Fantastic Four #160
In One World-- And Out the Other!
Alicia Masters is on the scene where it appears her love the Thing is battling the extra-dimensional being known as Arkon. However, when Alicia gets in the middle of the battle, she is shocked to find that this Thing has a higher vocabulary and does not seem to recognize her. Realizing that Alicia is in danger, this other Thing charges at Arkon, playing into the barbarian kings hand, allowing him to whisk them away with one of his D-Bolts.
Hopping a cab, Alicia has it ride her to the Baxter Building. As the Fantastic Four's jet lands on the roof of the Baxter Building, Alicia rushes upstairs to find that the Fantastic Four had just returned from their trip to the Hidden Land of the Inhumans, and that Ben is among them, safe and sound. Alicia's story confuses the entire team, except for the Thing who recalls a previous adventure where he was transferred to another dimension where he met a Reed Richards who was turned into the Thing. Ben rushes to the communications room and contacts Crystal and Quicksilver at the Hidden Land and asks them if he can borrow Lockjaw. They agree to send the Inhuman's teleportor to him and Ben -- using a scrap of the other Thing's shirt -- asks Lockjaw to take him to the source.
Reed calls Sue and Johnny into a meeting where he introduces them to Albert DeVoor, a man representing a large corporation. Reed explains that their company Fantastic Four Inc. is in need of money and as 50% stake holder in their incorporation he is selling an number of patents over to the company Mr. DeVoor represents, a revelation that shocks the two siblings.
Ben meanwhile appears in another reality with Lockjaw to find that the Inhuman dog has come here to chase after it's local wild life. After a bit of a chase, Ben manages to convince Lockjaw to teleport them to the right dimension. Seeing a castle straight ahead, Ben recognizes it as the one that is owned by that realities Reed Richards. Entering he is attacked by what appears to be an army of movie monsters, however they are in reality only robots. As he fights off the first wave he spots this realities version of Ben and Susan Grimm and goes to their rescue. Saving their lives from a giant mechanical Frankenstein's Monster.
With the threat over, the Thing meets with his counterpart in this reality and explains who he is. He learns that the Grimms were here to thank Reed once more for curing Ben of his stretching and flame powers and that they have no idea that he was captured by Arkon. The Thing learns that this world's Reed had become reclusive after selling out to a company called Inter-Related Technocracies Unlimited.
While back on Ben's home world, Reed stifles any protests that Johnny and Sue have due to the fact that it's Reed's inventions that were keeping them in operation over the years. With the decision made, Reed signs over control of Fantastic Four to Mr. DeVoor's company, Interlocking Technologies Unlimited.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Thing-721, Lockjaw, Alicia Masters, III (Arkon, Albert DeVoor, Susan Grimm-721, Ben Grimm-721), Crystal, Quicksilver
Continuity Notes
The narrative of this story states that it takes place on February 14, 1974. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616.
Earth-A was indexed as Earth-721 in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005.
The cab driver who takes Alicia to the Baxter Building is the same hack who drove Sue way back in Fantastic Four #1. Incidentally, he states that he drove her to the Baxter Building during that ride, which is impossible given the fact that the FF were operating in California during Fantastic Four #1 and they did not start operating out of the Baxter Building in New York until Fantastic Four #3. He states that this incident happened in 1961, this should also be considered a topical reference. The length of time that passed, per the Sliding Timescale between Fantastic Four #1 and this story is about four years of time.
Albert DeVoor mentions Medusa leaving the team. She left the Fantastic Four last issue. She had joined the team in Fantastic Four #132 after Sue had left the team and her husband in Fantastic Four #130. She remained on the team even after Reed and Sue reconciled their marital problems in Fantastic Four #149 and rejoined the team.
