Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

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Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

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FRANKLIN RICHARDS: IT'S DARK REIGNING CATS & DOGS No. 1, April 2008
(i.e., Franklin Richards #13)
Story, art & lettering: Chris Eliopoulos

Story 1: 40-Year-Old Franklin! (5 pages)

Cast: Reed Richards, Sue Richards, Franklin Richards, HERBIE, Franklin Richards @ 40, Puppy!

Franklin's birthday is coming up, and he wants a dog. Reed & Sue are less than sure, and don't think he's responsible enough. Franklin storms off, convinced he is.

Getting to his room, he finds his 40-year-old future self bouncing on the bed. After annoying the hell out of him 23 questions at once, he gets the answer to one question - does he get a dog. Answer: Not until he's 40. The old Franklin came back because he knew how much Franklin wanted a dog, using his new dog - Puppy, Lockjaw's grandpup, who can travel through time and space.

The old Franklin takes his younger self through rapid flashes of Ancient Rome, in front of a dino, a Jetsons-style world, the FF 1 cover (!), the Wild West, and mediaeval England.

Franklin then convinces his older self to give him Puppy, and to convince Reed to let him have it on the basis that there would be a major paradox if he didn't let him do it. Young Franklin sleeps happy with Puppy on his bed, while Old Franklin, back in the future, looks at a picture of Young Franklin and Puppy.

FB: The FF 1 cover homage is the only one with recognisable characters other than the Franklins and Puppy.

Story 2: Frankenrichards' Monster! (5 pages)

Cast: Reed Richards, Franklin Richards, HERBIE.

It's Hallowe'en, and a lightning strike just as HERBIE is downloading information on various monsters turns him into the monsters, until an electric fence shocks him back to normal.

Story 3: Homework Hassle (1 page)

Cast: Franklin Richards, HERBIE

Franklin uses an image inducer to fool HERBIE into thinking he's doing homework rather than playing computer games

Story 4: The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend (5 pages)

Cast: Franklin Richards, Kristoff Vernard (alternate, from the "Fantastic Frank" world), teacher, background students, three bullies.

The Kristoff-Doom from "Fantastic Frank" (Sons of Geniuses story 2) has enrolled at Franklin Richards' school in an attempt to cause Franklin misery, even though his armour has been destroyed. He bullies him until Franklin saves him from a group of bullies - whereupon Kristoff is left very depressed at the idea of becoming friends with this Franklin.

FB: Kristoff has three FBs - (1:3) has him FB to him, in armour, saying "Doom rules Latveria!"; (1:4) has him being sucked through the vortex to his current universe, and (1:5) has him drawing horns, a moustache and goatee on a picture of "our" Franklin.

DR DOOM/KRISTOFF VERNARD | FANTASTIC FRANK
FR:DRCD 1/4 (1:3)-FB
FR:SOGS 1/2
FR:DRCD 1/4 (1:4)-FB
FR:SOGS 1/5
FR:DRCD 1/4 (1:5)-FB
FR:DRCD 1/4

Story 5: Multiple Personalities (1 page)

Cast: Franklin Richards, HERBIE

Franklin gets changed into various forms, until HERBIE manages to find the right setting on a gizmo to turn him back to normal. HERBIE hopes he's learned his lesson, and Franklin has - save the gizmo for Hallowe'en.

Story 6: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs (5 pages)

Cast: Franklin Richards, HERBIE, Puppy, lots of cats & dogs

Puppy's sleeping, and Franklin suggests that he bring over a friend.

"1/45th of a dog's year later", Franklin heas a huge crash, and enters the room to find a LOT of cats & dogs. They cause a huge mess, until Franklin runs to the kitchen to get a box of dog treats.

After they all run over him to get the treats, Puppy gets angry at them taking his treats, and teleports them all away. After Franklin observes that "it's all fun and games until someone tries to take your treats", HERBIE downloads the info for future reference.

Notes

The first story is the big bit here, with Puppy. Puppy originally appeared out of nowhere in Pier 4 during Chris Claremont's run on FF3, never got an origin as far as I can see - and was never seen post-Claremont.

This, of course, is set in the Baxter Building, with the Kirbyesque costumes standard for Franklin Richards issues (i.e., after FF3 49, before FF 554). And is the origin of Franklin & Puppy's relationship.
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

Post by Paul Bourcier »

Thanks for the analysis, Somebody. :)
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

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I'm just getting around to trying to incorporate this comic into the Calendar. The problem with this issue is that it contradicts how Franklin met Puppy in FF3 9.

