When I saw the cover for Fantastic Four #570, with the new creative team of Jonathon Hickman and Dale Eaglesham, I was more than a bit put-out by what I saw -- namely a ripply-muscled Reed Richards in short sleeves. Hair on the arms... five-o'clock shadwo... everything that our pliable Plato is not.

Having read the issue, I'm a little bit relieved. And, honestly, given the nature of the recent Dr. Doom arc, I really should have surmised it sooner.

It seems as if there is an extra-dimension League of Reeds that meets to solve crises across reality. It's really kind of a neat idea. I mean, if you had the choice to work with nobody but carbon-copies of yourself... what could be better than that?

Of course, these copies are less than "carbon." All of the Reeds in the All-Reed Squad are products of their unique dimensions (click on the thumbnail to the right for a larger view). Some aren't even stretchy -- exhibiting instead traits of one of the other Four.

Which means, in my opinion, that this Reed -- the 'roid Reed with the biceps and the chest and the body hair and everything -- is not our Reed. He's some other Reed.

But he's a Reed that is going to play a crucial role (most likely alongside or against Real Reed) in the story to come.

	64% (159)	Right! He's not!
	35% (87)	Oh, yes he is!

Courting Disaster, my weekly comic about sex, love, and relationships updates every Friday. You'll laugh your pants off.

This week's question...

A reader writes... Q: My guy got laid off his job in January. And ever since, he's been sitting around the house in the same T-shirt and gym shorts. He's getting fat. He has stopped shaving. When I come home from work, he's sitting in front of the computer playing video games. He stays up all night playing those stupid games. I've almost had it. I don't want to break up with him since he's the father of my son, but he's starting to turn me off. What should I do?

Don't answer here... go on over to the CD site and offer some advice.