Category Archives: The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 176

08 Sunday Jun 2025

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Fantastic Four 176
“Improbable As It May Seem — The Impossible Man Is Back In Town!”
Published Aug. 1974
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Michele Wolfman
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After their confrontation with Galactus, the Fantastic Four return to Earth with the Impossible Man in tow. The alien causes trouble on the streets of New York, then in the offices of Marvel Comics, where he and the FF interact with members of the staff. The team then discovers the Frightful Four have taken over the Baxter Building while the Fantastic Four was off planet, setting up a confrontation in the coming issues.


What’s going on here?

It’s hard for me to write about this issue without sounding like a grump. At this point, my thoughts on the Impossible Man are pretty well documented, so this comic was always going to be a tough sell for me. It’s obviously a light-hearted romp, and it should be read that way. The depiction of the Bullpen — which here includes Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Thomas, Perez, Archie Goodwin, Marv Wolfman, Sal Buscema, Marie Serevin, John Verpoorten and Gerry Conway — was a novelty in 1976, and for die-hard Marvel fans of the era, it must have been a thrill to see their favorite creators. The issue also continues a tradition of fourth wall-breaking stories taking place at Marvel that began with Fantastic Four 10.

And yet … reading it almost 50 years later, it falls flat. Most of the jokes are obvious and ponderous, the Impossible Man’s hijinks are predictably tedious and it all feels like an extended goof that mostly served to amuse its creators. Thomas wrote a lengthy editor’s note that explained the genesis of the issue, which was that he didn’t have a better idea. It shows.


Two art notes: Jack Kirby once again did the cover (inked by Joe Sinnott) and Michele Wolfman colored the issue, her first and only FF credit.


What I liked

This issue marks the return of George Perez, and he delivers great work, even when hampered by a inane storyline. Here’s a great action sequence:


And I loved his crowd scenes in Central Park:

Here’s his version of the Marvel offices, including a very slimming self portrait:

While most of the inside jokes were duds, this one amused me:


What I didn’t like

The story had a lot of filler, like this gag:

FWIW, hailing and riding in a taxi took the FF two full pages.

This exchange between Ben and Reed seemed off. Reed is really comparing Ben’s appearance to Joe DiMaggio’s???


This panel would make no sense unless you read Thomas’s note (it’s Marv Wolfman and Sal Buscema).


Anything else?

Uncanny X-Men Annual 7, a very silly issue featuring (guess who?) the Impossible Man, paid tribute to this comic with an extended scene in the Marvel bullpen.


Overall

If you don’t have something nice to say, better to say nothing at all.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four Annual No. 11

01 Sunday Jun 2025

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Fantastic Four Annual 11
“And Now Then the Invaders!”
Published March 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Sam Grainger
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Editor’s note: As I mentioned a while back, I am tackling this annual out of order, since it appeared after issue 170 and the end of the Power Man story arc. It’s basically a standalone story so it’s

Synopsis

After a training exercise in the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four discovers they accidentally triggered Dr. Doom’s time machine, and sent back a sample of vibranium to 1942 Germany. As a result, the Nazis were able to build more accurate rockets and conquer the world. The FF travel back in time and joins the WW II super hero team The Invaders to storm Baron Zemo’s castle and thwart his plan to launch the souped up missiles at London. After recovering the vibranium and restoring history, the team returns but the Thing realizes not all the vibranium made it back.


What’s going on here?

This is a fun but uneven comic with a lot to unpack. Notably, it’s the first FF annual with new content since the great Fantastic Four Annual 6 way back in 1968 (there were some Giant-Size FF’s that served the purpose of annuals, although they appeared quarterly).

It’s also the first time the FF encounters the Invaders, a team invented by Roy Thomas that ret-conned a number of World War II-era heroes into a super team. (He may have based his idea on the All-Winners Squad, a Golden-Age comic with some of the same members, but that was released in 1946, after the war). The Invaders debuted in its own comic in 1975 and given all the times the FF comic was used goose the sales of other Marvel titles, it’s probably not too surprising Thomas engineered a cross-over between the two titles.

