Fantastic Four #551 - Marvel

This is another great installment in the Fantastic franchise. But, it also looks to be the beginning of a big storyline. We start out, as usual, with the fantastic Michael Turner cover. This guy has really been turning out some beautiful pieces. It would be nice to see a book . . a collection . . of his covers. I'm sure we will. Inside this issue, I really can't over emphasize what a stupendous job I think Paul Pelletier is doing. Like I've said before, I've been a fan of his for a very long time. I loved him on Exiles. I loved him on Outsiders. I even loved him . . . way back . . . on Ex-Mutants. But the guy just keeps getting better. Right now, it seems like, this is the book he was born to do. He has to be having a terrific time doing it, because it really shows in his work. But, or course, it all comes together because of Dwayne McDuffie's incredible stories. This story, is actually going to take us 75 years in to the future. Or, I guess, it would be more accurate to say that the future is coming back to us. I've never hidden the fact that I'm not a big fan of time travel stories. To many inconsistencies and variables. Plus, when alls said and done, there always seems to be numerous flaws that come in to glaring clarity. To me, it just doesn't lend itself to a clean concise story. However, in some cases, as is the case here, I do like the intentions or implications of said story. Even though they're messy and hard to clean up, they do often present a plethora of unique, and invigorating ideas. Which is how this one is starting out. So I have to give it the benefit of the doubt. This issue is really the prologue, so we don't get all the specifics yet. But, T'challa, Namor and Doom have come back from the future to warn Reed of a bad decision that he has made. Or actually, is about to. Doom reveals Reed's ideas room to the rest of the FF. Sue had seen it recently, during the Civil War, but no one else knew of it's existence. And the history they've come to prevent is also linked to the Civil War. Or, more specifically, to Reed's "100 ideas". Apparently that's what's going to start the whole thing, and what's going to lead to Reed's "Idea 101". Which is the one they have to stop. Basically Reed wants to change everything. He wants to fix the world. And, according to our future icons, it works. But, in the process, Reed becomes more and more obsessed, as he is wanton to do, and less and less attentive to Sue's needs. Sometime in the future, Sue turns to Namor for comfort and ends up leaving Reed. Which sends Reed over the edge. So Reed decides to fix the problem, and on the final page of this issue, blows the future Namor's head off. This storyline could have some interesting consequences. And it looks to have an original take on the whole time travel thing. But, we'll have to get further in to the story to tell whether or not Dwayne's going to be able to pull it off. Either way, it'll be a Fantastic story. Pun intended.