The Fantastic Four Appreciation 2020

[Crimz]

He made Val so basic and boring. She's lost that spark that made her so interesting.
She used to be thus interesting reflection on Reed and Doom. A genius without the baggage that they have. More merciful and forgiving than Doom, but colder and more calculating than Reed. It's what made her interactions with them so interesting. Val was like this again in the recent Fantastic Four/X-Men book, but she is not anything like it in the main title. It's disappointing and frustrating.

Val can still be a hormonal teen without sacrificing her personality. Like this Prince guy she has a crush on. Old Val would try and fight the feelings and when she saw this would likely whip up a doomsday device to feel better or something. Not this bland "boys are dumb!!11!" mess.

[Crimz]

Looks like Franklin might try to find a universe where he can recharge his powers, you think?

I think it's him using it to get on Krakoa. He can't use the Krakoan gates anymore, but he now has this.

[Snoop Dogg]

val should be like dennis from it's always sunny

[Thundershot]

val should be like dennis from it's always sunny

A rapist? Lol

I know what you mean, though.

[CaptCleghorn]

He made Val so basic and boring. She's lost that spark that made her so interesting.
She used to be thus interesting reflection on Reed and Doom. A genius without the baggage that they have. More merciful and forgiving than Doom, but colder and more calculating than Reed. It's what made her interactions with them so interesting. Val was like this again in the recent Fantastic Four/X-Men book, but she is not anything like it in the main title. It's disappointing and frustrating.

Val can still be a hormonal teen without sacrificing her personality. Like this Prince guy she has a crush on. Old Val would try and fight the feelings and when she saw this would likely whip up a doomsday device to feel better or something. Not this bland "boys are dumb!!11!" mess.

I see what you mean. Val's a tough character to write in that you need to deal with her like Stewie or Brian from Family Guy. Yes, she's a super-genius, but she's also a kid. As much as we all loved Hickman and his writing, he never got this about Val. She had NONE of he qualities of a three years old should have, even one with an enormous IQ. I can understand Val behaving and acting cordial around her parents. If she didn't her playtime with Daddy's devices may not be as long or at all. Some of her personality reflects Uncle Vic more so than any other member of the Richards/Storm clan does. I'd think she'd make calls less moralistically than the others and in rigging devices in some story, she has to an extent. Should she have more nefarious schemes? I don't think so generally, but she is a pre-teen girl (or young teen, but I hate thinking of her as more than 12) and those creature make Thanos poop his pants. As for her crying jag with Franklin, she may be on a "boys suck" schtick, but she is not going to screw up Franklin being able to smite what's his name. She is still a super-genius. And I do NOT see Val as being one to cry, even if she wants to.

I think it's him using it to get on Krakoa. He can't use the Krakoan gates anymore, but he now has this.

As I go on and on about, Franklin is a teenage boy and often an @$$hole. His loss of importance is easily enough for a sulky emo trip. Going from recreating the multiverse to being near-useless would be tough for anybody. I may not like Franklin's personality here, but damn, the writing fits the character's experiences quite well. His goal is seemingly getting his powers back. Unlike past FF eras when Franklin went back to normal kid, the family was cool with it. Franklin, now that he's hit puberty wants to regain universe creating power. Even if he doesn't want the responsibility, his level of importance and attention (kid and attention) has dropped so that is also a big motivator for him. His goal might be Krakoa, but I doubt an X-Men team-up would be happening so soon after X-Men/FF. But he's up to something and I kinda like it.

[danielsan52]

I think it's him using it to get on Krakoa. He can't use the Krakoan gates anymore, but he now has this.

I think he’s going to meet his grandfather and/or Psi-Lord.

[Journey]

So Franky boys gonna go to one of the universes he created and suck it dry for power it seems? Weren't most of them destroyed and confirmed to be souless beings?

