Fantastic Four #5
Doom gets another brief cameo in the latest Fantastic Four (it double-shipped this month, so we're now up to issue five).
Doom and Val are off in their own isolated plotline, so not much need to recap what else is going on at this stage, but essentially, the F4 have been taken to court over the latest big battle in the middle of Manhattan, which is really just an excuse to railroad them over all the damage and potential danger that can be pinned on them from the course of their superheroing career. (Allowing Val to go off and stay with Doom is also raised as evidence of their questionable decisions.) It's not clear whose behind the effort to villainise them, but it ends with the Future Foundation kids being taken into SHIELD custody. They're taken to a base run by the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond.
Meanwhile, in Puglia, Italy, Doctor Doom takes down Count Nefaria. The locals are concerned what Doom might want from them, but he says, "I'm trying something new... good for the sake of it." He rejoins Val and asks her if she's happy. She says yes and that he's doing splendidly, and wants to move on to deal with famine in Somalia. Doom stops her, kneeling down to put his hands on her shoulders: "Little one, you know that we share a bond and that I can always sense a lie with you. You're sad. I can tell." She says she's fine and she's where she's supposed to be, she just misses Franklin. (What, no love for the rest of the family, Val? Or maybe she just thinks it's not politic to admit that to Doctor Doom.)
Anyway, that's pretty much all that happens; despite the fact this is actually an extra length issue, it's mostly taken up by an F4 history in the courtroom scenes, so there are only a few pages of Doom and Val. Hard to guess where the writer is going with this at this stage - why is Doom going along with Val's rather simplistic 'go around doing good' plan? Just to please Val, or is he Up To Something? - but I'm very intrigued by that little speech about them having a connection. Seems to imply that Robinson's running with the theory that Doom and Valeria are still mystically connected after his part in her birth and his control of her in the "Unthinkable" storyline, which I'm very excited to see explored. (It's always been my pet theory as an explanation for how Val managed to become so advanced so fast, and why she's so drawn to her 'Uncle Doom'. If Doom can sense her feelings, can she sense his?)
The extra pages and all the flashbacks mean the various sections of this issue are done by different guests artists: the art for the Doom and Val pages is credited to Derlis Santacruz and Israel Silva (I'm not clear whether that's a penciller and inker team or what, though). It's nice art, though I'm not too keen the rendition of the Doom mask, but Val looks way, way too old. I mean, like about twelve to fourteen sort of age. Not sure if the artist is confused about how old she's supposed to be or just can't draw kids with non-adult proportions.
All in all, things are progressing rather slowly at the moment, but still, very intrigued to see where Robinson is taking this, and definitely glad that he's picked up the thread of Val and Doom's relationship again from Hickman's run. Looking forward to reading more!
Doom and Val are off in their own isolated plotline, so not much need to recap what else is going on at this stage, but essentially, the F4 have been taken to court over the latest big battle in the middle of Manhattan, which is really just an excuse to railroad them over all the damage and potential danger that can be pinned on them from the course of their superheroing career. (Allowing Val to go off and stay with Doom is also raised as evidence of their questionable decisions.) It's not clear whose behind the effort to villainise them, but it ends with the Future Foundation kids being taken into SHIELD custody. They're taken to a base run by the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond.
Meanwhile, in Puglia, Italy, Doctor Doom takes down Count Nefaria. The locals are concerned what Doom might want from them, but he says, "I'm trying something new... good for the sake of it." He rejoins Val and asks her if she's happy. She says yes and that he's doing splendidly, and wants to move on to deal with famine in Somalia. Doom stops her, kneeling down to put his hands on her shoulders: "Little one, you know that we share a bond and that I can always sense a lie with you. You're sad. I can tell." She says she's fine and she's where she's supposed to be, she just misses Franklin. (What, no love for the rest of the family, Val? Or maybe she just thinks it's not politic to admit that to Doctor Doom.)
Anyway, that's pretty much all that happens; despite the fact this is actually an extra length issue, it's mostly taken up by an F4 history in the courtroom scenes, so there are only a few pages of Doom and Val. Hard to guess where the writer is going with this at this stage - why is Doom going along with Val's rather simplistic 'go around doing good' plan? Just to please Val, or is he Up To Something? - but I'm very intrigued by that little speech about them having a connection. Seems to imply that Robinson's running with the theory that Doom and Valeria are still mystically connected after his part in her birth and his control of her in the "Unthinkable" storyline, which I'm very excited to see explored. (It's always been my pet theory as an explanation for how Val managed to become so advanced so fast, and why she's so drawn to her 'Uncle Doom'. If Doom can sense her feelings, can she sense his?)
The extra pages and all the flashbacks mean the various sections of this issue are done by different guests artists: the art for the Doom and Val pages is credited to Derlis Santacruz and Israel Silva (I'm not clear whether that's a penciller and inker team or what, though). It's nice art, though I'm not too keen the rendition of the Doom mask, but Val looks way, way too old. I mean, like about twelve to fourteen sort of age. Not sure if the artist is confused about how old she's supposed to be or just can't draw kids with non-adult proportions.
All in all, things are progressing rather slowly at the moment, but still, very intrigued to see where Robinson is taking this, and definitely glad that he's picked up the thread of Val and Doom's relationship again from Hickman's run. Looking forward to reading more!