Fantastic Four #1
In "Unstable," the Fantastic Four return from a journey through time only to find Reed's powers shifting in ways he can't explain. With the team facing new uncertainties, Reed proposes a bold year-long mission across space and time—returning to the Baxter Building moments after departure—while temporary stand-ins handle their duties and protect Franklin and Valeria. As Ben monitors strange activity near his community center and Johnny makes a surprising proposal to Darla Deering, the stakes feel higher than ever. Written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Mark Bagley, with inks by Mark Farmer, colors by Paul Mounts, and letters by VC's Clayton Cowles, this 2013 launch captures the team at a pivotal, unpredictable moment. The cover, by Bagley and Farmer, sets the tone with a striking, dynamic image of the team in motion.
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Returning from millions of years in the past, Reed notices his powers seem to be waning. He retrofits their hypership Pestilence and puts forth the idea to the rest of the team that they, along with Franklin and Valeria, should go on a year-long adventure into space and time, returning to the Baxter Building moments after they left. As a safety measure they will choose temporary replacements to take on the Four's responsibilities and to look after the young members of the Future Foundation. Ben notices someone is surveilling his community center. Johnny asks Darla Deering to marry him.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).