. Deneuve, who comes to tell them about Johnny.
The Human Torch wakes up at the New Defenders' secret base, tied next to Doctor Doom. The Hulk tells them that they need their power for a machine they’re building, but that its main battery is beneath their feet. Johnny looks down and sees Galactus.
Characters:
Alex
Bobby
Alyssa Castle
Tabitha Deneuve
Doctor Doom
Galactus
Debbie Green
Harvey
Hooded Man
Hulk
Human Torch
Invisible Woman
Lightwave
Mister Fantastic
Natalie X
Psionics
Red-Beard
Valeria Richards
Thing
Yellowjacket (Skrull)
Fantastic Four #536-547 | Fantastic Four #548-559