Fantastic Four: 1234
Encyclopedia
Fantastic Four: 1234 is a four-issue comic book
limited series
featuring the Fantastic Four
, written by Grant Morrison
and illustrated by Jae Lee
and published by Marvel Comics
under the Marvel Knights
imprint
.
tries (and fails) to reconnect with his past on Yancy Street, the Invisible Woman
and the Human Torch bicker with each other and Mister Fantastic
withdraws to his lab to do some thinking without interruption. When the Thing attempts to gain Mister Fantastic's attention, he himself is distracted by a partially dismantled Doombot that Doctor Doom
is using to transmit his voice. The Thing is tempted to try on one of the Doombot's gauntlets and is thereby teleported to Doom's castle in Latveria
. Here, Doctor Doom reveals a secret about his appearance that shakes the Thing deeply. In his confused state, the Thing is convinced to walk through a time machine in order to restore his original, human form. The process is a success, but the Thing (now simply Ben Grimm) finds himself back in New York where nobody recognizes him and he is denied entry to the Baxter Building
. He is then knocked over and badly injured by a hit-and-run driver.
The Invisible Woman visits Alicia Masters
in order to attempt to examine and explain her feelings of rejection from her husband, as well as her attraction to Namor. After a lengthy discussion, the Invisible Woman investigates a sound of dripping and is surprised to find Namor on the roof of the building. Meanwhile, the Human Torch arrives at the Baxter Building after an unsatisfactory date as a giant creature from the Mole Man
's realm breaks through the street. After struggling to fight the creature due to the rain pouring down, the Human Torch seeks help from his sister. Namor's bio-electric aura prevents the Invisible Woman from intervening and he intensifies the storm such that it snuffs out the Human Torch's flame. The Human Torch falls into the hole left by the subterranean monster.
Ben Grimm wakes in a hospital to find that his right arm has been amputated above the elbow. He remains confused about what is going on and who is responsible for it. He eventually decides to find Mister Fantastic in order to resolve things.
The Human Torch finds himself in the Mole Man's lair, along with Alicia Masters. The Invisible Woman and Namor arrive shortly thereafter and Namor gets into an argument with Mole Man. The debate reveals that Alicia and the Human Torch were promised to Mole Man by Doctor Doom in exchange for his aid. Similarly, the Invisible Woman was promised to Namor. Namor refuses to consider himself a lackey of Doom's and breaks the alliance by smashing the ground of the cave and allowing seawater to flood in.
It becomes apparent that Doctor Doom has created a machine that allows him to manipulate reality (the Prime Mover) and that he is taking down the Fantastic Four one by one. He unleashes a giant Doombot against the Baxter Building in order to destroy his final target - Mister Fantastic. However, Mister Fantastic has been aware of Doom's machinations and has constructed a similar device to the Prime Mover. This allows him to perceive the core change that Doom made to reality in order to disorient the Thing - that Doom himself is merely a physical embodiment of Mister Fantastic's dark side.
The Invisible Woman saves Ben from a blast of energy released by Doom's robot and they find the teleportation gauntlet in the rubble. Namor and the Human Torch team up to fly through the head of the gigantic Doombot, destroying its eyes. The Invisible Woman and Ben teleport to Latveria and use the time machine to revert Ben to being the Thing. The Invisible Woman then attacks Doom as he uses the Prime Mover and the machine is destroyed. The Thing teleports back to New York and clobbers the huge robot.
:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
featuring the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, written by Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
and illustrated by Jae Lee
Jae Lee
Jae Lee is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Inhumans and The Sentry, both with Paul Jenkins.-Career:Lee first rose to prominence in the industry for his work on Marvel's Namor the Sub-Mariner, Inhumans , and The Sentry, as well as his creator-owned character Hellshock at...
and published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
under the Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Worldwide, Inc. that contains material taking place within the mainstream Marvel Universe .-Production:...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
.