[U.N. Owen]

I see what you mean. Val's a tough character to write in that you need to deal with her like Stewie or Brian from Family Guy. Yes, she's a super-genius, but she's also a kid. As much as we all loved Hickman and his writing, he never got this about Val. She had NONE of he qualities of a three years old should have, even one with an enormous IQ. I can understand Val behaving and acting cordial around her parents. If she didn't her playtime with Daddy's devices may not be as long or at all. Some of her personality reflects Uncle Vic more so than any other member of the Richards/Storm clan does. I'd think she'd make calls less moralistically than the others and in rigging devices in some story, she has to an extent. Should she have more nefarious schemes? I don't think so generally, but she is a pre-teen girl (or young teen, but I hate thinking of her as more than 12) and those creature make Thanos poop his pants. As for her crying jag with Franklin, she may be on a "boys suck" schtick, but she is not going to screw up Franklin being able to smite what's his name. She is still a super-genius. And I do NOT see Val as being one to cry, even if she wants to.

It's even worse when we've seen her sad before. When Johnny died, her first reaction was to draw up assassination plots.

I'll admit that her drawing up assassination plots is a bit too much for this, but I personally would find her drawing overthetop nonsense over this to be hilarious rather than the "boys suck, I'll sulk" shit Slott is trying to pull.

So Franky boys gonna go to one of the universes he created and suck it dry for power it seems? Weren't most of them destroyed and confirmed to be souless beings?

I assume he was going to go hunt down alternate versions of himself and/or Molecule Man and kill them for his powers. Got the idea from a terrible fanfic, but it's better than this run.

[CaptCleghorn]

It's even worse when we've seen her sad before. When Johnny died, her first reaction was to draw up assassination plots.

I'll admit that her drawing up assassination plots is a bit too much for this, but I personally would find her drawing overthetop nonsense over this to be hilarious rather than the "boys suck, I'll sulk" shit Slott is trying to pull.

The anger from a toddler is totally understandable. Just because one is smart enough to whip up assassination plans doesn't mean one is emotionally mature enough to realize that's not the right thing to do. That's writing a genius three year old. Val pulling a crying jag is something a tweenage girl might do, but Val's personality is that she wouldn't show weakness like that in front of her brother. There are ways to write her as a love-sick super-genius tween and have it make sense.

[U.N. Owen]

The anger from a toddler is totally understandable. Just because one is smart enough to whip up assassination plans doesn't mean one is emotionally mature enough to realize that's not the right thing to do. That's writing a genius three year old. Val pulling a crying jag is something a tweenage girl might do, but Val's personality is that she wouldn't show weakness like that in front of her brother. There are ways to write her as a love-sick super-genius tween and have it make sense.

My problem isn't that she's sulking over a boy. My problem is that she's acting like a Disney Channel lead actress. If I wanted a Disney Channel lead actress, I would just turn on my tv.

There's a million ways she could have handled this. An over the top declaration on figuring out how the mind of "stupid boys" works and sulking would have had the same effect. You don't even need to change that much of the artwork to do it.

[Crimz]

I always viewed if/when Valeria did become interested in boys she'd be more like Louise from Bob's Burgers. The way she likes boys is... different to say the least and she's constantly fighting against her emotions.



Most of Val's actions should have a twist to them due to her extraordinary upbringing and immense intellect. That girl should not be normal at all and her responses to common things like crushes should have a unique spin to them. Franklin is the normal kid with Godlike powers, Val is the kid without powers but is crazy in every other sense.

[CaptCleghorn]

I always viewed if/when Valeria did become interested in boys she'd be more like Louise from Bob's Burgers. The way she likes boys is... different to say the least and she's constantly fighting against her emotions.



Most of Val's actions should have a twist to them due to her extraordinary upbringing and immense intellect. That girl should not be normal at all and her responses to common things like crushes should have a unique spin to them. Franklin is the normal kid with Godlike powers, Val is the kid without powers but is crazy in every other sense.

Damn, you're twistedly brilliant! I must reread your assessment over and over and let your wisdom and observations sink in. Watching Bob's Burgers may help me on this as well.

[Crimz]

A Fantastic Four loot crate will be out January for those interested:

https://www.cbr.com/exclusive-marvel...-january-2021/

[Crimz]

Gonna be making a spoiler discussion thread for this issue later because... whew boy...

[The BaRoN]

Gonna be making a spoiler discussion thread for this issue later because... whew boy...

Yes please, I would like to know as I can read until tonight.