Issue 156 - Sue Storm

• Intro
  • More full recap in the catch-up episode
  • Long & short - dropped BetterHelp, joined GonnaGeek, started a TikTok
  • New Patrons - Mayors Allison & Birju, and Humble Citizen Joshua 
• Background 
  • Invisible Woman (Susan Storm) created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby in The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov 1961)
  • Sue Storm is a founding member of the Fantastic Four - hit by cosmic rays during a space flight, and gained the power to turn invisible
  • She and her brother Johnny grew up on Long Island - after their mother accidentally died in a car accident, their father became an alcoholic who went to prison for accidentally killing a loan shark
  • Sue met her future husband Reed Richards when she was a young girl - when she got older, she met Reed again and they connected, eventually dating prior to the spaceflight
  • As a member of the FF, Sue is originally meek and withdrawn, her invisibility only coming in handy to help the team when stealth is needed - she goes by the codename Invisible Girl
  • She later discovers she can project invisible force fields, and with this new power comes a new self-confidence
  • She and Reed get married, and she becomes pregnant with a child, Franklin - she leaves the team, and Johnny’s girlfriend (the Inhuman Crystal) joins the team in her place
  • The other team members travel to the Negative Zone to acquire the Cosmic Control Rod to help with Sue’s pregnancy, since her irradiated body makes carrying a child difficult - after Franklin’s birth, Annilhilus releases Franklin’s full powerset - to protect the world, Reed shuts down Franklin’s mind, causing Sue to leave him #BecauseComics
  • They later reconcile with the help of Namor the Sub-Mariner, a romantic foil for Sue
  • Sue’s second pregnancy is stillborn, and her ensuing depression leads Psycho-Man to manipulate her into becoming Malice, Mistress of Hate - after Reed manipulates her into hating him legitimately, Psycho-Man’s control is broken, and Sue puts him into a coma - the situation has a lasting impact on Sue, who changes her name to Invisible Woman, as the innocence within her died
  • Sue takes over the FF during Reed’s apparent death - he was time-displaced, and Sue’s love for him never wavered despite entreaties from Namor
  • The team encounters Valeria Von Doom, a being from an alternate future who is the child of Sue & Dr. Doom - Franklin later admits that after Sue’s stillbirth, he created an alternate world where the child survived - Valeria is recreated as a baby in Sue’s womb, and Dr. Doom assists in the childbirth - she is named Valeria after Victor’s first true love #BecauseComics
  • During Secret Invasion, she is kidnapped and taken out by Lyja, Johnny’s ex-wife, who then posed as Sue to infiltrate the Baxter Building - Sue was rescued after the Invasion was turned back
  • Secret Wars - On a ship trying to escape the Incursion, Sue and the entire FF minus Reed were killed when the ship was ripped apart - when Reed gained the Beyonders’ ability after God Emperor Doom was defeated, he resurrected everyone who was killed, including his family
  • Current runs

