Fantastic Four 135
“The Eternity Machine”
Published: March 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Breakdowns: John Buscema
Finishes: Joe Sinnott
Letterer: Artie Simek
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Michel Esposito

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four are trapped by Gregory Gideon, who reveals his plan to drain the powers of Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl and their son Franklin to counter his radiation poisoning and rule the world. Thanks to new member Medusa, the team escapes their imprisonment and beats Gideon by turning Dragon Man against him.

What’s going on here?

This is a fairly straightforward story, wrapping up a two-part arc while introducing some new sub-plots. Probably the biggest development isn’t a development at all, but the continuation of Sue’s estrangement from Reed. Despite both being captured with their son, at the conclusion of the issue Sue has no interest in reconciling with Reed.

It’s a poignant and effective ending, maybe even more so given writer Gerry Conway was just 20 years old when he wrote this comic. In a 2016 interview, Conway discusses his relative immaturity during this period and how he did his best to mask it as a writer. He concedes he wasn’t always successful, and we’ll see some of that toward the end of his Fantastic Four run. But for a writer barely out of his teens, he handled the strains in Reed and Sue’s marriage with surprising deftness.

What I liked

Another notable development is the emergence of Medusa—finally—as a useful member of the team. I’ve been surprised that, as the newest member of the team, she’s been relegated to the background, but in FF 135 she plays a key role in breaking herself, Ben and Johnny out of their imprisonment, then in removing a device that allowed Gideon to control Dragon Man. I would still welcome a story that focused on her and her decision to leave the Inhumans, but this is progress.

There’s also a nice interlude of Alicia pining away for Ben. It doesn’t seem to be furthering any plot point, but serves to remind us Ben’s life extends beyond the team.

This may be the first time we’ve seen Alicia crafting images of Ben. That becomes a pretty standard feature—at one point almost every appearance shows her surrounded by her sculptures of Ben and other heroes—but this is the first I recall seeing it. If anyone knows of an earlier appearance of this trope, let me know.

Also, I liked this exchange between Gideon and a salty Ben.

What I didn’t like

The backstory explaining Gideon’s turn from remorseful rich guy to super villain was truly absurd. His private pilot somehow flew them into a nuclear test site, killing his wife, and giving Gideon and his son radiation poisoning that would kill them in two years. The solution? Stealing the energy of half the Fantastic Four!

Also, a new subplot is introduced, when a mysterious, muscular man entering the FF’s Baxter Building headquarters. But what happened to last issues’s subplot, of Agatha Harkness’s missing house? Hopefully they tie together, or I fear we are entering Claremontian territory of subplots mushrooming without resolution.

Overall

A solid effort.