“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 72

05 Monday Sep 2022

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1967, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 72, jack Kirby, Silver Surfer, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 72
Published: December 1967
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

In the wake of last issue’s departure of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl from the team—prompted by Reed’s concerns about the pregnant Sue’s safety—the Thing, Human Torch and Crystal are moping around the Baxter Building, worried about their future. Suddenly, the Watcher appears—and once again violating his vow of non-interference—to warn them the Silver Surfer is on a rampage.

The Surfer, somehow how concluding the only hope for mankind is for it to unite around opposition to him, is destroying crops, levitating the Great Pyramids and flooding cities with tidal waves. When he arrives in New York, the Torch attacks him but he is quickly overwhelmed. Ben has better luck, engaging in a slugfest aboard the Surfer’s surfboard, but he too is defeated.

As the military prepares to launch its experimental sonic shark missile, the Watcher halts a train carrying Reed and Sue, and after Reed forbids Sue from joining him, Reed is whisked away.

Back in New York, Reed joins Ben and Johnny, and they pursue the Surfer in order to defend him from the missile, which uses “cosmic energy.” Johnny fails, but at the last minute Ben knocks it off course, where it explodes in the stratosphere. Weakened by the missile, the Surfer comes to his senses and apologies to the FF for his actions.

What’s going on here?

This is a fun one-and-done issue, maybe the best single-issue story since issue 51, the classic “This Man, This Monster.” FF 72 doesn’t have the pathos or drama of that story, but it has great pacing, compelling action and high-stakes. Interestingly, while the Surfer is nominally the villain, it’s really the US military that poses the greatest threat in this comic.

The Surfer’s big plan—by becoming a menace, mankind will unite around a common enemy—shows up in comics and science fiction from time to time. The immediate example I thought of was in Watchmen (spoiler warning!), where Ozymandias drops a giant fake squid-alien in New York to horrify the world and end the threat of nuclear war. I’m sure there are lots more examples.

Watchmen 12 (1987, Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons)

The Surfer’s swath of destruction is pretty extensive and, despite his noble intentions, might lead to some hard feelings about him by humanity. Yet I’m not aware of it ever coming up in subsequent issues, like Namor’s invasion of New York has been repeatedly held against him. Then again, I haven’t read many Surfer solo books, so if anyone out there knows, please let me know.

It’s not obviously clear what city the Surfer is flying over in that splash page, but it looks a lot like downtown Baltimore to me.

Keel hauled

Readers of this blog know I tend to obsess about random details. One of which is whether the Surfer’s board has a keel, like a real surfboard (a subject I delve into in his first appearance). Jack originally drew his board with a keel, but here he is keel-less.

Watching the Watcher

The watcher’s appearance also changes dramatically over Jack’s tenure on the FF. When he was introduced, he was much ore alien looking, with spindly limbs and a huge head. By issue 72, he’s drawn to more human proportions, and looks like he’s been hitting the gym.

Jack also upgraded his outfit. Check out the detail on the back of his tunic:

Also, just who is the Watcher referring to here? Jesus?

The sexist sixties

Once again, Sue is shunted aside by Reed. And Crystal is again completely absent from the action.

Weird science

The sonic-shark missile plays a pretty big role in this story for a device which is only explained in a footnote.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

I already posted a lot of great images, but here are a few more:

Also on the news stands

A Neal Adams hat trick was on sale December 1967:

Next issue: Dr. Doom, and guest stars Spider-Man, Daredevil and Thor!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 71

27 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1967, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 71, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 71
“…And So It Ends!”
Published: Nov. 1967
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Picking up where Fantastic Four 70 leaves off, the Invisible Girl is alone, facing the Mad Thinker’s android while the rest of the team appear dead before her. Turning invisible, she manages to fire an “electra-force beam” at the android, and the discharge revives the rest of the team. The Thing awakens, and no longer under the influence of the Mad Thinker’s brain washing, takes on the android, knocking it through the wall and onto the street below.

Now revived, Mr. Fantastic and the Human Torch, not aware of Ben’s transformation, attack him, but eventually they are convinced he has returned to normal and the team again battles the android, which has returned and quickly overpowers Ben and Johnny. All seems lost until Reed lures it into the Negative Zone, where it is lost presumably forever.

