Tag Archives: 1971

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 120

11 Monday Mar 2024

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Fantastic Four 120
“The Horror That Walks On Air!”
Published Dec. 1971
Story: Stan Lee and John Buscema
Script: Lee
Pencils: Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Cover: Buscema and Frank Giacoia

Synopsis

After dispatching a band of thugs who invade the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four confront the Air-Walker, who warns the end of the world is at hand.


What’s going on here?

I’ve been looking forward to this comic for a while. While it’s not revealed in this issue, Air-Walker is a herald of Galactus, and of the main heralds from 60s, 70s and 80s (basically the Silver Surfer, Firelord, Terrax and Nova), he’s the one I’m least familiar with. He eventually gets a long and complicated back story, which I won’t get into here.

Most of the issue, however, is devoted to establishing Air-Walker as a massive threat, and it feels a bit like over-kill. He does very little except float around, and only displays his powers after he’s attacked. Only in the final panel do we really get hint of his menace. Given the build up, the next few issues better deliver.


The other big development in FF 120, which helps explains the long, breathless introduction of Air-Walker, is the return of Stan Lee as writer. After a few issues of Archie Goodwin, and one by Roy Thomas, Stan is back in the saddle for what will be his final stint as lead writer of the FF. The issue feels a lot like a classic Stan and Jack issue, with lots of one-liners and wise cracks from Ben, and comic set-pieces like another squabble with the landlord.

Interestingly, Stan shares writing credits with Buscema here, like he did with Jack. My sense is that, as with Kirby, Stan gave Big John a loose plot, let him work out the details, and then added the script, in the classic Marvel Method. With the other writers, I’m guessing John had less say in the story.

The issue also features the introduction of a new inker, John Sinnott. I’m kidding. It’s clearly an error.


What I liked

More great Buscema art, including this panel:


I liked this use of Sue’s powers (although wouldn’t the bad guy know he was holding the gun?)

And while I still loathe this cover format, this one looked pretty good.


What I didn’t like

As mentioned, there’s a lot of set up in this issue without much pay off (yet). And the sub-plot / shtick with the FF’s landlord remains tedious.


Overall

I’m reserving judgement until we see how this Air-Walker arc plays out.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 119

03 Sunday Mar 2024

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Fantastic Four 119
“Three Stood Together!”
Published: November 1971
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Editor: Stan Lee
Cover: Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Thing and Human Torch rescue the Black Panther from a white supremacist prison before all three tangle with Klaw.


What’s going on here?

This is an interesting issue, for a few, interrelated reasons. The main development is that it’s Roy Thomas’s first time writing the FF. By this point in his career, Thomas had been writing a range of Marvel comics, including the X-Men and Avengers, and was Stan’s right-hand man in many ways. He goes on to have his own run on the Fantastic Four but this was a standalone issue for him.

Thomas’s story is surprisingly topical, as Ben and Johnny are summoned to “Rudyarda”—perhaps named after Rudyard Kipling?—a white-supremacist nation bordering Wakanda and clearly modeled after South Africa. Ben and Johnny are offended by the country’s official racism, and it’s brought up several times over the course of the story.

Speaking of current events, this issue also marks a name change for the Black Panther to “the Black Leopard,” specifically to avoid confusion with the activist group in the US. It didn’t last long.

What I liked

There’s a gritty, contemporary quality to the story that’s unusual in the FF, and it’s either to Stan’s credit that he allowed Thomas to take the comic in a new direction—much as he did with Archie Goodwin last issue—or he simply wasn’t paying attention. Either way, it’s feels fresh, which is a good thing after a decade of FF comics.


What I didn’t like

Ben and Johnny take a commercial jet to Rudyarda, which doesn’t make a lot of sense given the fleet at the FF’s disposal, except it sets up a skyjacking scene. The sequence doesn’t add anything to the story—although it allows Thomas to slip in another topical reference—and it takes up space that could be better used elsewhere.

Those two pages could have been used, for example, to give the climactic fight with Klaw some breathing room. As printed, Buscema crammed 18 panels into two facing pages, creating a visual overload that is begging for more space.

The story also opens with yet another silly fight between Ben and Johnny, and ends with the introduction of this monstrosity, which is clearly paving the way for the dreaded H.E.R.B.I.E. Thankfully, A.U.N.T.I.E. only appears in this one issue. I wish I could say the same about H.E.R.B.I.E.


Also, that cover is terrible. Yuck.

Anything else?

This seems to be a goof, either on the part of Thomas’s script or Simek’s lettering. But it’s pretty clear from the story these thugs are blood enemies of Wakanda, not blood brothers.


Overall

Definitely an interesting comic book.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 118

25 Sunday Feb 2024

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Fantastic Four 118
“Thunder in the Ruins” and “What Mad World?”
Published Oct. 1971
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Jim Mooney
Letters: Sam Rosen
Editor: Stan Lee
Cover Buscema and John Verpoorten

Synopsis

The Human Torch fights to free Crystal from the mind-control of Diablo, whose scheme to use the Inhuman to take control of a Central American dictatorship is thwarted when the rest of the Fantastic Four arrive. Plus, in a back-up story, Ben Grimm is teleported by Lockjaw to an alternate universe, where he meets another Thing.

