| SYNOPSIS: Elijah Snow meets up with John Stone at the remote bar in Russia last seen back in Issue #11. He tells him he picked the spot -- as he suspects Stone did back then -- because it would interfere with communication devices, and prevent them from being listened to. Like when Stone broke down Snow's memory blocks in the first place. Snow tells him he knows The Four has something on Stone; that Stone was responsible for Jim Wilder stepping on the travelstone back in issue #4; and that "I can't have a major intelligence player helping The Four." Stone escapes, because that's what he does, but not for long. The Drummer slows him down with some mines, and then Jakita slugs him into unconsciousness, although not easily. Stone comes to in a hospital bed, where Snow greets him and tells him they've removed both the listening device and the bomb planted there by The Four. And says he wants to know everything, starting with The Four. Stone tells him how when they went into The Bleed between realities way back in 1961, that was Randall Dowling's goal, to find another Earth, and make a deal with its conquerors. The deal was simple: The Four would get powers, and they'd deliver our Earth, easily conquerable, to the aliens. How The Four became empowered, why they've denied our Earth so much of its potential for greatness, and what would happen next, all laid out by Stone. Are we a third-world version of the Earth, asks Stone? Maybe. But, he adds, The Four (what's left of them) are scared. Snow's return, and new approach, have them worried, since they need to deliver a subjugated Earth, not one with a powerful guy like Snow running around. At the end, Snow learns that Dowling is behind Stone's greatly decreased rate of aging, and that his power is to stretch, not with his body, but with his mind -- he becomes other people, takes them over, replaces their minds with his own. That, Stone says, is why he brought Snow back: to save him. Snow: "I'll take it from here."
REVIEW: Now that's what I'm talking about. No more talk; just Snow cutting to the chase and beating some information out of a guy who has far more than he'd shared to this point. Jakita gets to hit something, we see how John Stone has stayed alive all these years (and how dangerous he really is), and we get what sure feels like a penultimate issue to set up the final conflict. And so it does.
You kind of feel bad for John Stone here, but clearly he's no innocent -- no matter his motives, he worked for The Four. And Snow, as he says, did ask nicely, and Jakita gave him a chance to give up. Stone's comment, waking up in the hospital heavily bandaged, is classic: "Well, I'm so glad you saved me from The Four."
Moreover, we finally get to see what happened to The Four, from all the way back in issue #6. Something like six years ago in real-world time, I believe. Issues like this are why I'll miss this series.
| |  Random Thoughts:Fantastic Four fans have to enjoy how the "Ben Grimm" character, Jacob Greene, is pretty much the opposite of his Marvel counterpart. There he's all, "We still haven't encountered the cosmic rays! No telling what they'll do to us." And here, when asked by Dowling if he's ready: "Hell, yes!" Funny.
The other Earth looks like it came right out of "The Matrix", which is okay.
It's nice how when characters get beat up in this series they really get beat up. John Stone is unrecognizable. In most superhero comics he'd have a little cut over his eye and some scuff marks on his cheek.
Ellis spends a lot of time at this remote bar in Russia. I wonder if he's still waiting to tell the story he really wants to tell at some point.
Anybody else worry Jakita was going to die when Stone grabbed her with that Devil's Paw thingy? I'm like, Oh NOOOOOO! Jakitaaaaaaaaaaa! Looks like she'll be okay though.
I can't help but wonder a little if Ellis always planned it be to Stone way back in Issue #4, leading Wilder to stand on the travelstone. If so, kudos for foresight there.
Rating: 10/10. Did I mention how much the recruitment poster-style cover rules? |