The issue concludes with Reed declaring the Fantastic Four is too dangerous for the pregnant Sue, and that they will leave the team, spelling the end of the FF.

What’s going on here?

After a slow start to this story arc, which relied heavily on the cliché of Ben turning against his team, it ends on a bang. This is another issue that is almost entirely action, and it delivers. The android is a ferocious opponent, and as in many classic FF battles, it’s Reed’s brains, not the team’s brawn, that saves the day.

The issue also puts the spotlight, even if briefly, on Sue, who was sidelined the previous three issues. While it doesn’t last long, she holds her own against the android, and buys time for the rest of the team.

But she is quickly shunted to the side again, keeping our run of sexist sixties entries intact:

The end of the Fantastic Four

Has any super hero team threatened to break up as often as the Fantastic Four? It is a recurring feature, perhaps because, as a family, a departure of a member or two seems to have much bigger consequences than say, for the Avengers or Justice League.

Of course, they never really break up for long (although recently they gave us reason to worry). Here are a few examples of team breakups:

In Fantastic Four 15, the team splits up after the Thinker secretly (Zgives them all inducements to leave:

In Fantastic Four 188, Reed, who has lost his powers, declared he is leaving the team. Sue goes with him and in issue 190 (FF 189 was a reprint) Ben and Johnny deal with the consequences:

In Marvel Knights: 4, the team find out they’re broke, and splits up to find real jobs (I confess I found this story line totally implausible – in a world where even the most minor celebrity can mild their fame for decades, there’s now way the FF would ever need to work 9 to 5 jobs).

And most recently, in the wake of the Secret Wars II series, Reed, Sue and the kids voyaged in space while Ben and Johnny remained on earth, unaware of their fate (readers were also unaware, since Marvel’s corporate office canceled the FF for about three years in a fit of pique).

Here, in Marvel 2-in-One 11, Reed tries to explain to Ben why they left:

Clobberin’ Time

It’s been a while since we’ve had one of these:

Dig that Kirby Krackle

We have some bonafide krackle to lead us off:

A very nice splash page:

And some very cool sequences with the android:

Also on newsstands

Other comics for sale in November 1967

Next issue: The return of the Silver Surfer!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 70

20 Saturday Aug 2022

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1967, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 70, jack Kirby, mad Thinker, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 70
“When Fall the Mighty!”
Published Oct. 1967
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Art Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Picking up where Fantastic Four 69 left off, Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch and a bunch of NYPD cops burst into the Mad Thinker’s hideout to rescue Dr. Santini, the scientist Reed recruited to try and revert the Thing to human form. After they navigate various androids and booby traps, Reed overcomes the Thinker and Santini is rescued.

Meanwhile, the Thing, who previously was brainwashed into seeking revenge against Reed by the Thinker, is still at large in New York. After evading the cops, he eventually make his way through the subway to find Reed and Johnny, where they battle on the city streets before Reed can lure him back to the Baxter Building. There, Ben subdues Johnny before attacking Reed.

Now in prison, the Thinker uses a device in his wrist watch to trigger a new, 12-foot android to attack the FF. The issue concludes as Reed activates the “Menta-Wave Unit,” knocking out Ben, while the android bursts though the wall of the Baxter Building and the Invisible Girl, up to now sidelined, is left to confront the robot with the rest of the team unconscious.

What’s going on here?

A continuation of a not-terribly-compelling story, FF 70 does pick up some momentum and ends on a genuinely suspenseful note (it’s probably no coincidence that the last panel of the comic was repurposed for the cover). It’s pretty much wall-to-wall action, and features a lot of Reed either battling the Mad Thinker or Ben. This is one of the issues of the FF that reads like “Reed Richards and the Fantastic Three,” with Ben playing the bad guy, Johnny mostly getting in trouble for not listening to Reed, and Sue almost totally absent. It seems pretty clear that both Stan and Jack see Reed as their stand-in—the mature, responsible father figure shepherding women and children—and this comic makes it really obvious.

The sexist sixties

As noted earlier, both Sue and Crystal have been sidelined by Reed and Johnny. Sue is pregnant, so there’s a certain old-fashioned logic there, but at this point it seems Stan and Jack don’t really know what to do with Crystal. Her role will expand in issues to come.