Thomas had a decades-long fascination with World War II super heroes. Along with the Invaders, he created the Liberty Legion, a sort of B-team led by Bucky that appeared in Marvel Premier. Later, at DC in 1981, he created the All-Star Squadron, a massive team that spun out of the Justice Society and contained just about every Golden Age DC character. Also at DC he created Young All-Stars, a post-crisis version of the All-Star Squadron (which theoretically no longer existed).

In typical Thomas-ian form, Fantastic Four Annual 11 is more convoluted than it needs to be, with lots of exposition and obscure call backs. But it’s also a rollicking read, with clever nods to the paradoxes of time travel and to the novelty of the FF reuniting with characters like Namor and the original Human torch.

In a twist, the story ends on a bit of cliff-hanger, when Ben learns that he has to go back to World War II, a story which takes place in Marvel Two-In-One Annual 1 and features the Liberty Legion.


Fantastic Four Annual 11 is also the first and only work on the FF by inker Sam Grainger, over John Buscema’s pencils. Grainger, who had a two-decade career on titles from Charlton, Marvel, DC and First comics, does serviceable work here. The cover is by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott.

What I liked

As a concept, the story works well. While the details are a little hard to swallow — the FF just happens to knock a tube of vibranium onto the time machine and they just happen to accidentally trigger it and send the tube back to 1942 where it just happens tp fall into the hands of Nazi scientists— the premise is fun. The idea that all Germany needed was more precise rockets with which to defeat Britain, and that vibranium was the one missing ingredient, is an intriguing one and nuanced enough to make the story more effective. It’s another entry in the long line of “What if Hitler won?” future histories covered by authors ranging from Len Deighton to Phillip K. Dick. The panels of the swastikas hanging in New York and London are chilling:


The story also reunites Sue and Namor, leading to some uncomfortable moments for Reed:


I also liked this sequence of Namor going all-out against the Nazis:


There is a lot of banter in this comic, some better than others. I liked this exchange between Ben and Reed, and Ben’s comments are poignant, given what we know is to come (note how different Reed looks when he isn’t inked by Joe Sinnott). “Alley Oop” was a newspaper comic strip.


This climactic sequence was ridiculous but fun.


This is a nice series of panels from Big John Buscema:


What I didn’t like:

There is a lot of heavy-handed explanation in this comic. This sequence is an example:


This was weird and awkward:

As I mention, not all banter is successful. Does Reed really watch Chico and the Man?


Anything else?

There are a few instances where Thomas seems to be poking fun. Here, Ben expresses what we all think about the Watcher, who seems to break his vow of non-interference more often than he upholds it:


And here, alongside a totally inane comment from Sue, Namor seems to echo a line made famous by Tony Curtis, “Yondah lies the castle of my faddah” (although that appears to be an urban myth – Curtis never said that line).


Overall

A surpisingly satisfying comic

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 175

26 Monday May 2025

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Fantastic Four 175
“When Giants Walk the Sky!”
Published July 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Buscema
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Jan Cohen
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

The High Evolutionary, with the help of the Fantastic Four, attempt to stop Galactus from devouring Counter Earth. At the last moment, the Invisible Girl seemingly appears and offers Galactus a new world, one she has just returned from. Galactus agrees, but after consuming it, becomes incapacitated and the High Evolutionary de-volves him to a state of pure energy. The Invisible Girl is revealed to the the Impossible Man, who offered his own planet Poppup to Galactus because his people’s shared consciousness means they had no need for a planet. The real Invisible Girl returns and lastly, Ben Grimm reverts to his Thing form, a result of Galactus zapping him with cosmic energy.


What’s going on here

This issue is very much a mixed bag. There’s some clever ideas here and the long-awaited confrontation between the High Evolutionary and Galactus begins on a strong note, but like many of Roy Thomas’s arcs, it fizzles out anti-climactically. The Impossible Man reveal feels too deus ex machina (although it’s totally in keeping with Thomas’s love of obscure call-backs) and the idea his people would sacrifice their planet makes little sense. Unlike the stories of the Lee / Kirby era, where Reed would whip up some solution to save the day, Thomas delivers another storyline where the FF are reduced to spectators as events swirl around them.

One note on the art: John Buscema handles both pencils and inks, filling in for Joe Sinnott. As a result, his characters look a bit more Busecma-esque (in fact, in some places they look as if they were drawn by Sal Buscema, John’s younger brother). Check out the close up of Reed below.


