“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 99

29 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

Tags

1970, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 99, Inhumans, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 99
“The Torch Goes Wild!”
Published: March 1970
Story: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and John Verpoorten

Synopsis

The Thing is preparing for a ski trip with Alicia when Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl report the Human Torch is flying around the world to take on the Inumans and reclaim his girlfriend, Crystal. We cut to the Torch flying across Europe before he takes refuge in a cave in the Himalayas, where he is accosted by what appears to be a talking yeti. Meanwhile the rest of the team take off in a flying saucer, only to be grounded by a meteor strike in the Himalayas as well.

The yeti turns out to be an Inhuman and Johnny, realizing he has reached his destination, battles his way through Attillan, the city of the Inhumans, and confronts Crystal and the rest of the royal family. The Torch fights them, until Crystal, peeved at his immaturity turns against him. Johnny, feeling betrayed, threatens to destroy Attillan with a fireball when the rest of the FF show up and neutralize him. Eventually Crystal explains she was needed by her family because Black Bolt was sick. A chagrined Johnny learns his lesson and Ben is pleased he can still go skiing.

What’s going on here?

This is a pretty weak issue, and it’s hard not to connect it to the the upcoming end of the Lee/ Kirby run, which is coming in just four more issues. The plot is thin, the art feels rushed and the comic as a whole lacks much substance. At this point, we’ve had a number of stories about the Torch’s pursuit of Crystal, and this one didn’t add much to our understanding of them. If anything, it revealed Johnny to be as immature as ever.

If there’s one redeeming quality, it’s that Sue not only joined the mission—after being sidelined for so many because of pregnancy or motherhood—but she’s the voice of maturity and reason, calling out Johnny for being a selfish jerk. So that’s progress.

Comic relief

At some point Ben’s character tipped from being a tragic figure who uses humor to cope, to being the team clown. It’s been evolving that way for many issues, but this silly splash page seems like a good example of how Stan and Jack are treating him lately.

Flying saucer

Yes, the FF have a flying saucer. No, they don’t explain how or why. If I had to create an in-continuity explanation, I would say it’s from the Skrull planet they visited in issue 93, but maybe Reed just decided to make one.