Weird science

As far as I am aware, this is the first appearance of the “meta-wave unit.”

Read all about it

Newspapers again play a big role in the proceedings.

Crazy credits

It’s been a while since we’ve had one of these worth running.

For sale

All kinds of stuff

Dig that Kirby Krackle

This week, one big panel …

… and a bunch of smaller ones:

Also on newsstands

In October 1967. This week I’m going with an all DC lineup, with classic covers from Joe Kubert, Neal Adams and Curt Swan.

Next issue: The Ben/Thinker story concludes!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 69

13 Saturday Aug 2022

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1967, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 69, jack Kirby, mad Thinker, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 69
“By Ben Betrayed!”
Published: Sept. 1967
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 69 picks up where the last issue ends, with the Thing mind-controlled by “Dr. Santini,” a scientist recruited by Mr. Fantastic to help transform Ben into human form but actually the Mad Thinker in disguise. Ben immediately attacks Reed and goes on a rampage in first the Baxter Building, then on the streets of New York.

Meanwhile, the Mad Thinker takes advantage of the chaos to pilfer Reed’s secrets, and discovers the entrance to the Negative Zone. And we learn the real Santini is alive and imprisoned by the Thinker

Eventually the police and national guard are called on to stop Ben, and as the pressure to stop him grows, he steals a hat and coat and disappears into the city, vowing to destroy the FF.

What’s going on here?

If Fantastic Four issues 44 to 60 represent the peak of the Lee/Kirby run, that means there is inevitably going to be some fall off—every peak is followed by a decline. Up until now, the decline hadn’t been steep – the Negative Zone and and Beehive story arcs were of a pretty high quality. But unfortunately these last two issues feel noticeably weaker. It’s not just that the story (so far) lacks much nuance or dimension—the Thinker exploits Ben’s simmering resentment toward Reed—but it’s that Stan and Jack deployed pretty much the same device in issues 40-42. In those issues, it was the Wizard who brainwashed Ben to attack the rest of the team, but the basic idea is the same. Even the titles are similar (“The Brutal Betrayal of Ben Grimm” vs. “By Ben Betrayed”).

Look, no one bats 1.000 and Stan and Jack’s average is better than most. It’s also notable that they never had a fill-in or inventory issue after almost six years, so maybe it’s to be expected their creativity would flag here and there. But there’s also something a bit sad about seeing a decline, because we know this run doesn’t last forever, and we are closer to the end than the beginning.

Weird science

Not only does Reed have a “hi-voltage discharger” but the rest of the team knows all about it.

Incidentally, that’s an iconic image of the Torch. One of Jack’s best.

The sexist 60s

Now it’s not just Sue getting shunted aside, but Crystal as well, despite her pretty impressive powers.

Urban renewal

I thought Ben would be more of a Jane Jacobs guy but he’s going full-on Robert Moses here.

The Incredible Mr. Fantastic

Sue’s new look

She was wearing a mini-skirt last issue, but now it appears she seems to have pants underneath.

Happy anniversary!

It’s Jack and Roz’s 25th.

Cartoon time

Seems odd that they have to note the Spider-Man cartoon will be in color. Were black-and-white cartoons a thing?

Dig that Kirby Krackle

This is a great, King Kong-esque sequence

This is cool, too:

And this panel is humming with activity:

Also on newsstands

What else was for sale in September of 1967?

Next issue: The FF vs. the Mad Thinker!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 68

17 Sunday Jul 2022

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1967, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 68, jack Kirby, mad Thinker, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 68
“His Mission: Destroy the Fantastic Four!”
Published: Aug. 1967
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Art Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 68 opens with the team visiting Alicia in her hospital room where she is recovering after ordeal of the previous issue (chronologically this story follows FF 67 , not FF Annual 5). The Thing has a moment of anguish about his appearance, and after some horseplay with the Invisible Girl and Mr. Fantastic in the Baxter Building, Reed renews his efforts to restore Ben’s human form.

Meanwhile, Dr. Santini, a chemist summoned by Reed to help with Ben’s case, is abducted by a mysterious villain who impersonates him to destroy the Fantastic Four. The villain is unnamed and shrouded in shadow but various hints suggest it’s the Mad Thinker.

