Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #2 (of 3) (Marvel – Davis / Aguirre-Sacasa / Kitson)
Trapped in the Negative Zone with Franklin and Val, beseiged by monsters, Ben and Johnny are scrambling to get back home before a cosmic anomoly with the power to consume, well, everything swallows Manhattan. But the team’s biggest brain, Reed Richards, is nowhere to be found, and the Skrull who infiltrated the FF isn’t just any Skrull, it’s Johnny’s ex, Lyja. Forget worldwide domination, hell hath no fury like a Skrull scorned…
This series is a prime example of the fun, adventuresome tales that Alan Davis can write. A great combination of high-octane adventure and comic wit. Believe it or not, this is a huge Human Torch issue. It opens with a 2-page spread explaining Johnny’s playboy-like history and attitude and some of the more serious loves of his life. This is primarily for the Secret Invasion fan who has wandered into this limited series without a good Fantastic Four background.
The short of it is that Lyja abducted and took Alicia Master’s place right around the end of the Secret Wars, and she and Johnny became lovers, that put a wedge between Johnny and Ben and later when it was revealed she was a skrull, she and Johnny tried to have a relationship but Johnny ended it but Lyja was still in love and stalked him for a good long while (and who said comic books and soap operas have nothing in common).
Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four is a great book for the FF fan who is also following Secret Invasion (and how could you not?). We see Ben in action, Franklin and his sister stepping it up and yet another chapter in the Johnny / Lyja love cycle (don’t you love it when characters are having a harsh battle, and then they kiss). As a long time FF fan, I am really getting a kick out of it, it is worth my time and money and I believe it fits right into the big FF picture. This is huge set-up for where the kid’s characters are going and enabling the re-introduction Lyja’s character into the fold. While enjoyable, this is not going to do a whole lot for the person trying to get “all” of Secret Invasion… SI:FF is much more FF and much less SI.
Issue Grade: B+