Plot
As the Fantastic Four experience some downtime, the ThingThing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
tries (and fails) to reconnect with his past on Yancy Street, the Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman
Susan "Sue" Storm Richards is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superheroine created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961, and was the first female superhero created by Marvel in the Silver Age of Comics...
and the Human Torch bicker with each other and Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
withdraws to his lab to do some thinking without interruption. When the Thing attempts to gain Mister Fantastic's attention, he himself is distracted by a partially dismantled Doombot that Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom
Victor von Doom is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak...
is using to transmit his voice. The Thing is tempted to try on one of the Doombot's gauntlets and is thereby teleported to Doom's castle in Latveria
Latveria
Latveria is a nation in the . It is an isolated European country ruled by the supervillain Doctor Doom, supposedly located in the Banat region. It is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, and also borders the Symkaria to the south. Its capital is Doomstadt.-Publication history:Latveria first...
. Here, Doctor Doom reveals a secret about his appearance that shakes the Thing deeply. In his confused state, the Thing is convinced to walk through a time machine in order to restore his original, human form. The process is a success, but the Thing (now simply Ben Grimm) finds himself back in New York where nobody recognizes him and he is denied entry to the Baxter Building
Baxter Building
The Baxter Building is a fictitious 35-story office building in Manhattan whose five upper floors house the Fantastic Four's headquarters in the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
. He is then knocked over and badly injured by a hit-and-run driver.
The Invisible Woman visits Alicia Masters
Alicia Masters
Alicia Reiss Masters is a supporting character to the Marvel Comics superheroes the Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, she first appeared in The Fantastic Four #8 ....
in order to attempt to examine and explain her feelings of rejection from her husband, as well as her attraction to Namor. After a lengthy discussion, the Invisible Woman investigates a sound of dripping and is surprised to find Namor on the roof of the building. Meanwhile, the Human Torch arrives at the Baxter Building after an unsatisfactory date as a giant creature from the Mole Man
Mole Man
The Mole Man is a comic book supervillain that exists in Marvel Comics' main shared universe. He first appeared in Fantastic Four #1, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
's realm breaks through the street. After struggling to fight the creature due to the rain pouring down, the Human Torch seeks help from his sister. Namor's bio-electric aura prevents the Invisible Woman from intervening and he intensifies the storm such that it snuffs out the Human Torch's flame. The Human Torch falls into the hole left by the subterranean monster.
Ben Grimm wakes in a hospital to find that his right arm has been amputated above the elbow. He remains confused about what is going on and who is responsible for it. He eventually decides to find Mister Fantastic in order to resolve things.
The Human Torch finds himself in the Mole Man's lair, along with Alicia Masters. The Invisible Woman and Namor arrive shortly thereafter and Namor gets into an argument with Mole Man. The debate reveals that Alicia and the Human Torch were promised to Mole Man by Doctor Doom in exchange for his aid. Similarly, the Invisible Woman was promised to Namor. Namor refuses to consider himself a lackey of Doom's and breaks the alliance by smashing the ground of the cave and allowing seawater to flood in.
It becomes apparent that Doctor Doom has created a machine that allows him to manipulate reality (the Prime Mover) and that he is taking down the Fantastic Four one by one. He unleashes a giant Doombot against the Baxter Building in order to destroy his final target - Mister Fantastic. However, Mister Fantastic has been aware of Doom's machinations and has constructed a similar device to the Prime Mover. This allows him to perceive the core change that Doom made to reality in order to disorient the Thing - that Doom himself is merely a physical embodiment of Mister Fantastic's dark side.
The Invisible Woman saves Ben from a blast of energy released by Doom's robot and they find the teleportation gauntlet in the rubble. Namor and the Human Torch team up to fly through the head of the gigantic Doombot, destroying its eyes. The Invisible Woman and Ben teleport to Latveria and use the time machine to revert Ben to being the Thing. The Invisible Woman then attacks Doom as he uses the Prime Mover and the machine is destroyed. The Thing teleports back to New York and clobbers the huge robot.
Collected editions
The series was collected into a trade paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Fantastic Four: 1234 (by Grant MorrisonGrant MorrisonGrant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
and Jae LeeJae LeeJae Lee is an American comic book artist best known for his work on Inhumans and The Sentry, both with Paul Jenkins.-Career:Lee first rose to prominence in the industry for his work on Marvel's Namor the Sub-Mariner, Inhumans , and The Sentry, as well as his creator-owned character Hellshock at...
, MarvelMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, 4-issue mini-series, 2001, tpb, 96 pages, 2004 ISBN 0-7851-1040-2)
External links
- Review of the trade paperback, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...