We also check in with the Human Torch, who introduces Crystal to his grease-monkey friends. When Johnny gets jealous when one hits on Crystal, she uses her elemental powers to chill them out.

Back at the Baxter Building, Dr. Santini’s imposter arrives and begins to work with Reed to revert Ben to human form. When Ben is finally bombarded with “mesa rays,” his form is unchanged but because of the villain’s sabotages, his mind is altered. The story ends with an angry Ben menacing Reed.

What’s going on here?

After the events of the last two issues (and the annual), most of this issue feels a like a time out that allows the team and fans to catch their breath. Much of the story is devoted to the interplay between Reed, Sue and Ben, a reminder of their friendship, and that Reed and Sue are still newlyweds. We also get a reminder that Johnny is still a car-crazy teenager.

The story’s focus on Ben underscores that his transformation into the Thing—at the hands of his best friend—remains the core tension of the book. Stan and Jack arguably return to the theme too often, but his torment is what helps make him one of the most sympathetic, and beloved, characters in comics.

The sexist sixties

This sequence is actually sort of charming, and is a rare instance of Reed’s playfulness, but it does feel rooted in the sexist characterization of Sue as obsessed with her clothes and appearance.

They’re fighting again

More from the same sequence as above:

Weird science

I got to get me some of those mesa rays

Dig that Kirby Krackle

There’s no big splash pages or collages in this issue but still lots of nice panels:

Also on newsstands

Other comics for sale in August 1967:

Next issue: The Fantastic Four vs. the Thing!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four Annual 5

11 Monday Jul 2022

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1967, Annual 5, Fantastic Four, Frank Giacoia, jack Kirby, Psycho-Man, Quasimodo, Silver Surfer, Stan Lee

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ff-annual-5-cover.png

Fantastic Four Annual 5
Published Aug. 1967
Cover by Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia

Story 1
“Divide .. And Conquer!”
Story: Stan Lee and Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen

Story 2
“This is a Plot?”
Story and Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Giacoia
Letters: Gaspar Saladino (credited to L.P. Gregory)

Story 3
“The Peerless Power of the Silver Surfer”
Story: Lee and Kirby
Inks: Giacoia
Letters: Art Simek

There’s a lot to cover in this annual, which is jam-packed with three original stories and a bunch of great pinups. We’ll tackle them one at a time

I should note I’m calling it an annual, although it’s called a King-Size Special on the cover, because it’s numbered according to the FF annuals and because it’s generally listed as an annual. It gets confusing down the road, when a separate run of Giant-Size Specials were printed in the 1970s, most (but not all) reprinting material from earlier annuals.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ff-annual-5-ff-inhumans-bp.png

“Divide .. And Conquer!” synopsis

This story opens in media res, with the Invisible Girl in Mr. Fantastic’s arms, surrounded by the rest of the team, Alicia Masters and Crystal. She’s fallen ill, and it’s soon revealed to be morning sickness: She’s pregnant, and the rest of the team rejoices.

Meanwhile, a new villain soon unveiled as Psycho-Man is terrorizing a henchman who delivered “component five” to the wrong address. The package has been mistaken delivered to the home of Alicia Masters, and as she and the Thing try to make sense of it, he is attacked by Psycho-Man and his remaining henchmen. Psycho-Man uses his emotion-controlling powers to conjure a monster Ben fears, defeating him. The villains leave with the package.

The story then jumps to a tropical island, which the Black Panther has just purchased. The Inhumans Black Bolt, Medusa and Karnak are also on the island, and after a brief fight between T’Challa and Karnak, they team up to investigate a source of danger sensed by Black Bolt. It is the lair of Psycho-Man, where he is building the Mind Ray, and the Inhumans and Black Panther start fighting his henchmen.

The Thing, the Human Torch and Triton the Inhuman then appear, teleported by Lockjaw (Reed and the pregnant Sue stay behind), and the heroes are confronted with various manifestations of fear and doubt created by Psycho-Man. Eventually, Gorgon, who had been scouting the island, arrives and uses his hoof-striking power to shatter the illusions. Black Bolt destroys the Mind Ray and as Psycho-Man explains his origin—he is from sub-atomica, a tiny realm within our own—and his plans to destroy the heroes, the Black Panther, who had been hidden in a tunnel, pounces. He defeats Psycho-Man, who disappears into the armor he no longer can animate.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ff-annual-5-psycho-man.png

What’s going on here?

