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“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 204

18 Sunday Jan 2026

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Fantastic Four 204
“The Andromeda Attack!”
Published December 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Françoise Mouly
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Al Milgrom and Sinnott

Synopsis

Mr Fantastic, investigating lingering damage caused by Quasimodo, discovers a ray leading from Earth to the Andromeda Galaxy. It delivers an alien woman, who is quickly followed by a Skrull. The FF subdue the Skull and learn the woman’s home planet is being attacked. When the team prepares to journey to space to save it, Johnny says he wants to remain on Earth and enroll in a new college, which unbeknownst to him is a trap set by The Monocle.


What’s going on here?

Despite it being a bit of a jumble, I liked this comic. It’s very much a setting-the-stage issue, putting into motion two plots but still leaving plenty of room for the character work that Wolfman excels at. There is an overly-long flashback that goes into great length about the history of the alien race, but it’s sort of fun and feels like a story from the golden age of science fiction. It’s also good to see the Skrulls again; a successful comic rotates stories between new menaces and old, familiar villains and it had been a while since we heard from the Skrulls.

Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott are again solid on the art. The cover is by Al Milgrom, with inks by Sinnott.

What I liked

Johnny is really the star of this issue, and Wolfman returns to his feelings of loneliness and lack of independence. There is a cutting sequence where he tries to impress a girl and ends up doing the opposite:

(We later discover she may be a plant from The Monocle to undermine his confidence).


Johnny also runs into Franke Ray again, with similar results.


Johnny’s frustrations are revealed at this family conference, a reminder of how the FF is different from other teams:


I also liked this action sequence with Reed, Ben and the Skrull:


What I didn’t like

Comics often play fast-and-loose with science, and lord knows I’m no physicist, but everything about the ray from outer space makes no sense (and in fact seems borrows from the zeta-beam Adam Strange uses to jaunt around the galaxy). Since when do rays contain minerals?


There is an extended scene of Johnny moping around the city looking for a friend, which begins to feel a little maudlin. If I was a cynic, I would suspect this was just a ploy to plug ASM 190.


Anything else?

Future Marvel writer Peter Sanderson writes another long letter from his Columbia dorm, this time about issue 200. His analysis of that story just happen to agree with mine.



Some more cool house ads, for a pair of comics I never really read (that looks like Gil Kane on the PM/IF ad).

Edited to add: It’s actually Rich Buckler and Dave Cockrum on the PM/IF . A few readers set me straight.



Overall

A satisfying comic book

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Fantastic Four No. 203

11 Sunday Jan 2026

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Fantastic Four 203
“…And a Child Shall Slay Them!”
Published November 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Dave Cockrum and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After Reed cleans up left-over radiation from the FF’s fight with Quasimodo last issue, he and Sue are summoned to a hospital to treat Willie Evans Jr., a young boy who is in a coma because his father was exposed to cosmic radiation as a soldier. In his coma, Willie, a mutant and Fantastic Four fan, manifests evil versions of the FF that rampage throughout New York. The FF struggle to contain them until Reed figures out their source and uses his radiation-absorbing device to neutralize them. Willie recovers and Reed suggests the family take him to Professor X for training.


What’s going on here

This is a perfectly fine one-and-done. Nothing of great consequence happens and while the premise is hard to swallow — why does the boy create evil versions of the FF if he’s a fan? — it’s resolved neatly and in classic FF fashion, with Reed saving the day with science. And at least in this issue, Marv Wolfman introduced the device Reed used at the beginning of the story, unlike in the Stan and Jack days, where it would just appear at the end, deus ex machina.

In his ability to create super-powered entities out of radiation, Willie Evans Jr. appears to be an enormously powerful mutant, on a par with the Scarlet Witch and adult Franklin Richards. Apparently there were plans for him to become part of an early version of the New Mutants (along with Kitty Pryde) but Jim Shooter killed that idea. He does reappear many years later, in Iron Man Annual 8, where a manifestation of his power — an evil frog called Grunt — pushes him to battle Iron Man and X-Factor. It’s a pretty good story and worth seeking out.

