Fantastic Force #8 — Nick Peron

Jan 17

Jan 17 Fantastic Force #8

Atlantis Rising Part Two: Cruel and Inhuman Punishment"

IMG 2020 20 01 17 16 01 29 kw5zk.png — Credits

Story continued from Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #1...

Believing that their home of Attilan has been destroyed on the Moon, the Crimson Cadre has arrived on the Hawaiian Islands on Earth to unleash an Atmo-Gun weapon to wipe out humanity, as they are being blamed for the apparent destruction of Attilan. After fighting off the authorities who arrive at the scene, the Cadre then sets up the Atmo-Gun and unleashes it upon an unsuspecting island, sending people fleeing the device in droves. At that very moment the Inhuman Genetic Council is holding private council on the recently arisen island of Atlantis. They have come to believe that an alliance with Morgan le Fay would be a wasted effort and that she is too powerful since taking control of the thunder god Thor. When viewing the actions of the Crimson Cadre, they are delighted as the attack there will divert attentions away from their activities on Atlantis. As events are unfolding Lord Arcadus muses over the changing status quo among the Inhumans and plans to use this situation to obtain control of the rogue Devlor once and for all.

Meanwhile in New York City, Lyja is returning to the loft owned by Fantastic Force after her dinner date with the Human Torch while disguised as Laura Green. She arrives to see Fantastic Force at the alert. Franklin tells her that Attilan is one the verge of collapse while Atlantis has been risen from the ocean floor causing massive ecological disasters. When reviewing the super-human attack on Hawaii, Devlor recognizes the warriors as the Crimson Cadre, legendary military heroes of the Inhumans. Psi-Lord tells his teammates that Attilan takes a higher priority as it will save thousands of endangered lives. However before they can mobilize they are telepathically contacted by Nathaniel Richards who tells them that rescuing Attilan is not an issue anymore, explaining that the Fantastic Four are dealing with that crisis. With that issue averted, Franklin activates his Psycho-Armor and has Huntara open a portal to Hawaii.

Meanwhile in the Korean District of Manhattan, N'Kano is at the church where a private funeral service is being held for the young gang member he accidentally killed during his battle with the Sons of Sinanju. Vibraxus reveals himself to the parents of his victim and throws himself at their mercy. While the father is harsh and walks out after dismissing N'Kano, his wife tells the hero that their older son was killed in gang violence as well, driving their younger child into a life of crime as well. She then tells Vibraxas that he is still a hero, and that her son's death was a mercy, if it hadn't been Vibraxas who killed him it would have been someone else. This statement comes as a shock to Vibraxas.

At that very moment, Psi-Lord, Huntara, Devlor, and Lyja arrive in Hawaii and engage the Crimson Cadre one-on-one. During the course of the battle, Devlor begins to feel odd. As his friends begin to lose ground against their foes he finds it harder to think or see straight and is forced to flee the battle. Having fled the battle, Devlor chastises himself for being so cowardly and wishes he was never born. His thoughts are interrupted by the mental projection of Lord Arcadus. He tells Devlor that he has much to tell the youth, and that he is Devlor's only chance for salvation. Back on the battle field, Franklin realizes that they are outgunned and out numbered. Changing strategy, Psi-Lord has Lyja and Huntara lure the members of the Crimson Cadre closer to the Atmo-Gun. Once close enough, Franklin uses his powers to divert the output of the device to create an energy cage to trap their foes in an impenetrable Negative Zone Barrier around their foes. Fearing that Franklin will turn over the Atmo-Gun to his grandfather, Huntara destroys the weapon. It's at this moment that Lyja notices that Devlor has gone missing.

Not far away, the increasingly confused Devlor listens to Lord Arcadus who claims that Devlor's unique DNA will allow the Inhumans break free from a future of genetic stagnation and tells the boy to surrender to him. Soon the effects of the Atmo-Gun wear off and Devlor can think straight again. He refuses to help Arcadus, who tells the boy he can be patient and dissipates his projection. Devlor rejoins the team and apologizes for abandoning them, but Franklin was convinced that the Atmo-Gun was wreaked havoc on his biology. Returning to their Loft in Soho, the members of Fantastic Force find Vibraxas and reporter Paul Alvarez waiting for them. Alvarez explains that he has made a personal call on the team after playing telephone tag with Franklin for days. When Huntara tells Paul he should find someone else to play "tag" with, this fits with Alvarez who is now convinced that Huntara is his long lost sister.

This story continues in Fantastic Four #401…

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Force (Psi-Lord, Huntara, Vibraxas, Devlor), Lyja, Paul Alvarez, Nathaniel Richards, Inhuman Genetic Council (Lord Arcadius, Targon, Sapphiras, Cynas, Furgar, Porcal), Crimson Cadre (General Ator, Pulssus, Margoyle, Rootar, Eelak, Glaboo)

Continuity Notes

Part of the Atlantis Rising event, this story takes place during the events of Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #1. In that story Atlantis is risen from the ocean floor by Morgan le Fay; Nathaniel Richards accidentally sets off the Watcher's defenses threatening Attilan; The Genetic Council abandons their society to strike an alliance with Morgan; the Crimson Cadre came to Earth to destroy the human race; and the Fantastic Four save Attilan by shrinking it down to size and removing it from the moon.

The Crimson Cadre is using an Atmo-Gun based on the design originally created by Maximus back in Fantastic Four #47-48.

The footage of Morgan le Fay seen on the Genetic Council's monitors shows her with a mutated Triton and Bloodwraith. These images depict events that happened in Namor the Sub-Mariner #60-62.

Lyja mentions going on a date with Johnny as Laura Green. That date was depicted in Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #1. Following the dissolution of Lyja and Johnny's relationship in Fantastic Four #392, Lyja has been posing as Laura Green to be close to Johnny.

The teenage Franklin seen here was delivered to the modern age by Nathaniel Richards from Earth-6311 to replace his Earth-616 counterpart. This occurred in Fantastic Four #376. Although everyone reacts as though this is Earth-616's Franklin all grown up, the young Franklin is returned in Fantastic Four #413. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #14 confirms that they are separate entities. Franklin believes that his mission was to stop the Dark Raider from destroying the Fantastic Four as explained in Fantastic Four #387, however this is part of a larger scheme to stop Hyperstorm that is not realized until Fantastic Four #414.

The young man killed by Vibraxas was accidental while he and Fantastic Four were trying to stop a gang war in Fantastic Force #6.

The Genetic Council has been trying to reclaim Devlor since Fantastic Force #4.

Franklin erects a Negative Zone Barrier around the Crimson Cadre. This is similar to the one that Maximus erected around Attilan from Fantastic Four #50-59.

Paul Alvarez has been trying to get a hold of Franklin since Fantastic Force #6 to share information on the supposed resurrection of Doctor Doom (Doom was believed to be dead at the time of this story, per Fantastic Four #381) Alvarez has suspected that Huntara might be his long lost sister since Fantastic Force #3, this possibility is expanded upon in next issue but is left ambiguous. This is a plot that has not been resolved as Fantastic Force was cancelled shortly after this issue.