Captain America 293 “Field of Vision!” Publisher: Marvel Published: January 1984 Writer: J.M. DeMatteis Pencils: Paul Neary Inks: Eduardo Barreto Letters: Diana Albers Colors: Bob Sharen Editor: Mark Gruenwald
Editor’s note: It’s been a while since I did one of these, so as a refresher: In So Random! posts, I pick a comic more or at less at random from my collection to re-read and analyze.
Synopsis
As Captain America tries to reconcile Bernie Rosenthal’s marriage proposal with his feelings for former love interest Sharon Carter, the villains Mother Superior, Baron Zemo and the Red Skull conspire to get their revenge on Cap. They transform Cap’s pacifist friend Dave Cox into the Slayer, who ambushes Cap and his sidekick, Nomad.
What’s going on here?
Captain America 293 came out pretty early in my collecting days, and about the time of the first Secret Wars series. J. M. DeMatteis was still writing the book and his plots were dark and intricate, particularly compared to his successor, Mark Gruenwald (RIP), who had a much more light-hearted take on Cap.
This would be a tough comic for a new reader to jump into, since so much of the story involves the back stories of Baron Zemo and Dave Cox (and Sharon Carter), but the plot moves along, and there’s plenty of action to go along with the introspection. The art by Neary and Barreto is serviceable, although it never really soars.
What I liked
I liked this scene of Cap dropping into to visit an old friend out of the blue, and disrupting his domestic life. We then get some revealing panels about Cap discussing his love life with Dave, and (oddly) skipping stones from his knees.
In group books like the Avengers, Cap tends to take on a larger-than-life quality, as he serves not just as a leader but a symbol of the American Way. But successfully written, in his own book at least, Steve Rogers is very much a human who is wrestling with his personal life. (Batman suffers from similar problems as a character who can be more symbol than person).
What I didn’t like
DeMatteis’s writing tends toward the purple and overwraught, particularly in the sequences with Zemo and Mother Superior. Consider this elaborate double page splash that attempts to sum up the history of human evil, for example:
Also, the Slayer concept feels vaguely ridiculous, and continues a longtime comic trope of taking civilian characters and making them heroes or villains. I much prefer it when ordinary people remain ordinary.
Anything else?
I always enjoyed these Q & As they ran in the letter pages of the books Gruenwald edited. This one was inspired by a recent Cap arc where he wound up in a post-apocalyptic future with Deathlok.
Fantastic Four 131 “Revolt in Paradise!” Published Nov. 1972 Writer: Roy Thomas Pencils: Ross Andru Inks: Joe Sinnott Letters: John Costanza Colors: Petra Goldberg Editor: Thomas Cover: Jim Steranko and Sinnott
Synopsis
The Human Torch discovers his erstwhile girlfriend Crystal in a romance with the ex-Avenger Quicksilver. Before they can hash it out, the Inhuman stronghold of Attilan is rocked by tremors, and the Alpha Primatives, a race of worker drones, revolt against their overlords.
What’s going on here?
This is another interesting issue. The big development, and one I genuinely didn’t expect, is the reveal of Crystal and Quicksilver’s relationship. Of course, I knew it was coming at some point—their marriage was a major fixture of Marvel comics in the 80s— but since Roy left no clues that this was impending, it took me by surprise (more on this later).
This issue is also notable in that it’s penciled by Ross Andru, who is amazingly just the fourth artist to pencil the FF in 131 issues (after Jack Kirby, John Romita and John Buscema). Andru had been around a long time at this point — his first credits were in 1951, and I think it’s fair to say he’s a bit of a journeyman, although he would go on to have a long and distinguished run on Amazing Spider-Man. This is the only issue of the FF he drew, and was a fill-in issue. Big John was back in the saddle by the next issue (although 133 is also a fill-in). Also, note that is the second of three Steranko covers.
What I liked
The Johnny /Crystal / Quicksilver love triangle is a fun plot twist that accomplishes a couple of things. One, it ties the FF more closely to the rest of the Marvel Universe. Save for about 20 issues in the mid 1960s, when almost every Marvel hero made a guest appearance in the Fantastic Four, the FF have been relatively isolated from other Marvel heroes. The appearance of Quicksilver is a reminder they inhabit the same universe as the Avengers (and the X-Men), and it makes sense that it’s Roy Thomas who cross-pollinated these comics, since at this point he had written all three.