Is it possible that Franklin lost Puppy behind the scenes sometime after the Sinbad adventure and that this story shows the introduction of an alternate-future Puppy as Franklin's new dog sometime between FF3 49 and FF 554? I assume this new Puppy looks exactly like the old one? Does Franklin demonstrate any sense of recognition in seeing Puppy in this story? Of course, this new Puppy is keeping a rather low profile, only appearing in APRIL FOOLS after this.

Speaking of APRIL FOOLS, is "super secret agent" Nick Fury head of SHIELD in that story?
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

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Paul Bourcier wrote:I'm just getting around to trying to incorporate this comic into the Calendar. The problem with this issue is that it contradicts how Franklin met Puppy in FF3 9.
Now, why didn't I think of that :p
Paul Bourcier wrote:Is it possible that Franklin lost Puppy behind the scenes sometime after the Sinbad adventure and that this story shows the introduction of an alternate-future Puppy as Franklin's new dog sometime between FF3 49 and FF 554? I assume this new Puppy looks exactly like the old one? Does Franklin demonstrate any sense of recognition in seeing Puppy in this story? Of course, this new Puppy is keeping a rather low profile, only appearing in APRIL FOOLS after this.
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Paul Bourcier wrote:Speaking of APRIL FOOLS, is "super secret agent" Nick Fury head of SHIELD in that story?
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

Post by Paul Bourcier »

Hmm. Puppy II looks more like Puppy I than Lockjaw, so you'd think Franklin would call him "Puppy!" rather than "Lockjaw!" if indeed this is a "replacement" dog. Another explanation is that this is the first Puppy Franklin had, at a time way back when the FF were in the Baxter Building and in their classic costumes, but with Herbie around. The Puppy in FF3 9 would be the replacement. Ugh.

And, yes, it does appear that Fury is head of SHIELD in APRIL FOOLS, which occurs after DARK REIGNING. This is fine if the story occurs way back when, and would also be fine if APRIL FOOLS were between FF3 49 and SILENT WAR.

But are these Franklin stories really canonical? I keep wondering about that.
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

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Paul Bourcier wrote:But are these Franklin stories really canonical? I keep wondering about that.
Well, what do the Franklin & HERBIE entries in the Handbook HCs say? Their original nuHB entries included it, but they've been less inclusive of late it would seem, based on stuff like X:FC being included... until they suddenly weren't.
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

Post by ShadZ »

Paul Bourcier wrote:But are these Franklin stories really canonical? I keep wondering about that.
The Lockjaw entry in the new Marvel Pets Handbook seems to be saying the Franklin stories happen on Earth-6513 and are not 616 canon...
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

Post by Paul Bourcier »

Shadz wrote:
The Lockjaw entry in the new Marvel Pets Handbook seems to be saying the Franklin stories happen on Earth-6513 and are not 616 canon...
That's interesting, although I'm confused by the "seems to." What exactly does it say?
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

Post by DonCampbell »

Paul Bourcier wrote:Shadz wrote:
The Lockjaw entry in the new Marvel Pets Handbook seems to be saying the Franklin stories happen on Earth-6513 and are not 616 canon...
That's interesting, although I'm confused by the "seems to." What exactly does it say?
The Lockjaw entry in the Marvel Pets Handbook ends as follows:
NOTE: The one-time Fantastic Four companion Puppy appears to be somewhat similar to a younger Lockjaw, complete with forehead antennae. On Earth-6513, a similar looking Puppy is said to be the grandson of that world's Lockjaw; however, no connections have been established between Earth-616's Lockjaw and Puppy.

IMHO, while this note does STATE that Puppy-6513 is (said to be) the grandson of Lockjaw-6513, it only IMPLIES (albeit VERY clearly) that those Franklin stories happened on Earth-6513. As such, it leaves wiggle room for anyone who wants them to be 616 canon...at least until the Handbooks make a more definitive statement on the subject.

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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

Post by Paul Bourcier »

Thanks, Don. I agree that it's a very strong implication that the Franklin stories occur on Earth-6513.
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

Post by wolframbane »

Perhaps the Earth-6513 they refer to is the alternate future where 40 yr old Franklin and Puppy come from.
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Re: Franklin Richards: Dark Reigning Cats and Dogs

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wolframbane wrote:Perhaps the Earth-6513 they refer to is the alternate future where 40 yr old Franklin and Puppy come from.
No "perhaps" - that's what it says since it was the 40 year old Franklin who drew the connection between Lockjaw and Puppy. Ergo, it was that future's Lockjaw. By the Handbook's numbering rules (which I don't like, but which are fairly clear), a future-number doesn't have any particular connection to the numbering of it's parent timeline.
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