“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 183

03 Sunday Aug 2025

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1977, Annhilus, Bill mantlo, Fantastic Four, mad Thinker, Marvel comics, Sal Buscema

Fantastic Four 183
“Battle Ground: The Baxter Building!”
Published March 1977
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Pencils: Sal Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Gaspar Saladino
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Archie Goodwin
Cover: George Perez and Sinnott

Synopsis

Tigra, Thundra and the Impossible Man save the Invisible Girl — defenestrated by the Brute (who is an evil Reed Richards from Counter Earth) at the end of last issue — then they all band together to overcome the Baxter Building’s defenses and attack the Brute. Meanwhile, The Thing, the Human Torch and a powerless Mr. Fantastic strike a deal with Annihilus to recover his cosmic control rod from the Mad Thinker’s Android in exchange for the use of his ship to escape the Negative Zone. The story concludes in the Baxter Building, where the Android attacks the Brute, and restores him to human form. The FF arrives, and the Thing snatches the cosmic control rod, rendering the Android inert. The Mad Thinker escapes and the Counter Earth Reed, no longer evil, enters the negative Zone to fulfill the other Reed’s pledge to return the control rod to Annihilus.

What’s going on here?

This issue marks yet another where a complicated, multi-part storyline ends with a whimper, not a bang. It’s hard to blame writer Bill Mantlo, who was handed this mess by a departing Roy Thomas, and who had to tie it up in a way that made some sense. But all the various plot threads introduced over the last four issues turned out to be easily, and in some cases lamely, resolved. Annihilus? Becomes an ally, then disappears from the story. The Android? Quickly defeated by Ben. The Mad Thinker? Skulks off without ever confronting the FF. Evil Reed? Miraculously cured of his evilness and, much like the nameless villain in issue 51, makes amends by plunging into the Negative Zone. The only loose end seems to be the Impossible Man, who wanders off mid comic.

For Mantlo, being given a thankless assignment was nothing new. He earned a reputation as an emergency fill-in guy, who could quickly churn out a story after the regular writer dropped the ball. It kept Mantlo busy and employed, but as I explored in my 2017 article about Mantlo’s tragic life, it meant he was often overlooked for more interesting work. He eventually quit comics to become a lawyer, only to suffer a massive head injury in a roller blading accident, never to fully recover.

Again filling on pencils this issue was Sal Buscema, adding to the ad-hoc feel of the comic. The “regular” creative team — although they have yet to produce an issue together — of Len Wein and George Perez takes over next issue with a clean slate, thanks to Mantlo and Buscema. (Perez did return for this issue’s cover, but it’s almost unrecognizable as his).

What I liked

The highlight of the comic was the team-up of Sue, Thundra and Tigra. As written by Mantlo, they have three distinct personalities, making for fun interactions. And led by Sue, they also rose to the occasion by fighting their way in the Baxter Building.

I am on the record as being unenthusiastic about Sal Buscema’s art, which is workmanlike without ever being very exciting. But I have to admit, the man can draw a punch.

What I didn’t like

As previously stated, much of this issue suffers from anti-climax or deus ex machina resolutions. The sudden reversion of the Brute to evil Reed by the Andoid’s cosmic rays is one example.

Another is his “cure” from being a bad guy:

Also aggravating, and taking up far too much of this comic to bother reproducing, is the convoluted explanation of the Android’s origins. While it clears up some of the confusion from last issue, it also feels like a cobbled-together explanation to tie the Mad Thinker to Annhilus and tie up the loose ends Thomas began.

Lastly, I am very weary of titles that involve some combination of “Battle” and Baxter Building.”

Overall

An unfortunate pratfall.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 141

10 Saturday Aug 2024

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1973, Annhilus, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 141, Franklin Richards, Gerry Conway, John Buscema, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 141
“The End of the Fantastic Four!”
Published Sept. 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: John Romita

Synopsis

After capturing the now helpless Fantastic Four — plus Sue, Franklin, Agatha Harkness and Wyatt Wingfoot — in his Negative Zone stronghold, Annihilus taps Franklin’s comic powers in order to drain them. The FF escape, free Franklin and returns to the Baxter Building, where Reed, fearing Franklin’s powers will destroy the solar system, zaps him with a device that renders him a vegetable. Horrified, Ben declares this is the end of the Fantastic Four.

What’s going on here?

This is a heavy issue. I’m not particularly sure it’s a well-written story, but it has big themes and consequences. The big revelation is that Franklin possesses enormous power that threaten all of existence. His powers had been teased at for years now, but this is the first indication of their scope, and it’s a development that has major ramifications for not just the Fantastic Four but the Marvel universe for decades to come. As but one example, the mid-90s Onslaught storyline, which resulted in the cancellation and reboot of most of Marvel’s mainstream comics, was facilitated by Franklin creating a pocket universe. At some point he is identified as a mutant, although he’s not labeled one here.

It’s not clear who came up with the idea of giving Franklin these god-like powers. In an interview, Stan Lee said after they decided for Reed and Sue to have a child, he and Jack Kirby envisioned him having powers, and liked the idea of keeping readers guessing what they might be. It seems like Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway took that idea and ran with it. His powers have resulted in a lot of interesting stories, but also some petty tedious ones as well.

