Issue(s): Fantastic Four #8, Fantastic Four #9, Fantastic Four #10
Cover Date: Jun-Aug 97
Title: "The ties that bind" / "Legacy" / "Madmen and prophets"
Credits:
Brandon Choi - Script
Jim Lee - Plot
Brett Booth / Ron Lim - Penciler
Tom McWeeney / Tom McWeeney, Lucian Rizzo, Scott Williams, John Tighe, Mark Irwin, & Sal Regla / Richard Bennett, Mike Miller, & Homage Studios - Inker
Mike Heisler / Ruben Diaz - Editor

Review/plot:
We're well past the point where you're buying this for the Jim Lee art. He's plotting, but that's it. Also note there are six inkers on issue #9 and then issue #10 has fill-in art by Ron Lim (also with multiple inkers). Basically we're not getting anyone's best here (and we didn't need to kill off Marvel's core characters and farm them out to Wildstorm to get Ron Lim art).

Storywise, the FF meet the Inhumans...

...and it's part of the build-up to the coming of Galactus.

Basically the Terrigen Mists are a byproduct of the seeding of the planet that was done by Galactus' heralds in the early days. The Inhumans are surprised to find other meta-humans on Earth, but that's mitigated by the fact that in this continuity the FF's powers also come from contact with Galactus' cosmic power. Which, as i've said before, is an idea that i kind of like for an adaptation where we don't want to create multiple suspension-of-disbelief points for mainstream viewers. But despite that added wrinkle, even in this alternate universe, a visit with the Inhumans inevitably means a fight with Maximus (who has Moleoid henchmen because, again, everything is connected).

It's not apparent from these issues (or, really, anywhere), but the MCP lists the real Marvel universe Inhumans appearing here. They don't appear in the real Marvel universe books during this time but i'm not sure if any characters ever comment on their absence. Onslaught: Marvel Universe only showed Crystal, not the rest of the Inhumans, sacrificing herself. Fantastic Four #416 did have the Inhumans showing up to join the fight, but the same is true of Fantastic Force (although, hell, they may be in here too and no one noticed or cared).

Also in this issue, a future version of Dr. Doom arrives and gives a time-travel component to his present day self.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: See the note above regarding the listing of the (real) Inhumans in the Characters Appearing. These issues intertwine with Iron Man #7-11. Iron Man appears briefly in these issues, and some of the FF appear in the Iron Man book. At the end of issue #10 here, Dr. Doom gets a component from a future version of himself that will lead into the crossover finale. Doom has a functional time machine in Iron Man #11 (actually it's damaged in that issue, causing it to briefly send Iron Man and Dr. Doom through time), but that doesn't mean that the event here has to take place first, (i.e. the component Doom receives here isn't necessarily what makes it possible to work at all). In the end it doesn't matter that much; both books are happening roughly at the same time, with some overlap between characters. I guess it's noteworthy that even in this small pocket universe, with two books nominally managed by the same creator, the chronological appearances of the characters isn't all that worked out.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A