Iron Man Annual 8 (1986), Words by Bob Harras, art by Paul Neary, Ian Akin and Brian Garvey)


Also of note: the cover is by Dave Cockrum (with Joe Sinnott’s inks). One of the few Cockrum FF covers. I don’t think it’s a particularly good cover, but there it is.


What I liked

There was some fun kibbitzing among team members. Team dynamics is Wolfman’s strength, here and later in the Teen Titans.


There’s also time for some domesticity, and a glimpse into Franklin’s growth (although it seems like he stays this age for the next two decades):


And I liked this image of Reed and Sue arriving at the hospital, like benevolent deities granting mortals a favor:


What I didn’t like

As mentioned earlier, Wille’s creation of the evil FF didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Buy, hey, mutant powers. They cover up a lot of plot holes.


Anything else?

Some pretty good house ads in this issue, especially for Micronauts (Michael Golden!) and Master of Kung Fu (Mike Zeck!)


Overall

Inoffensive but forgettable

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 202

28 Sunday Dec 2025

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Fantastic Four 202
“There’s One Iron Man Too Many!”
Published October 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four are attacked in the Baxter Building by a doppelgänger of Iron Man, who triggers a new device installed by Mr. Fantastic that allows the top six floors of the building to fly across the world (yes, really). The FF team up with the real Iron Man to track down their building and discover Quasimodo, an artificial intelligence, created a replica Iron Man and stole the Baxter Building to drain its power. After a battle, Quasimodo escapes into space in the FF’s rocket.


What’s going on here?

This issue is only notable because of the appearance of Iron Man, but the story makes clear there’s no legitimate reason for Iron Man to be in the comic. Quasimodo explains he needed a robot to serve as his arms and legs — makes sense! — but he could have built anything. It seems he chose a replica of Iron Man to compel Iron Man’s guest appearance in the comic. It’s the sort of plotting problem an editor could save a writer from making, but in this case, writer Marv Wolfman serves as his own editor. It’s a reminder that Wolfman is much stronger at dialogue and characterizations than in story telling, and another reminder (if we needed one) that writers need actual editors.


John Buscema fills in for Keith Pollard on pencils and delivers his usual steady work.


What I liked

Despite its practical impossibility, I liked the idea of the top floors of the Baxter Building shooting into the sky like a bottle rocket. And Reed’s explanation — that the landlord demanded some sort of failsafe to protect other tenants — actually makes sense.


This scene with Tony Stark is a flashback to our pre-MCU concept of Iron Man, where everyone somehow accepted he was Stark’s body guard, despite them never being seen together.


This cliff hanger ending was intriguing:


What I didn’t like

My big complaint is the dumbness of the story’s premise. But I’ve said my piece about that.

Also, I can usually accept that the image on the cover is meant as marketing, and doesn’t literally capture a scene from the comic. But it’s been a while since I’ve seen one this divorced from the events in the story. Even the the blurb — “Mayhem Over Manhattan! — is misleading.

And why does the FF keep a wooden desk in their high-tech control room?



Anything else?

A very eloquent letter to the editor from Cat Yronwode, who would go to be the editor-in-chief of Eclipse Comics, among many other diverse and varied roles.

Overall

The Yronwode letter is this month’s highlight

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 201

23 Tuesday Dec 2025

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Fantastic Four 201
“Home Deadly Home!”
Published Sept. 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Françoise Mouly
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Pollard and Sinnott

Synopsis

After accepting the thanks of Latveria’s new leader, Zorba, the Fantastic Four return to the Baxter Building, where they move back in to their former headquarters. But something is amiss, and the building’s automated systems go haywire, almost killing the FF before the Invisible Girl can overcome its defenses and shut it down.


What’s going on here?

Like most FF comics of this era, FF 201 is a mixed bag. It’s welcome palate cleanser after the high-stakes events of issues 196-200, and it contains some nice character interactions and development. But the plot fizzles and it feels a bit like Marv Wolfman is killing time waiting to start another big story.