I was surprised to learn this was only the second appearance of the Impossible Man, a character so annoying it feels like he’s always showing up. Marvel’s version of Mr. Mxyptlk — another insufferable character — he first appeared way back in FF 11, and will hang around for the next several issues. I will try to keep an open mind but I am dreading these stories.

Kirby and Joe Sinnott return for the cover, which is stronger than their last few.


What I liked

Ben’s reversion back to his Thing form at the hands of Galactus was well done. Ben wasn’t going to remain in the exoskeleton forever, and if Thomas needed a mechanism to change him back, the wrath of Galactus feels like a good choice.


I also liked the posturing and pompous boasting between the High Evolutionary and Galactus. This was the clash this arc promised, but besides a few panels, didn’t really deliver.


What I didn’t like

I’ve detailed my bigger complaints with this issue above, but here are few other nits to pick:

As I’ve mentioned, I hate it when writers force Galactus into physical fights with lesser foes. He should be above such things.


The devolution of Galactus was also peculiar. It’s an interesting way to remove him from the board (although of course it won’t be permanent) but I’m not sure it’s very successful.


Anything else?

Here’s a Bullpen Bulletin notice that Archie Goodwin is taking over as editor, the fifth in four years in an era that led to lots of instability in the comics. This run of editors reminds me of late Rome, where emperors were crowned and deposed every few months.

Goodwin would last two years before he was replaced by Jim Shooter, who will hold the job for a decade and put his own stamp, for better or worse, on Marvel and comics in general.



Overall

A disappointing conclusion to a fun arc.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 174

10 Saturday May 2025

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Fantastic Four 174
“Starquest!”
Published June 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia

Editor’s note: This may be the last blog update for a few weeks. I will be traveling and it’s unlikely I’ll have time for blogging while I’m on the road. Hang tight, we will wrap up this arc when I get back!

Synopsis

Frustrated that the High Evolutionary won’t act to rescue the rest of the Fantastic Four, the Invisible Girl uses his machinery to teleport herself to them, only she sends herself to the wrong planet where she risks running out of air. Meanwhile, on the planet Mekka, the Thing and Mr. Fantastic escape from Torgo and and subdue his world of robots, only to free them rather than have them consumed by Galactus. Torgo, in turn, gives them permission to leave. And on the medieval planet, where the Human Torch and Gorr the gorilla were captured, it is soon revealed the inhabitants were Skrulls play-acting as knights of the round table. With no planet available to serve up to Galactus, the High Evolutionary prepares to battle him.

What’s going on here?

This is the fourth installment in an arc that will reach five issues, making it one of the longest since the end of the Lee / Kirby era. This comic didn’t have the same energy as the previous issue, but it’s still a satisfying story and a solid prelude to the fifth and final issue. The Skrull reveal is a fun twist, and there’s nice pieces of character development throughout.

John Buscema returns as a fill-in artist, with mixed results (more about that later). Jack Kirby turns in another lackluster cover (inked by Frank Giacoia) and colorist Janice Cohen makes her Fantastic Four debut.

What I liked

The resolution with Torgo was well handled. After engaging in a fight neither side really wanted, the parties reach an understanding based in mutual respect.

Torgo hangs around as a peripheral Marvel character for decades, appearing in a comic as recently as 2019.

The entire sequence with Reed and Ben on Mekka was nicely done, starting with Ben’s escape from his ex-skeleton, which creates an odd visual.


The banter between Ben and Reed continues with Reed’s admission that his powers no longer work properly, while Ben disguises his concern with another wisecrack where Reed plays along.


What I didn’t like

After being left out of the action in the last issue, Sue takes the initiative, only to end up stranded. Once again her powers and abilities are squandered.


While the Johnny / Gorr arc was quirky and amusing, it’s resolution was crammed into six panels that revealed the RenFaire people were Skrulls, that the dragons were intelligent vegetarians, that there was only one left and it was just killed, that the damsel in distress was a robot, and the Skrulls were leaving. Whew!


Buscema’s art seems rushed in this comic, and there’s two examples of mistakes I doubt he would normally make. First, in the panel of Ben punching up, he has five fingers, not his normal four:

And here, Reed stretches with his left arm, but it’s his right hand that pulls the switch:

We all have bad days. Most of us are lucky that we don’t have bozos blogging about them 50 years later.

