My Rating
“The Secret Of Franklin Richards”
In space, no one can hear you scream…or see invisible asteroids rocketing towards Earth. Well, accept one Omega-level teenager meditating at a farmhouse in Benson, Arizona. Tonight is the one night of the year in which Franklin Richards allows himself to unlock his godlike powers to explore the universe in full detail. This time, however, Franklin was shocked to discover that his omnipresent view of space-time is fallible.
Multiple planet-killing asteroids were set on a direct collision course with Earth. At first Franklin detected nothing as some strange energy had been used to cloak the spheroids to various forms of detection equipment. They were simply invisible. To add to the mystery, the trajectory of the asteroids had somehow been altered by the same energy to target the very city in which Franklin and his family now live. Using his full powers, the son of Reed and Susan Richards alters the course of each individual threat by a few degrees, allowing them to simply pass by Earth’s atmosphere unnoticed.
A few hours later, as Franklin Richards begins restores the various mental blocks holding his powers at bay, something sinister begins to unfold in the night’s sky. Someone, or something, begins to shift the asteroids back into alignment with Earth. In the morning the first impact event would be felt throughout the city of Benson.
Will Franklin Richards choose the world of omnipotent immortality over friends and family? Do the Fantastic Four have enough power to stop multiple Chicxulub event sized asteroids from destroying Earth as we know it? Why didn’t Susan wake her daughter Alecia for the Apocalypse? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
It’s the return of reality warping Franklin Richards and his backstory! To be honest, this has been covered a few times in older issues of the Fantastic Four, but it’s a nice refresher for newer fans of the series who may not know of his crazy power levels. Other than that, the story revolves around the Fantastic Four and their attempt to stop a global disaster. Sorry Avengers, you will have to sit this one out. We need the science guys!
I love how Ryan North continues to push the envelope on how the team uses their powers. Reed has started extending his eyes to form binoculars and microscopes. Gross! Susan can now create fully functioning pack animals with her forcefield powers. Cute!
Overall, the story is basic at its core. There are some 1980’s video game references that made me laugh, but I must give this issue three out of five stars. Back in my day we walked up hill both ways to the arcade! We got 21 bit graphics and we liked it!
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