Complicating things is that Fantastic Four Annual 13, discussed last week, ALSO was written as a palate cleanser after issues 196-200. Not surprisingly, there seems to have been no coordination between Wolfman and Annual 13 writer Bill Mantlo, so many of the issues this comic deals with — will the FF remain a team? Where will their headquarters be? — were also grappled with in the annual. A true continuity zealot could probably point to where Annual 13 could slip between two panels of FF 201 but even the Marvel Chronology Project, which exists for exactly these purposes, concedes defeat and has the annual following 201.

Also of note is the return of the “quad-cover,” which is a staple of FF cover design from the beginning. The idea is that instead of showing one fight scene on the cover, the four quadrants each depict a member of the FF fighting some menace solo, and thereby creating even more incentive for eager buyers to snap it up. Here are all the other quad-covers from the first volume of the FF (which ended in 1998):


What I liked

In some ways this issue serves to reset the team and provide a jumping-on point for new readers. To that end, it gives Reed an opportunity to restate the purpose of the FF: To use their powers for the betterment of humanity. It’s sort of a mission statement and it puts an end to Reed’s waffling about the future of the team.


Also of benefit to new readers: a neat-o rendering of the interior of the Baxter Building, something we saw a few times early in the Lee / Kirby run but we haven’t seen since. (I think the meditation chamber is a 1978 addition.)


As discussed in previous posts, Wolfman had made it his mission to give Sue more bite, both as a character and a team member. Here, she puts Reed in his place:

And here, she saves the day, shutting down Ben’s objections, then rescuing Johnny.



This was also a fun sequence (although I wonder if Wolfman knows the translation of fromage):


What I didn’t like

After the team spends most of the issue battling the Baxter Building run amok, Reed’s explanation is basically, “I dunno.” It’s deeply unsatisfying and suggests Wolfman really didn’t the story much thought. Maybe it will be explained in a future issue but for now, it’s painfully anti-climactic.


For years I have cringed whenever the FF’s writers try to make commercial real estate a plot point. Here it’s thankfully disposed of quickly but it’s never not clumsy and silly.


Anything else?

A house ad for the FF’s new TV show, the one that replaces Johnny with H.E.R.B.I.E. (blech) for reasons to do with intellectual property rights and giving rise to all sorts of urban myths.


Overall

Good enough, I guess

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Fantastic Four No. 200

10 Wednesday Dec 2025

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Fantastic Four 200
“When Titans Clash!
Published August 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Francoise Mouly
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Jack Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Reeling after the death of his son/clone, Dr. Doom traps the Fantastic Four in his Latverian castle and flies to New York to realize his plan of world domination. The FF escape, rescue Alicia and follow Doom, with Mr. Fantastic confronting Doom at his stronghold in the Adirondacks while the rest of the team flies to the United Nations to thwart Doom’s scheme. While Reed and Doom battle, Doom’s statue — sculpted by Alicia and intended as a gift to the UN — hypnotizes the delegates, who then attack Ben, Sue and Johnny. Reed eventually gets the better of Doom, and rips off his mask, where the image of his disfigured face reflected back at him hundreds of times in the facets of a giant crystal drive him into a catatonic state. Reed shuts down the UN device and with Doom in a mental institution, Zorba is installed as the leader of Latveria.


What’s going on here?

This is a big milestone issue and almost in spite of itself, the comic lives up to the occasion. It’s the conclusion of a five-part act that meandered unnecessarily — particularly with the clone-of-Doom subplot which fizzled out anti-climatically — but Marv Wolfman manages to stick the landing. He correctly recognizes the conflict between Reed and Doom is the central tension in the book and he gives the two the battle they deserve. Because it’s a double-sized anniversary issue, he has room to stretch out the confrontation, and includes a flashback to their time at university together that reminds us (and informs new readers) of the origin of Doom’s enmity toward Reed. The climax, where Doom goes mad at the sight of his own face reflected back at him, is clever story telling, and centers Doom’s defeat in his own vanity and insecurity. It feels like less of a triumph for Reed than a tragic downfall for Doom. (Although I would have preferred Doom not telling us he was going mad as he was going mad).