A lot! This is a fun story with a paper-thin plot that hangs on a couple of implausible coincidences. First, Psycho-Man only comes to the attention of the Fantastic Four because his package was delivered to the home of Alicia (yet another time she has been a victim of real estate — first the Dragon Man crashed into her apartment in issue 47, and then in issue 49, the Silver Surfer collapses on her roof).

Secondly, the Inhumans just happen to stumble on to the island just bought by the Black Panther—it’s not ever really explained what they are doing there, but Gorgon later suggests they might be scouting for a new refuge—and together they just happen to stumble on the Psycho-Man’s lair.

Despite the improbabilities, it’s a fun story that feels a bit like a reunion, drawing together a bunch of heroes introduced over the last few years. And it continues a recent tradition of stuffing annuals with guest stars.

Who is this guy?

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ff-annual-5-pyschoman-splash.png

This is the introduction of Psycho-Man, a second-tier villain who shows up every 10 years or so, mostly in the Fantastic Four but also (appropriately enough) in the Micronauts, as well as Captain Marvel, the Silver Surfer and Spider-Man. One interesting aspect of Psycho-Man is that he’s from sub-atomica, the micro-dimension accessible only by shrinking. It’s not really obvious why he needs to be from there—he could have just as easily been from another planet or dimension—but it’s an interesting twist.

My first encounter with Psycho-Man was in a chilling (perhaps even sadistic) story arc involving the mental manipulation of the Invisible Woman from John Byrne:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ff-283-psychoman-byrneordway-1985.png — Fantastic Four 283 (1985, Byrne/Ordway)

Big news!

Annual 5 also marks the announcement that Sue is pregnant. It’s a fun scene when the rest of the team find out:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ff-annual-5-a-baby-1.png

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ff-annual-5-ya-big-galoot.png

The baby turns out to be Franklin Richards, of course, who becomes a integral part of the Fantastic Four family, and later the team. He’s currently a mopey teenager in the current FF comic, but we occasionally get glimpses of his future as one of the most powerful characters in the universe.

Here he is single handedly punching out a bunch of insane Celestials and resurrecting a dead Galactus in the climax of Jonathan Hickman brilliant arc (all from 2012’s Fantastic Four 604, with art by Steve Epting and Rick Magyar):

We’ll have much more to say about Franklin later —the kid ain’t even born yet.

“This is a plot?”

The second story is a goof: a madcap romp through the Marvel offices with Stan and Jack as they are pursued by fans. It’s full of gags and in-jokes designed to delight the ardent Marvel fan.

I hesitate to read too much into it, given how slight and silly it is, but it does suggest that Jack considered he and Stan to be equals and co-collaborators and that, at least to some degree, he enjoyed taking part in the myth-making engaged in by Stan.

This sort of behind-the scenes story shows up occasionally, such as in Uncanny X-Men Annual 7, when the Impossible Man leads the X-Men on a scavenger hunt that includes the Marvel offices:

“The Peerless Power of the Silver Surfer”

Story three’s plot is also thin: The Silver Surfer hears the sentient computer Quasimodo, last seen in Annual 4, crying out in anguish as he is trapped in a machine. Using the power cosmic, the Surfer creates a new body for him, only for Quasimodo to lash out and attack him. The two battle before the Surfer imprisons Quasimodo as a statue on a clock tower.

The story is notable for two reasons. One, it’s an early Surfer story co-plotted by Kirby, and sort of hints at what Jack had in mind for the character. Two, the art is just stunning. Inked by Frank Giacoia, he really brings out the Surfer’s iridescence, and the effect is impressive.

In this story, Kirby also delivers what may be the ultimate Kirby Krackle panel as well. That’s a lot of dots!

But wait! There’s more!

FF Annual 5 also included an array of pinups, including one for every member of the Inhumans. Here are some of the best:

There’s also a great double-page splash of the FF:

Dig that Kirby Krackle

As if that wasn’t enough, Jack dropped gems all over this comic. Here are a few more:

Also on the newsstand

Other comics for sale in August 1967

Next issue: The Mad Thinker returns!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 66

26 Sunday Jun 2022

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1967, Alicia Masters, Enclave, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 66, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 66
“What Lurks Behind the Beehive?”
Published: June 1967
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 66 opens with the Thing, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman in the apartment of Alicia Masters, the girlfriend of the Thing who, unbeknowst to the FF, disappeared with a stranger in the last issue. A paranoid Ben suspects she might be with another man because he is so monstrous, and when Reed tries to console him, Ben lashes out and flees to Central Park, only to be cheered up by adoring fans.

