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Andrew Bitner
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 1:39pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

The relaunched series MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE, featuring the Thing and the Human Torch starting to search for Reed, Sue and the kids, had something interesting in yesterday's #3.

SPOILERS ON! (you've been warned...)







An expert in metahuman biology diagnosed the dwindling of Johnny's powers--something set up in a previous issue--and said it was due to being apart from the rest of the family. Seems that the Fantastic Four grow less so when separated.

And this makes finding Reed and Sue a bit more urgent, if they want to continue being superpowered.

It's an interesting idea to me, reinforcing the essential nature of "family" in a somewhat different context. What do you all think?

UPDATED: Well, the reaction is pretty strongly negative. I'm engaged enough to want to see where it goes.

I can agree with several of the points made here: it does create a new dynamic where none previously existed; there are exceptions (Ben was on Battleworld after Secret Wars, so... maybe they only need three to stay charged up? But wait, Johnny was "dead" for a while and so on); and it should be urgent enough to find your family without the shadow of losing one's abilities (isn't reuniting important enough?).

If the story itself doesn't pan out, maybe it will be forgotten... though recent history suggests that nothing is EVER truly forgotten.

Edited by Andrew Bitner on 15 February 2018 at 3:14pm
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Eric Sofer
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 1:58pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

There was no such symbiotic relationship between the Storms, Reed, and Ben before they launched into space. Why introduce such a limiting and irrelevant element NOW?

And you just KNOW that this would turn into a Green Lantern or Aquaman type limitation in jig time.

Ben Grimm spent months on Beyonder world without having the FF around. Not only did his powers not wane, he actually got better control of them. Sue Richards was off for a considerable time with her newborn son, but her powers also seemed fully functional when she returned.

Do two of them have to be together? Three? Four? Five or six? (Both Franklin and Valeria appear to have enhanced abilities due to the FF powers too.)

I think this is adding a needlessly dramatic and ridiculous aspect to a perfectly good team.
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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 2:11pm | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Seems very contrived even by the "suspension of disbelief" standards we all, quite rightfully, apply to comics. 
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Don Zomberg
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 2:41pm | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Fanboy overthink.
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Leigh DJ Hunt
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 2:45pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Depends where they are. Maybe Reed and Sue are somewhere 'other' than where they've ever been before. I don't HATE the idea but agree that it's very unnecessary.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 2:48pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

sigh
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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 3:00pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

And this makes finding Reed and Sue a bit more urgent, if they want to continue being superpowered.

——

Stupidity aside, this makes trying to reunite with your family a more self-serving thing. There are any number of ways to make finding Reed and Sue urgent without doing this. 
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Philippe Negrin
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 3:27pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

It's a good idea really but why not create a new superhero team where this works rather than adding it to an already exisitng and longstanding series ?
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Mario Ribeiro
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 3:39pm | IP Logged | 9 post reply

Well, if it makes sense... if they got their powers from a Spider-Totem.
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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 4:46pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

 Philippe Negrin wrote:
It's a good idea really but why not create a new superhero team where this works rather than adding it to an already exisitng and longstanding series ?

Absolutely!

Suspension of disbelief is fine by me (radioactive spider bites, Iron armour that folds, etc), but this seems a) unnecessary, and b) like it adds nothing to the mythos. 
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Joe S. Walker
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 4:57pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

Does that mean that instead of Reed spending all those years agonising over experiments to turn the Thing back into Ben Grimm, he could have just sent him on a round the world cruise?
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Phillip L Lightfoot
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Posted: 15 February 2018 at 5:11pm | IP Logged | 12 post reply

The story points out that as long as FF members are in the same Universe, there is no power drain.  It's a multi-verse problem, and even then the drain is slow.  I'm not defending the idea, just pointing out the writer did try to make it work.  YMMV.
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