Fantastic Four #12
A brief but worthwhile cameo for Doom and Valeria in this week's Fantastic Four:
This follows on from Sue's attack on Latveria in the annual. Valeria is brooding over the ruins of Latveria, and Doom comes to see what she's up to. (I continue to love the fact that he calls her 'little one'.) She says she's come to a decision - she's worried that her mom's Malice persona resurfacing is due to the strain that Sue's under, and believes she can help if she goes home. Doom agrees, telling her that he understands, and she should go before he changes his mind.
She departs in a shuttle, and we are privy to Doom's thoughts: "Although I love you, little one..." (aw) "...I have to admit, your three-year-old's naiveté was starting to get tiresome." He's not sure how long he could have kept his real plans from Valeria: the truth is, while on the surface he's been helping Val to improve things, he's been setting in motion the means to take ultimate control of the world - or, perhaps, worlds. *Cue evil laugh*
(Plus other stuff happens, but none of it is currently very related to the Doom plot, so I will not recap it.)
So, anyway, I'm really pretty pleased with the way this story is playing out. Obviously Doom was going to be Up To Something - it was hinted as much in the annual - but I was worried they were going to go for the full on moustache-twirl and have him reveal he cared nothing for Val and was just using her in his plot. Instead, we have the much more interesting route of Doom genuinely showing affection for her (that straight-up use of the word "love" in his thoughts was a pleasant surprise) but still doing his usual Doomy thing behind her back. I like the way Val's being written too: super smart, but still a three-year-old and not necessarily very sophisticated when it comes to figuring out deceit or understanding hidden motives. I look forward to future scenes between them after she finds out what he's really up to.
Kirk's art is really nice in this issue too. He draws a good Doom, especially in the dramatic cloak-billowing long shots, and the D-shaped belt buckle is a nice touch. I like his Val as well - maybe not entirely spot on for a three-year-old, but definitely suitably small and childlike instead of looking like she's ten the way some people draw her. And there are some great moody scenes of the devastation and rebuilding in Latveria.
Looking forward to more of this storyline as we find out what Doom's plan entails!
This follows on from Sue's attack on Latveria in the annual. Valeria is brooding over the ruins of Latveria, and Doom comes to see what she's up to. (I continue to love the fact that he calls her 'little one'.) She says she's come to a decision - she's worried that her mom's Malice persona resurfacing is due to the strain that Sue's under, and believes she can help if she goes home. Doom agrees, telling her that he understands, and she should go before he changes his mind.
She departs in a shuttle, and we are privy to Doom's thoughts: "Although I love you, little one..." (aw) "...I have to admit, your three-year-old's naiveté was starting to get tiresome." He's not sure how long he could have kept his real plans from Valeria: the truth is, while on the surface he's been helping Val to improve things, he's been setting in motion the means to take ultimate control of the world - or, perhaps, worlds. *Cue evil laugh*
(Plus other stuff happens, but none of it is currently very related to the Doom plot, so I will not recap it.)
So, anyway, I'm really pretty pleased with the way this story is playing out. Obviously Doom was going to be Up To Something - it was hinted as much in the annual - but I was worried they were going to go for the full on moustache-twirl and have him reveal he cared nothing for Val and was just using her in his plot. Instead, we have the much more interesting route of Doom genuinely showing affection for her (that straight-up use of the word "love" in his thoughts was a pleasant surprise) but still doing his usual Doomy thing behind her back. I like the way Val's being written too: super smart, but still a three-year-old and not necessarily very sophisticated when it comes to figuring out deceit or understanding hidden motives. I look forward to future scenes between them after she finds out what he's really up to.
Kirk's art is really nice in this issue too. He draws a good Doom, especially in the dramatic cloak-billowing long shots, and the D-shaped belt buckle is a nice touch. I like his Val as well - maybe not entirely spot on for a three-year-old, but definitely suitably small and childlike instead of looking like she's ten the way some people draw her. And there are some great moody scenes of the devastation and rebuilding in Latveria.
Looking forward to more of this storyline as we find out what Doom's plan entails!