A lot of credit for this issue’s success goes to Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott. Pollard, particularly, uses the extra pages in this issue to stretch out, particularly in the fight scenes, where there are often just four panels per page. There are also three full-page splashes (not including the opening one), a rarity in this era.

This is the most successful of the Fantastic Four’s big milestone issues to date. Issue 50, which included the conclusion of the Galactus saga, didn’t make note of it being a meaningful issue. Issue 100 was a dud, and came at the end of the Lee / Kirby partnership. Issue 150, featuring the marriage of Crystal and Quicksilver, felt more like an Avengers comic (and not a very good one, either). Looking into the future, issues 300 and 400 aren’t that impressive either. Issue 200 manages to deliver story that both feels big, satisfying and consequential.

Fantastic Four 200 also features one of the best covers in the history of the comic, by none other than Jack Kirby. Kirby’s FF covers over the last few years have been hit or miss, but this one has all the hallmarks of classic Kirby (although it’s is unfortunately cluttered with too many blurbs hyping the comic). Sadly, this is Kirby’s last original work on the Fantastic Four and one of his last at Marvel.

And in a nice touch, the comic is dedicated to Stan and Jack:


What I liked

Despite its bombast, the issue also deliver some nice moments of character development. There is this testy exchange between Ben and Reed:


And this romantic interlude:


After restoring Reed’s powers, Wolfman seems serious about powering him up, and in two separate sequences Reed stretches himself into tiny apertures to escape confinement. This one is the most impressive:


Pollard has a real knack for interesting action shots. Here are a few I liked:


What I didn’t like

The plot device — the McGuffin, if you will —of this story never makes much sense. Doom somehow thinks he’s going to take over the world by hypnotizing United Nation’s delegates? If he spent more than a minute paying attention to the UN’s long history of ineptitude, he would realize how ridiculous an idea this was.


We also have the same problem of Doom’s lackeys as in last issue. Are they humans? Or robots? or both? Here one of them has a wife and child, further confusing things.


Anything else?

A letter to the editor from future writer/editor/comic historian Peter Sanderson, who appears to be writing from his Columbia University dorm room:


Overall

Good stuff!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 199

30 Sunday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 199
“The Son of Doctor Doom!”
Published July 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Pollard and Sinnott

Editor’s note: Fantastic Four Annual 13 came out between FF 198 and 199, but it’s a stand alone story so I’m going to finish the Doom / Zorba story arc first and pick up the annual after issue 200.

Synopsis

Dr. Doom advances his scheme to transfer the powers of the Fantastic Four to his son — actually his clone — as part of a scheme to keep Latveria in the United Nations, but faces unrest from the rebels of Latveria. Meanwhile the FF escape captivity but are thwarted by Doom, who has taken Alicia hostage. Doom’s clone then battles Doom, who kills him, setting up a showdown between Doom and Reed in issue 200.


What’s going on here?

This is another uneven story. The basic outlines of the plot are interesting: There’s political intrigue, Doom’s Machiavellian plotting, the FF reunited and the ersatz son of Doom gaining the powers of the FF (although the concept was done better with the Super-Skrull). But it’s all jumbled and incoherent, with Doom’s stated motivation for setting all this in motion — a desire to keep Latveria in the U.N. — absurd on its face. And we never quite learn why he’s transferring his powers to the clone.

What salvages the comics are some excellent action sequences delivered by the steady team of Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott. There’s nothing flashy about their art but it packs a punch (sometimes literally). And I believe this is the first issue of the FF were Pollard signs the cover with his distinct lower-case signature, one of the best in comics.


What I liked

Here are a handful of the fun action panels in this comic:


I also liked the keyboard- control device Doom uses to power up his clone.


What I didn’t like

Most of the flaws in this comic seem to stem from Wolfman’s lack of understanding of Doom and his character. The Dr. Doom I’m familiar with could care less if Latveria was kicked out of the U.N. (hell, most of the U.S. would feel the same way) and would probably wear it as a badge of honor. I assume the hollow sculpture will house a bomb or some device but would Doom really offer a gift to the U.N.?


Nor would Doom feel the need to explain himself to his subjects, or rationalize his decision to abdicate the throne.


