Fantastic Four 33
“Side-by-Side with the Sub-Mariner!”
Published: Sept. 1964
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and Stone

Synopsis

FF 33 opens with the team in the Baxter Building, examining a strange undersea creature that washed up on shore. Sensing something is amiss beneath the ocean, Mr. Fantastic sends the Human Torch to patrol the shoreline, where he discovers Lady Dorma of Atlantis, last seen in FF Annual 1, surfacing. Johhny brings her to the Baxter Building, where she explains the barbarian warlord Attuma has attacked Atlantis. Worse, she betrayed the Sub-Mariner and aided Attuma because Namor spurned her affections. Now she asks the FF for help.

The team, aided by an “Oxy-Spray” that allows them to breath underwater, descend with Dorma to Atlantis, where Namor is battling Attuma’s forces. The team surreptitiously helps him, with Sue making Namor invisible at a critical juncture, helping him defeat Attuma. The FF runs out of oxygen, however, and flees to the surface, leaving Namor unaware they aided him. The issue concludes with Namor forgiving Lady Dorma for her betrayal.

What’s going on here

FF 33 is a pretty straightforward story, told in the traditional style: It opens in the Baxter Building, the plot unfolds slowly, the second half is mostly action, and it’s all tied up in a few panels at the end. To the extent it adds to the FF’s larger narrative, it does signal Sue seems to be over her infatuation with Namor (although we don’t know if Namor is done with her, since he doesn’t know she’s helping him) and it’s another step in recasting the Sub-Mariner as a hero. Here, he is a noble warrior fighting for his kingdom. The story also introduces Attuma, who becomes a main antagonist of Namor’s over the years. Surprisingly, it’s one of the few times he appeared in the FF’s own comic.

The sexist sixties

The whole plot hinges on Lady Dorma betraying Namor because her feelings are hurt. It’s a trite and lazy story-telling device, and the same result—Dorma enlists the FF—could have been achieved in a number of other ways.

On the flip side, Stan and Jack give Sue a rare star turn in combat, where she uses her force field power to cause some real damage.

Weird science

FF 33 is a gold mine for zany, pseudo-scientific devices, starting with Reed’s “subionic analysis structure-scope.”

There’s also Oxo-Spray…

and Explo-Grenades (it’s unclear how these are different than normal exploding grenades)…

and Globules of Darkness …

and Ionic Rays …

and when that fails, Disintegrator Rays. All this stuff works underwater, too.

The Incredible Mr. Fantastic

Reed changes his shape into a manta ray, which is kind of cool

Krazy Kredits

A little more sedate in this ish.

All’s well that ends well

Stan and Jack stuff a whole lot into the last three panels here: We learn Namor is unaware of the FF’s help, Reed is convinced of Sue’s love, and we get a bit of snappy banter between Ben and Johnny.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Jack gives us another pair of collages, with one on the cover, and this one:

Also, there are some great fight scenes, like this:

And this:

Pin up!

For sale

In near mint (9.8) condition, FF 33 will cost you $32,000. A Fine version (6.0) is $240. Both seem high to me, to be honest.

Next issue: Who is Mr. Gideon?