World's Greatest Comic: The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2023

[Thundershot]

Heck, I still have a fear that some writer will come along and want to write FF like he or she used to read and de-age Franklin and get rid of Valeria. Ben’s kids even moreso. Just a matter of birth parents showing up and taking them away… they haven’t been firmly settled. Like I said, I’m not even sure Val’s safe and she’s been around for, what? 20 years?

As for Alicia, I would love it if Ryan took the plot hook of Alicia being the Puppet Mistress..

[Digifiend]

Good point, Slott should've revealed that before he left the book. I can imagine Jo-Venn getting the Venn part of his name from his mother, and his father being Mar-Vell. That would immediately explain the absence of his real father, since Mar-Vell is dead, and you can easily then explain that his mother is dead as well, which is how he ended up where the FF found him. As for N'Kalla, maybe she's Lyja's? Could add an interesting angle with that - Alicia figured it out, and that's why she manipulated her into leaving using the Puppet Master powers. And again, her other parent would be dead (could be explained as happening in Secret Invasion).

[Iron Maiden]

I want all the kids back. And I still want Val to get her Marvel Girl powers.

As far as Alicia getting into superheroing.. I liked her use in this story...but overall keep her out of fighting bad guys unless there is an imminent threat to her or the kids.

Also bring back Roberta.

I agree totally with this. Having Alicia be the focus of the story was a good change of pace.

I really liked Chris Claremont's Marvel Girl. Too bad she was erased by that Abraxas story.

[CaptCleghorn]

Reed championed a "heal Alicia" mission that took them to ancient Egypt that brought Kang into our timeline. I think, back then in those early days, Ben's fear of Alicia seeing him for how he looked is what stopped Reed from further pursuit. I think it's been an unsaid agreement between the 3 to not further pursue healing her because of Ben's insecurities. Ben's moved on from that, until any next author, but the unspoken agreement among friends still exists. Just how I see it anyway.

Byrne's Liddleville story in FF 236 had Alicia see Ben as he currently looks. I do not think Ben's not wanting Alicia to see him as the Thing is an issue presently. As for Reed not curing her, is he a genius in every field? It's a fairly acceptable belief that Reed could create visual scanners that could pick up pictures and transmit them to a brain. My take is that Reed could do something even if he could not actually cure her blindness.

I've seen issues with hearing devices and the hearing impaired. There are a veritable $#!+load of disabilities out there and nearly as many arguments for or against many assistance devices. I would LOVE to see this tackled and handled in the pages of FF, BUT there is the time-dilation inherent in big two comics. A stance taken in 2023 might very well be different of downright offensive a few years down the line.

If I were writing, I'd go with "Reed can't find an answer." But, knowing comics writers, the fight between "cure Ben" or "cure Alicia" would arise, giving Reed the need to choose. F***ing dealing with it as an amazingly powerful story for many with disabilities. I'd like to see more of that and Alicia is a good example of that.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, as I understand it people used to love DC's Oracle for being a wheelchair using hero. But in New 52 she got an implant in her spine allowing her to walk again, so she reverted back to Batgirl. That was controversial for two reasons - displacing the then current Batgirl who got erased and only came back a few years later rebooted back into her original Spoiler identity (that issue has now been fixed, as both successor Batgirls got the mantle back) - and the second reason is obvious, fans weren't pleased that she wasn't disabled any more, because it took away representation. Twelve years on, I do wonder if they'd have made that same decision now.

[Darkshadow]

Byrne's Liddleville story in FF 236 had Alicia see Ben as he currently looks. I do not think Ben's not wanting Alicia to see him as the Thing is an issue presently. As for Reed not curing her, is he a genius in every field? It's a fairly acceptable belief that Reed could create visual scanners that could pick up pictures and transmit them to a brain. My take is that Reed could do something even if he could not actually cure her blindness.

I've seen issues with hearing devices and the hearing impaired. There are a veritable $#!+load of disabilities out there and nearly as many arguments for or against many assistance devices. I would LOVE to see this tackled and handled in the pages of FF, BUT there is the time-dilation inherent in big two comics. A stance taken in 2023 might very well be different of downright offensive a few years down the line.

If I were writing, I'd go with "Reed can't find an answer." But, knowing comics writers, the fight between "cure Ben" or "cure Alicia" would arise, giving Reed the need to choose. F***ing dealing with it as an amazingly powerful story for many with disabilities. I'd like to see more of that and Alicia is a good example of that.

Like I said, Ben's moved on from that, at least until another writer decides to revert him. Since Ben gained the ability to revert back annually, caused by a big brain think tank, Reed probably realized he's at a dead end, and Ben has accepted the status quo. As for Alicia, she's never seemed all that concerned with being blind, and doesn't want anyone to "bother" over her.

[Mike]

Heck, I still have a fear that some writer will come along and want to write FF like he or she used to read and de-age Franklin and get rid of Valeria. Ben’s kids even moreso. Just a matter of birth parents showing up and taking them away… they haven’t been firmly settled. Like I said, I’m not even sure Val’s safe and she’s been around for, what? 20 years?

Now that's a book I'd read

[Thundershot]

I agree totally with this. Having Alicia be the focus of the story was a good change of pace.

I really liked Chris Claremont's Marvel Girl. Too bad she was erased by that Abraxas story.

I think it’d be cool to have Marvel Girl and Psi-Lord both return and get stuck in our time…

[Digifiend]

You mean have adult versions of the kids exist alongside their younger unpowered counterparts?

[Crimz]

Ryan North did a little q&a on twitter and he said the kids are coming back. But it's still months away

https://twitter.com/ryanqnorth/statu...38140119199744

[Chris0013]

I think it’d be cool to have Marvel Girl and Psi-Lord both return and get stuck in our time…

Would definitely NOT want that...I just want Franklin back as a mutant...with his powers at a low level. And Val at her current age with the MG powers.

[Digifiend]

An All-New All-Different Thing? It's not Ben, it's supposed to be his sidekick, it's part of a series of variants based on Spider-Boy's concept.

[Frontier]

An All-New All-Different Thing? It's not Ben, it's supposed to be his sidekick, it's part of a series of variants based on Spider-Boy's concept.

This is...a look.

[CitizenXXX]

Ryan North did a little q&a on twitter and he said the kids are coming back. But it's still months away

https://twitter.com/ryanqnorth/statu...38140119199744

It was fast)
I thought we'd have more time without kids.

Does this mean the team will return to the Baxter Building? I hope not, let them stay for a while at the Fantastic Farmhouse

[Thundershot]

You mean have adult versions of the kids exist alongside their younger unpowered counterparts?

Would definitely NOT want that...I just want Franklin back as a mutant...with his powers at a low level. And Val at her current age with the MG powers.

I meant for a storyline, not permanently. It could have them “fix” the kids and establish Franklin back as a mutant and give Val her Marvel Girl abilities. I feel Slott went from one extreme to the other on Franklin…