Doom’s clone also had odd moments. Here, he goes out of his way to explain he’s like the Fantastic Four but slightly less so. Then he says he forgot Doom had force shields, one panel before he claims to have all of Doom’s knowledge. Which is it, dude?


And the climax, where Doom’s clone faces Doom to acknowledge his self loathing should have been a powerful moment, but instead feels clumsy.


Lastly, longtime readers of this blog will recall that I was puzzled by how Stan Lee and Jack Kirby wrote and drew may of the robots and androids that populated the book. In their hands, they were often muscled like humans and seemed to speak like humans. We have the same problem here. In the last issue, Doom’s henchmen were discussing their children. But now they seem to have been turned into “servo-robots,” even if they still look pretty human.



Overall

Hit and miss

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 198

23 Sunday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 198
“Invasion!”
Published June 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Rick Parker
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: John Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

Now in possession of his powers again, Mr. Fantastic flies to Latveria to free the rest of the team from Dr. Doom, who is planning to transfer all of their powers to his son. Reed battles Doom’s robots and is subdued, but he is rescued by the Latvian resistance, led by Zorba. Reed and Zorba’s men storm the castle, but are defeated and Reed is captured.


What’s going on here?

The Doom / Zorba story continues to plod along. This is a pretty lackluster comic and it’s clear this five-part arc could have been told in four or even three issues. This installment feels full of padding as Reed battles robots and Doom’s henchmen, but ultimately ends up captured. The only real development of note is the introduction of the unfortunately named Zorba, the leader of the Latverian freedom fighters. (It’s hard not to picture Anthony Quinn as Zorba the Greek whenever I read that name). This Zorba has a cool, Kirby-esque device on his face and seems to fulfill every stereotype of the noble rebel.

Zorba will reappear in a few more issues over the years and becomes a more complex figure when written by John Byrne.

The art team of Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott deliver solid, if unspectacular work. The rather confusing cover is by John Buscema and Sinnott.

What I liked

There were a few fun elements in this comic. Throughout, writer Marv Wolfman gives Doom’s soldiers bits of personality, such as this one discussing his daughter:

My sense is these vignettes are intended to illustrate their humanity, in order to highlight Doom’s cruelty when he later reveals he had these men killed. I also liked the appearance of the drone. Technology that seems wildly futuristic in 1978 is now commonplace.

And I liked Reed using his stretching powers to disguise his facial features, something he will do more frequently in years to come:


What I didn’t like

Overall, Wolfman’s writing feels lazy and cliché-laden. It’s not enough to have a mountain, it was to be an “unscalable mountain,” only for it to be scaled in the next panel.

Wolfman doesn’t really have a handle on Doom, who he writes as a thuggish tyrant, rather than an aloof monarch. Here, Doom mocks the people of Latveria, which feels very different from the protective, paternalistic view of his people that we’ve seen elsewhere:


And here, he takes of his mask in front of the Fantastic Four, which would seem a sharp departure from how he has viewed his disfigurement in the past (and which sort of defeats the purpose of the mask):


There are other, smaller mistakes throughout. It appears Wolfman doesn’t know the definition of “laconic:”

And here, Reed pilots a pogo plane that normally can fit four members of the FF plus guests, but now is a two-seater:


None of these little errors are that consequential (and I’m sure any Marvel fan could explain them away to earn a No-Prize) but cumulatively they’re distracting and make the story less engaging.

Anything else?

Guys, did you know the Bad News Bears are going to Japan?


Overall

Not much to recommend in this one

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 197

16 Sunday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 197
“The Riotous Return of the Red Ghost!”
Published May 1978
Writer: Marc Wolfman
Layouts: Keith Pollard
Finishes: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Barry Grossman
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: George Perez and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

Under the threat of harm coming to his teammates by a mysterious figure (later revealed in this issue to be the son of Dr. Doom), Mr. Fantastic is forced to board a rocket designed to expose him to cosmic rays, thus restoring his powers. But while his powers return, the cosmic rays also (somehow) reconstitute the Red Ghost, who has been dematerialized and floating in space. The two battle and the Ghost sabotages the space ship, which crashes into the ocean with Reed managing to escape. Meanwhile in Latveria, Doom holds the other FF members captive, while summoning Alicia Masters to sculpt his image.