Anything else?

I liked this ad for Spalding baseball gloves on the back cover. Art by Jack Davis, best known for his work in MAD Magazine.


Overall

Another solid comic book

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Fantastic Four No. 173

04 Sunday May 2025

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Fantastic Four 173
“Counter Earth Must Die — At The Hands of Galactus!”
Published May 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After Ben unsuccessfully attacks Galactus (while wearing his Thing exoskeleton), the FF, Gorr the Gorilla and the High Evolutionary try to stave off Galactus’s plans to devour Counter Earth. Galactus agrees to consume another suitable world without advanced life if they can find one, and the team splits up to scout two of three planets identified by the High Evolutionary. On the first, Ben and Reed find a city of robots led by Torgo, whom Ben previously battled against and alongside on a Skrull planet in issues 90-93. Torgo apprehends them lest they reveal the planet’s existence to Galactus. On the second, the Human Torch and Gorr find themselves in a medieval-type world, where they too are captured.


What’s going on here?

After a slow start, this story arc is picking up steam, and this is by far the best of the three thus far. There’s a lot of action, some fun and interesting plot twists, a bit of character development, and solid art by penciller John Buscema (Big John will handle this and the next two issues before George Perez returns).

Whenever I see Galactus used as a villain I become worried, since he should be written as god-like and above the fray. When he ends up physically scrapping with the FF, as he did in issue 122, it diminishes the character. Here, even though Ben attacks him (futilely), most of the action is directed elsewhere, as the FF and their allies struggle to prevent the destruction of Counter Earth. Galactus becomes less an antagonist and more of a force of nature that must be defended against.

I have called out Roy Thomas’s tics as a writer several times, including his propensity to call-up obscure characters and events from Marvel’s past. That can often lead to convoluted stories, but in this issue, the reappearance of Torgo is both surprising and well played by Thomas. Ben’s ordeal in the Skrull arena is one of the best stories from the latter years of the Lee / Kirby run, and it’s fun to see Ben reunited with his former sparring partner slash brother-in arms. Even when they end up fighting it’s clear neither’s heart is in it.


The cover is again by Jack Kirby, although it lacks his trademark energy. A bit of a dud from the master.


What I liked

It’s generally fun when the team gets split up and goes on separate missions. Here, the Human Torch and Gorr have an adventure that features a gorilla’s critique of Johnny’s clichés.


I liked this meet-up between Reed and the High Evolutionary, two big brains who clearly have much to discuss.


And this is a nice panel by Buscema evoking some Kirby-esque cosmic grandeur.


I also liked this panel of Ben in his exo-skeleton.



What I didn’t like

As mentioned before, I think it’s silly for the FF to try to physically assault Galactus. This sequence felt like a waste of time.


Sue is again shunted off to the side. At least here Reed comes up with an excuse, even if Sue is skeptical.


Overall

A solid issue. The Fantastic Four as it ought to be.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 172

27 Sunday Apr 2025

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Fantastic Four 172
“Cry, The Bedeviled Planet!”
Published April 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas and Bill Mantlo
Pencils: George Perez
Inker: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Gorr, the golden alien gorilla the Fantastic Four captured last issue, explains that he was mutated by the High Evolutionary, whose Counter-Earth is now threatened by Galactus. Gorr escapes and lures the FF to his spaceship, which he crashed in Central Park as a ruse. Once in his ship, Gorr abducts the FF and heads to the moon of Counter-Earth where the Destroyer, Galactus’s latest herald, is in the High Evolutionary’s stasis field. The Thing battles the Destroyer until the arrival of Galactus.


What’s going on here?

The highlight of this issue is probably the great Jack Kirby cover, which looks like it could have been drawn in the late 1960s, complete with Kirby Krackle. The powers-that-be even adjusted the logo (and removed its floating heads) to make it work.

