When I saw the cover for Fantastic Four #570, with the new creative team of Jonathon Hickman and Dale Eaglesham, I was more than a bit put-out by what I saw -- namely a ripply-muscled Reed Richards in short sleeves. Hair on the arms... five-o'clock shadwo... everything that our pliable Plato is not.Having read the issue, I'm a little bit relieved. And, honestly, given the nature of the recent Dr. Doom arc, I really should have surmised it sooner.
It seems as if there is an extra-dimension League of Reeds that meets to solve crises across reality. It's really kind of a neat idea. I mean, if you had the choice to work with nobody but carbon-copies of yourself... what could be better than that?
Of course, these copies are less than "carbon." All of the Reeds in the All-Reed Squad are products of their unique dimensions (click on the thumbnail to the right for a larger view). Some aren't even stretchy -- exhibiting instead traits of one of the other Four.Which means, in my opinion, that this Reed -- the 'roid Reed with the biceps and the chest and the body hair and everything -- is not our Reed. He's some other Reed.
But he's a Reed that is going to play a crucial role (most likely alongside or against Real Reed) in the story to come.
POLL: This Reed ain't OUR Reed!
| 64% (159) | Right! He's not! | |
| 35% (87) | Oh, yes he is! |
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