Writer Chris Claremont
Penciler Salvador Larroca
Inker Arthur Thibert
Colorist Liquid!
Letterer Starkings and Comicraft’s Albert Deschesne
Cover Dated July 1998
This is the second part of a three part storyline, but Kitty is only seen in this issue. Issues 6, 7 and 8 are the issues involved.
I’ve said it before but Larroca’s art is never better than it is with Liquid! coloring his work. Shame they no longer do that. Not sure whatever happened to that company.
Claremont wrote some of the best Fantastic Four issues with this volume, issues 4 through 32.
Alyssa Moy is running with Franklin, from the Technet. Unfortunately, they run into the Warwolves.
The Rainbow Room. Reed and Susan are dancing.
The Technet are planning their next move.
Alyssa Moy tries to save Franklin by running away. All the poor boy wants is his mother. He lets out a psychic scream.
We get to see Larroca draw – Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Roma Jean Grey and Shadowcat! I can only imagine Claremont wrote which characters to have shown. Roma sets up the next issue, which is classic Claremont style.
This issue came out the same month as Excalibur 122, so that series was already set to end. Claremont had asked to have Kitty be Franklin’s nanny. What he didn’t know was that she was already set to be in the X-Men 35th Anniversary era lineup. Which I rather she was part of that lineup than off being Franklin’s nanny. It took a while for Squirrel Girl to shake being the Cage’s nanny.
http://secretsbehindthexmen.blogspot.com/2012/06/changing-x-men-directions.html
X-Men characters in Fantastic Four
Meanwhile, Chris Claremont wrote Fantastic Four vol.3 #4-32 and used some X-Men-related characters like Roma, Saturnyne, Charlotte Jones and Margali Szardoz in the book. Claremont would also have liked to use Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) in Fantastic Four, since Excalibur was getting cancelled anyway. Her role would have been working as Reed Richards’ laboratory assistant – an idea which probably came from Uncanny X-Men #178, wherein Kitty Pryde broke into the Fantastic Four’s headquarters and thought: “I wonder if Dr. Richards’d like an apprentice?”
“The only problem was (X-Men Editor) Mark Powers and the writers of the X-Men books had other plans for her,” Claremont sighed in Wizard #85. “Their wishes take precedence.”
I like the idea of Kitty being Reed’s assistant, I could be for that.
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2006/09/07/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-67/
Good ol’ Brian Cronin brought up the Urban Legend and gives some background on it, as well. He reports that the plan was Kitty to be like a sister to Sue, which I get as her brother is pretty lacking, in that respect. Boy, Kitty really could be an excellent fifth over on that team.
Back to the story. Alyssa is no longer running scared, now she is running smart. She taps into the grid and sends a signal that she hopes someone see. She runs through a dance club, we see that Johnny is there. She and Franklin go outside and save some gangsters from some weirdly dressed ninja types. This never pays off, as far as I know. It definitely doesn’t take place in the next issue. But it is Claremont writing, so he has plans.
There is an ad for Wolverine 126, also by Claremont, that we will review whenever we get around to using the Wolverine / Viper wedding for my wedding anniversary, which I believe should be next year. It is billed as, The Brawl for it all, Wolverine vs Sabretooth – if only it was the end of that feud.
Reed and Susan are dancing when she notices a skyscraper that has a number 4 on it. She creates an invisible slide and she is off. She finds Franklin, so fast. The Technet foolishly show up and Susan takes them all down. Reed eventually shows up and gets into the fight, he frees Thing and now the tide is turning.
There is a promo page, I miss these so much these days, for the Spider-Man line of titles which was a pretty good era in May 1998. Amazing 436, Spider-Man vs Black Tarantual by Tom DeFalco. Spectacular 259, Hobgoblin is back by Roger Stern. Sensational 29, Guest Starring The Black Cat by Todd Dezago and Mike Wieringo. Spider-Man 93, the return of Ghost Rider by Howard Mackie, the big Ghost Rider writer of the 90s.
Joyboy turns Susan into an Atlantean Queen, her so-called heart’s desire. This is super irritating that writers like to go back to this well of Susan maybe having attraction to Namor. It is old hat.
Bullpen Bulletins. Some titles coming out are – Marvel Annual 98 starring Deadpool & Death. Alpha Flight 12, so good. Busiek’s Iron Man 6. Avengers : Rough Cut 1 by Busiek and Perez. Generation X 40, featuring Penance. X-Factor 147, two issues away from Mutant X starting!
Susan is disturbed that that was the form her heart’s desire took.
Before the Fantastic Three can declare a victory, the Captain Britain Corps arrives, as the issue ends.
Letters page has letters from – Robert Schell of San Antonio, TX, Matt Kuhns of Ames, IA, Tod Owens of Marlon, VA and Mark Passmore who withheld his address.
Inside back cover is for Funtography, the latest tech for the Game Boy, it allows you to print. Back cover is Sarah Gellar’s Got Milk? ad.
Shadow and Flame with Magik 