World's Greatest Comic: The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2023

[Steroid]

Alicia along with the creative use of powers is making a run I probably wouldn't normally like into one of my favorite reads every month.

[ARkadelphia]

Have people forgotten about Jo-Venn and N’Kalla already?

[jwatson]

IMO Franklin and Valeria should be brought back into the title. I think they have been absent long enough.

I think they will return in this run. I think a lot of times our minds are so caught up in minis and this needs to happen right now and just the nature of how comics work in terms of sales that we think things have to happen in 5 to 12 issues but Ewing interview about having 50 issues of thor planned gives me hope north may have a long term plan rather than a simple one and done story. I like to think this is act 1 and his giving us his vision of the ff and how they interact and feed off each other before bringing in the kids to change up the dynamic rather than a reboot or new creative team when needed. or that's my hope right now.

[scribbleMind]

In an early interview North said he didn't have a long term plan and wasn't even sure how long he'd be working on the title. I'm sure he has ideas of what he wants to implement, but I don't think he has a Hickman style timeline of events. I think he's kind of winging it, but if this is the type of creativity we're getting from him just playing around with the franchise, I say let him wing on.

[CitizenXXX]

Ryan said that when he started writing F4 he was afraid that the run would not last even a year - because of the chosen format in the first place and how his approach differs from the last few runs. But reader support seems to be at a high enough level that he's more confident in what he's doing - and Ryan is way ahead now and recently turned in the script for Issue 15.
Does he have big ambitions? Don't know. Will he come at some point to big stories and cross-cutting plots? I don't know, Ryan is definitely not Jonathan Hickman, he's Ryan North. I'm just enjoying what I have - this run is fantastic.

[Chris0013]

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.

[Digifiend]

Yeah, Alicia's blindness could easily make her a liability, as someone will always need to protect her. It's not like she has Daredevil's radar powers or Spider-Man's spider-sense (I don't think even wearing an Iron Spider suit would give her that), both of which would negate that weakness. Ben would much prefer it if she was safe at home, I'm sure. Pick her brain for ideas, make use of her artistic tendencies. But she shouldn't turn the team into the Fantastic Five. When the kids do return, she'll probably be the one looking after them - and them her.

[ComicNoobie]

Have people forgotten about Jo-Venn and N’Kalla already?

I haven't but I've always feared for their standing position in a well established title like Fantastic Four. Frank and Val have been around long enough where they stick. Jo and Kalla not so much and it always made me worry for their futures.

[Darkshadow]

It's been explained where the kids are. There's a set time established before they will be able to return. For now, I am enjoying stories centered on the main characters without the distractors. Something we've not had for a long time.

And regarding the adopted kids, they aren't just going to disappear. Something may change with their status in the future, but it would have to be specifically addressed. They won't just never be mentioned again.

[Hypestyle]

Can't Reed just fix Alicia's blindness at this point?

obviously in the modern era, Alicia exists partially as a 'representation' for disabled cohorts; so like the furor over healing Barbara Gordon's back (mostly), I think the same thing would happen with Alicia were here blindness were to be "permanently" cured.

In my head canon, Reed has created a device like Star Trek TNG: Geordi LaForge's visor, that could be used, but Alicia, on principle, doesn't use it, but knows where it is.
There's a remote possibility that she uses it "once a year" like Ben's device that turns him human once a year that was explored a few years ago.

https://screenrant.com/hulk-marvel-c...letter_popup=1

[Darkshadow]

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.

[ARkadelphia]

In an early interview North said he didn't have a long term plan and wasn't even sure how long he'd be working on the title. I'm sure he has ideas of what he wants to implement, but I don't think he has a Hickman style timeline of events. I think he's kind of winging it, but if this is the type of creativity we're getting from him just playing around with the franchise, I say let him wing on.

Zen Wells over on Amazing Spider-Man also has said he wings it

[ARkadelphia]

I haven't but I've always feared for their standing position in a well established title like Fantastic Four. Frank and Val have been around long enough where they stick. Jo and Kalla not so much and it always made me worry for their futures.

Boom. This. 100%. I know most didn’t like Slott’s work (I did, though there were some major flaws, of course). But very few have denied that Ben and Alicia getting married + the two kids had been a bad thing. I found them to be excellent additions to the FF family and I think there’s a lot of potential there as they continue to grow up and adjust to Earth.

[CitizenXXX]

But very few have denied that Ben and Alicia getting married + the two kids had been a bad thing

This is the best thing that Slott has done and his most significant addition to the F4 mythos. I love Jo and Nikki.
I'm not worried about the kids, they're fine and they'll be back

It's been explained where the kids are. There's a set time established before they will be able to return. For now, I am enjoying stories centered on the main characters without the distractors. Something we've not had for a long time.

Exactly

[Raz]

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.

I like this take. Also, on top of everything else Alicia may just not want to risk being Reed's guinea pig on the off-chance it restores her sight.

I mean sure he's the smartest man in the world, but he's also the guy that turned Alicia's husband into a walking rock man, and who put his own son into a coma as a way of dealing with his powers one time. Reed isn't infallible and Alicia's had most of her life to get used to being blind...I can see her not wanting to take the chance of getting turned into cosmic ray Cyclops or something