World's Greatest Comic: The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2022

[Frontier]

I like Sue's hair on that cover .

[Iron Maiden]

I did not enjoy that run. I know it was to narrow down the cast to just the Four.... but that is exactly why I did not like it. Waid is a great writer, but this just wasn't my cuppa.

Parts of it I liked. As someone else mentioned, Johnny was allowed to mature during and was at one point put in charge of the family business, doing merchandizing etc. Back then the FF had a gift shop on the first floor of the Baxter Building.

I really didn't care for the Unthinkable arc. For one thing, I doubt Doom would have made a deal with demons since dealing with Mephisto in Triumph and Torment. And sure enough it was revealed that the Hazaareth were minions of Mephisto even though he's not seen here. But after Ben in killed in the follow up in Authoritative Action we did get the Hereafter story. I liked the scene were the FF meet Jack Kirby.

[Iron Maiden]

Actually I think this is a mistake that the editors did not catch.
Fantastic Four 40 should be legacy 685 (check out the previous issue - FF 39 / LGY 684), which means once Reckoning War ends at issue 44, there will 11 more issues before we reach FF 700.

Last year I made a post in the 2021 Appreciation Thread about what I thought the timeline will be like for the remainder of the Slott run:



I've sort of changed my mind since then - like Crimz, I feel like Slott is moving through his plot set-ups faster than I anticipated so much so that I now feel that it is plausible that he could end his run with the Reckoning War.
But then again, I'm not sure.

We'll probably find out when May 2022 solicits come out later today - if FF 44 is the final issue, they'll probably mention something in the solicits.
If not, it's definitely FF 55 / 700. I don't see him staying longer than FF 700.

I just looked at both covers and you're right. This week's issue should have #685. So it is a little over a year unless they decide to double ship for a certain month like they are next month.

[CitizenXXX]

Yes, after Reckoning War Slott has almost a year to finish all his storylines and calmly end the run, I hope on a good note.
The consequences of Reckoning War scare me a little, I'm afraid that Marvel can do their typical trick with the destruction of the team / the death of one of the members to restore and reunite everything by the anniversary issue.
I don't want this to happen.

Anyway, I think a new writer is already on board

[CaptCleghorn]

Yes, after Reckoning War Slott has almost a year to finish all his storylines and calmly end the run, I hope on a good note.
The consequences of Reckoning War scare me a little, I'm afraid that Marvel can do their typical trick with the destruction of the team / the death of one of the members to restore and reunite everything by the anniversary issue.
I don't want this to happen.

Anyway, I think a new writer is already on board

I agree. It would be nice to have a finish that doesn't do yet another "drastic" temporary change of the status quo.

As to Marvel already having a writer on board, I would hope that if they know Slott's leaving and where the FF may be a higher profile property with a possible (probable?) MCU introduction, Marvel making sure they have a set creative team in place to build upon the franchise would be intelligent planning.

[cmore]

Reckoning seems to be wrapping up most of Slott's plots threads

spoilers:

The FF are back to their original looks Reed knows how to cure Johnny and likely will at the end Both Reed and Ben's predicted deaths will likely be averted Johnny will be going back to the Spyre and likely tie a bow around that All that's left is Franklin's powers (which may be fixed at the end of this) and Reed's long lost sister

end of spoilers

He usually does this at the end of his runs so maybe the end is closer than we think?

We also have that vision where Ben's trying to kill Reed for an unknown reason. I hope that's eventually going to be addressed.

Isn't Johnny considered an ex-herald? A Torch/Surfer team-up would have been a lot more fun for me than revisiting that silly soulmate arc.

Having said that, I did enjoy this issue. I like Reed without the beard, although he needs a haircut.

[Ravin' Ray]

Isn't Johnny considered an ex-herald? A Torch/Surfer team-up would have been a lot more fun for me than revisiting that silly soulmate arc.

Yes, though with Sue's cosmically augmented powers at the time. IMO I don't think he counts his tenure as worth being summoned for anything ex/present heralds related.

Having said that, I did enjoy this issue. I like Reed without the beard, although he needs a haircut.

Slott shines better in this cosmic themed issue. Of course it's no coincidence that two cosmic entities he introduced, the Queen of Nevers (from his Silver Surfer series) and the Griever make appearances.

[CaptCleghorn]

Yes, though with Sue's cosmically augmented powers at the time. IMO I don't think he counts his tenure as worth being summoned for anything ex/present heralds related.

Johnny is as much an ex-herald as Bobby Drake is an ex-FF member.

[Doom'nGloom]

Was it ever explained how Alicia controlled Lyja through her clay right before the wedding fiasco? I skipped some issues of this run so I might have missed it.

[danielsan52]

Was it ever explained how Alicia controlled Lyja through her clay right before the wedding fiasco? I skipped some issues of this run so I might have missed it.

Not yet but I am all for her taking role as a new Puppet Master.

Hopefully we will find out soon:

Where Lyja went
Reed’s sister
Franklin’s powers/mutant status
Ben vs. Reed
Reed vs. Xavier

Other plots I would like Slott to close:

Puppy
She-Thing
Aron the Watcher’s FF clones
Rafael Suarez

[Digifiend]

Was it ever explained how Alicia controlled Lyja through her clay right before the wedding fiasco? I skipped some issues of this run so I might have missed it.

Same way her Dad does it. Alicia has the potential to become a villain called Puppet Mistress if she wanted to, but she usually chooses not to use her ability that way, and has chosen to side with the good guys.

[Doom'nGloom]

Same way her Dad does it. Alicia has the potential to become a villain called Puppet Mistress if she wanted to, but she usually chooses not to use her ability that way, and has chosen to side with the good guys.

Doesn't she need the special clay her father uses for that? Where did she get it?

[Digifiend]

Doesn't she need the special clay her father uses for that? Where did she get it?

From her father's supplies. He's in jail (as we saw when she went to tell him she was marrying Ben), so it's not like he could stop her.

[Doom'nGloom]

From her father's supplies. He's in jail (as we saw when she went to tell him she was marrying Ben), so it's not like he could stop her.

Thanks. One more thing. Isn't Puppet Master dead? I'm pretty sure Hulk killed him after he made Hulk fight Ben.

Not yet but I am all for her taking role as a new Puppet Master.

Hopefully we will find out soon:

Where Lyja went
Reed’s sister
Franklin’s powers/mutant status
Ben vs. Reed
Reed vs. Xavier

Other plots I would like Slott to close:

Puppy
She-Thing
Aron the Watcher’s FF clones
Rafael Suarez

That will most probably be left to x-books to explore. I feel like Slott's original plan was to just depower Franklin but then he also played with his mutant status to keep the character exclusive to F4. Hope he doesn't leave this up in the air.

[Oberon]

Just to hear others' speculation, but how does Franklin's non-mutant status work with the various other 'verses' like Days of Future Past

where he is clearly understood to be a mutant.

or any similar Exiles or whatever 'verses.
Is HyperStorm even real under this possibility?
( I've decided I'm okay with Franklin being "beyond" mutant. Franklin is to X-gened people, as they are to normal humans. He is more more more than any other humans. He is capable of having Galactus be "his" herald)