Two, it helps establish the template of Johnny Storm as forever unlucky in love. Crystal may be Johnny’s first romance that fizzled (not counting high school crush Dorrie Evans) but she’s far from the last. Others love interests have included Frankie Raye (who became Nova), Lyja the Skrull (whom he thought was Alicia Masters), Namorita, and most recently Sky, the winged alien. After 60 years, his romantic woes have now become such a part of his character that I wonder if any writer would be willing to have him permanently settle down.
What I didn’t like
While the Crystal / Pietro relationship is a welcome addition, as far as I can tell, it comes out of nowhere. This comic refers to Avengers 104, as if it explains the beginning of the relationship, but Crystal does not appear there. In that comic, Quicksilver battles a Sentinel while attempting to rescue his sister, the Scarlet Witch, and is left injured in the Sentinels’ lair by the other Avengers , who don’t know he’s there.
An end note promises that readers will learn his fate in the next issue, but Avengers 105 is Steve Englehart’s first issue, and he takes the comic off in another direction. It’s not until FF 131, which was published five months later, that Crystal’s rescue of Pietro is shown (and is described as a random event).
My guess is that Thomas wanted to resolve his Pietro arc, and saw an opportunity to make life interesting for Johnny at the same time. But if his appearance in this issue surprised me, I can only imagine how FF readers on 1972 must have felt.
Thomas’s handling of the Alpha Primatives is a bit peculiar, too. It’s pretty clear they are subjugated race who live underground and serve as slaves to their Inhuman masters. When they revolt, it’s not depicted as a heroic uprising, but more like an insurrection that needs to be put down. That dynamic is a pretty strong contrast to issue 119, where Thomas very successfully wrote about he evils of apartheid. We’ll see how he handles the Alpha primitives revolt in the next issue.
Anything else
Not one but two letters from future comic writers in this issue: Mike W. Barr (Camelot 3000, Batman and the Outsiders, among others) and Charles “Chuck” Dixon (Punisher, Detective Comics, among others).
Fantastic Four 130 “Battleground: The Baxter Building!” Published Oct. 1972 Writer: Roy Thomas Pencils: John Buscema Inks: Joe Sinnott Letters: Artie Simek Colors: Petra Goldberg Editor: Thomas Cover: Jim Steranko and Sinnott
Synopsis
After subduing the Thing and Meduasa, the Frightful Four—reconstituted with Thundra—take on the rest of the Fantastic Four, minus the Human Torch, in the Baxter Building and are saved only by the awakening of Franklin’s powers. In the aftermath, Sue declares she is leaving the team. Meanwhile, in the Himalayas, the Torch confronts the Inhumans, where a secret concerning Crystal is revealed to him.
What’s going on here?
This is a jam-packed issue, with big developments in the story, and some smaller ones outside it. From an amateur-comic-historian’s perspective, it’s notable for being the first Fantastic Four issue to credit a colorist, in this case, Petra Goldberg.
The history of comic book coloring is complicated, and the technology evolves dramatically over time. But my understanding is that in the 60s, 70s and 80s, the colorist would identify what colors were needed (always a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow and black) and where they would go. They would make notes on the art (or actually color copies of the pages) that would then be used by a color separator at the printer as a guide. Because of the limitations of the process—at most, only 64 possible colors are available—and because the colorist didn’t directly work on the art like a penciler and inker, it seems they were viewed less like artists and more like technicians. Hence, they were not credited. (A pretty good explanation of all this can be found in this Comic Tropes video).
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this changed soon after Roy Thomas became editor. Thomas also instituted an “editor” credit—here used for himself—and seemed more interested than Stan Lee in assigning proper credit where it was due (a longtime issue with Stan that we know came to haunt him).
Recall, the first issues of the Fantastic Four had no credits all, just the signatures of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. And when credits first appeared, they were very scant and presented almost as an after thought (this is FF 10):
By FF 130, the credits for all the main creators were in place and they pretty much remained this way for decades. Note Stan Lee’s presenting credit is now his signature. That began with the previous month’s issues, and I neglected to mention it.