Meanwhile, Alicia has been summoned by a group of scientists in exile (later called the Enclave) whose headquarters resembles a beehive (sort of), giving the issue its title. They ask her to demonstrate her sculpting ability, then explain they been working to perfect humanity and have created a specimen in a “life-cell” tank. Their creation has now reached adulthood, but has escaped his container and now emits blinding light. The scientists want Alicia—who, being blind, is impervious to the light—to capture his image in clay for them.

Back in New York, Reed uses his “heat image tracer” to capture Alicia last movements in her apartment, and its revealed she left with one of the Beehive scientists. The issue ends with Alicia and one of the scientists entering the chamber to confront the creation, while Reed and the rest of the FF vow to track her down.

What’s going on here?

FF 66 is a slightly unusual issue, but an enjoyable one. It’s almost entirely a place-setter for the issue to come, with very little that is resolved in this issue. There’s no real conflict, save the squabble between Reed and Ben, and it violates one of the cardinal rules of superhero comics in that there isn’t at least one fight. Nonetheless, the issue is pretty effective. The Enclave scientists are mysterious, their project is audacious and creepy, and the suspense—what have they created?—is genuine. The story reads like a classic work of adventure science fiction (which it is).

The story also centers Alicia, who shows more agency that normal. She’s still at the mercy of other directing her actions, but here she at least she’s able to demonstrate her sculpting abilities and her blindness doesn’t prevent her from venturing into the vault to confront the creature.

Who are these guys?

Helpfully, the bad guys tell us their names. Then, in the next panel, they do it again!

The Enclave reappear as manipulative villains over the years. A bunch of unimpressive looking white guys, they benefit significantly from the snazzy uniforms Kirby gives them. Here they are again in 1995:

Spider-Man Team-Up 7 (1995, Kurt Busiek, Sal Buscema and Dick Giordano)

The agony of Ben Grimm

It’s been a while since we had Ben in full-on torment over his appearance. As is often the case, it’s his relationship with Alicia that pushes him over the edge.

Unusually, in this issue he is comforted by strangers:

They’re fighting again

As discussed, the provocation this time is Ben’s frustrations and insecurity regarding Alicia

Weird science

The heat-image tracer!

Mid-century modern

I love how Alicia decorates her apartment.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Joe Sinnott

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Scientist bad guys gives Jack a lot of opportunity to draw the high-tech gizmos he loves.

Here’s some other cool panels:

Also on the newsstands

In June 1967

Next issue: The debut of Him!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 65

20 Monday Jun 2022

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1967, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 65, jack Kirby, Kree, Ronan the Accuer, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 65
“..From Beyond This Planet Earth!”
Published: May 1967
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 65 begins in the midst of a dream, with the team held captive by the Kree’s Supreme Intelligence as punishment for destroying the Kree Sentry last issue. As the FF wakes up in the Baxter Building, they realize they’ve all had the same nightmare. After some hijinks, the team separates: Johnny goes joy-rising in a new hot rod with Crystal while Reed and Sue go out on a date. And in a subplot teasing the next issue, Alicia Masters is led away by a mysterious stranger with the power to travel through walls.

Meanwhile, Ronan the Accuser, dispatched by the Supreme Intelligence, arrives on Earth to exact revenge. The members of the FF disappear from their activities and are reassembled by Ronan under his “cone of inpenatrability” (sic) where he attempts to pronounce his sentence. The team fights back but he proves their equal using his club-like weapon. Eventually the team triumphs when Ronan disappears, after his weapon discharges while he was on top of it.

What’s going on here

This is a bit of an odd comic. For the first time in what seems like many issues, the FF are at home and relaxing as civilians, and those pages flow easily. But when the FF is engaged with Ronan, the storytelling becomes cramped and off-key. Both the art and storytelling seem rushed and a bit sloppy. Take, for example, this splash page:

Normally a splash page is an opportunity for Kirby to cut loose, but here it’s just another panel. And Ronan’s dialogue—explaining what Reed is doing with his arms—seems oddly expository (also note the spelling of “thru”).

