Issue(s): Power Pack #16, Power Pack #17
Cover Date: Nov-Dec 85
Title: "The kid who fell to Earth" / "Snark attack!"
Credits:
Louise Simonson - Writer
June Brigman & Bob Wiacek - Penciler
Bob Wiacek - Inker
Rosemary McCormick-Lowy - Assistant Editor
Carl Potts - Editor

Review/plot:
Over the years there have been a lot of demonstrations of Franklin Richard's potential power levels, to the point where in some stories he was used as a deus ex machina device, but of course having an ominipotent four year old isn't a tenable situation and Marvel characters age very slowly, to say the least. But i first became aware of Franklin's true abilities when i read Fantastic Four #277 in real-time, so it was pretty exciting to see his abilities manifest as precognitive dreams, and to see him join Power Pack, which he does in these issues. These issues also introduce Power Pack's "cousin" (through Byrel Whitemane, who adopted Power Pack as grandchildren in issue #4), Kofi.

He's a teleporter.

Kofi of a similar age to his cousins, and he's learned about a Snark plan involving Power Pack. Kofi doesn't learn all the details, but we do: having learned that a Kymellian was able to transfer powers to humans, Snark Queen Maraud would like to steal their powers. She sends her son, a "High Snark" named Jakal, to capture the children. Kofi travels to earth in his smartship Data to warn his cousins, but Jakal ambushes him and destroys Data.

Franklin is aware of all this thanks to his dreams, and he acts it out with his Star Wars toys (which, reading in realtime, was also *awesome*).

He knows he'll run into them at Central Park during an outing with Jarvis, but he's afraid to get involved. He does, however, and he leads them to the injured Kofi. Jarvis is oblivious to this, but the real people to blame here are Franklin's parents. You might say that Jarvis should be more diligent about watching after a kid that is such a likely target for super-villain kidnappings, but shouldn't the FF hire a bodyguard or build a defense robot or something? Relying on the Avengers' butler? Really?

Anyway, when the kids find the injured Kofi, he tells them that he's here to save them, with deliberate irony. But Jakal is also laying in wait, and the Pack soon learn why he's a High Snark.

They do manage to escape (Jakal notes that Power Pack's mastery of their powers is much greater than Kymellian children), and the team hides Kofi and Franklin in their closet, explicitly referencing E.T. ("Those kids had a bigger closet!").

After dinner, the stowaways are retrieved, and that's when Power Pack learn who their new friend is.

The plan is to scavenge Data for a communicator so that Power Pack can call their own smartship, Friday (Power Pack's in-costume communicators were destroyed when they washed their costumes after their sewer adventure).

Things go relatively well, but Katie is jealous of the attention that Franklin is getting and she's been starting fights with him.

This causes her to doubt his precognitive abilities, so she ignores his warnings and attracts Jakal's attention.

I don't know that contacting Friday was going to do all that much good anyway; she is nowhere near as armed as Jakal. This was going to end in a fight no matter what.

Katie and Franklin's fighting is realistically annoying, but not annoyingly realistic, if that makes sense, and they do learn to work together to take out Jakal.

Jakal is wrapped in neuro-fibers and deposited in the Arctic next to Snake-Eyes. I love the idea that Power Pack is using the Arctic as their Arkham Asylum.

Franklin is offered membership in Power Pack and given a uniform at the end of this arc. He accepts Katie's sarcastic super-hero name "Tattletale".

Franklin is effectively kicked out of the Fantastic Four book and transferred to the cast of Power Pack here. He won't appear in the FF again until issue #296.

As has been the case so far, Simonson delivers great characterization in addition to a great action story. Kofi gets a nice character arc as he works through some self-doubts, and the Franklin/Katie rivalry is handled well, if you consider that they are 4 and 5 years old. Add to that June Brigman's really nice art. These are, however, Brigman's last issues on the book (and note that Wiacek is given co-penciling credits). Brigman was a big part of the magic of the initial Power Pack series, so it's a shame to see her go, but she ends on a high note.

Quality Rating: B+

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - Franklin Richards joins Power Pack as "Tattletale". 1st Kofi & Jakal

Chronological Placement Considerations: Franklin Richards tells Koffi that both the Fantastic Four and the 'vengers are "gone". I've placed this near the crossover between the two teams in this year's annuals.

References:

• Franklin mentions that his building was launched into space, which happened in Fantastic Four #278-279 (no footnote).
  
• Power Pack's communicators were ruined when they washed their costumes in the washing machine in Power Pack #11.
  
• Jakal has a "sweeper ray" that is similar to the tractor beam that the team was able to escape in Power Pack #1, except it's keyed to their powers and therefore impossible to escape. Kofi, however, was able to teleport out and disrupt the controls.
  
• Franklin had a precognitive dream about Power Pack in Fantastic Four #282.
  
• Snake-Eyes was dropped off in the arctic in Power Pack #10.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The title to #16 is a reference to the 1976 David Bowie film.

And/or the 1963 novel by Walter Tevis.

The scan of the fight in Central Park appears twice.

Thanks Andrew. I've removed the duplicate.