Also notable is that Jim Steranko penciled the cover for this issue (which is probably why the Sandman looks so much like Nick Fury). I’m not sure it’s a particularly great cover, but anything by Steranko is worth paying attention to. This is the first of three covers he did for the Fantastic Four, and are the only things he ever did with the FF during his short career.
What I liked
A big—but not the biggest—in-comic event in FF 130 is Sue’s decision to leave the team. This has been brewing for a few issues, and through Thomas’s writing she has voiced her displeasure with Reed and his constant demands that she be sidelined to look after Franklin.
Here, she again raises those objections and he again tries to shut her down:
It finally boils over in the last page, featuring more jerk-like behavior from Reed:
Obviously, this doesn’t stick and she eventually returns. But her departure feels like a significant milestone in the development of Sue’s character, and, perhaps, in Thomas’s repudiation of the status quo he inherited from Stan. Thomas has been writing Reed pretty much the same way Stan and Jack did for a decade, but only under Thomas did Sue finally say, enough.
Speaking of gender dynamics, I also liked how Thomas played with cliches and stereotypes through Thundra, the Femizon from another dimension where women dominate men. Here, she picks up Ben like a doll:
Or here, where she refers to “men and children:”
Thomas also created an interesting and suspenseful sidebar with the Human Torch and Crystal. I legitimately have no idea what he sees here (we have to wait until next issue):
The Inhuman subplot is another example of Thomas’s skill as a storyteller. There’s an awful lot going in in the main plot, yet he’s able to jump out and devote a few meaningful pages to the Johnny/Crystal dynamic that builds character and sets up future arcs, all without distracting from the bigger story. Further evidence that the FF is in very good hands.
Oh, and I would remiss if I didn’t point out this jaw-dropping splash page from Big John. It doesn’t have a big impact on the plot, but it seems like it’s a fun opportunity for him to flex his Kirby muscles.
What I didn’t like
The biggest in-story development in FF 130 is the awakening of Franklin’s powers. Although hinted at a few issues ago, this is the first real manifestation of them.
In the bounds of this issue, it’s fine and I imagine for readers at the time, it must have been pretty cool. But it opened the door for decades of stories about Franklin’s powers that, on the whole, have been unsatisfying, confusing and distracting. No two writers seem to agree what to do with Franklin, and while some have embraced him as a mutant with god-like powers—Jonathan Hickman had him creating whole universes—others would be happier if he was just a kid. Dan Slott depowered him and Ryan North has a goofy retcon that has him using his powers one day a year.
I am sure Thomas didn’t know the can of worms he was opening up here, but the does-he -or doesn’t-he nature of Franklin’s powers been a perennially frustrating aspect of the Fantastic Four
Also, thumbs down for the story title—”Battleground: Baxter Building”—a combination of words which has been used probably a dozen times.
Fantastic Four 129 “The Frightful Four .. Plus One!” Published Sept. 1972 Writer: Roy Thomas Pencils: John Buscema Inks: Joe Sinnott Letters: Artie Simek Editor: Thomas Cover: Buscema and Frank Giacoia
Synopsis
Intending to marry Crystal, the Human Torch leaves the team for the Great Refuge and is captured by Inhumans. Meanwhile, The Thing is ambushed by the Frightful Four and while one-time member Medusa comes to his aid, Thundra, a new member, attacks.
What’s going on here
Fantastic Four 129 is probably most notable for the introduction of Thundra, the powerful, seven-foot warrior from an alternate Earrh called Femizonia. As a character she’s part Wonder Woman, part Big Barda and part pandering to the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s. As befits Thomas, her backstory is long and elaborate, and will unspool over the next few years as she becomes a semi-regular character in the Fantastic Four during this era. More recently she goes on to have a big role in the Hulk.
From a design perspective, she’s pretty cool looking and her presence adds an interesting dimension to the FF, where gender norms have been enforced by the very macho male members and the very feminine Sue and Crystal.
Speaking of Sue, her liberation under Thomas’s writing is becoming more pronounced. In two sequences, she puts Reed in his place in a way that would been unheard of in a Stan Lee-written book.
