Fantastic Four #643

[Ragdoll]

Anyone read this yet? It was a decent issue, but I really dislike this final villain, and think he will cause the series to end on a low note. Hopefully the stuff with Franklin;s dream world gets wild enough to make up for it.

spoilers:

"I should kill you, Richards-- I know that-- But I'm having too much fun!" Nope, that doesn't excuse that lazy plot at all. I hate The Quiet Man so much. Way to go out on the biggest cliche villain I've ever read. His motivations were bad enough, but watching his style up close is embarassingly lame writing. But Reed's smooth escape exposed him for the chump he is, which made me chuckle.

end of spoilers

[Ravin' Ray]

Now that our heroes have uncovered that the source of their troubles is the corruption of Franklin Rick Richards' dreamscape, they recruit Sheridan, the host of Sleepwalker to aid them. But will it be enough?
spoilers:

As the Quiet Man gloats over his seeming victory, Richards activates the "4" logo on QM's shirt to set off a beacon alerting the rest of the Four to his whereabouts and damage New Eden's systems, freeing him. But Quiet Man allows him to go free for sport. Bentley and the Wizard have a touching scene in the now-damaged lab as the latter admits to his admiration for the former's heroism and ponders what could have been had he a family at his side. As Thing and the Avengers battle the Manhattan invasion, Sheridan explains to Sue, Namor, and Jim the nature of Sleepwalker: a member of a race of beings that safeguard the dreamscape, which had bonded to him permanently. But with the loss of his girlfriend came the loss of the will to do anything, including summoning Sleepwalker. The current crisis, however, spurs him into wanting to help out. Sue prepares the three to join Rick in Franklin's dreamscape as Johnny and Wyatt arm themselves to protect them in the real world during their voyage. But since Franklin is not with them, the voyage would be difficult. But not for long; one by one, Reed, and then the Future Foundation class show up and reunite, with Reed planting a kiss on Sue in full view of Namor. Meantime Alex and Dragon Man show up with Ben and the Avengers to assist them, until Spider-Man then spots more Avengers arriving: the corrupted Heroes Reborn Avengers duplicates.

end of spoilers

[PaxHouse]

Now that our heroes have uncovered that the source of their troubles is the corruption of Franklin Rick Richards' dreamscape, they recruit Sheridan, the host of Sleepwalker to aid them. But will it be enough?
spoilers:

As the Quiet Man gloats over his seeming victory, Richards activates the "4" logo on QM's shirt to set off a beacon alerting the rest of the Four to his whereabouts and damage New Eden's systems, freeing him. But Quiet Man allows him to go free for sport. Bentley and the Wizard have a touching scene in the now-damaged lab as the latter admits to his admiration for the former's heroism and ponders what could have been had he a family at his side. As Thing and the Avengers battle the Manhattan invasion, Sheridan explains to Sue, Namor, and Jim the nature of Sleepwalker: a member of a race of beings that safeguard the dreamscape, which had bonded to him permanently. But with the loss of his girlfriend came the loss of the will to do anything, including summoning Sleepwalker. The current crisis, however, spurs him into wanting to help out. Sue prepares the three to join Rick in Franklin's dreamscape as Johnny and Wyatt arm themselves to protect them in the real world during their voyage. But since Franklin is not with them, the voyage would be difficult. But not for long; one by one, Reed, and then the Future Foundation class show up and reunite, with Reed planting a kiss on Sue in full view of Namor. Meantime Alex and Dragon Man show up with Ben and the Avengers to assist them, until Spider-Man then spots more Avengers arriving: the corrupted Heroes Reborn Avengers duplicates.

end of spoilers

Definitely loved this issue........and although the spoilers:

Bentley/Wizard moment was indeed a powerful moment; I couldn't stop smiling after seeing the scene with Reed, Sue & Namor shown

end of spoilers........and this poster is grateful that spoilers:

both Alex Power/Zero-G and Dragon Man joined the battle before those "Heroes Reborn Avengers" shown up toward the conclusion

end of spoilers of this month's Issue of the F4.

[Maven]

spoilers:

"I should kill you, Richards-- I know that-- But I'm having too much fun!" Nope, that doesn't excuse that lazy plot at all. I hate The Quiet Man so much. Way to go out on the biggest cliche villain I've ever read. His motivations were bad enough, but watching his style up close is embarassingly lame writing. But Reed's smooth escape exposed him for the chump he is, which made me chuckle.

end of spoilers

I'm not feeling it for Quiet Man myself...and it honestly depresses me a smidge that the Fantastic Four series will end/go on a however long hiatus with QM as its last featured villain instead of a considerably more established and classic rogue. I would have LOVED it if Mad Thinker had been the brains behind everything in the tempest of happenings affecting our forever classic Four throughout this storyline/'season'. And I would still be saying that if I had not joined the several who thought they had Thinker pegged for being the 'man behind the curtain'...the calculated event earmarks were most certainly there anyway. Confound it, Thinker is overall underutilized enough that him being the main villain of this storyline would have not only been 'different', but also a much more deservedly classic way to end an uber-classic series than introduce who will most likely be a 'one and done' baddie.

spoilers:

I couldn't stop smiling after seeing the scene with Reed, Sue & Namor shown

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Thee and me. Easily my pick for the best scene in this storyline, and one I hope will be remembered (and upheld) for quite sometime to come.

end of spoilers

[Cap10nate]

Do we really need to have every post in spoiler blocks? It's a discussion thread about the issue. Spoilers are implied.

I did enjoy the issue as well and do have reservations about the Quiet Man. He does seem pretty generic and plays into most of the tropes. I too loved seeing Namor there at Reed and Sue's reunion. I don't think this issue was a high point in the series, but still an enjoyable read in what will hopefully be an excellent conclusion.

[Chainsaw Vigilante]

Though the villain may not be anything special, at least the heroes get their chance to shine, and the FF's friends gathering to help strengthens that sense of family that the FF has always been about.

[SickAlice]

@Cap10nate: *spoilers* isn't in the thread title so I believe so. Not everyone's as spry all the time and tend to wander into the text. Sort of like a wet floor sign not being present where it should be.

I'll keep my end vague as to avoid spoilerage. I've been liking the arc. Issue had a bit of drawing to stretch it to the next though I suppose that's a given. Robinson has really been the cameo king as of late and this ish was no exception. spoilers:

I was a huge fan of the original Sleepwalker volume, the first full run of a series I ever bought and read so everything here even the summary of the series made me smile. Bentley steals the show once again, hooray!

end of spoilers

[Hypestyle]

is Nightmare involved in this storyline at all?

[SickAlice]

@Hypestyle: Nuh-uh. Where did that come from?

[Ravin' Ray]

@Hypestyle: Nuh-uh. Where did that come from?

I think it's from the fact that both Sleepwalker and Nightmare deal with dreams.

[Reviresco]

Have to agree. Namor's face when Reed returns and Sue is kissing him, is priceless.

Found lots of little things to savor in this issue. Also enjoyed seeing the battle take place on other parts of the world with some international heroes.

The throw down with the HR Avengers looks ominous with the 'next issue' page. Surely, Robinson wouldn't kill Ben Grimm? Could it be that Ben may be going back to his human form?

Also, can I just say, that Leonard Kirk and the rest of the art team are killing it on the art.