• Issues - Theme is Being noticed 
  • Jeanine - Being a strong woman in a male-dominated field & family
  • Jeanine - Working with significant other & brother
  • Philosophy/Psychology behind invisibility
• Break
  • Plugs for Play Comics, Popcorn Psychology, and Howard Mackie
• Treatment 
  • In-universe - Give someone else power of invisibility, so Sue can see what it’s like to be on the other side
  • Out of universe - 
• Skit (feat. Lauren from Legends of SHIELD) 
  • DOC: Hello Sue, I’m Dr. Issues. 
  • SUE: Hello, doctor, thanks for taking the time to speak with me.
  • DOC: So, what can I do for you today? 
  • SUE: Anything that you consider important would be a big help to me.
  • DOC: That’s rather flattering, but I don’t typically take the lead in a session unless it’s absolutely necessary. 
  • SUE: That’s a change for me. I usually have to pick and choose my spots depending on what’s going on by the hour.
  • DOC: Don’t we all. I don’t discriminate amongst topics, but the most common are relationships, work, family…feel free to interject 
  • SUE: I could write a book on all of those at this point. But, for the sake of simplicity, let’s start with my husband. *sigh*
  • DOC: Was that a sigh of how much you love him, or being exasperated with him?
  • SUE: *half statement/half question* Both…? Reed is…well, I do my homework, so I know you’ve met Reed…of a kind. 
  • DOC: Yessss, yes. He was…eccentric 
  • SUE: You’re being kind for no reason. He’s a narcissist. You can say it. 
  • DOC: But that Reed was trying to take over the universe 
  • SUE: And mine is always trying to save it. Doesn’t change the personality traits. *pause* And still, I know he loves me. He doesn’t stray, he doesn’t look to complain, and he’s brilliant. Who am I to argue?
  • DOC: Based on your description, you may be placing your emotional responses secondary to the idealistic view of your bond. That’s difficult. 
  • SUE: It’s harder now because I handle things differently. I used to acquiesce to his whims, but I don’t need to do that anymore. I’m not subservient. I can hold my own. But…sometimes it gets one-sided. I can find ways to make him the center of my world, but he doesn’t do the same. That’s not fair. 
  • DOC: Indeed. I won’t disagree with that. Do you have some way to cope with something that’s gone on this long, or are you actually looking to change along with him? Maybe a couples sess 
  • SUE: *interrupting* NO. No…look, no offense, but I think any couples session you would try with both of us would end up looking at things from his view because that’s just how things work.
  • DOC: Fair enough. 
  • SUE: If only he could…nevermind, that’s dangerous.
  • DOC: What? 
  • SUE: See…I’ve had a perspective about my love with him that’s unbreakable at this point. I’m not saying it to boast, but we’ve been tested repeatedly. I’m not going to waste my breath…ugh, why am I waffling about this?
  • DOC: I dunno, if it’s about wanderlust 
  • SUE: Namor.
  • DOC: *pause* Huh. Well, then. This is a rare time that I must acknowledge I have no personal knowledge of that person, but 
  • SUE: *interrupting* I’m sure at this point he’d be considered a stalker in every sense of the word, and I don’t think restraining orders are effective against a guy like that. But he won't DO anything if I don’t allow it…have you ever heard of “what-if?” He burns that into anyone’s soul he comes across.
  • DOC: So I should delete this unsolicited email that says “URGENT MATTER RE: SAVING SUE FROM A MUNDANE LIFE PLEASE OPEN IMMEDIATELY FOR THE GOOD OF THE WORLD” ? 
  • SUE: That sounds on brand. Any opportunity to woo me, even if it’s meant to be a confidential situation. 
  • DOC: You seem unphased by that. I’m legitimately concerned for the wellbeing of you and the ones you love! 
  • SUE: Ugh, you too? Please. A word of advice from the one considered the client: I’ve done this for a long time. You don’t have to protect me. I’m sure it comes from a place of decency, but I’d rather have a sense of respect.
  • DOC: Point taken. I concede that you must be an expert negotiator and clearly not a hostage. I think there’s something underlying that. 
  • SUE: Plenty of practice. Love and loss, doctor. Love and loss…and war.
  • DOC: Loss and war? Ouch. What’s that about? 
  • SUE: If you don’t mind, the loss part…let’s not go there right now. 
  • DOC: OK, what about war? 
  • SUE: I’ve hinted that I can deal with men fighting as the lone woman in the room. Well, it’s easier when it’s over me. The challenge is when everyone else is picking their own battles and I’m expected to choose sides.
  • DOC: My bias is to pick my own side, but I know that doesn’t work for everyone. Who are you referencing? 
  • SUE: You know more than you think. You met Ben, right? 
  • DOC: Nice guy. Really smart. Self deprecating 
  • SUE: Ahhhh, so you were willing to cut to the heart of who he is but not Reed? Anyway, he tends to get into it with my brother. A Lot.
  • DOC: I’m sure it’s just 
  • SUE: HE CRUMPLED JOHNNY’S CAR INTO A BALL AFTER JOHNNY SHOT A FIREBALL INTO HIS FACE.
  • DOC: That….yeah, that’s intense. And you all work together? If I may 
  • SUE: *rapid-fire, as though she’s run through this list numerous times* If you ask about splitting up, keeping distance, having a mediator, finding methods to nullify powers, go into other planes of existence, seek some sort of magical conduit to channel a better life, or fight to the death (I’d WIN, by the way) then you are barking up the wrong tree.
  • DOC: You came up with all of that much quicker than I would have anticipated. I don’t know if that’s due to imaginative emotional catharsis or…uh…I’ll just stick with that. 
  • SUE: Thank you. The point is, it’s  a challenge to deal with. And don’t get me started on parenting. It seems like I’m the only one that considers the details, but everyone else wants to just look at the big picture.
  • DOC: They get the highlights, you get the unedited blooper reel. Got it. 
  • SUE: Spot on! So…what do I do about it? All of it?
  • DOC: Please take this with the kind nature that I’m relaying…with all due respect…in the nicest way...all things considered…
  • SUE: Spill it
  • DOC: I HAVE NO CLUE! You have just told me an incredibly complex dynamic of lifetime egos looking to coexist while leaning on you for servicing their physical and spiritual needs at the highest level, and you’ve not only survived, but in some way THRIVED despite all of this. I can be your vent man. I can look for blind spots, or should I say invis 
  • SUE: You’re on a roll, don’t ruin it
  • DOC: Sorry. The point is, I can offer an outside perspective that coaches you towards self-actualization rather than a pill pusher that is trying to find problems. Maybe you needed to hear that. I don’t know. 
  • SUE: *pause* You’re serious about that?
  • DOC: Yes! 
  • SUE: Just do me a favor then.
  • DOC: What’s that? 
  • SUE: *sound of phone notification* Here’s a separate email address to forward any of Namor’s…nonsense. Trust me. It’s better to have a log so I don’t have to repeat myself. This stuff happens in real time. 
  • DOC: *shudders*
• Ending (64:16)
  • Recommended reading: Any FF run, or the Invisible Woman miniseries by Mark Waid
  • Next episodes: Gambit, Mystique, Poison Ivy
  • Review read: Lizardprince222 - Found this show at the beginning of the pandemic. It quickly became my Wednesday morning ritual. Not only is this podcast entertaining and comics focused. It is also a fun opportunity for introspective moments. Anthony & Doc Issues put in so much time and dedication into this podcast  and it shows with every episode. 100/10 would recommend.
  • Plugs for social

Episode Transcript

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