Here, she lets Johnny escape the team to join Crystal:
(I love the look on Reed’s face)
And here, she lets Reed knows what she thinks of his priorities while Ben looks on in amazement:
What I liked
I don’t pay Joe Sinnott’s inks enough attention and I should. I love this panel, which is obviously enhanced by the colors (at this point Marvel wasn’t naming colorists so I have no one to credit).
And this Buscema panel is wonderfully Kirby-esque:
What I didn’t like
Ben’s fight with the Frightful Four felt a bit too by-the-numbers, and the appearance of Medusa didn’t make much sense (and is not explained). Is it just a coincidence a former member of the Frightful For shows up just when Ben needs her help to fight them? Is her appearance related to Johnny’s trip to the Inhumans? Who can say?
Anything else?
The letters page is devoted entirely to one very long, tortured letter summing up the Stan Lee ear, by a writer named Tim Allen. Unclear if it’s the Tool Time guy.
Fantastic Four 128 “Death in a Dark and Lonely Place!” Published Aug. 1972 Writer: Roy Thomas Pencils: John Buscema Inks: Joe Sinnott Letters: Artie Simek Editor: Thomas Cover: Buscema and Sinnott
Synopsis
After Mr. Fantastic realizes the monster attacking the team is actually the Thing, whose appearance was temporarily transformed, the team regroups to confront the Mole Man, only to be captured and apparently defeated. But the Mole Man is betrayed by his erstwhile lover, Kala, and the team is able to escape his underground kingdom.
What’s going on here?
This is solid follow-up and conclusion to the story Thomas launched in the previous issue, and augers well for the rest of his run on the comic. The story has a fun and surprising twists, it’s well paced and there’s some nice characterization. No big developments, but that’s OK.
What distinguishes FF 128 isn’t the story but an insert—four pages of pinups on glossy paper (the same as used for the cover) drawn and by John Buscema (the inker is uncredited but it looks like Sinnott to me). They’re not included the online version of the comic, so I’ve photographed them:
As a kid reading the FF in 1972, I would have been pretty jazzed to see these in the middle of an otherwise ordinary comic. As a reader in 2024, they’re an interesting snapshot into who and what Marvel thought was important to depict. Leaving aside the decision not to include the FF, there’s no Agatha Harkness or Franklin, or Black Panther or Wyatt Wingfoot. The Mole Man and Frightful Four get prominent billing, but that could be because they’re appearing in this issue (Moley) or nest issue (the Frightful Four).
On the letter page, an editor’s note explains the pinups are to make up for raising the price of the comic to 20 cents, although the price hike took place a year earlier. There’s a convoluted explanation involving Nixon, but read for yourself:
What I liked
Roy does a nice job with interactions between our lead characters, including this revealing exchange between Ben and Sue:
Or this, between Sue and Reed, which continues their debate about Sue’s role on the team that started last issue:
I also liked the plot twist toward the end. It wasn’t too surprising that the beautiful and evil Kala would turn against the Mole Man in favor of handsome Tyrannus (a long-lived Roman Emperor trapped underground and who appeared as the Mole Man’s slave briefly last issue). It was surprising, however, when Tyrannus in turn double crossed Kala, and giving the Mole Man reason to free the FF.
That twist, of course, leave the Mole Man jilted at the altar, setting up this satisfying and sympathetic ending sequence.
In the current run of the Fantastic Four, writer Ryan North has Reed deploying his stretching powers in novel (and occasionally grotesque) ways. But as we learn in FF 128, creative used of Reed’s powers are not new. (Also interesting is Reed’s dialogue throughout the comics – Roy has definitely loosened him up).
What I didn’t like
If Roy has a weakness, it’s a tendency to lapse into purple prose, as he does here in this otherwise cool looking flashback splash page. Pro tip: Avoid writing in the second person if at all possible.
Anything else?
Some more intriguing ads. The fake beard-and-mustache kit—from the Masculiner Co., no less!—is particularly fascinating. Apparently you could mail in a sample of your own hair and they would match the color. Did anyone ever do that?
Percival Henry: The Fantastic Four and more 