What’s going on here?

This issue continues the Doom / Zorba story arc that will conclude in issue 200. But the big event here is Reed’s battle in space with the Red Ghost, which doesn’t really have anything to do with the main story or Doom’s machinations. The Red Ghost shows up in one of those only-in-comics coincidences, and his appearance feels like an unnecessary distraction from the main story arc. On the other hand, the other three FF members had their own solo stories that followed the team’s break up (well, sort of: Sue shared her’s with Namor) so maybe it’s only fair that Reed gets his own. The other big development is Reed gets his powers back; more on that later.

The introduction of Doom’s son is a bit of a head fake, as we shall see. He’s not to be confused with Kristoff, who will debut in a few years.

Joe Sinnott returns to inking, and the comic reverts to its familiar style in his hands. The Pollard / Sinnott team is solid, but I miss Pablo Marcos’s inks, which gave the book a refreshingly different look. George Perez and Sinnott deliver an excellent cover.

Jim Shooter is now credited as “editor-in-chief.” He’s the first Marvel EIC to be so credited, as far as I can recall, and it’s somewhat revealing about how he viewed himself.

What I liked

Despite his implausible return, the Red Ghost is an entertaining bad guy and in his fight with Reed, shows he’s no joke (despite what the new Fantastic Four movie would have you believe).


I also liked this sequence of Reed’s power returning:


And I liked the sequence with Alicia and Doom, which serves to add more depth to his character:


What I didn’t like

There’s a lot in this comic that doesn’t make much sense. Reed is being forced to take a space flight but just takes it on this guy’s word that Sue and the others are his captives.


Further, Reed apparently designed and built the space ship, yet has no ability to control it:


Then there”s the matter of his lost powers. Reed’s powers faded over the course of many issues before disappearing altogether, which led him to disband the Fantastic Four. It was never explained why his powers ebbed (or why the other’s did not) but the assumption was we would eventually learn the cause. In this issue, however, they are returned to him by renewed exposure to cosmic rays. No further explanation is offered. Did they simply wear out? It’s a frustrating failure of story telling, probably due to the book having three writers over the length of the story arc.

Now that his powers have returned, Reed is apparently more powerful. Here, he squeezes through a tiny crack:


A get the impression that Wolfman was eager to return the team to the status quo ante as soon as practical, and didn’t feel the need to get bogged down with the particulars.

Overall

A mixed bag

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 196

13 Thursday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 196
“Who In The World Is The Invincible Man?”
Published April 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Layouts: Keith Pollard
Finishes: Pablo Marcos
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editors: Marv Wolfman and Jim Shooter
Cover: George Perez and Pablo Marcos

Synopsis

The Thing and the Human Torch join the Invisible Girl, Franklin and Agatha Harkness in Los Angeles, where they are confronted by what appears to be the Invincible Man, and are overcome by his mental powers. They are imprisoned by the same mysterious evil-doers who have captured Mr. Fantastic, who was in fact the man in the Invincible Man’s disguise. The team, reunited in a prison cell, manages to escape, only to discover their captor is Dr. Doom.


What’s going on here?

One drawback to this exercise of retroactively reviewing comics published 50 years ago is it’s hard to gauge the impact of certain plot developments. In this issue, we learn on the last page that Dr. Doom is the mysterious villain behind Reed’s abduction. Unfortunately, I knew this was coming, so there wasn’t much suspense of me. But I imagine it was a big surprise for at least some readers at the time. If so, it would ratchet up a very good comic into an excellent one.

This is the first appearance of Doom in the FF since issue 157, an eternity by the standards of today, when he appears about every dozen or so issues. His intentions at this point are still pretty murky and the plot is confusing but I think it’s safe to assume it will all build up to a big conclusion in issue 200.

