Fantastic Four #8 (SPOILERS)

[Crimz]

A discussion thread of the latest issue.




Doom has captured the FF and has each of them in a custom made prison

Reed is being stretched to his limit while simultaneously frozen so that any movement will kill him.
Johnny is imprisoned in breathable liquid
Sue is being bombarded by sonic waves that target the part of her brain that produces force-fields, while scanners are there to detect if she turns invisible.
Ben is tied to chained so that if he struggles and breaks free the others will instantly die.

Doom in his arrogance shows Reed his calculations for the Galactus harvest in order to "ease Reed's mind". He broadcasts to not only all the world again, but the entire galaxy. To show both his triumph over Galactus and the execution of the Fantastic Four.
Meanwhile, there is a cut the Franklin having a nightmare about the billions of people he made dying to the Griever. When he wakes he decides to go off for a walk in the middle of the night against Alicia's wishes.

The rest of the family go off in search of Franklin while he comes upon a girl. Who turns out to be Wendy back from the Byrne run. Her "friends" told him where he was and she brings Franklin to her house to watch Doom's broadcast.

Doom gives Reed last words and as you probably guessed, Reed says that Doom's calculations are off. Galactus will escape, destroying Latveria and throwing earth off it's orbit into oblivion. Doom does not take this well and goes into a tirade while Sue turns the execution switch invisible and then Doom's armor. Revealing a naked and exposed Doom to the galaxy.

The issue ends with Doom saying "you will pay for this".

[Crimz]

I actually enjoyed this issue.

It was a bit predictable in places, such as Doom's miscalculation and Victorious obviously going to get with Johnny. Doom's return to villainy is disappointing, but not surprising and yet again his hubris will lead to his downfall.

I enjoyed the call back to Wendy from back in the Byrne run. I always wondered what happened to her. I'm also interested in Doom's reaction to being exposed to the galaxy.

I also really liked the art.

[Hypestyle]

I actually enjoyed this issue.

It was a bit predictable in places, such as Doom's miscalculation and Victorious obviously going to get with Johnny. Doom's return to villainy is disappointing, but not surprising and yet again his hubris will lead to his downfall.

I enjoyed the call back to Wendy from back in the Byrne run. I always wondered what happened to her. I'm also interested in Doom's reaction to being exposed to the galaxy.

I also really liked the art.

uh. so what happened here? On the cover, Johnny is being attacked rather viciously.

[Crimz]

uh. so what happened here? On the cover, Johnny is being attacked rather viciously.

That never happened. The cover does not represent what's in the comic.

[SuperiorIronman]

It's not trash, but dear lord this issue isn't good either.

Victor's plan is still dumb and that he just broadcasts this victory to the world is all sorts of dumb because everyone watching TV sees it. He really thought this was a good idea? Sure he brought down Galactus with a comparable power source but that not only puts a target on Latveria by everyone on Earth but also by the Galactic populace who sees this..., also in English so what the Hell?

I'm also trying to wrap my brain around why Victor held the four the way he did because there are glaringly obvious ways of holding them if not outright killing them. And if it was for the theatricality, he can just execute robots since Doom commonly uses robotic replacements.

D+, it's better written but it's still not good.

[U.N. Owen]

For a book called "fantastic," this felt boring. It plays through the same story beats of the usual "Doom gets object/person of great power, uses it, and has the situation blow up in his face" plot that has been going on since he first stole the Silver Surfboard or even the Beyonder's powers. Doom says nothing can go wrong. Reed points out what can go wrong. I'm not against reusing plot points, especially since you can play the plot in many different ways, but I'm against the notion of this shameless rehashing of old plots.

I don't give a crap about Franklin's side story. I am compelled to like Franklin's plight, but at the same time, it feels hollow. I know billions of stars suddenly flickering out is heinous, but it doesn't have the emotion it should have. Instead of billions of people dying, why not focus on a specific person or group of people, perhaps the first ones Franklin created that weren't copies out of the old multiverse? We might not know these characters, but you could easily interpret the scene as a parent losing a child. It's way more effective that way. It's more relatable than just seeing people die at the hands of Griever.

[Prof. Warren]

Great issue. The mix of artists gelled well, so switching from one to the other wasn't jarring. Hopefully Kuder can do a full issue again soon, though.

Slott is writing a very classic-feeling FF. The situation here is iconic - the FF at the mercy of Doom as he gloats to the world. The pleasure is in knowing that Doom has, once again over-played his hand and over-estimated his own intelligence. All that's left is for Reed and the others to lower the boom. Loved the last page. Crazy that Sue has never used her invisibility in this way before (not to my recollection, at least).

Victor's plan is still dumb and that he just broadcasts this victory to the world is all sorts of dumb because everyone watching TV sees it. He really thought this was a good idea?

