“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 193

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1978, darkoth, Diablo, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 193, Keith Pollard, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 193
“Day of the Death-Demon!”
Published January 1978
Plot: Len Wein and Keith Pollard
Script: Bill Mantlo
Pencils: Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Françoise Mouly and Janice Cohen
Editor: Marv Wolfman
Cover: Pollard and Sinnott

Synopsis

After the breakup of the Fantastic Four, the Thing is lending his services to NASA as a test pilot. As he prepares for a space shuttle flight, the NASA facility is attacked by Darkoth, the cyborg demon created by Dr. Doom who was supposedly killed with Doom in issue 144. It’s later revealed that Darkoth was once Desmond Pitt, a former test pilot and friend of Ben’s who was accused of selling secrets to Latveria. Darkoth is now under the sway of Diablo, who picks up the pieces of a plot begun by Dr. Doom, who had sabotaged the plans of the space shuttle so it could be controlled by an outside agent. Diablo then attacks the shuttle while Ben is orbiting Earth, and Ben tries to land the craft before it explodes into flame upon crash landing.

What’s going on here?

The recent death of guitarist Ace Frehley (RIP) reminded me of an odd marketing stunt by Kiss. In 1978, the four members simultaneously released four solo albums, before reforming and releasing albums as a band again.

That feels a little like what’s going on during this period of the Fantastic Four. Ostensibly broken up (but, like Kiss, destined to regroup), the team members went off in four separate directions and are having four separate solo adventures. Last issue featured Johnny’s adventures in the wild west, and in that issue and this one, we are teased with glimpses into the current activities of Reed and Sue, which promise to blossom into their own solo stories before the team presumably gets back together before issue 200.

This issue features the return of Darkoth and a noir-ish mystery involving disgraced old friends and sinister plots. It doesn’t always work, but it’s an ambitious attempt and I give the writing troika of Len Wein, Keith Pollard and Bill Mantlo credit for trying it.

This issue marks the first of Pollard’s run on the Fantastic Four, and closes the door on George Perez’s all-too-short stint. Perez will return for two FF annuals, and will continue to draw the Avengers and Marvel Two-in-One before departing permanently for DC in 1980. Perez ultimately drew 17 issues of the FF over three years, and while their quality was uneven, they mark some of the best pencil work on the FF between the Kirby and Byrne runs.

Pollard is a solid artist, but rarely spectacular. I would slot him in a tier with Rich Buckler, Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema: reliable but not terribly exciting. He will work on the FF until issue 206, then have a second run in the late 1980s.

What I liked

As mentioned, the Darkoth / Desmond Pitt storyline gives the story some depth, while also giving us some glimpses into Ben’s previous life as a test pilot. I enjoyed about the mystery unfolds, first with a mysterious phone call:

Then an investigation into Pitt’s disappearance:

And then a flashback:

It’s of course one of those only-in-comic books coincidences that the man Doom turned into Darkoth happened to be an old friend of Ben’s, but it’s still a satisfying development.

I also liked seeing Ben in his element as a pilot, first kibitzing with ground control as Alicia proudly listens in …

… then trying to land a powerless space shuttle …

… a sequence which ends with this dramatic and alarming end to the comic:

What I didn’t like

Darkoth is revealed to be normal-sounding Desmond Pitt, and it’s clear he made the call to Ben, sounding like a normal guy. So then why does he spend the rest of the comic sounding like an Asgardian?

The comic opened in media res, with Darkoth bursting through a wall at NASA. I found it confusing, and I struggled to remember if I missed some issue or scene that had Ben at NASA. And the explanation of how Diablo was taking over Doom’s scene was hard to follow as well.

This sequence with Sue was a bit tedious. It didn’t really advance her story, but offered another lame joke about Hollywood. It also reintroduced the Impossible Man, with whom I thought we were finally done.