The Invincible Man is a bit of an oddity, since there never really was an Invincible Man. It started off as an identity created by the Super-Skrull who was masquerading as Sue and Johnny’s father, back in issue 32. Then we have this appropriation of the Invincible Man identity by a hypnotized Reed. And in issue 287, Doom — in the body of Norman McArthur — again uses the Invincible Man identity.

Like last issue, the art is by Keith Pollard, who seems to be just doing layouts, and Pablo Marcos, whose finishes are dynamic and fun. This issue also has an interesting credit: Jim Shooter, as “consulting editor.” Shooter had recently taken over as Marvel editor-in-chief, ending a half decade of dysfunction and ushering in a period of growth and stability. Shooter, who passed away this year, wasn’t universally beloved but it’s hard to argue with his success.


What I liked

Sue and Franklin’s reunion with Ben and Johnny is touching and well written by Marv Wolfman.


I liked this sequence of a phantom Alicia beating the snot out of Ben.


Wolfman seems to be continuing Len Wein’s project of powering up Sue, expanding the use of her powers and making her more of an asset. It’s a welcome change.


As mentioned, the Pollard/ Marcos combination is very successful. Here’s an example:

and another:


What I didn’t like

Wolfman seems obsessed with all thing Hollywood, and as in the previous issue, is eager to beat this horse to death. What starts of as mildly amusing quickly becomes tedious, especially his running gag of the FF being mistaken for other celebrities.


Overall

A satisfying read

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 195

02 Sunday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 195
“Beware the Ravaging Retrievers!”
Published March 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Layouts: Keith Pollard
Finishes: Pablo Marcos
Letters: Denise Wohl
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: George Perez and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

The Invisible Girl, in Hollywood filming a movie after the breakup of the Fantastic Four, discovers the figure behind the movie studio is the Sub-Mariner, who confesses he has fled Atlantis in frustration over being worshipped as a god. The filming is interrupted by Atlantean androids summoned to retrieve Namor back to Atlantis. Sue and Namor defeat the robots but the Sub-Mariner realizes he must nonetheless return home.


What’s going on here?

The premise of this comic is truly ridiculous —Namor objects to being worshipped as a god? Atlantis sends robots to capture him? He still owns the movie studio he had way back in FF 9? — but I still found it a fun read. Partially because the stakes of the conflict are so low that the silliness doesn’t really matter. Partially because it’s fun to see Sue and Namor resuming their will-they-or-won’t-they relationship. But mostly it was because I really enjoyed the art.

Keith Pollard is credited with the layouts, but it’s pretty clear that this is Pablo Marcos’s comic. Marcos, a Peruvian probably best known for his work on Conan, has a fluid, expressive style that reminds me of a cross between Gene Colan and Michael Golden. Significantly, his work looks nothing like Joe Sinnott’s, and as a result it’s a refreshing change from the FF house style that established by Kirby and enforced by Sinnott for the last decade. Not that we don’t love Joe Sinnott here, but variety is good.

Sinnott did ink George Perez on the cover, and from the looks of it, I would say it’s 90 percent Sinnott and 10 percent Perez (compare it to the cover of FF 194, which is entirely by Perez).


What I liked

Here’s a nice flashback sequence by Marcos:


Sue gets to stretch herself in battle (although she’s still dependent on Reed, even in her own head):


Sue and Namor are getting pretty cozy here:


Here, Sue finally expresses how we all feel about the Impossible Man:


Lastly, there were some curious sound effects in this comic. Baskong!


What I didn’t like

Following the (obviously temporary) break up of the FF, the powers-that-be decided to give them each solo stories. A fun idea, and yet despite that, Sue is stuck sharing her story with Namor. Worse, she’s either thinking about Reed or Namor during the entire issue. If comics had a Bechdel test, this one would fail utterly.

Here, in the middle of battle, she’s again wishing Reed was present:


And here, she’s so distracted thinking about her marriage she’s almost killed:


And the resolution, in which Namor does the robots’ bidding after all, is all about Namor, not Sue. For shame, Marv Wolfman, for shame.


Anything else?

There’s a somber note in the Bullpen Bulletins about the sudden passing of John Verpoorten, who was an occasional FF inker, among his many other roles at Marvel.


Overall

Goofy fun