Fantastic Four 214
“…and then there was — ONE!”
Published October 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Carl Gafford
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Byrne and Sinnott


Synopsis

The Human Torch, distraught that the rest of his team is approaching death after succumbing to the effects of the Skrull aging ray, goes on a desperate hunt to find a cure— first seeking out Tony Stark, then the Xandarians — but to no avail. Back at the Baxter Building, Johnny is attacked by Skrull X, who, like the Super-Skrull, can mimic the powers of the FF. Johnny defeats him (and reveals he was a robot) but realizes the skrull’s aging ray can be reverse engineered to revive his teammates. He wakes Reed from his “cryonics tube” and helps the very elderly Mr. Fantastic alter the device. Johnny is initially devastated when there is no result but is soon reunited with the rest of the team, now stronger than ever.

What’s going on here?

A good chunk of this issue wallows in the Torch’s self-pity, which is pretty tedious. But despite that, it’s a very good comic, and a solid ending to the Xandar/Sphinx/Galactus arc. There is real dramatic tension as the Torch tries to find a cure, and the fight with Skrull X feels almost desperate (particularly after Johnny incinerates the skull before learning it was a robot). Waking Reed from his death bed also felt like a grim, last-chance gambit. And while there wasn’t much doubt the FF would be saved — the comic does continue after this issue — it’s a sign of successful story telling that there is suspense at all.

This issue concludes what is the FF’s longest story arc to date, one that kicked off in issue 204, 10 issues ago. It suffered from a meandering beginning, and a confusing and unnecessary cast of characters imported from Marv Wolfman’s canceled Nova book. It picked up steam when the Sphinx grew in power and the FF sought out Galactus, which introduced Terrax. But that story element landed with a thud last issue, and while issue 214 resolves the aging-skull-ray storyline more gracefully, it doesn’t exactly salvage the whole arc.

What I liked

Johnny’s fight with Skrull X is probably the highlight of the book. It’s really everything you want in a comic fight: dynamic action, equally matched opponents, high stakes and not overly long. John Byrne really nails this one.

I also enjoyed Johnny’s search for Tony Stark, which takes him to Avengers Mansion (with an amusing cameo from Jarvis) and then the SHIELD Helicarrrier. I’m a fan of these brief interactions with the rest of the Marvel universe. All these characters know each other; they shouldn’t only get together for a major team up or cross over.

And while it was predictable, I liked the reunion of the Torch and the newly revived FF.

Lastly, Byrne and Joe Sinnott delivered some great sequences, like this one (dig that Kirby Krackle):

And this one:

What I didn’t like

As mentioned, Johnny’s moping around is maudlin and unbecoming. Unfortunately, Wolfman seems to love this sort of pathos, because we got a lot of it the Teen Titans

It starts on the first page:

And gets worse from there:

I’ll spare you the rest.

Anything else?

A variety of fun ads. I distinctly remember learning the word “akimbo” from the gum ad when I first encountered it as a kid. Also, why does Superman need an airplane (much less a van).

Overall

Solidly above average.