Have you met Doom before? Of course he thinks it was a good idea. Doom isn't one to hide his light under a bushel as it were. He thinks his plan is genius and is eager to broadcast it to the world. Doom's ego is his Achilles Heel.

Sure he brought down Galactus with a comparable power source but that not only puts a target on Latveria by everyone on Earth but also by the Galactic populace who sees this..., also in English so what the Hell?

Again, have you met Doom before? Doom's arrogance precludes any worry about anyone coming to his doorstep to challenge him. In fact, he welcomes it.

I'm also trying to wrap my brain around why Victor held the four the way he did because there are glaringly obvious ways of holding them if not outright killing them. And if it was for the theatricality, he can just execute robots since Doom commonly uses robotic replacements.

I'll have to quote Austin Powers here: "Scott, you just don't get it, do ya? You don't."

Yes, there are "glaringly obvious ways" for Doom to hold the FF. In fact, he could just kill them outright and be done with it. But that's not Doom's way. And it's not the way an FF adventure should go. If Doom ever did the "glaringly obvious" thing, all this would have ended fifty some odd years ago.

[jackolover]

A discussion thread of the latest issue.




Doom has captured the FF and has each of them in a custom made prison

Reed is being stretched to his limit while simultaneously frozen so that any movement will kill him.
Johnny is imprisoned in breathable liquid
Sue is being bombarded by sonic waves that target the part of her brain that produces force-fields, while scanners are there to detect if she turns invisible.
Ben is tied to chained so that if he struggles and breaks free the others will instantly die.

Doom in his arrogance shows Reed his calculations for the Galactus harvest in order to "ease Reed's mind". He broadcasts to not only all the world again, but the entire galaxy. To show both his triumph over Galactus and the execution of the Fantastic Four.
Meanwhile, there is a cut the Franklin having a nightmare about the billions of people he made dying to the Griever. When he wakes he decides to go off for a walk in the middle of the night against Alicia's wishes.

The rest of the family go off in search of Franklin while he comes upon a girl. Who turns out to be Wendy back from the Byrne run. Her "friends" told him where he was and she brings Franklin to her house to watch Doom's broadcast.

Doom gives Reed last words and as you probably guessed, Reed says that Doom's calculations are off. Galactus will escape, destroying Latveria and throwing earth off it's orbit into oblivion. Doom does not take this well and goes into a tirade while Sue turns the execution switch invisible and then Doom's armor. Revealing a naked and exposed Doom to the galaxy.

The issue ends with Doom saying "you will pay for this".

I haven’t read it yet but this sounds like an infantile Victor von Doom trying to live past glories, but really, knowing he is wrong. Its kind of pathetic that Victor boxes himself into these corners, and his love, Sue, undoes him. It’s like that’s how he gets off.

[jackolover]

I have read this, and it is a Dan Slott FF plot from the 1990’s. It’s like revisiting bygone days of FF dramas with a lot of cobwebs attached.

We are of course in a post-Secret Wars drama concerning God Doom without his power anymore. He is bitter, and he wants to demonstrate his earthly authority now that the FF have reappeared, while Victor was trying to be a super hero as in Infamous Iron Man. But the FF have reappeared and Victor has reverted to character. Poor Victor. It’s as though he has forgotten 600 issues of FF.

And Reed Richards. For all his bravado trying to give Victor a moment of glory as Infamous Iron Man, he can’t help himself, but sets up a situation that embarrasses Victor, and undoes all Reeds intention of making Victor a super hero. Now we see the Victor who is faulty. This is the whole point of this arc. Victor has always been faulty, or at least faulty in Reeds view.

That’s one issue that has been avoided by most writers, but it is Dan Slott that focuses in on this point, conspicuously. Reed Richards has been admitted as the better man than Victor von Doom, as seen in the last issue of Secret Wars 2015 HC. What needs to be revealed is that Victor von Doom finally realises he is a fool.

[Kintor]

I have read this, and it is a Dan Slott FF plot from the 1990’s. It’s like revisiting bygone days of FF dramas with a lot of cobwebs attached.

We are of course in a post-Secret Wars drama concerning God Doom without his power anymore. He is bitter, and he wants to demonstrate his earthly authority now that the FF have reappeared, while Victor was trying to be a super hero as in Infamous Iron Man. But the FF have reappeared and Victor has reverted to character. Poor Victor. It’s as though he has forgotten 600 issues of FF.

And Reed Richards. For all his bravado trying to give Victor a moment of glory as Infamous Iron Man, he can’t help himself, but sets up a situation that embarrasses Victor, and undoes all Reeds intention of making Victor a super hero. Now we see the Victor who is faulty. This is the whole point of this arc. Victor has always been faulty, or at least faulty in Reeds view.

