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Fantastic Four annual #25Issue(s): Fantastic Four annual #25 Review/plot: Dr. Druid and "Nebula" try to go to the Fantastic Four for help against Kang. Of course, the last time the FF saw these two, they were bad guys, so the initial encounter isn't friendly. ![]() It's here for the first time that it's confirmed that this Nebula isn't the real one. ![]() The FF eventually listen to their story and agree to help. Mr. Fantastic notes that parts of his Rosebud time sled, in addition to other equipment of his, was bought from Timely Industries, the same as the Vision found about parts inside him in part one of this story. Meanwhile, the Avengers decide to stop sending their members one by one to see what happened to them, and they go as a group. ![]() ![]() Holy god, the art. ![]() The teams both wind up traveling the timestream, fighting pteranodons and Punisher gangs (like from the Guardians of the Galaxy series) before running into each other. The presence of Nebula, or "Temptress" now, sows distrust, so we have a Misunderstanding Fight. ![]() That's some rump on the Black Knight. At least Herb Trimpe gives equal time to the guys and ladies, i guess. But still, the art. ![]() Dr. Druid manages to defuse the fight, but then Kang shows up with a team of Anachronauts, and that's where this chapter ends. ![]() One back-up story shows the Thing and Franklin Richards playing video games. ![]() I want to play Pac-Murderers. Another has Mantis reaching out to Moondragon for help. And not because her leg is swelling up and about to explode. ![]() I'm kind of addled by the artwork so i'm not sure what the story is about. ![]() Or more to the point, there is no story. Mantis wanted help getting her son back from the Cotati. But since they don't get along, Moondragon only agreed to help if Mantis could defeat her in combat. And Moondragon wins, and then, even though Moondragon agrees to help anyway, Mantis says that pride dictates that she can no longer accept her help. Just shoot me. Quality Rating: D Chronological Placement Considerations: This is part three of Citizen Kang. Part four is in Avengers annual #21. We can assume the Franklin Richards back-up takes place before the main story. Note that Hercules has a beard in this story, placing this crossover before Avengers #350. References:
Crossover: Citizen Kang Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: N/A Inbound References (1): showCharacters Appearing: Apocryphus, Black Knight (Dane Whitman), Black Widow, Crystal, Deathunt 9000, Dr. Druid, Franklin Richards, Hercules, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Kang, Mantis, Moondragon, Mr. Fantastic, Raa, Sersi, Sir Raston, Sssith, Thing, Tyndar, Wildrun CommentsThat picture of Hercules holding the car - did someone shrink his head? Posted by: Joe | April 19, 2016 12:50 PM Of course they did. How do you think the rest of his body gained in mass?;) Posted by: clyde | April 19, 2016 12:54 PM Did the Avengers forget to update Thor's I.D. photo or something? Posted by: AF | April 19, 2016 12:58 PM Why, Trimpe, why? Posted by: Bob | April 19, 2016 4:51 PM The story is awful, but I love the composition of this team Anachronauts: a Red Wolf, a Black Knight, a snake man, a Bloodstone ... (at least, that's what they looked like by the final splash page ...) Posted by: Midnighter | April 19, 2016 4:53 PM I can't tell if Trimpe feels it necessary to copy Rob Liefeld or if he is parodying him. I hate the Liefeld art style. Posted by: OptimusFan | April 19, 2016 5:19 PM Trimpe ruined his own art in the hope of making it popular. In 1995 he wrote, "I'm beginning to hate drawing comics. It becomes harder and harder to compete with the new creative 'stars.' [Emphasis Trimpe's] Experience doesn't seem to matter." Marvel fired him the following year. Let that be a lesson to us all. Posted by: Oliver_C | April 19, 2016 5:31 PM If you think Trimpe's art here is bad... just wait til '93 when Tom Grindberg starts showing up in lots of books. Posted by: AF | April 19, 2016 6:04 PM @AF- apparently they also forgot to update Vision's. Posted by: Michael | April 19, 2016 8:19 PM Avengers Advance? Is that the new rallying cry once they're already assembled? Posted by: Erik Beck | April 29, 2016 11:37 AM I am much more fond of Herb Trimpe's 1990s work than most others, but even so I have to admit that some of the penciling he did in this particular annual left me going "Ehhhhhhhhh..." I've never been able to figure out how the back-up story with Mantis is supposed to fit into the character's chronology. The last we saw of Mantis, in FF #325, she left her body to pursue the Cotati into the realm of pure thought (or something) in an effort to rescue her son. But here she's back in the physical universe in this story without any explanation, at least as far as I recall. I don't think this was story ever followed up on. Granted, it is pretty inconsequential, so I can understand why Steve Englehart declined to address it in his Avengers: Celestial Quest miniseries. Anyone know who this Sonja Ratcliffe is? I haven't found any other credits for that name. Leads me to guess that it might be a pseudonym. Posted by: Ben Herman | September 1, 2016 3:44 PM Fnord, Ben Herman's point about this back-up story not fitting with Mantis' chronology reminds me that with the Crossing coming up, this may not be Mantis but her Space Phantom's first appearance. When you get to those issues, you may want to consider this point, since this story only works(if at all) as part of the set-up for the Crossing. Also, Sonja Ratcliffe did a Marvel Age text article. I found a credit for the Marvel Age X-Men Anniversary issue. I don't think she wrote much more if any, but she seems to be real. Posted by: Brian C. Saunders | November 24, 2017 5:18 AM @Brian Saunders- in Celestial Quest, it was explained that Mantis was split into several different aspects of herself. I think we're supposed to assume that this is one of her pieces. Posted by: Michael | November 24, 2017 8:50 AM Marvel fired Trimpe in 1996? Truly shocking; he had worked there since the 1960s. According to Wiki, "When Marvel went bankrupt in the mid-1990s, Trimpe attended Empire State College, Hudson Valley Center, graduating with a bachelor's degree in Arts in 1997.[32] He went on to a master's degree program at SUNY New Paltz.[14] Beginning September 8, 1999, he taught art for two years at Eldred Central School in Sullivan County, New York.[33]" He went back to work for Dark Horse and Marvel(!) in 2008, attended at least one more comic con, and passed away in 2015. I liked Trimpe's art okay. It's hard to imagine him being fired from Marvel-- I must've been very busy, or how did I not know that? I didn't hate his Hulk, and I guess I liked him better swiping Kirby's style than Liefeld's. Never liked Liefeld much, but at least his own work had some sincerity to it that his imitators seemed to lack. Moral of the story? Swipe from the best or don't swipe at all? Posted by: Holt | November 24, 2017 11:56 AM @Michael - That's as good an explanation for Mantis' appearance here as anything else. Posted by: Ben Herman | November 24, 2017 2:03 PM Comments are now closed. |
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