issue summaries

Fantastic Four Annual 23: Days Of Future Present Part 1 When Franklin Comes Marching Home Writer: Walter Simonson Penciler: Jackson Guice Inker: Geof Isherwood Colorist: Richard Rasche Letterers: Pat Brosseau and Rick Parker Editor: Ralph Macchio Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco Date:1990

The Fantastic Four (Mr Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Thing, Human Torch, Ms. Marvel aka She-Thing and Reed & Sue's son Franklin) are returning to New York City from a picnic when they see their old, destroyed headquarters, The Baxter Building, has replaced Four Freedoms Plaza.

After landing nearly by, they discuss which of their enemies could have possibly done such a feat. They enter the building and find it exactly as it was years before. Franklin senses something very bad there. Upstairs in the lab, they are attacked by the building's security system and then by another Fantastic Four (appearing as they did in their early days).

The real Fantastic Four are captured by their younger counterparts and examined.

Reed tries to convince his doppelganger that they are shadows of their past, and that is why the Baxter Building is there and the younger Reed & Sue don't have a son. The doppelganger Sue protests, saying they are real and pointing out their "baby". But she is referring to a young man with blond hair that Sue recognizes as Franklin all grown up.

The Adult Franklin asks why the real Fantastic Four are haunting him, because everything is the way it should be.

Sue tries to convince the Adult Franklin that they are his real parents and this is all only a dream he has created.

But Adult Franklin goes on a hysterical rank about death, how he and Rachel are in love and how he won't let that die.

Little Franklin gets scared, telling his mom that the bad man isn't her Franklin.

Adult Franklin continues raging. He is remembering too much pain and can't stand it. He blasts out of the building, which reverts back to Four Freedoms Plaza. But the Fantastic Four are trapped by a force field.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean in Great Britain, Rachel Summers and her Excalibur teammate Meggan are outside their lighthouse headquarters enjoying the sunny weather sunbathing.

Meggan asks Rachel about her future, but Rachel reminds her that all of her memories are scrambled. Meggan questions if Ray if she misses anyone, like a boyfriend. Ray begins to answer, then collapses, feeling something she never thought she would feel again. It's as if she's being called.

Meggan offers to go get the others to go with her, but Rachel insists that this is something she must do alone.

Back in New York City, former X-Men members Forge and Banshee are walking down a crowded street when Adult Franklin suddenly appears to them. He calls them his old teachers and is ecstatic to see them again. Then he goes into a rage, saying they are too young and that he saw the Sentinels kill both of them. He shouts that his mother was right and it is all a dream, then disappears.

Banshee and Forge head to Four Freedoms Plaza to figure out what’s going on.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in a hidden crypt, a mysterious cyborg awakes from stasis. He is told that Franklin Richards has manifested, and then he prepares to launch a Sentinel attack.

Back in New York, Mr. Power arrives home and greets his kids- Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie Power (aka the Power Pack, which Franklin was previously a member). The kids tell their dad that Franklin has come over and they are all playing hide and seek.

Julie finds Adult Franklin hiding behind the couch. For a moment Mr Powers thinks this is rather odd, but then changes his mind.

At Four Freedoms Plaza, Reed analyzes the force field trapping them, but can’t find a way around it.

Sue is concerned about how their son could grow up to be so tortured and the affect this is having on little Franklin. Reed comes to the conclusion that the only way to protect little Franklin is to remove the mind locks on his mutant powers.

Forge and Banshee arrive at Four Freedoms Plaza, but can't get through the force field.

Inside, the Fantastic Four are attacked by hundred of small, flying robot drones at are after little Franklin.

Sue has had enough. She gathers all of the robots into her own force field and sends them outside. They self-destruct and that disrupts the force field trapping the Fantastic Four inside their headquarters. Forge and Banshee go talk to the Fantastic Four, telling them about their meeting with Adult Franklin. After Forge and Banshee explain about how happy Adult Franklin was to see them, Shary realizes that Adult Franklin is going everywhere the remembers happy childhood memories. She asks little Franklin where he would go if he couldn't be with them. Of course, he would go to his friends, the Powers.

So, the Fantastic Four, along with Forge and Banshee, head across town to the Power's apartment.

There, they find Adult Franklin playing with the Powers, and he's done something to their minds to think that he's still a small child.

Sue tries to convince Adult Franklin that everything is alright and to come home. At first he goes with them, but then disappears.

Forge and Reed rig the scanners on the Fantasicars to look for Adult Franklin's energy readers and they go out looking for him.

Everyone wonders what could have happened to him to have caused sweet little Franklin to turn out like this.