Another strange element that suggests Kirby was rushing: A number of panels, spread over several pages, are drawn from the same perspective, looking down from above Ronan’s right shoulder.

Another oddity: Reed directing Ben with a code for a maneuver. It’s something Cyclops used to do with the X-Men, but I don’t believe we’ve seen it in the Fantastic Four.

Who is this guy?

FF 65 marks the first appearance of Ronan the Accuser, who goes on to appear in dozens of of comics over the years. Notably, he is pink-skinned here, before later becoming blue skinned like most of the Kree. He spends his first decades as a bad guy before his story becomes more interesting with his arranged marriage to Crystal in the War of Kings miniseries. In a coincidence, Crystal is in this issue, although they didn’t encounter each other.

War of Kings 1 (2009, art by Paul Pelletier and Rick Magyar)

Despite the arranged nature of the wedding, the two fall in love, before they are separated in a deal struck between Black Bolt and the Supreme Intelligence. Eventually Ronan is captured and tortured by Kree fanatics before he is put out of his misery and killed by Black Bolt. Will he stay dead? Seems unlikely, but who knows.

Death of the Inhumans 3 (2018, Donny Cates and Ariel Olivetti)

The sexist sixties

This sequence is really excruciating.

Word Power

Ronan really likes his adverbs.

They’re fighting again

It’s been a long time since we’ve had one these.

What year is it?

A couple of topical references in this issue, to Bobby Kennedy and Simon & Garfunkel (and check out Johnny’s vanity plate).

New York’s finest

Of course the cops have an “all-purpose blaster.” I’m sure they would never abuse it.

Weird Science

Ronan projects an “aura of negativism,” something my wife accuses me of doing on occasion.

Young Love

Panels like this are good reminder that Jack drew about a million issues of romance comics in the 1950s

Dig that Kirby Krackle

A pretty cool sequence of Ronan approaching Earth.

Also cool:

Also on Newsstands

In May 1967

Next issue: Alicia and the mystery of the Beehive!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” Fantastic Four No. 64

12 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1967, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 64, jack Kirby, Kree, Sentry, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 64
“The Sentry Sinister”
Published: April 1967
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

After their recent battle with Blastaar, the Fantastic Four decide to go on a vacation (minus the Human Torch, who wants to stay behind with Crystal). The Thing randomly selects an island in the South Pacific where, unbeknowst to the FF, an archaeologist has awakened a slumbering alien robot, a Sentry left by the Kree. As the FF approach the island in their pogo plane, they enter a “vibration field” and only the Invisible Girl’s force field protects the team.

On the island, the three members battle the Sentry, which maintains it’s only following its orders to destroy the team, when Sue manages to send an emergency message to Johnny. Lockjaw teleports him to the island just in time to save the other members from a crushing tidal wave created by the robot. Johnny’s flame ignites a Kree power source and the team, along with the archeologist and his guide, teleport away from the island and the Sentry just as the island threatens to explode.

What’s going on here?

Aside from the creaky plot device of the Fantastic Four encountering trouble while on vacation (previously deployed in FF Annual 1), this is a brisk, well-told comic that balances some of the playful characterizations we have become familiar with compelling action and a villain the FF really are no match for.

Most notably, of course, FF 64 introduces the Kree, one of the three major alien empires in the Marvel Universe (along with the Skrull and Shi’ar) and maybe *the* most significant alien race in Marvel (I would even expand it to say in all of comics, except for the progeny of a little planet called Krypton).

The Kree-Skrull war is one of the most notable events in early Marvel history, the Kree created the Inhumans, Marvel’s original Captain Marvel was a renegade Kree, and Carol Danvers—first Ms. Marvel, then Binary, Warbird and now Captain Marvel—got her powers via the Kree. The new Ms. Marvel, Kamal Khan, became a hero indirectly via the Kree, since she was exposed to the Inhuman’s Terrigen Mists.

