Issue(s): Fantastic Four Unlimited #2
Cover Date: Jun 93
Title: "Pope must die!"
Credits:
Roy Thomas - Writer
Herb Trimpe - Penciler
Mike DeCarlo - Inker
Mike Rockwitz - Editor

Review/plot:
This follows up on elements introduced by Ann Nocenti in her Inhumans Graphic Novel and the follow-up stories in Daredevil. In those stories, Black Bolt and Medusa had a child named Ahura, aka Pope, against the wishes of an Inhuman Genetic Council. This story starts with Ahura being chased by a new Inhuman Seeker (twin sibling of the first) and some of the "evil" Inhumans (along with some new ones).

They catch up with Ahura at an event where Reed Richards is announcing the sponsorship of an inner city "enterprise zone"...

...and the Inhumans mix up Franklin Richards with Ahura.

As you can see from the above image, the Invisible Woman's spine is hopelessly twisted during the battle and... oh no, that's just more bad art from Herb Trimpe, sorry.

When the Inhumans realize their mistake, the Seeker tries to convince the FF that what they're doing is right, that they're just trying to capture Ahura on the Genetic Council's orders. But the FF aren't exactly sympathetic to that.

Meanwhile, Ahura has been living with an adoptive mother and father named Verna and Norm. The Inhuman Royal Family show up to take him back, and Ahura recognizes Medusa even though he was a baby when he last saw her. Then the Seeker and his Inhumans show up to attack.

Medusa escapes and brings Ahura to the FF for safekeeping. Ahura hides in Franklin's room while the Seeker's Inhumans attack, but then Triton shows up and explains that Black Bolt really intends to bring Ahura back to the Council. Apparently the Council just wants to find out how Ahura got mixed up with the humans in the Daredevil run. He gets Ahura to agree to go.

The Council rules that the rest of the Royal Family is remanded to Black Bolt's supervision as their (lax) punishment for breaking the law in trying to protect Ahura. But the Council also rules that Ahura be kept by the Council for an "indeterminate period", with all visiting rights suspended.

The FF sneak around in Attilan and discover that the Council are planning to depose Black Bolt. And the Chief Justice of the council has stolen Ahura's evil eye power.

And of course we couldn't go an entire Inhumans story without Maximus getting involved.

At least he's not the main bad guy. I think. I admit i've kind of lost my grasp on the plot at this point.

It's hard to pay attention with all this awful art.

The end result is that the Chief Justice is defeated and the draconian genetics policy is lifted. Black Bolt is offered the throne again, but he declines it and instead goes to Earth with the rest of the Royal Family, leaving Attilan without their traditional monarchy.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: As with last issue, the Thing's face is unscarred but the Invisible Woman is in her new costume. And i'm making the same assumption as last issue, which is that the Thing is using an image inducer to hide his face. The Inhuman Royal Family go to Earth in this story, so this should take place after Fantastic Four #371-375, when they are shown to still be on the moon.

Note that Aireo seems to be among the "evil" Inhumans (most clearly in the scene where they show up at Verna and Norm's). But Aireo has joined the Forces of Nature with a new costume and a new name, Skybreaker, as seen in issues of New Warriors. The last we saw of the Forces, they were driven half-insane by war circa New Warriors #29-30, where they tried to take over Trans-Sabal. The New Warriors defeated the Elements, and we'll next see them in New Warriors #36 as part of a Vault riot. It doesn't make a ton of sense for Aireo to appear here in the meantime, and the MCP simply ignores his appearance (if we can have two Seekers and multiple Centaur-Inhumans, i suppose we can have two guys in the Aireo costume). But it's possible that he escaped and tried to hook up with the Inhumans again, and he was recaptured in time for New Warriors #36 (basically the same scenario we're going to have to accept for Water Wizard/Aqueduct and Firebrand, who appear in Captain America between the same New Warriors appearances). So i've listed him.

References:

• Ahura first appeared in the Inhumans Graphic Novel.
  
• Ahura "grew quickly -- very quickly" and was later seen circa Daredevil #279 with an "evil eye power" that could kill sheep.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A