“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 111

16 Saturday Dec 2023

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

Tags

Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 112, Hulk, John Buscema, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 111
“The Thing Amok!”
Published: March 1971
Story: Stan Lee & John Buscema
Pencils: Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Buscema & John Verpoorten

Synopsis

Ben, his mind affected by his new ability to change to human form, goes on a rampage throughout Manhattan as Johnny tries to keep up. Finally, Reed calls in Bruce Banner to help, only for the Hulk to appear and confront Ben.

What’s going on here?

This is very much a table-setting issue, preparing us for the big confrontation with the Hulk next month, but it’s still pretty effective. As discussed earlier, the groundwork for Ben’s descent was laid over many issues, so it feels organic and earned. It’s not the first time we’ve seen a plot centered around the Thing turning against his teammates (and won’t be the last) but the mechanism for this is more interesting than mind control or sorcery. It’s quite plausible that on some level, were Ben to lose the humanity and compassion that makes him, he would act this way. He has reason to be angry!

There’s also some good foreshadowing of trouble to come with baby Franklin, and again, it’s being spooned out methodically.

What I liked

This feels like the first FF issue where John Buscema is the recognizable artist I’m familiar with. The previous few issues felt like he was either trying to mimic Kirby or Joe Sinnott’s inks overpowered his penciled, but here we see some great Buscema panels.

These crowd scenes are fun. Hardhats on one side, hippies on the other.

There is a great quiet page of Reed, first with Sue, then contemplating how he again failed Ben. We have so many pages of Reed acting like a bullying blowhard that this display of his human side feels refreshing and necessary.

Also, J. Jonah Jameson shows up again, this time with pesky Bugle photographer.

What I didn’t like

The appearance of the Hulk feels really abrupt, the opposite of the slow-boil that got us to this issue. Within seven panels, we go from Reed summoning Bruce Banner to the Thing and Hulk about to fight.

I confess I get annoyed with every interaction the FF has with their landlord (and any other real-world business issue). Maybe I know too much about commercial real estate but it always feels clumsy and unrealistic. I’m pretty sure the FF have lawyers to deal with this sort of thing.