Fantastic Four #643

Back in Blue: Part 3

As the invasion of Earth begins, the Quiet Man gloats, some more. Around the world, he says, portals have opened and are spewing forth monsters. Around the world, superheroes are fighting, and no-one can possibly stop him.

Reed Richards regards this news with relief. The Quiet Man is surprised, explaining that Reed is his prisoner. Reed draws his attention to the '4' logo on his shirt. If pressed, it will send a signal to his family, alerting them that he is alive - and while his arms may be pinioned, his ductile chest is relatively free. It will also send a signal to his equipment - specifically, the disruptors he made in his lab and scattered everywhere between his workstation and "John Eden"'s office. On queue, every piece of company tech, from robots to lights, explosively overclocks, letting Reed free himself. His captor may have earned the name "the Quiet Man", but over the last decade-and-change, Reed has more than earned the moniker "Mister Fantastic". The Quiet Man, acknowledging this, teleports himself and his Avengers away to strike again.

In the lab, the Wizard is surprised that the Avengers are gone. Bentley apologizes for the double-cross and asks his father to escape now. The Wizard thinks it is a trick but soon realizes that Bentley means it. Before he goes, he tells Bentley that the boy is showing him what he could not do because he did not have the support structure that Bentley has.

In New York, the Hulk, the Thing, Captain America, and Spider-Man are in the think of the invasion and wonder when Jim Hammond's plan is going to come through for them. At the Baxter Building, Hammond is introducing Susan Richards and Namor to Avengers Initiative Reservist Rick Sheridan - alias Sleepwalker. Sheridan seems up to speed on the nature of the threat - the monsters are being spawned from the superhuman imagination of Franklin Richards, and they want him to fix it - but he thinks he can't, as he explains: he has no power, he is only the current anchor for a 'dream policeman' called Sleepwalker. Sleepwalker can only be active when he is dreaming, and he can only be active when Sleepwalker goes dormant. The two had many adventures and interacted with a surprisingly large number of superheroes... until Rick Sheridan's girlfriend died. The loss hit him hard, affecting his motivation, and, crucially, his ability to dream. Half-heartedly, he offers to see if sleep can help them.

Johnny Storm and his friend Wyatt Wingfoot come in, preparing to guard the bodies of everyone else while they journey through the dreamscape. Rick says it will be difficult, especially since Franklin is not here. Susan Richards says that the fact that so many members of her family are missing is a worry to her, but she must go on, to find them. As if to answer her faith, Reed Richards walks through the door... and seconds later, so do the Future Foundation kids.

In the city, the Thing's group is fighting the monsters to a standstill, but they are hoping for the arrival of the Avengers. Alex Power and Dragon Man arrive to bolster them, but may not be enough... especially when the Quiet Man's false Avengers come onto the scene!

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Future Foundation (Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Alex Power, Dragon Man, Bentley-23, Onome, Wu, Vil, Mik, Turg, Leech, Artie Maddicks), Wizard, Invaders (Captain America, Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Redwing), Doc Green, Spider-Man, Rick Sheridan, Wyatt Wingfoot, Quiet Man, Counter-Earth Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wonder Man, Hawkeye, Hellcat, Swordsman, Hulk, Scarlet Witch), MI-13 (Captain Britain, Gloriana, Spitfire, Union Jack), Destroyer, Sunfire, Radiance, Silver Samurai, Sabre, Alpha Flight (Guardian, Vindicator, Snowbird, Aurora, Puck, Talisman), Winter Guard (Red Guardian, Darkstar, Ursa Major), Spectra

Continuity Notes

• Rick Sheridan goes over the origins of Sleepwalker the various flashbacks are from:

  • Sleepwalker's origin from Sleepwalker #1.

  • Sleepwalker fighting alongside Deathlok is from Sleepwalker #8

  • Sleepwalker fighting alongside Darkhawk is from Sleepwalker #17

  • Sleepwalkers battle against Nightmare is from Sleepwalker #12

  • Sleepwalker saving the world happened in Sleepwalker #30-33

  • Rick mentions the death of his girlfriend Alyssa Conover which happened in Ms. Marvel Vol 2 #19.

  • The image of Sleepwalker fighting alongside Spider-Man could be one of many. They first teamed up in Sleepwalker #5.