That’s one issue that has been avoided by most writers, but it is Dan Slott that focuses in on this point, conspicuously. Reed Richards has been admitted as the better man than Victor von Doom, as seen in the last issue of Secret Wars 2015 HC. What needs to be revealed is that Victor von Doom finally realises he is a fool.

Many writers have tried to bring Doom down a peg and they always fail. Dan Slot is about to find out the hard way that the dignity of Doom as a character transcends his individual appearances. That the idea of Doom, the villain that makes evil look heroic, the absolute monster who will hold the world together through sheer force of will when all others surrenders, can't be humbled by a bad story arc and some implied full-frontal nudity. You'll see that when this book ends the Fantastic Four will be once again relegated to obscurity but Doctor Doom will retain his popularity in popular culture.

[Prof. Warren]

Many writers have tried to bring Doom down a peg and they always fail. Dan Slot is about to find out the hard way that the dignity of Doom as a character transcends his individual appearances. That the idea of Doom, the villain that makes evil look heroic, the absolute monster who will hold the world together through sheer force of will when all others surrenders, can't be humbled by a bad story arc and some implied full-frontal nudity. You'll see that when this book ends the Fantastic Four will be once again relegated to obscurity but Doctor Doom will retain his popularity in popular culture.

I want to be generous and believe you're just doing a bit here, playing the part of a delusional lackey for the great Victor Von Doom.

But I get the sad feeling you're actually serious.

If that's the case, I have to inform you that the Fantastic Four are not going to be relegated to obscurity in popular culture. Within the next few years, when they make their debut in the MCU, they'll be bigger in the pop culture landscape than they ever have been. And the comics will be just as as aggressive in giving them the spotlight.

[Kintor]

If that's the case, I have to inform you that the Fantastic Four are not going to be relegated to obscurity in popular culture. Within the next few years, when they make their debut in the MCU, they'll be bigger in the pop culture landscape than they ever have been. And the comics will be just as as aggressive in giving them the spotlight.

It remains to be seen if the MCU can retain any measure of social currency post-Endgame. I personally believe that much of the general audience will treat Endgame as a jumping off point and from then on any new MCU movies will suffer from diminishing returns at the box office. But I digress, even in such a diminished state there's a better chance of a Doctor Doom solo movie being made, there's already a script written for it. Alas, the same can't be said of the Fantastic Four.

[SuperiorIronman]

So Victor plans to do what? His plan to get Galactus to be the ultimate power source relied on;

-Victor not just using his weaponized big bangs (seen in the same arc).
-Not the cosmic power he managed to acquire and imbue in Victorious.
-He can siphon off power from Galactus and yet chooses not to go for the easier source of power like local stars. A Dyson Sphere or just pulling the energy like from Galactus isn't out of the question. There's nothing to suggest he couldn't have done it.

Now sure he could try and rid the universe of Galactus, y'know except for the universal calamity part and that Galactus is going to largely ignore Earth anyways so drawing him here is dumb because you can ignore the threat by literally doing nothing.

But say that Victor succeeds and that he's thought about all of this. He's made his plan and intends to use Galactus's power to give everyone on Earth cosmic power.
-What does Victor plan to do with all the people he's going to put out of work? Sure everything else will be obsolete but unlimited power doesn't mean those people don't have bills to pay.
-Who is going to build the infrastructure for every nation on Earth? I can't imagine holding the awesome power cosmic is cheap nor will Victor manage to build it all himself.
-Who is going to export this? There is a lot of people who'd want this power and Doombots and Servoguards can be reprogrammed, destroyed, deactivated, go rogue, they aren't perfect systems.
-How does Victor plan to defend himself from every nation on Earth and the galactic populace?
-How does Victor plan to alter the battery market? Does he really think he can be the sole exporter of batteries to the whole world?
- And how does he intend to make batteries compliant with every piece of hardware on Earth? Not all batteries are the same so how does he plan on creating batteries usable by everyone on Earth?
-How does he intend to convert all of this into usable electricity? We don't just plug radiation in from a nuclear powerplant, it is a process that does the work needed to produce steam which in turn moves a turbine. There is a lot more to it than that but how does just plugging in Cosmic power just work? Can I just stick my phone charger into the Hulk and get a full battery in that case?
-How does he plan to keep Galactus alive? Victor clearly intends to keep this up long into the future and Galactus will eventually have to feed, so how does he plan on converting a planet into the necessary components to keep Galactus alive?
-How does he intend to export the Power cosmic throughout the stars if you have a limited supply in Galactus? In-fact how does he plan to get ships into the sky utilizing the power cosmic?
-Is he going to teach people how to maintain these power generators and new systems? As far as we know, Victor is the only one who knows how to do this so will he be teaching power cosmic engineers and electricians? If not, how is he going to maintain these systems? Doombots maybe? What happens if they get deactivated?



I think I just put more thought into Victor's plan than Slott actually did.