Fantastic Four Vol 1 257

Galactus has come to wonder if he is dying now as he stands before the Skrull throneworld. Once again he finds himself caught in the moral conundrum of consuming a world teeming with life in order to prologue his own existence. Retreating to the interior of his vessel he continues to ponder this as he continues to grow weaker. Suddenly, Galactus is visited by the embodiment of Death, who reminds him that he has a purpose in the universe to serve and that his time has not yet come. Death tells him not to shirk that great duty before disappearing once again. When Galactus is reunited with his herald Nova, she senses that something is wrong and that he was visited by something that has troubled him in the past. But before she can think about it further, she is sent out to face the Skrull armada. As she destroys the ship, the former Frankie Raye wonders if she is falling in love with Galactus.

While on the Skrull throneworld, Empress R'Klll chastises her subordinates for failing to activate the cloaking effect that has previously been used to hide their world from Galactus in the past. However, one of her aides tells her that there was no hiding their planet from Nova, who seemed to know where their world was despite the energy dampening field that should have cloaked it. R'Klll is joined by her daughter Princess Anelle who asks what is going on. R'Klll informs her that it is the end of their world. Even as she speaks, Galactus arrives on the surface of the Skrull planet. Shrugging off his attackers, Galactus then sinks into the core of the planet, turning into a bubbling cauldron of death that consumes all life and decimates the entire planet. With his hunger sated, Galactus goes into a deep slumber, leaving Nova to collect him up and return him to his ship.

Back on Earth, Johnny Storm had decided that it is time to move out of the Baxter Building and find a place to call his own. He meets up with his friends Julie Angel and Sharon Selleck to try and find an apartment. Along the way, he tells the two girls about his recent battle with Annihilus and how the trip back from the Negative Zone inverted the colors of their uniforms. They meet up with their classmate Norm Tobin who is seeking someone to rent out a loft apartment. After taking a look at it, Johnny is convinced it will make a suitable home for him. After signing the deal they all go to a nearby diner to celebrate with a meal.

While at the Mercy General Hospital, Reed, Sue, and Ben are still in the hospital where Ben's uncle Jake is looking after Alicia and Franklin following their battle with Annihilus. Reed tells Ben that he and Sue are going to look for a new home for themselves and Franklin so that he has a normal life. He also announces that Sue is pregnant again. When Ben asks if this is the end of the Fantastic Four, Reed assures his friend that the team will continue to go on, just without his family living at their headquarters. Ben is happy to hear this news and while Ben goes to check on Alicia, Reed and Sue go to see their son who is recovering from his injuries. Two days later, Sue puts on a disguise and takes a portion of the Fantasti-Car out to Connecticut to begin house hunting for the new home she and her family will share. While Sue is gone, Reed heads off to do his own business to assist the Scarlet Witch in reviving her husband the Vision. However, when the Scarlet Witch leaves Reed alone for a moment, suddenly the alarm goes off. When she goes into the room where the Vision is being stored, she is shocked to find that Reed has gone missing and that something has melted through the outer wall of Avengers Mansion to capture him.

Solicit Synopsis

Only one mortal in the past has ever defeated Galactus, and that is the FF's leader, Mr. Fantastic. But the world devourer has returned, and this time Reed Richards is nowhere to be found!

Notes

Continuity Notes[]

Galactus and Nova were last seen, chronologically in the flashback in New Avengers #40 on pages 11 & 12.
Death makes her appearance here between the events of Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #1–3 where she and the Grandmaster pitted heroes from all over Earth to battle each other, and Secret Wars II #6 where death is briefly destroyed by the Beyonder.
The destruction of the Skrull homeworld is expanded upon during the events of Uncanny X-Men #370 and X-Men (Vol. 2) #90, when time-displaced X-Men try to convince Galactus to spare the Skrulls.
The destruction of the homeworld causes a devastating Skrull civil war, which kills far more than Galactus did. Avengers #259-260, Avengers Annual #14, Fantastic Four Annual #19, and Avengers #261 depict one consequence of the war.
Empress R'Klll was last seen during the trial of the Phoenix in X-Men #137 but a message from her that was sent some time after that trial was seen in Fantastic Four Annual #18. Her daughter Anelle was last seen (chronologically) in the flashback from Young Avengers #10 where she gave birth to her son Dorrek VIII. Both are seemingly killed in this story.
R'Klll mentions a cloaking effect, an energy dampening field that hides their world from Galactus. It was used the last time the Silver Surfer passed through their galaxy in Fantastic Four #48. However, R'Klll's claim that the cloaking effect had hidden the energies of the entire Andromeda Galaxy from Galactus for uncounted millennia would seem to be an exaggeration.
Johnny mentions their battle with Annihilus and the inversion of the FF's costumes. This happened simultaneously in Avengers #233 and last issue.
Sharon mentions her allergy to dairy products. This comes into play in Fantastic Four Annual #17.
Reed, Sue and Ben's appearance in the hospital occurs simultaneously with the events of Thing #2.
This issue announces that Sue and Reed are going to have a second child. Sue became pregnant after a romantic interlude between her and Reed in Fantastic Four #254. The baby will come to term in Fantastic Four #267.
After being seen here in the hospital, Franklin is next seen -- chronologically -- in a flashback from Deadpool (Vol. 3) #35 which takes place after his release from the hospital. He and the Thing encounter the mercenary Deadpool and his ill-fated membership with the Frightful Four.
The events of Fantastic Four Annual #17 take place between the events at the hospital and the before Sue goes off to Connecticut to house hunt. The town that Sue goes to visit is Belle Porte as revealed in Fantastic Four #259. Sharon and Julia are next seen in that story.
H.U.B.E.R.T. is seen repaired here after being destroyed by Franklin back in Fantastic Four #244
The Scarlet Witch appears here between the events of Doctor Strange (Vol. 2) #60 and Fantastic Four #261.
The Vision appears here following the events of Avengers #234. He was rendered inert trying to pass through a null-field in Avengers #233. He next appears in Fantastic Four #261.
The Scarlet Witch mentions that her brother Quicksilver is living with the Inhumans on the moon. This happened in Fantastic Four #240.
She also mentions that their father is the mutant terrorist Magneto. Both Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch were led to believe this in Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4. However unknown to anyone at the time this was part of a long-running deception on the part of the High Evolutionary who experimented on the twins as they were infants. Their real biological parents are really Django and Marya Maximoff as revealed years later in Uncanny Avengers (Vol. 2) #4.
Reed's disappearance here is the work of a group of alien races that have survived the destruction of their homeworlds by Galactus as revealed in Fantastic Four #261.

Publication Notes[]

This issue contains a letters page, Fantastic Four Fan Page. Letters are published from W. Everett Chestnut, Brian Smith, Stephen Gawronski, and Mitchell B. Craig.

Links and References

References