Fantastic Four #346
70 Million Years BC and then Some!
Trapped on an island based on different periods of pre-history, the Fantastic Four and US Army troops under the command of Lieutanant Glazer have come to realize that sections of the island are vanishing in time. With their Time-Sled lost in one of the vanished sections of the island, they quickly realize they must find an alternate means of getting off the island or else they too will fade away into the past. Realizing that the island is comprised of different chronological eras, they realize that time is fleeting before the whole island disappears. They decide that they should head to the beach where they will construct rafts to sail off the island. Along the way, Johnny thinks about their current situation and about how he cannot get thoughts of Nebula out of his mind. He also wonders how, if they get out of this, he will explain this to his wife Alicia.
As a massive raft is being constructed out of nearby trees, Sharon and Ben spend a moment to themselves. Sharon confides in Ben how she loves finally being back in her female form again after months being a She-Thing and how she isn't sure she wants to leave this place if it means becoming a Thing again. Ben is hurt by this, telling her that one doesn't really appreciate what they have until it is lost and walks off to help with the construction again.
As the construction continues they become aware that something big is heading toward them. This turns out to be a Tyrannosaurus Rex. When it comes crashing in on them, Ben -- in his Thing exo-skelleton -- rushes in to battle the giant lizard. When the T-Rex tries to swallow Ben, Reed, Johnny and the others come to his aid by stabbing it in the ankle with some spears. With Ben free from the creature's maw, Sharon throws a spear into one of its arm, angering the massive dinosaur into chasing after her. Sharon then lures it to a nearby cliff where she seemingly jumps with the T-Rex following after her. When Ben rushes to see if she fell to her death, he is relieved to see that she managed to grab hold of a vine hanging off the edge of the cliff. After they pull her to safety, the area beyond the cliff begins to swirl with temporal energies. Realizing another section of the island is about to vanish, the Fantastic Four rush back to where the rafts are being constructed, just narrowly avoiding being shunted away with the section of the island that is disappearing. After this incident, Sharon tells Ben that she would rather live as a Thing than die on this island and decides that she will be leaving with them after all.
The construction of the massive raft is completed just as the volcano on the island begins to erupt. The Fantastic Four and Lt. Glazer's soldiers all climb aboard and paddle out to sea, with Ben pulling them away from shore with his exo-skeleton's great strength. However once they are out far enough they hit some kind of barrier that prevents them from leaving the general area. While Ben tries to smash through it, their raft is attacked by a Kronosaurus. The soldiers use the last of their ammo to kill the creature. Just as it dies, the barrier suddenly gives and they make it across just as the island begins to disappear. Also to their surprise the components of the raft also disappear, leaving the group stranded in the ocean. However Sue is the first to realize that their powers are back and uses her invisibility powers to create an invisible raft for them to ride on. Johnny then flames on and flies off to signal a ship to rescue them. Realizing that she is changing back into a She-Thing, Sharon breaks down in tears, but Ben holds her close telling her that he has a few ideas on how to solve their current problems and will see them through no matter what.
Elsewhere in time and space, the Time Variance Authority reports that the Fantastic Four have been remanded to their proper time period pending a personal appearance before the boards of the TVA.
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing, Ms. Marvel)
Continuity Notes
Johnny is hung up on a woman named Nebula in this story. Some facts...:
In Avengers #291 when she joined the Council of Cross-Time Kangs this woman claimed to be the space pirate known as Nebula.
In reality she is actually Kang's lover Ravonna who was put in a death like coma in Avengers #24. She was later revived by the Grandmaster, as seen in Avengers Annual #21, after Kang gave up the power to save her life to instead try to destroy the Avengers (as seen in Avengers #71). When the Grandmaster revealed the truth, Ravonna decided to get revenge against her lover, developing the Nebula cover to infiltrate the Cross-Time Kangs and get her revenge.
"Nebula" was seemingly destroyed with the Time Bubble in Fantastic Four #341, however in reality she survived and is seen again in Avengers Spotlight #37.
Nebula possessed Johnny's body from Fantastic Four #337-341.
Nebula was seemingly slain when the Time Bubble was destroyed, however she appears again in Avengers Spotlight #37.
Some explanations about why the Alicia Masters situation here is awkward:
On Earth-616, Alicia Masters was the long time girlfriend of Ben Grimm since Fantastic Four #9.
While Ben was on Battleworld in Thing #11-22, it appeared that there was a budding romance between Johnny and Alicia as seen in the pages of Fantastic Four #265-277.
In reality, as later revealed in Fantastic Four #358, the real Alicia on Earth-616 was replaced by the Skrull spy known as Lyja to spy on the Fantastic Four. This happened circa Fantastic Four #265.
"Alicia" later married Johnny in Fantastic Four #300.
Ben meanwhile went on to pursue a relationship with Ms. Marvel since she joined the team in Fantastic Four #307, following her mutation in Fantastic Four #310 into a She-Thing. The two began a relationship in Fantastic Four #317.
It is unclear if the Alicia Masters of Earth-9061 is truly Alicia Masters, or is a Skrull spy like the woman posing as Alicia on Earth-616.
Ms. Marvel mentions how she gave up her femininity because she hated it. Some facts:
Sharon was raped by minions of Karl Malus in Captain America #330-331. This caused her to be afraid of men, which caused problems when she initially joined the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four #307.
Eventually she was mutated into a She-Thing by cosmic rays in Fantastic Four #310
Although she was suicidal at first in Fantastic Four #311, Sharon eventually came to terms with her transformation in Fantastic Four #312. Later she and Ben formed a relationship in Fantastic Four #317, due to the fact that they were both Things.
Ben was restored to human form in Fantastic Four #326, leading to some tension between the two over Ben's comfort being human again, and Sharon's desire to remain a She-Thing.
Ben's promise to Sharon is actually to revert himself back to his Thing form, which he does in Fantastic Four #350.
The Time Variance Authority go after the Fantastic Four again in Fantastic Four #352-354.