What’s going on here?

This is an interesting comic. The main story resolves the Diablo/Terra Verde/Crystal story that began last issue. It’s fine so far as it goes, but there’s nothing particularly interesting happening. Crystal is reunited with Johnny, but we’ll see how long that lasts.

Much more intriguing is the back-up story, where the Thing is teleported by Lockjaw to another reality, not something I was aware could happen. There, Ben lands in a sort of West World-type amusement park created by the Thing of that world, where all the robot villains have the face of Reed. I’m reluctant to give away too much, because it’s there’s a twist that I don’t want to spoil, but it’s a smart, short story that reads like a prototype of What If?, which would debut in 1977.

It’s been a long time since there’s been a backup in a regular-sized FF issue (maybe not since FF 10). I have no idea how it came about but I assume it’s the influence of Archie Goodwin, who came to Marvel from Warren Publishing, where he wrote dozens of stories in Eerie and Creepy magazines. Horror and science fiction were nothing new to him. If the backup was indeed Goodwin’s idea, it’s heartening to see that Stan was relaxed enough about his co-creation to allow Goodwin to experiment with new ideas. It’s also a good reminder that here’s nothing new about multiverse stories. They may be the flavor of the month in the movies, but they’ve been around since at least 1961 and Flash 123.

Also of note, this issue features the Fantastic Four debut of Jim Mooney on inks, who is filling for Joe Sinnott. Mooney was a comic lifer, whose first credit was a story in Mystery Men Comics in 1940, and who was still drawing and inking as last as 2000. This is his only work on the FF as far as I can tell, and he seems to be following Sinnott’s lead.

What I liked

Buscema delivers another steady performance. Nothing too flashy, but more well constructed story-telling. Here’s a good sequence:


What I didn’t like

Nothing? That seems sort of lame, but nothing jumps out as flawed or problematic. As frequent readers know, I am not shy about pointing out faults, either.

Anything else?

Some interesting ads. The height one is creepy.


Overall

Better than average, thanks to the back-up story,

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 115

03 Saturday Feb 2024

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Fantastic Four 115
“The Secret of the Eternals”
Published: July 1971
Plot: Stan Lee
Script: Archie Goodwin
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simex
Cover: Buscema and Frank Giacoia

Note: Apologies for the delay in posting this. I was dealing with an illness that unfortunately made everything else, even the Fantastic Four, take a back seat. I’m doing much better now and should be back on track.

Second note: Between Fantastic Four 114 and 115, Fantastic Four Annual 9 was published (technically it was a King-Size Special, but they used those terms interchangeably back then). Since it just consisted of reprints of older stories, I’ve decided not to re-cap it here.

Synopsis

After the Watcher gives the (lengthy) history of the Over-Mind, Reed turns on the rest of the Fantastic Four, under the control of the villain.


What’s going on here

This is very much a transitional issue, basically setting the stage for a climactic showdown with the Over-Mind. The bulk of the story is devoted to the history of the Eternals, the Over-Mind’s alien race (and kind -of, sort-of related to the Eternals that would come later; see the post for FF 114). The story gives John Buscema an opportunity to stretch his muscles, and it’s a fun, if sort of loopy, sequence.

The big development of FF 115 is that it’s the first issue of the Fantastic Four in which the writing isn’t credited to Stan Lee or Jack Kirby. While Stan gets a plotting credit, the script is by Archie Goodwin, a comic veteran at this point who would go on to a many-decades long career at Marvel and DC. Oddly, Goodwin wasn’t the first choice for scripting, but apparently Roy Thomas was busy elsewhere.

It’s not clear why this note was necessary, since readers had no reason to expect Thomas to be scripting the story.

Elsewhere in the comic, in the Bullpen Bulletins, Thomas makes it clear why he’s so busy: Stan is taking some time off. Hey, everyone needs a break once in a while. As it turns out, Stan’s hiatus from the FF will last about 10 issues, but he does return.


What I liked

Buscema’s art in this issue is really epic as he illustrates the history os the Eternals. Here’s a few choice panels:

And for those of you partial to Buscema’s work on Conan the Barbarian, this panel should feel familiar:


What I didn’t like

The fight between Reed and the rest of the FF was pretty inane. The lowlight was this sequence, where he defeats Ben by … ticking him?


Overall

A fine issue

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 114

13 Saturday Jan 2024

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Fantastic Four 114
“But Who Shall Stop the Over-Mind?”
Published: June 1971
Writer: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Frank Giacoia
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Buscema and Giacoia

Synopsis

Out on bail from their arrest by the NYPD and facing eviction, the Fantastic Four confront the Over-Mind, only to have the fight erased from their memories by his mental powers. To help provide answers, Agatha Harkness contacts the Watcher.

What’s going on here?

This is a much more satisfying issue than the last, as the Over-Mind developed into a formidable foe with an interesting backstory. There are some plot holes, but overall the story moves briskly, the fight is well designed, and the sequence with Agatha Harkness is appropriately creepy.