In fact, the significance of the Kree is making me re-evaluate my unofficial designation of FF 44-60 as the highpoint of the Lee-Kirby creative partnership and extend it to FF 67, which would include not only the creation of the Kree but the realization of the Negative Zone as an alien dimension, and the introduction of Blastaar, Ronan the Accuser, the Supreme Intelligence and Him, later to become Adam Warlock (much more on all of that to come). It’s both evidence of Stan and Jack’s creative energies, and Marvel’s ability to take hold of good ideas and nourish them over the years, giving them new life again and again.

Interestingly, the antagonist in this issue, the Kree Sentry robot, sort of fades in importance as the actual Kree take shape. He’s sort of a stalking horse for the much bigger empire to come. But you wouldn’t know that from this issue, and this amazing Kirby splash page. And, it should be noted, he pretty much wipes the floor with the FF, who only escape by teleporting off the island.

At one point the Sentry declares it is “no mere robot” and calls itself a living Sentry. Certainly, it’s vocabulary suggests it’s not from the robot-school of speaking. What mere robot uses so many adjectives?

The sexist sixties

This is a pretty egregious issue for ’60s-style sexism, starting with Sue huffing over being ignored while Reed and Ben are working.

It gets worse when Reed barks orders at her during a battle (note: this could have been filed under the “Reed Richards is a Jerk” heading).

Further, Reed is engaged in some revisionist history when he claims it was headline writers that pinned the name “Mr. Fantastic” on him. Because if you’ve read FF No. 1, you’ll recall it was Reed who gave himself that moniker.

Clobberin’ Time

A pretty good one here, with the wind-up in one panel, and the pitch in the next:

More Marvel Masterpieces

Interestingly, this house ad is plugging reprints, not new issues.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Some cool stuff in this issue, starting with the awesome splash page:

For sale

Someone tell Joe Biden we’ve found a way to cut the price of fuel

Also on the Newsstands

In April 1967

Next issue: Ronan the Accuser!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 63

05 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1967, Blastaar, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 63, jack Kirby, Sandman, Stan Lee

**Fantastic Four 63**
“Blastaar, the Living Bomb-Burst!”
Published: March 1963
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

**Synopsis**

Fantastic Four 63 picks up where the previous issue left off, after the Inhuman Triton rescued Mr. Fantastic from the Negative Zone, allowing Blastaar to enter their dimension. Blastaar, now allied with the Sandman, uses his power to create an explosion on the roof to the Baxter Building, leading Triton to confront him.

Blastaar defeats the Inhuman, and he and the Sandman then battle the Human Torch, who had been canoodling in a restaurant with his love interest Crystal, on the streets of Manhattan. The Thing soon joins the battle, but the Sandman traps him and dumps him into the river. Finally, Mr. Fantastic enters the fray with a helmet designed to negate Blastaar’s power. After further struggle, they eventually neutralize Blastaar while Ben disperses the Sandman in the river.

What’s going on here?

This is a fun, action-packed comic that’s pretty much one rollicking battle from the first page to the last. Unlike the last dozen or so issues, there’s no interludes updating us on the progress of the Inhumans or Johnny and Wyatt — those plot lines were effectively wrapped up last issue, and the team (plus Crystal) is intact. There are also no subplots or quiet moments, no family scenes in the Baxter Building or with Ben and Alicia, just a lot of fighting. The action is magnified with bigger-than-usual panels — many pages divided into just four panels, instead of the normal six. The FF would be a much-diminished comic if every issue was like this one, but every now and then it’s satisfying to seem them just cut loose for 22 pages.

Starting with this issue, and in virtually every subsequent appearance, Blastaar is called “the living bomb-burst.” I had assumed a “bomb-burst” would be a thing readers were familiar with, but I never knew quite what it meant, and searching the internet reveals it’s actually not a common phrase. There’s the “bombs bursting in air” lyric from the Star-Spangled Banner, of course, and there’s an aerobatic maneuver called a bomb-burst, but otherwise it seems to be something Stan just invented.

Perhaps intentionally, Blastaar is also highly bombastic, and rants and raves about his power in the best Marvel villain tradition. Maybe it has something to do with being from the Negative Zone, because Annihilus is also a very strong ranter-and-raver.

(Also, and there’s no delicate way to phrase this, it’s possible Blastaar is compensating for what appears to be his missing male genitalia. Or maybe his species just reproduces some other way).

Weird science

Naturally, the New York Police Department has a cement gun on hand.