The rest of the issue is fine, not great. Perez and Sinnott do their normal stellar job. There is a lot of complicated backstory, as is typical of a Roy Thomas comic, with references at least three different, non-FF comics: Marvel Premier 1, Incredible Hulk 178 and Thor 228. For serious Marvel fans, this set of elaborate intertwining of stories can be really satisfying (I know, I used to be one), since it rewards all their obsessive collecting. For more causal fans, it’s a bit bewildering. At least Perez jazzes up all the exposition with a cool double-page spread.

This issue also is the Fantastic Four debut of Bill Mantlo, who provides the script over Thomas’s plot. Mantlo, a prolific writer who actually had a letter to the editor printed just a few issues ago, would fill-in on the FF over the years but never had a run of his own.


What I liked

It’s fun to see the FF back in space again and the High Evolutionary is a very worthy antagonist for the FF, although he doesn’t confront them in this comic. This arc has been rocky through the first two issues; we’ll see if Thomas can deliver a solid conclusion

This was a fun sequence:

And this is a great image of the team by Perez:


What I didn’t like

The comic felt sluggish throughout. It’s not just all the space devoted to explanation, but the fight with Gorr in the first few pages felt repetitive. There’s also the problem with Ben’s fight with the Destroyer; which feels very pro forma, particularly as Galactus was on his way. And lastly, it’s unclear why Galactus shouldn’t consume Counter-Earth. It’s an artificial construct – does anyone live there? We don’t know. It’s hard to get too upset about his arrival when the stakes seem pretty low.


This sequence with Sue was a bit of a let down. I was prepared for her to knock Gorr upside his head, and the opposite happened. It may have been a miscommunication between Mantlo and Perez.


And what does “Cry, the Bedeviled Planet?” even mean?


Anything else?

Some fun ads. This is a very weird G.I. Joe.


Overall

I give it a C+

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 171

20 Sunday Apr 2025

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Fantastic Four 171
“Death is a Golden Gorilla!”
Published March 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils : Rich Buckler and George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Sinnott

Editor’s note: This issue came out a few weeks after Fantastic Four Annual 11, so these reviews are out of order, but I’ll get to the annual soon, I promise.

Synopsis

The story opens in the Baxter Building where a de-powered Ben is getting used to his new exoskeleton while the Invisible Girl expands her powers in a training session. Meanwhile, Johnny and his new girlfriend, Frankie, stroll through Central Park discussing his future away from the Fantastic Four when a spaceship lands and a glowing yellow gorilla emerges. The gorilla quickly growing in size and climbs the Baxter Building, where it grabs the Sue. The FF battle the monster and after it is defeated, it reveals it can speak, and that it came to Earth seeking help combating Galactus.


What’s going on here?

This issue isn’t as bad as I anticipated, given the cover and subject. It’s not great, but it could have been so much worse. As an FF story goes, it follows the formula laid down by Stan and Jack: hi-jinx in the Baxter Building are followed by the team battling some threat. Unfortunately, in this issue, the threat is pretty ridiculous, and despite all the King Kong jokes, still feels like a King Kong rip-off, right down to Sue playing Fay Wray.


The story is redeemed a bit by the twist at the end, and by the interpersonal dramas, between Ben and Reed, Ben and Sue, and Johnny and Frankie. George Perez does a solid job on art, although the first three pages are by Rich Buckler.

The cover is by Jack Kirby, although it’s pretty hard to tell.

What I liked

This exchange between Ben and Sue was interesting. Here, she explains how her powers are more than just invisibility and force fields, and that it’s closer to telekinesis, a long-overdue expansion of her abilities. There’s also a poignant suggestion about Ben and Alicia one day having kids, something that takes almost 50 more years.

Sue’s line about taking a shower is a bit oddly timed.

I also liked the exploration of Johnny’s relationship with Frankie (the line about the old Central Park zoo being smelly was dead on):

And here we get a peek at Johnny’s inner turmoil, and a hint about Frankie’s background:


Here, Sue uses her expanded powers while making a crack about all the times she was held hostage in the early days of the FF (more than a dozen times, by my count):


What I didn’t like

Besides the giant gold glowing gorilla?

I also didn’t like Ben grousing about his loss of powers. With the exoskeleton, he’s got the best of both worlds. He should be happy while it lasts (because of course it won’t):


Overall

Meh.