What I liked

It’s the best issue from John Buscema to date, and maybe not a coincidence that it’s the first not inked by Joe Sinnott: Frank Giacoia inked this issue, presumably filling in. There’s no arguing Sinnott’s power and style, but Giacoia has a lighter touch, which perhaps lets Buscema’s style emerge more clearly. Here’s a panel I really liked:

And this sequence:


What I didn’t like

As mentioned, there are some plot holes. In this issue, the Over-Mind apparently encounters the FF for the first time, yet at the close of last issue we saw him manipulating the mayor to have the FF arrested. Also, there’s an oddly discordant note, when, in the midst of their eviction drama, Ben gets a package with a stink bomb from the Yancy Street Gang. Rather than lighten the mood, it just seems like an annoying distraction.

There’s also the continuing nonsense of the FF’s eviction. Comics and stories about business rarely mix well, and this is no exception. There’s a dozen reasons why the landlord’s actions don’t make sense, and while maybe the average FF reader of 1971 didn’t know them, this sub-plot all seems farfetched. (Yes, I know it’s a comic based on far-fetched events, which is why real-world subjects like commercial real estate law are better left outside its pages).


Anything else?

This issue kind-of, sort-of introduced the Eternals to the Marvel universe, as the Over-Mind discusses that he is following their commands. Initially these Eternals were not connected to the Eternals later introduced by Jack Kirby in his 1976 return to Marvel (these were instead supposed to be the “Eternals of Eyung”) but they were later retconned to be another branch of the Eternals, also created by the Celestials. It’s all deeply confusing, and had no real impact on this story.


Also, some fun ads in this issue, including one with a muscle-man who looks suspiciously like a former governor of California:

Overall

Solid!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 113

06 Saturday Jan 2024

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Fantastic Four 113
“The Power of .. the Over-Mind!”
Published: May 1971
Story: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Buscema and John Verpoorten

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four race to save the life of the Thing after his battle with the Hulk while they receive foreboding warnings about a new foe, the Over-Mind.


What’s going on here?

I confess I was looking forward to the issue, because I’ve always been curious about the Over-Mind. He’s a villain that has faded into obscurity but seemed to be a prominent Bronze age bad guy, so he represented a blank spot on my mental FF map. Sadly, despite a lot of build up in this issue—and a starring role on the cover—he only appears in the last few panels, so I will reserve judgment until next issue.

Instead we get a pretty scattered plot in which the FF fight cops, rescue Ben, race around New York in a plane and confront the mayor (who looks a lot like John Lindsay). There’s enough goofiness in the storytelling that it’s pretty clear Stan’s attention is elsewhere, and he appears to be just mailing it in.


What I liked

As noted earlier, Big John Buscema is really hitting his stride and while Joe Sinnott still gives the art a Kirby-esque touch, it’s clearly Buscema’s book now. I liked this sequence with Reed showing off his powers (although it was a pretty inane scene, story-wise):


This sequence with Johnny does a great job of illustrating his turmoil:

We even get a splash page of the Watcher (who looks nothing like Kirby’s versions but still comes with Kirby Krackle):

What I didn’t like

Not only is the plot disjointed and aimless, the characters act in ways that can only be described as stupid and/or sloppy. Reed forgets that Ben’s thick skin means he can’t hear a heartbeat? Johnny jumps out of a window and forgets to flame on? Ben no longer cares about turning human? Reed needs to send a smoke signal, and not a flare? Maybe this will all be explained next issue as the malign influence of the Over-Mind, but otherwise it seems bizarre.


Then there’s this odd image of Reed walking down his own arms:


And what would be an appearance of the Watcher if he didn’t violate his oath?


Overall

Pretty weak sauce

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 109

02 Saturday Dec 2023

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Fantastic Four 109
“Death in the Negative Zone!”
Published: Jan. 1971
Writer: Stan Lee
Penciler: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

Reed, Ben and Johnny pursue Janus, the Nega-Man, into the Negative Zone to prevent him from helping Annihilus destroy Earth. While they succeed, Reed is left behind in the Negative Zone.


What’s going on here?

This is a fun comic, and big improvement from the mess of last issue. The pace is brisk, the stakes are high and Ben’s banter is zinging. The Buscema/ Sinnott combo really clicks, as well. The story does feel vaguely familiar, probably because so many Negative Zone stories have the same elements, but all in all it reads like a Fantastic Four comic should.

What I liked

Annhilus is a great villain, and Stan let’s him shine here, with the right mixture of grandiosity and nastiness. In a great and creepy sequence, Reed doesn’t hold back about the threat he poses (never mind that in future issues Annihilus comes to Earth and none of this stuff happens):


I also liked this sequence with Sue, which captures the dilemma faced by modern women everywhere:


These ads were cool (I kind of want a Bug Bomb now):


What I didn’t like

I have never understood Annhilus’s title, “The Living Death that Walks.” If the death is alive, the walking part is sort of implied. Plus, Annihilus has wings! He doesn’t need to walk!


On a more personal note, someone took a pair of scissors to my copy of this issue and did unspeakable violence to it:


Anything else?

The statement of circulation shows the FF is averaging about 519,000 issues a month. That’s roughly 10 times what a decent selling comic averages these days.


Overall

A fine comic book