Title
– Only Death be my Salvation
Title
– Only Death be my Salvation
Issue – 379
Writer – Tom DeFalco
Art – Paul Ryan
Summary:
In the science lab of the Four Freedoms Plaza, Reed Richards works non-stop to find a cure to Sharon Ventura’s imposed She-Thing condition, a condition imposed by Dr. Doom. The strain combined with fresh wounds from a recent battle cause Reed to collapse and Sue takes him away to rest. Sharon is unable to cope with what she has mutated into and flees angrily from the team with Ben chasing after her. In Latveria, Doom’s scientists have drawn an alien entity to Earth with the intention of harnessing its energy. Back in New York, Ben follows Sharon to the subway tunnels where she deliberately throws herself onto the tracks to kill herself. The shock from the rail is powerful but fails to kill. Ben leaves as the others arrive, unaware that she has survived and he travels to Latveria to seek retribution on Doom. Upon entering Latverian airspace, missiles are launched, destroying Ben’s rocket.
Title
– Comes the Hunger!
Issue – 380
Writer – Tom DeFalco
Art – Paul Ryan
Summary:
From the flaming wreck of what was once one of the FF’s rockets, Doombots claim Ben’s unconscious body and turn him into Doom’s clutches. Back at the FF Plaza, the team prepares to follow Ben where they are certain he has been captured by Doom. The alien entity which Doom’s scientists have drawn to Earth also arrives in Latveria and takes possession of the body of one of Doom’s patrol guards. The alien’s rampage through Latveria and attack on the castle interrupts Doom as he offers Ben not only to heal his face, but to restore his human form as well. Doom leaves Ben to do battle with the alien and to siphon off its power. While he is gone, Ben escapes from his bonds and follows Doom’s trail. He finds Doom being overwhelmed by the alien force. Using power cables running through the castle, Ben catches the alien’s attention. Outside, the rest of the Fantastic Four approach the castle only to witness a colossal explosion.
Notes:
Title
– And Then There Were 3!
Issue – 381
Writer – Tom DeFalco
Art – Paul Ryan
Summary:
After fighting through a wave of Doom’s combat drones, the team begins to search the rubble of the castle for Ben. They don’t have to search long because he manages to climb out of the debris himself. Ben then proceeds to fill them in on the alien threat. Elsewhere, the alien changes its shape and assumes a demon-like appearance culled from the memories of those he has killed. The team unsuccessfully tries to convince the people of a nearby village to flee when suddenly the alien descends upon them. While the rest of the team keep the alien distracted, Reed and Sue meet with Doom to come up with a plan together. Rigging one of Doom’s matter transmats, they attempt to transport to being back into space, but the alien manages to blast Reed before he can trap him and the machine is destroyed. With FF all but defeated, Doom is prepared to abandon the battle when the young son of one of his subjects demonstrates his joy that Doom has come to save them. Doom reconsiders the safety of his people and proceeds to attack the alien with a power pack holding the remaining cosmic energy he stole from Aron the Watcher. Even this is not enough as the alien blasts away Doom’s remaining power. With his last ounce of strength, Doom reaches for his transmit activator and sends the alien back into space. With the alien dead, Reed reaches out to Doom who is apparently dying from his wounds. As the two men grasp hands, a violent explosion consumes them both leaving only dust behind. The rest of the team look on in shock as both Doom and Reed have been destroyed.
Comments:
I’ve often seen Tom DeFalco referred to as the “evil one.” If it has anything to with this story, I don’t know. I think killing both Reed and Doom is a bold move. It certainly opens up possibilities, some of which DeFalco explored during the extended absence of these two characters. There is a lot to like in this story. As a supposed swan song for our favorite Latverian monarch, DeFalco manages to touch on various character notes. For instance, the start of the story, Thing’s vendetta against Doom for what he did to Sharon, harkens back to the early days of the character when Thing was just as much Doom’s arch-nemesis as Reed was. The culmination of the story, Reed and Doom “teaming up” only to have a dying Doom taking Reed with him out of spite, brings everything full circle. After all, it’s really Reed he loathes. There are also some things not to like in the story. For instance, I for one am not crazy about DeFalco’s characterization of Doom. On the one hand, I think he writes the Fantastic Four, and of course Doom, in the classic Stan Lee-60s style. On the other hand, this was never my favorite interpretation of the character. As I’ve often said, I think Doom’s matured (at least under certain writers) as a character. I give the story points for showing Doom to be interested in things besides destroying the FF. He is after all shown to be actively seeking out extra-terrestrial life, albeit for his own sinister purposes. It also get points for showing Doom, who throughout the whole story shows very little regard for his people, cave in at the last moment and decide to save the day. Bottom Line: *** out of 5
Notes: