Fantastic Four #160

Issue Details

Synopsis

IN ONE WORLD -- AND OUT THE OTHER! Alicia Masters is on the scene where it appears her love the Thing is battling the extra-dimensional being known as Arkon. However, when Alicia gets in the middle of the battle, she is shocked to find that this Thing has a higher vocabulary and does not seem to recognize her. Realizing that Alicia is in danger, this other Thing charges at Arkon, playing into the barbarian kings hand, allowing him to whisk them away with one of his D-Bolts.   Hopping a cab, Alicia has it ride her to the Baxter Building (the cabbie relating to how he once gave a lift to the Invisible Girl). As the FF's jet lands on the roof of the Baxter Building, Alicia rushes upstairs to find that the Fantastic Four had just returned from their trip to the Hidden Land of the Inhumans, and that Ben is among them, safe and sound. Alicia's story confuses the entire team, except for the Thing who recalls a previous adventure where he was transferred to another dimension where he met a Reed Richards who was turned into the Thing. Ben rushes to the communications room and contacts Crystal and Quicksilver at the Hidden Land and asks them if he can borrow Lockjaw. They agree to send the Inhumans' teleporter to him and Ben -- using a scrap of the other Thing's shirt -- asks Lockjaw to take him to the source.   Reed calls Sue and Johnny into a meeting where he introduces them to Albert DeVoor, a man representing a large corporation. Reed explains that their company Fantastic Four Inc. is in need of money and as 50% stake holder in their incorporation he is selling an number of patents over to the company Mr. DeVoor represents, a revelation that shocks the two siblings.   Ben meanwhile appears in another reality with Lockjaw to find that the Inhuman dog has come here to chase after the local wildlife. After a bit of a chase, Ben manages to convince Lockjaw to teleport them to the right dimension. Seeing a castle straight ahead, Ben recognizes it as the one that is owned by that realities Reed Richards. Entering he is attacked by what appears to be an army of movie monsters, however they are in reality only robots. As he fights off the first wave he spots this realities version of Ben and Susan Grimm and goes to their rescue. Saving their lives from a giant mechanical Frankenstein's Monster.   With the threat over, the Thing meets with his counterpart in this reality and explains who he is. He learns that the Grimms were here to thank Reed once more for curing Ben of his stretching and flame powers and that they have no idea that he was captured by Arkon. The Thing learns that this world's Reed had become reclusive after selling out to a company called Inter-Related Technocracies Unlimited.   While back on Ben's home world, Reed stifles any protests that Johnny and Sue have due to the fact that it's Reed's inventions that were keeping them in operation over the years. With the decision made, Reed signs over control of Fantastic Four to Mr. DeVoor's company, Interlocking Technologies Unlimited.