Happy birthday, Franklin Richards! November marks 40 fantastic years of Franklin Richards in the Marvel Universe and we're celebrating with Franklin Richards week from November 17-21! Grab your copy of FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #6 (Franklin's first appearance, 'natch) and stick with us all week long for more Franklin goodness.

Every week we'll pick a handful of awesome comics from the thousands available through Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited. From creator spotlights to editor's picks and more, this'll be your spot to find something new and cool.

Franklin Richards has seen it all! As the Son of a Genius and youngest (sorta) member of the Fantastic Four, Franklin has gotten into his share of trouble, and helped get his family out of a few scrapes now and then as well!

So to celebrate Franklin Richards Week here at Marvel.com, we've selected five digital gems spanning Franklin's extended childhood, all available right now on Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.

FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #245
Where has Franklin gone?! With the Baxter Building under attack by a mysterious and all-powerful bearded foe, the Invisible Woman can't find her son anywhere. With the rest of the Fantastic Four down for the count, she must go head to head with the shadowy antagonist—but what is this man's secret, and what is his connection to the missing Franklin? For the first time, get a glimpse of just how powerful the young Franklin's mind really is in the classic "Childhood's End," written and drawn by legendary FF creator John Byrne!


FANTASTIC FOUR (1997) #501
In the aftermath of "Unthinkable," where Dr. Doom kidnapped Franklin and trapped him in a hell dimension, the traumatized Son of a Genius must cope with all he's been through while the rest of the team deals with the repercussions of Doom's assault. Despite his mother and Uncle Ben's best efforts to cheer him up, Franklin still won't talk about his experiences—or say anything at all, for that matter. And when he finally starts lashing out, how will everyone respond? This story proves that no matter what else, when the Fantastic Four is concerned, family always comes first.


ONSLAUGHT REBORN #1
Onslaught returns, and first on his agenda is tracking Franklin down and paying him back for the trouncing the young—but powerful—mutant gave the villain! When the evil mutant takes possession of the Human Torch, it's up to the Thing to keep Franklin safe. But when even that doesn't work, Mr. Fantastic's son finds himself retreating into the Heroes Reborn Universe in an effort to hide from Onslaught's attack. Jeph Loeb and Rob Liefeld take you back to the 90's in the first issue of this series which introduced a whole new generation to the world of Heroes Reborn!


FRANKLIN RICHARDS: MONSTER MASH #1
Halloween may be over, but Franklin still has his share of ghastly ghouls and monsters to content with in this hilarious one-shot! Franklin comes face-to-face with a yeti, accidentally transforms himself into a monster, befriends some ghosts in the television and more in this all-ages read courtesy of Franklin Richards masterminds Marc Sumerak and Chris Eliopoulos! For anybody young or old on a quest for a good time and more laughs than any comic has a right to contain, look no further!


FRANKLIN RICHARDS: SUPER SUMMER SPECTACULAR #1
Find yourself longing for some sun, sea and relaxation as we get deeper and deeper into winter? Well, we can't make the sun shine any hotter, but we can transport you back to those glorious days of summer with this fun-filled Franklin Richards special! Watch as Franklin dives 20,000 leagues under the sea! Marvel at the Son of a Genius' wicked baseball skills! Laugh as he absconds with yet another of his father's experimental devices! And hey, if you could talk him into getting on that whole making the sun shine hotter issue, we wouldn't complain!

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