“The Worlds’ Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 170

13 Sunday Apr 2025

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Fantastic Four 170
“A Sky-Full Of Fear!
Published Feb. 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rache
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Ed Hannigan and Sinnott

Synopsis

Mr. Fantastic reveals to Ben that the replica Thing is an exoskeleton which will allow him to resume his place on the team. After testing the suit by battling Reed, the two fly off to confront Phillip Masters, aka the Puppet Master, whom they include has been controlling Power Man, the team’s newest member. Meanwhile, Alicia Masters is confronting her step-father in prison when he is broken out by the mind-controlled Power Man, who takes Alicia hostage. Ben and Reed intercept them in mid-air and Ben battles Luke on the speeding Fantasti-Car. The conflict ends when the Puppet Master’s clay idol of Luke falls into the river and loses its power over him.


What’s going on here?

This is one of the best issues in a long time. Often Fantastic Four story arcs start out full of promise but fizzle out when Stan Lee or Roy Thomas couldn’t stick the landing. This one is the opposite: a storyline that began feeling like a gimmick — Red hiring Luke Cage to fill in for Ben — concludes with a very satisfying comic, full of action (but not too much), character development, and an ending that makes sense. Of course, all of this is helped by the return of George Perez, who delivers probably his best issue of the FF to date, with his trademark innovative page designs and dynamic action.

Also of note is the Fantastic Four debut of cover artist Ed Hannigan, with his first and, as far as I can tell, only work on the FF. Does anyone else think Luke as two left feet on the cover?

What I liked

Ben and Reed are really the stars of this comic, and we are treated to lot of interplay between them. First, Ben apologizes for thinking Reed was replacing him with an extra-dimensional Thing:


Then Reed loses his cool when Ben starts sulking again:

After a short fight, Reed gives up:

Did Reed goad Ben into a scrap to test the exoskeleton, or did he just lose his patience? I love the ambiguity in Reed’s non-answer.

I also liked the FF’s teamwork in puzzling out the Puppet Master was behind Luke’s actions:


And I loved how Alicia took control, confronting her father and using her sensitive touch to detect where he hid the Power Man figurine:

This sequence continues with a masterful, 12-panel page from Perez. It’s stuffed with activity but never feels crowded:

I also enjoyed the fight atop the Fantasti-car. Perez does a great job of conveying the precariousness of their position while Thomas supplied some fun dialogue (calling “It’s Clobberin’ Time” a corny war-whoop is just harsh).

What I didn’t like

Not much. Sue is shuffled off out of the action without any explanation, with the assumption being she needs to look after Franklin. Not great, but at least Alicia got some attention. Also, the fight between Reed and Ben seemed silly and like a bit of unnecessary padding. But I’m picking nits — this is a very good comic book.

Anything else

A letter from Bill Mantlo, already a prolific writer for Marvel at this point but who still wrote a fan letter. Mantlo left comics in the 1990s to become a lawyer, then suffered a horrible accident that left his severely disabled. You can read more about his life and accident in an article here.


Also, Twinkies! is this the first of the long-running Hostess ads? It might be.


Overall

Two Thumbs Up!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 169

05 Saturday Apr 2025

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Fantastic Four 169
“Five Characters in Search of a Madman!”
Published January 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Buckler and Sinnott

Synopsis

Ben Grimm, still adjusting to no longer being the Thing, gets tangled up in a bar fight before he’s rescued by Mr. Fantastic and the Human Torch. Meanwhile, Power Man — the FF’s newest member — kibitzes with the Invisible Woman and Alicia Masters before he falls under the mind-control of an unknown bad guy and attacks Sue. He battles Sue and the rest of the FF before fleeing in a Fantasti-car. The issue ends with Reed showing Ben a life-size replica of the Thing.


What’s going on here?

This comic continues an arc about a de-powered Thing began last issue and is on the whole a lot more successful. Ben is still struggling with his new reality, but instead of picking needless fights like last issue, he is instead vents his frustration in a bar brawl not of his making. And Power Man’s heel turn make sense when we’re reminded of the clues dropped by Roy Thomas last issue. There’s also some interesting character development, between Ben’s brooding introspection and Sue’s chit-chat with Luke.

