Synopsis

Fantastic Four 73 follows not another FF issue but Daredevil 38, the first time the FF readers have needed to read another Marvel comic to keep track of an FF story.

Daredevil 38 is the third issue of a convoluted arc that starts with Daredevil fighting the Trapster, who subdues the Invisible Girl and plants a bomb in the Baxter Building. Daredevil rescues the Sue and disposes of the bomb, then battles the Trapster. After taking a beating, Daredevil is dazed in the New York subway, where he is confronted by Dr. Doom.

Doom captures Daredevil and eventually switches bodies with him, part of a plot to defeat the FF. Daredevil, in the body of Doom, uses a radio to warn the Fantastic Four of the switch, then orders Latveria to attack its neighboring countries. Doom quickly switches the bodies back to avoid a war, but uses a voice modulator to impersonate Daredevil and convince the FF that he is still in Daredevil’s body.

Fantastic Four 73, then, begins with the FF preparing to fight Daredevil, who they think still contains the consciousness of Doom. Daredevil tries to convince them he’s really himself, but the FF won’t hear it. After tangling with the Human Torch, Spider-Man arrives and realizes Daredevil will need reinforcements to take on the FF. He recruits Thor, who is dazed from a battle with Wrecker, and eventually the three heroes battle the FF, with Daredevil taking on Reed, Spidey fighting Johnny (for about the 100th time) and Thor battling the Thing (possibly for the first time).

The fight finally ends when Sue intervenes, saying that she saw Doom in Latveria on the 6 pm news. Reed apologies and Daredevil says it’s no big deal.

What’s going on here?

This is a peculiar issue. No only does is it require readers to have read a few issues of Daredevil prior, but the plot is incredibly flimsy and contrived. Spider-Man and Thor are shoehorned into the comic with the weakest possible explanations—literally they were just passing by—and then serve no real purpose except to provide sparring partners for the FF. Usually in a superhero team-up situation, after they fight and they realize it was all a big misunderstanding, they join forces to go after the bad guy. Not here: Once Sue let’s them know it was a mistake, they all go their separate ways. Of course it’s fun to see the Thing battle Thor, or Reed fight Daredevil, but it would be a lot more satisfying if it was in a more coherent story.

Making it even more frustrating is that the Daredevil stories leading up to it are much more fun and interesting. Yes, the switching bodies is a bizarre plot device, but Lee explores how Daredevil would react to having sight again, and Doom’s confusion over Daredevil’s radar sense. We also get an explanation of how Doom—who, last time we saw him, had stolen the power of the Silver Surfer—survived running into Galactus’s barrier (Galactus, sensing it was not the Surfer, gently transported Doom to Latveria). And Gene Colan knocks it out of the park with his art.

Oops

Fantastic Four 73 also has a surprising number of errors and goofs. One obvious one: In one panel, Jack draws Daredevil’s mask so you can see his eyes, then changes back to his eye-covers (or whatever you want to call them) for the rest of the comic.

Here, it seems like Stan is writing around Jack’s art to explain how Daredevil could stun Ben with a kick. Stan’s explanation: Reed used a “nerve blast ray” on Ben.

And perhaps most perplexing is how Thor is dealt with. His appearance apparently come between panels in Thor 150 (although there is no mention of it in the Thor comic), where he has apparently lost his powers. After he is recruited by Spider-Man, he can’t fly, and has to hitch a ride on Spidey’s webs. This is just weird:

Then as he battles Ben, this happens:

No further explanation is provided, until the last page, when Ben say Thor hold him he had to fight the Wrecker. But we have no idea of what happened in the above sequence. Maybe a subsequent story has addressed it, but I’m not aware of it.

Weird science

Along with the aforementioned “nerve blast ray,” there is also a “demolo-gun.” (And this isn’t the first time Reed has left extremely dangerous, and easily engaged, weapons lying around his lab).

It must be Israel Day

Spider-Man references Moshe Dayan, Israel’s minister of defense during 1967’s Six-Day War.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Here’s a splash for the ages:

A cool panel of the Torch:

And a great four-panel sequence:

Also on the news stands

Other comics for sale in January 1968

Next issue: The return of Galactus!