From my perspective, a super-powered Franklin is a mixed blessing. There is something compelling about the idea of a child with these immense powers, and when they are unleashed in the hands of a great writer, it can be a lot of fun. Hickman’s future Franklin battling Celestials and summoning Galactus might be as good as it gets (from FF 604, art by Steve Epting and Rick Magyar).

But for every fun story, there’s a lot of uneven ones about Franklin’s powers run amok, or Franklin in danger. And when taken together, they tend to reflect poorly and Reed and Sue as parents who are constantly exposing their child to danger.

The other big development is Reed’s panicked decision to depower Franklin, and — it appears — effectively lobotomize him. It’s not the first, and certainly not the last, example of Reed prioritizing the good of humanity or the universe of over personal needs or desires, but it’s a poignant one. Of course, we know know that Franklin eventually recovers but for readers at the time, this must have felt like a pretty significant episode in the marriage of Reed and Sue and the future of the FF.

What I liked

I did appreciate how the stakes were ratcheted up in this story, and how Conway finally resolved long-hanging plot points, such as the disappearance of Agatha Harkness’s house way back in issue 134. Unlike Lee and Kirby, who rarely seemed to plot more than an issue or two in advance, Thomas and Conway unspool their subplots over months, creating bread crumbs for readers to follow. Even in this issue, which wraps up a long arc, Conway teases another story featuring Alicia Masters.

This form of story development isn’t always successful, but it suggests a respect for their readers’ ability to handle complicated ongoing stories. Chris Claremont would of course take this style of storytelling to absurd lengths, letting plots tangle for years, some never to be resolved.

I also enjoyed this splash from Buscema and Sinnott, which has a Kirby-ersque flair.

What I didn’t like

Despite the major themes introduced in this comic, the story itself wasn’t very interesting or well constructed. Basically, Annihilus captures the FF, they escape and defeat him. There’s not a lot of nuance, and it all feels pretty rote until we get to the climax.

One of my gripes about the Conway era has been how underutilized Medusa has been. Here, he rectifies that in the most obvious and silly way possible (Annihilus has imprisoned the FF in a room with an open window???).

We also get this unfortunate exchange between Wyatt — even more under-utilized in this issue than Medusa — and Johnny.

Overall

A pivotal issue the history of the Fantastic Four

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 140

04 Sunday Aug 2024

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1973, Annhilus, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 140, John Buscema, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 140
“Annihilus Revealed!”
Published August 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Rich Buckler and Frank Giacoia

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four receive a distress call from Sue about Franklin’s manifesting powers, and while they race to find her in Pennsylvania, she is summoned elsewhere by Agatha Harkness. Meanwhile, Annihilus invades the Baxter Building, defeating the returning Fantastic Four and sending them to the Negative Zone before disclosing his origin to Wyatt Wingfoot.

What’s going on here?

There’s a lot packed into this issue, which appears to be Gerry Conway’s first as full writer (up to this point he was credited only as a scripter, with Roy Thomas handling the plots). The highlight is the return of Annihilus, one of the FF’s best villains. and one who has been absent for a few years. The Annhilus plot was cooking in the background last issue, while the Franklin storyline has been developing for a few issues now, and it’s still not clear how (or if) they are related. We also get Annhilus’s complicated backstory, and a lot of inter-team bickering between Ben, Reed and Medusa.

Oddly, the story is interrupted by the events of another comic, Sub-Mariner 67, which doesn’t really effect the flow of this comic, but is blamed by the Thing for the FF not being able to find Sue.

In Sub-Mariner 67, Namor is stricken by a nerve gas, and Triton the Inhuman brings him to the Baxter Building so Reed can save him. Naturally, a fight breaks out. (Story by Steve Gerber, art by Don Heck and Frank Bolle).

Also of note, the cover of FF 140 is drawn by Rich Buckler (with inks by Frank Giacoia), who will go on to replace John Buscema as the lead artist in a few issues. The cover, with its panels, is unusual, but seems perfectly engineered to appeal to 12 year-old comic buyers.

What I liked

The back-and-forth between Ben and Reed was nicely handled by Conway, who seems to understand a friendship that’s both turbulent but build on longstanding respect and mutual history. Here, Ben tells off Reed:

Then, after Reed goes ballistic when Sue calls for help, Ben is reassuring:

I also liked this near-splash page of Agatha Harkness by Buscema and Sinnott:

What I didn’t like

The last third or so of the comic is devoted to Annhilus telling his origin to Wyatt. It’s impossibly convoluted, since it involves his putting on a helmet left by a long-dead alien race in the Negative Zone, and then relating the narration of that species. So we are reading a story told by Annihilus to Wyatt that was told to Annihilus by this other race. And none of it seems particularly relevant to the story.

Anything else?

These look cool

Overall

The return of Annihilus lifts its grade to a solid B.

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

02 Saturday Dec 2023

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1971, Annhilus, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 109, Stan Lee

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.