FF No. 12

FF No. 12 (published November 2011, cover-dated January 2012, original English title “Too Many Kids”) picks up directly from the story of Fantastic Four No. 600. When Annihilus attacks the Baxter Building, Valeria and the Future Foundation children teleport away the top three floors of the building; this issue reveals that the three floors did not land on the moon but are half-buried in a snowy mountain — in Latveria, Doctor Doom’s homeland. Inside the fortress, Doctor Doom, his adopted son Kristoff, and Reed Richards and Nathaniel Richards from a parallel universe discover the children and send Doombots to “collect” them. Then the adults hold a private talk full of hidden meanings: the parallel-universe Reed tries to build a bridge across dimensions to return to his own world, while Nathaniel seems to be involved more deeply than appearances suggest in the recent changes in the FF and Fantastic Four worlds. This volume is the twelfth of the series and the starting point for FF continuing as an independent title after Fantastic Four resumed its No. 600 numbering; its main line settles on Valeria and Nathaniel’s long-term plans, the interactions among the children, and the continuation of the event thread “all hope lies with Doctor Doom.”