Fantastic Four 78
“The Thing No More!”
Published June 1968
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

The three male members of the Fantastic Four have returned from their adventures in the microverse, and while Mr. Fantastic checks on the Invisible Girl—who is pregnant and now bed ridden—the Thing and the Human Torch putter around the Baxter Building.

Meanwhile, the Wizard, a villain last seen in issue 57 is out of prison and threaten his revenge with new weapons, his Wonder Gloves (TM). Also, Crystal the Inhuman, who has been at Sue’s side, learns that Sue’s pregnancy may be at risk because of the effects on her cells of the cosmic radiation which gave the team their powers.

Back in the Baxter Building, Reed summons Ben and Johnny and tells them he has at last found a method to return Ben to human form. Ben drinks Reed’s concoction and changes back, only for the team to be attacked by the Wizard. Ben charge into the fight, forgetting he’s no longer the Thing, and Reed saves him but is knocked out in the process. Johnny eventually subdues the Wizard and removes his gloves, but the villain escapes. Ben asks Reed to devise a way for him to change back and forth so he won’t be a liability, but as the issue ends Reed says he can only be Ben or the Thing, not both.

What’s going on here?

This is a very good comic, and nice recovery after last issue’s dud. It’s well paced, there’s plenty of character building and some nice moments between team members, there’s an ominous development about Sue’s pregnancy, and there’s some genuine complexity in the question of Ben’s duty to himself and to his teammates. The story also has the hallmarks of what later would be called a “quiet issue” when deployed by Chris Claremont in the X-Men. After a big, multi-issue adventure, Stan and Jack give the team—and readers—time to catch their breaths and take stock. It’s an important but overlooked tactic in writing superhero books. Fans want action, of course, but they also want their characters to evolve as people, and that happens in their downtime.

The centerpiece of FF 78 is Ben’s transformation back to human form. Jack shows his change in a dramatic sequence:

When I first read it, the sequence reminded me of this sequence from Jack’s New Gods that came after his jump to DC a few years later. When I look at them together, in retrospect they don’t have much in common, but you can decide.

Ben’s transformation also produces this agonizing decision, and reveals his depth of feeling for Reed, whom he has every right to resent (and occasionally does):

While it’s not explicitly mentioned, the Wizard started as a Human Torch villain in his solo stories in Strange Tales, so it’s satisfying to see Johnny take him own without the help of Ben and Reed. Johnny often feels like a junior partner in these stories and we can forget he’s more than capable of fighting bad guys on his own.

They’re (not) fighting again

FF 78 also gives us some fun banter between Ben and Johnny. So many of their interactions have them fighting so it’s good to see these moments of companionable friendship.

Read all about it

Once again newspapers are the preferred media of communication

Ooops

This cultural reference doesn’t hold up so well

Bullpen bulletins

Technically this came from the letters page but it feels bullpenny.

For sale

Some intriguing ads in this issue. First up, Pete Duncan – “Dropout,” which is quite the saga. It’s like a John Updike story in 11 panels.

Next up, some science to go with your breakfast cereal. The connection between the two seems tenuous, but I’m OK with it (not sure what an Early Bird is, though.)

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Less cosmic grandeur in this issue, but still a few panels worth highlighting:

On the newsstands

What else was on sale in June of 1968?

Next issue: Ben has to make a terrible choice!