Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four is a five-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 2006.[1] It was the second sequel to the successful Marvel 1602 series, the other sequels being 1602: New World and Spider-Man: 1602.[2] It is written by Peter David and pencilled by Pascal Alixe.
Plot
The story involves the Four of the Fantastick's adventures in London, the return of Otto Von Doom and the Four Who Are Frightful. Doom hires the Four Who Are Frightful, a group of four villains who claim to have "toppled over the end of the world and found a lost city there." Doom kidnaps William Shakespeare because he wants him to document the voyage to the "end of the world."[3] Doom thinks the inhabitants of the city will be able to repair the damage to his face that he received in Marvel 1602.[4] The villains and Shakespeare use a boat held up by a giant balloon. The Fantastick Four, alerted by Benjamin Grimm, who was working as an actor in Shakespeare's company, follow in hot pursuit on a super fast ship created by the leader of the four, Sir Richard Reed. During the voyage it is revealed that Jonathan Storm, another member of the four, kidnapped a young woman named Doris Evans and brought her on the ship to save her from a loveless marriage.[5]
After a sea battle, all the characters end up in one boat and arrive in the city beyond the end of the world, Bensaylum. There, Susan Storm attracts the attention of the emperor Numenor, while his cousin, Rita is attracted to John Storm (much to Doris Evans's disapproval).[6]
Numenor plots with Von Doom to deliver the siblings to him while disposing of Sir Richard and Captain Grimm. However, things do not go well, as the Four who are Frightful's leader Wizard, Doom, and Numenor all struggle to gain control of the population. Wizard steals Numernor's trident, and uses it to lift the city of Bensaylum into the air. Wizard, Doom, and Numenor fight, and Numenor is stabbed with his own trident. Before he dies, Numenor explains that if any royal blood is spilled on to the trident, then the city will vanish forever. The island in the air starts to crumble, and the people of Bensaylum start to fall to the waters below. In all the confusion, The Four Who Are Frightful member Medusa has her eye coverings ripped off and Wizard looks at her, turning to stone. The other two Four Who Are Frightful members, Sandman and the Trapster, are crushed by a large stone. The Fantastick Four decide they should save all they can and return to the ship and get away fast. With help from Johnny and Reed, Susan, Shakespeare, and Doris are brought back. They leave, just barely making it before the island crumbles away, taking all the people of Bensaylum plus Medusa and Doom with it. Everyone on the ship sails away.
There is an epilogue in which John and Doris's ex-husband-to-be find common ground and become friends. Sue, Reed, and Grimm talk about what happened and how Doris has joined Shakespeare, leaving John sad and suffering nightmares of Rita's apparent demise in which he was unable to save her. The story ends with Rita, clinging to a piece of driftwood, crying for help. The view expands out to show Uatu the Watcher watching over the Earth as he holds the planet in his hand.[7]
Collected editions
The Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four mini-series was collected as a trade paperback, published in June 2007 (ISBN 0-7851-2293-1).
