Beta Ray Greg Presents : Fantastic Four (2018) #3

November 14, 2018

How is this possible? Is this real life?

The world thinks Reed and Sue Richards and the Future Foundation died in tragedy trying to stop the multiverse from destruction (see Secret Wars 2015) but in reality (rim shot), they are creating and recreating a new multiverse. This is the final issue in the initial story line of the new series. Without further ado…

We find the Fantastic Four(s) have been called together. Reed has brought in every single character that has ever joined the FF on a mission. He transferred them to the universe that the family is currently at. They’re being hunted by an entity called The Griever, living embodiment of entropy and destruction. Lord, that sounds intimidating and amazing. She thinks that Franklin Richards and The Future Foundation has overstepped their bounds.

The Griever lets Reed know that she’s been with him before, shadowing doubt in his mind. She needs to destroy hope to lead to destruction. Something comes to Reed, like of course it did. Before you know it Mr. Fantastic sends Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm to destroy the Griever’s ship. She thinks he’s gone mad. She wants to destroy the ship but it’s all of their ‘only way out’. Griever, please. Reed tells her he knows she wants to flush them to the ship so he can put in the coordinates for Earth. He then sends in all the troops to battle the Griever and her Endlings.

The mega FF have one job. Destroy the ship and all but one escape pod. Reed asks the original crew to stay back. They have a family hug. *warm feelings* – Sue informs them that for Johnny and Ben on Earth, it’s only been a year, but for the rest of them, it’s been half a decade. The kids are older. Franklin and Valeria are so excited to see their uncles. Franklin tells The Thing that he has failed because he couldn’t defeat the Griever and she killed the Molecule Man because of it.

Back at the battle, Griever is taking it to the crew. Reed knows that they can’t defeat her. She’s an embodiment. “We’ve met their kind before. Order, Chaos, Infinity, The in-betweener…” Dang that’s a group. Val feels like Reed is giving up. But there’s always another way to win any battle. Reed calls in his audible. Johnny to the ship to make sure it’s scuttled. Sue, Ben, and Reed will run interference for Franklin. Wait what?

Franklin is freaking out. Spider-Man tries his ‘great power’ speech and The Thing tosses him. Ben tells Franklin that he’ll be with him the whole time. Man this has Harry Potter written all over it…just not as depressing. As the screen scans over the defeated bodies of FF members, Ben and Franklin come flying out of an Invisible Girl’s bubble with the most beautiful words…”ITS CLOBBERIN’ TIME.” Man. Just hold on. Let me get myself together.

OK.

I want a moment to point out a hilarious D-side story line. Dan Slott slides this gem in:

Human Torch rips Ice Man for ‘not really being a FF member’. Funny if he left it at that. We finish the comic with:

My lord. He pulls a fourth wall joke inside of a text box that’s indirectly toned towards the reader. Mind blown.

Back to the story.

As Johnny and Bobby argue, Sue Richards says she’s worked with children for only five years…oops..now Griever knows where to strike. She calls the Endlings to the children. Um yeah those ‘children’ are super powered. So. Yeah. Cut to Valeria who has been MIA since her father told her to go and she’d know when she got there. Vague. We go back to Johnny arriving to the Griever’s ship. He goes in to make sure it’s done. He finds a hole in the ship. He finds Hulk inside with everything torn to chunks. He says “I was never here, kid. You didn’t see me. And you broke all this big machines yourself. YOU get the credit. Got it?” So that’s weird.

Franklin gets snatched by The Griever. She speaks of all family trees ending by her hands. Franklin tells her he’s not scared of her. He’s with the Fantastic Four and they always find a way to win. She tells him how she snuffed out billions of the lives he created for the new multiverse. That loss and the weight will end him, but she’ll graciously do it for him. Again, this Molly Weasley momma bear moment arises “TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY SON” (you bitch). This time said by Sue Richards. She makes Franklin invisible. The Griever doesn’t know what’s going on.

Mr. Fantastic calls in to the FF that’s that. Griever is furious. She thinks that nothing in existence can be done without her, destruction. It is unacceptable. Reed tells her he knows her secret. She’s the embodiment of destruction but she can’t create. They have destroyed her ship except one teleport. She won’t destroy this universe with her not having a way out. She stole the ship, didn’t create it. He said he’ll destroy it and they can battle to the end, but she’ll be stuck there forever. “This isn’t over. You ‘FANTASTIC FOUR’ will see me again.” Poof. The Griever concedes and leaves.

Valeria was sent to make sure she has the materials to rebuild/repair their ship. All the FF and Future Foundation join to help. I would too if it was the only way home. The first family has another family meeting. Ben tells Reed that he couldn’t do it without his Best Man. BEST MAN! HOLY COW BEN GRIM IS GETTING MARRIED!

I loved it. I loved everything about it. Adventures. Family. New villains. I think that’s what’s been missing since well, they’ve been missing. I just feel so many stories are Earth based and a lot of infighting. We’re back to the adventures of a lifetime with the Family of Wonders. We all are the Fantastic Four.

“None of us are alone. We’re with family.” – Mr. Fantastic

9/10

BRG

Beta Ray Greg is the Comic Critic for SoBros Network, the ‘Fangtastic 5K 2018 Mr. Irrelevant.’ The man has the single most impressive spreadsheet in existence that is used to document his historic collection. He’s a big time Spider-Verse guy. Follow on Twitter: @BetaRayGreg.

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