Black Bolt - - Berserk!

With his antenna smashed Black Bolt, ruler of the Inhumans, is going crazy. Thinking his family members are strange alien creatures trying to do him harm, Black Bolt flees across the Colorado wilderness. When Medusa, Ahura and Karnak catch up and try to subdue Black Bolt, he knocks them all out with a single blast. Shortly thereafter the Fantastic Four arrive aboard their ship the Stealth-Hawk, at a speed that Mister Fantastic finds amazing. Both Reed and Ben are interrupted by Sue who tells them that their guest has awoken. Going to the med-bay, Reed and Sue ask for more information on why Black Bolt is going insane. Gorgon explains that his king was injured during a recent battle which caused damage to the tuning fork on his brow. They have not been able to complete repairs and the damage is slowing driving Black Bolt insane. Reed realizes how serious this is, as if Black Bolt's sanity were to erode to a point where he forgets to keep his voice in check, he can cause untold damage. They quickly land the Stealth-Hawk near Hoover Dam and upon investigating the cave the Inhumans have been calling home, they find it in shambles. They all agree to split up in order to find Black Bolt faster. As the others depart, Gorgon makes mention of the dynamic changes to the team during Reed's absence and comments on how Reed must be proud. Reed is, but does little to hide his unease about the concept.

The Human Torch flies over the area and his thought turn to Reed and Sue's relationship in light of recent trials. He hopes that Sue's ability to take command of the team won't sour their relationship. However, Johnny is convinced that his sister and brother-in-law are destined to stay together and reflects on all of his own past relationships. Johnny's thoughts are cut off when he finds the unconscious bodies of Medusa, Karnak and Ahura. Elsewhere near the dam, Reed is able to locate Black Bolt and give him chase. When he tries to stop Bolt, he fights back, even the addition of Gorgon's hoof stomps, Black Bolt is still at the advantage despite his fractured mind.

While back at the Four Freedoms Plaza, Nathaniel Richards and Lyja are making the painstaking effort of removing all the transmitter receptors that Nathaniel planted all over the Four Freedoms while he was in control of Latveria, lest the newly revived Doctor Doom take advantage of them himself. When Lyja begins to argue with Nathaniel over the secrets he's keeping from the rest of the Fantastic Four, he tells her to keep it down so as not to argue in front of Kristoff and Cassie. Once the adults are gone, Kristoff brings up their encounter with Cassie's classmate and his secret. Kristoff suggests they find him and confront him about the problem. This suggestion upsets Cassie who points out that Donald is scared enough as it is, she storms off commenting that for someone who is so brilliant, Kristoff is terrible at reading children.

Back in Colorado the Fantastic Four and the Inhuman royal family continue to try and subdue Black Bolt but in vein. Bolt manages to fight off the Torch, Medusa, and Karnak. But when he runs afoul of Sue's invisible force field, it leaves him open to attack from behind by the Sub-Mariner. However, Bolt manages to send Namor sailing into the nearby dam with a single punch, causing a massive leak. Ben then steps in to pit his strength against Black Bolt as well. Ben manages to overpower Black Bolt, sending him to the ground with a punch. He revives as the others gather around him and still seeing those around him as strange creatures, Black Bolt screams. The resulting shout sends everyone flying as well as severely compromising the structural integrity of Hoover Dam. With the dam about to burst, Sue holds it back with her invisible force powers and tells the others to get to the Stealth-Hawk. Although Namor protests and refuses to leave her side, his ability to fly is much needed in order to get everyone out in time. After Namor and the others get to safety, he flies back for Sue, telling Reed that he promises to bring her back safe, but not for Reed's sake, but his own. Down below, Sue begins to lose to the tremendous pressure, but the Sub-Mariner manages to swoop in and rescue her before the dam bursts and floods the area.

At first everyone thinks they were both lost in the torrent of water but are relieved when Namor arrives with Sue safely in his arms. Later as the Stealth-Hawk flies back toward New York City, Reed is disturbed by the fact that Namor has not left his unconscious wife's side since they boarded the ship and wonders if this is devotion or something deeper and how it may impact his marriage to Sue.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Inhumans (Black Bolt, Medusa, Gorgon, Karnak, Ahura), Sub-Mariner, Psi-Lord, Lyja, Nathaniel Richards, Kristoff Vernard, Cassie Lang

Continuity Notes

• Black Bolt's antenna was damaged battling Thor in Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising #2. The Inhumans failed to have it repaired by Henry Pym in Fantastic Four Unlimited #11.

• Reed is impressed by the Stealth-Hawk, a Skrull ship the Fantastic Four obtained in Fantastic Four #383 shortly after Reed disappeared in Fantastic Four #381.

• Johnny reflects on his past relationships, the images of former girlfriends that appear in his mind's eye are:

  • Doris Evans who Johnny dated from Strange Tales #113-133. She broke up with Johnny in Fantastic Four #45 because she was tired of taking the back seat to his life as a super-hero.

  • Next was the Inhuman named Crystal who Johnny met in Fantastic Four #45 although the pair did not start dating until Fantastic Four #64. Their relationship came to an end when pollution from the outside world forced Crystal to return to Attilan in Fantastic Four #104. Along the way she met and fell in love with Quicksilver in Fantastic Four #131 whom she later married in Fantastic Four #150.

  • Following this was Frankie Raye who Johnny dated on-and-off again in Fantastic Four #164-207 and Fantastic Four #232-244. Johnny and Frankie's relationship ended when she volunteered to become a herald of Galactus.

  • Then, of course, there is Johnny's rather turbulent relationship with Lyja. As explained in Fantastic Four #358 she took the place of Alicia Masters cica Fantastic Four #265 in order to spy on the Fantastic Four for the Skrulls and began pursing a relationship with Johnny. The pair got married in Fantastic Four #300, and she was later exposed in Fantastic Four #357. Johnny attempted to give it a chance with Lyja when she returned to his side in Fantastic Four #374 however he rejected her in Fantastic Four #392 when the egg she claimed was their child turned out to be a Sha'Barri assassin. Unknown to Johnny, Lyja has been posing as his most recent girlfriend Laura Green since Fantastic Four #393.

  • This story omits Johnny's relationship with Lorrie Melton who Johnny briefly dated from Fantastic Four #222-231. She broke up with him because she felt she didn't belong among the Fantastic Four's family dynamic.

• The transmitter receivers were planted around Four Freedoms Plaza after Nathaniel Richards took over Latveria in Fantastic Four #381 when Doctor Doom was believed dead. As revealed in Fantastic Four #406 Doom was actually a prisoner of Hyperstorm the entire time until he escape in Fantastic Four #409.

• Lyja states that Kristoff is Nathaniel Richards son. Nathaniel made this claim in Fantastic Four #395, although this claim has not been substantiated.

• The subplot involving Cassie's friend Donald and his abusive family is cut short and quickly resolved in Fantastic Four #416 in order to tie up loose ends before the Heroes Reborn event.

• Namor's aggressive attempts to woo Sue is due to a long-standing history between the two: Namor was constant competition for Sue's affections since the Torch revived him in Fantastic Four #4. He’s been buzzing around ever since Reed was lost and presumed dead in Fantastic Four #385.