This issue also marks the end of Rich Buckler’s first run on the FF (he’ll return to draw another half-dozen issues in the last eighties). Buckler’s work on the FF was generally solid, with some high points and few duds. Of the three main pencil artists on the FF to this point — Jack Kirby, John Buscema and Buckler — he’s clearly the weakest, but thanks to Joe Sinnott’s steady inks, the book never diverged far from the standard set by Kirby.

What I liked

Regular readers of this blog know I have complained about Sue’s treatment under Stan Lee and Gerry Conway. Thomas has expanded her powers and slowly added depth to her character. Here, she provides an answer to a question many readers probably have about her name:

She eventually changes her name to Invisible Woman in issue 284.

I also liked how Thomas and Buckler alternate Ben’s flashbacks to fighting as the Thing with his present barroom brawl:


I also liked this tease of future (or maybe past) mayhem involving Dr. Doom’s time machine:


What I didn’t like

Thomas is up to his old tricks again, with heavy-handed narration and a title that seems designed to show off that he went to college (it’s a play on Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author”) without making much sense.

He also rolled out the cliched “Bedlam in the Baxter Building” blurb on the cover, reprising a title used for Fantastic Four Annual 3 and FF 101.


Also, Thomas is a good enough writer to avoid this silly introduction for Luke. Maybe Luke should give his resume while he’s reciting his title.



Overall

A fine comic

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 168

30 Sunday Mar 2025

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Fantastic Four 168
“Where Have All The Powers Gone?”
Published December 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Bucker and Sinnott

Synopsis

As Ben Grimm struggles with his adjustment to being human again, Mr. Fantastic tells him he’s hired Power Man to replace him on the roster, noting that the FF’s charter requires four super-powered heroes on the team. Ben does not take this well, and when the team goes on a mission to confront the Wrecker, he gets underfoot and needs to be rescued by Power Man and the rest of the team.

What’s going on here?

This is a notable issue for one big, obvious reason — Luke Cage joins the Fantastic Four! And while the story doesn’t live up to its potential, it’s still worth considering that Cage is just the third member of the team outside the Core Four, following Crystal and Medusa. He’s also the first person of color on the team. Unfortunately, he’s really only on the team to serve as a foil for Ben, and he’s dropped into the comic without any lead up or context. It would have been fun to tell the story from his perspective, and to see his reaction when Reed first approaches him, but we don’t get any of that. We don’t even get a “Sweet Christmas!” But we do get a lot of Ben’s being a boor.


Cage was an interesting choice for fill-in. To a certain degree, it makes sense, since he’s literally hero for hire. But he doesn’t have a history with the team, like Spider-man or even Daredevil, and I’m not aware of them ever crossing paths before. I’m guessing Cage is there to give him a bit of exposure and bump up sales of his own comic.


What I liked

The comic is at its best when we’re in the company of Ben and Alicia, who are clearly enjoying Ben’s return to human form. (A more provocative writer would have had Alicia become pregnant while Ben was human, which would have created an interesting dynamic. Maybe someone could write a What If?). It’s fun seeing Ben step back and let Alicia enjoy meeting her fans (and note the reference to comic creator Harvey Kurtzman).


After four issues of art from George Perez, Rich Buckler is back, and while he’s not in the same league as Perez, he does a fine job here. The contrast between Perez’s layouts, with pages crammed with panels an intricate backgrounds, and Buckler’s simpler approach is pretty jarring.


What I didn’t like

The entire issue is wrapped around Ben’s inability to adjust to no longer being the Thing. And while some of that is understandable — he’s no longer the idol of millions etc — it does start to feel like whining. For most of the last 167 issues he’s complained about being trapped in a monster’s body, and now he wishes he was the Thing again? The story (and Ben) would have been better served with more balance, and including more of his and Alicia’s joy. Unfortunately, he spends most of the issue acting like a self-pitying jerk, and the confrontation with the Wrecker serves no purpose other than to pit Ben against cage.


I’m not sure how many times the Baxter Building has been depicted in the Fantastic Four, but surely Buckler could have consulted one before drawing this splash page. Unless Thomas retroactively decided it was the Baxter Building after Buckler handed in the page. (Note the story title is a punny reference to a popular folk song):


Anything else?

The letters page included the annual statement of circulation. Twelve month average is about 216,000 (it’s amazing how many issues get returned).


Overall

A landmark issue that doesn’t live up to its potential