Red Ghost and the Super Apes attack.
The team discovers that the Apes are having genetic mutations–getting the powers of the FF themselves!
Reed worries for his own team–since all of these characters got their powers from the same cosmic rays.
Scott Lobdell started out a storyline about merging genetics that basically got dropped when he left the series in this very same arc. Chris Claremont took over the writing chores with #4, and, frankly, did a horrible job. (Lobdell still gets story credit for these issues.)
Alan Davis also leaves with #3. We get a farewell pin-up.
In #4, Silver Surfer arrives, injured, and the team has to take on Terminus. It turns out, he’s been employing a “cascading genetic virus” that is responsible for the moloids being sick (which was the story in #2) and the Red Ghost’s Super Apes mutating (last issue).
And then with #5, we get Crucible, a wannabe Doctor Doom type who has been appearing on a few pages in the earlier issues covered by this post.
Reed is getting increasingly thuggish. I’m sure that’s a build-up to something.
These issues also introduce Billie Lumpkin, postman Willie’s hot neice.
