Blastaar!

The Fantastic Four help one of Reed's colleagues, Professor Randolph James, tackle a life-threatening emergency in the scientist's home laboratory, unaware that back at the Baxter Building a being of tremendous power has blasted his way through the portal to the Negative Zone. Reed having received a Priority One signal on his belt buckle, the Fantastic Four are soon heading back to their headquarters in the Fantasticar, leaving James to deal with the unwelcome arrival of some street punks intent on robbing him of his money.

Johnny races ahead of the rest of the team and on trying to enter the building is repulsed by a tremendous force, but luckily Sue catches him with one of her force fields. The Fantastic Four land on the roof of their headquarters and Reed investigates the intrusion only to be knocked unconscious by a blow from Blastaar the Living Bomburst! Sue repels the villain with a force field, and Ben wraps him up in with a roll of metal casing, but their foe works his way free, and Sue and Reed have another go at containing Blastaar, but fail. Ben catches Blastaar off guard and, as the villain prepares to use his explosive powers on the Thing, HERBIE opens a window through which Johnny is able to propel the villain with a fiery blast.

The Fantastic Four investigate at street level, but Blastaar has already blasted through the ground and made his escape into the sewers below. As Reed contacts the Avengers to warn them of the threat from the Negative Zone, Randolph telephones Reed asking for his help. He has been badly beaten by the three punks and is in a lot of pain, so Reed promises to make his way to James' house as soon as possible.

While waiting for Reed, James eyes his prototype Evolutionary Accelerator with the intention of using it to heal his injuries. By the time Reed arrives, James has undergone an amazing transformation, having been super-evolved into a being of God-like power. As James' assailants return to finish off what they started, he transforms them into three harmless mice with but a mere thought.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Randolph James, Blastaar, HERBIE (possessed by Doctor Sun), Captain America, Vision

Continuity Notes

• Reed makes mention that he, Sue and Ben had their ages regressed and they are much younger than before as a result of being exposed to a Skrull aging ray last issue.

• HERBIE is betraying the Fantastic Four due to the fact that, unknown to them, he is possessed by Doctor Sun, as revealed in Fantastic Four #217.