“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 135

23 Sunday Jun 2024

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1973, Dragon Man, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 135, Gerry Conway, John Buscema

Fantastic Four 135
“The Eternity Machine”
Published: March 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Breakdowns: John Buscema
Finishes: Joe Sinnott
Letterer: Artie Simek
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Michel Esposito

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four are trapped by Gregory Gideon, who reveals his plan to drain the powers of Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl and their son Franklin to counter his radiation poisoning and rule the world. Thanks to new member Medusa, the team escapes their imprisonment and beats Gideon by turning Dragon Man against him.

What’s going on here?

This is a fairly straightforward story, wrapping up a two-part arc while introducing some new sub-plots. Probably the biggest development isn’t a development at all, but the continuation of Sue’s estrangement from Reed. Despite both being captured with their son, at the conclusion of the issue Sue has no interest in reconciling with Reed.

It’s a poignant and effective ending, maybe even more so given writer Gerry Conway was just 20 years old when he wrote this comic. In a 2016 interview, Conway discusses his relative immaturity during this period and how he did his best to mask it as a writer. He concedes he wasn’t always successful, and we’ll see some of that toward the end of his Fantastic Four run. But for a writer barely out of his teens, he handled the strains in Reed and Sue’s marriage with surprising deftness.

What I liked

Another notable development is the emergence of Medusa—finally—as a useful member of the team. I’ve been surprised that, as the newest member of the team, she’s been relegated to the background, but in FF 135 she plays a key role in breaking herself, Ben and Johnny out of their imprisonment, then in removing a device that allowed Gideon to control Dragon Man. I would still welcome a story that focused on her and her decision to leave the Inhumans, but this is progress.

There’s also a nice interlude of Alicia pining away for Ben. It doesn’t seem to be furthering any plot point, but serves to remind us Ben’s life extends beyond the team.

This may be the first time we’ve seen Alicia crafting images of Ben. That becomes a pretty standard feature—at one point almost every appearance shows her surrounded by her sculptures of Ben and other heroes—but this is the first I recall seeing it. If anyone knows of an earlier appearance of this trope, let me know.

Also, I liked this exchange between Gideon and a salty Ben.

What I didn’t like

The backstory explaining Gideon’s turn from remorseful rich guy to super villain was truly absurd. His private pilot somehow flew them into a nuclear test site, killing his wife, and giving Gideon and his son radiation poisoning that would kill them in two years. The solution? Stealing the energy of half the Fantastic Four!

Also, a new subplot is introduced, when a mysterious, muscular man entering the FF’s Baxter Building headquarters. But what happened to last issues’s subplot, of Agatha Harkness’s missing house? Hopefully they tie together, or I fear we are entering Claremontian territory of subplots mushrooming without resolution.

Overall

A solid effort.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 134

15 Saturday Jun 2024

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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Dragon Man, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 134, Gerry Conway, John Buscema, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 134
“A Dragon Stalks The Skies!”
Published: Feb. 1973
Script: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Colors: Dave Hunt
Letters: Artie Simek
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

While the new-look Fantastic Four investigates Agatha Harkness’s missing home, the Invisible Girl and Franklin are abducted by Dragon Man, who is under the control of Gregory Gideon, the world’s richest man. When the rest of the FF attempt to rescue Sue and Franklin, Gideon subdues them and takes them prisoner.

What’s going on here?

Gerry Conway is credited as the sole writer of this issue—albeit as “scripter— although a previous letters page says he is working from a Roy Thomas plot. Thomas’s influence seems obvious, since the villain is a minor figure summoned from obscurity, a very Thomasian trope. In this case, the bad guy is Gregory Gideon, who last appeared 100 issues ago in FF 34, and was then called the richest man in the world (and who, in passing, was said to have owned the Baxter Building). In FF 34, after attempting to defeat the FF to win a bet, Gideon is remorseful and the issue concludes with him renouncing his fortune and vowing to spend time with his wife and son.

It’s fair to say that his redemption didn’t take, because in FF 134 he is a raving megalomaniac. (The relationship with the son doesn’t seem much improved, either).

By the end of the issue he’s gone full-blown Lex Luthor, complete with a battle suit. But despite his transformation into a standard super villain, he never appears after the conclusion of this arc.

What I liked

This is another place-setting issue and as such, there are some fun interludes and bits of character development. For example, Sue and Franklin are shown visiting Sue’s childhood friend Carol Landers, and her husband, Bob, on a farm in Pennsylvania. I’d never encountered the characters before but apparently they hang around for about a dozen issues before fading away. (If they appeared today, there is a 100% chance that one of them would have developed powers within 10 issues).

Note the reminder about Franklin’s powers, a plot point which will only become more prominent from here. Also note the horse is named Zelda, which happens to be the name of my dog.

Another odd appearance is of Dorrie Evans, the Human Torch’s girlfriend in the early days of the FF, and now a rebound target after his breakup with Crystal. If they had Facebook in 1973 he might have avoided this awkwardness.

I’m also a sucker for building diagrams and cutaways. Not sure why John Buscema felt one was necessary here; maybe he was just a sucker for them too.

What I didn’t like

On an otherwise great cover, Franklin’s hair is red. Oops.

The issue opens en media res, with the FF examining a crater where Agatha Harkness’s home used to sit. The disappearance of your witch-nanny’s home seems like a big deal! But by the third page it’s basically forgotten and never referenced again. I assume Conway will back to it, but the sequence felt very abrupt and odd.

Medusa has been on the team for about a week and she already seems to know an awful lot about their history.

Also, I didn’t much care for how Gideon’s henchmen subdued Ben and Medusa so easily. It should take more than one panel to knock out the Thing.

Overall

A satisfying comic book.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 44

24 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1965, Dragon Man, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 44, Gorgon, Inhumans, jack Kirby, Medusa, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 44
“The Gentleman’s Name is Gorgon!”
Published: Aug. 1965
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Art Simek
Cover: Kirby and Vince Colletta

Synopsis

Following the marriage of Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl (in FF Annual 3), the team is back at the Baxter Building where the Thing and Human Torch are growing bored of the new domesticity. Johnny takes off in his Corvette when he is carjacked by Madame Medusa, who threatens him with a “vacuum gun” and demands he help her escape Gorgon. Meanwhile, an unseen Gorgon uses his hooves to attack the Baxter Building, then steals the team’s helicopter.

Medusa forces Johnny to drive her upstate, near the campus of State University, and when Johnny tries to escape, Medusa drains the air from him using the vacuum gun. Their scuffle awakens the dormant Dragon Man, last seen in FF 35, and when Gorgon arrives to capture Medusa, he and Dragon Man battle. Medusa and Dragon Man flee back to New York City, pursued by Johnny and Gorgon. Eventually all parties battle on the roof of city building. Gorgon demands the FF surrender Medusa or he will destroy the city when Dragon Man abducts the Invisible Girl. The issue ends with Gorgon bringing down the building around the rest of the FF.

What’s going on here?

Fantastic Four 44 kicks off a story arc that introduces the Inhumans, a major part of the Marvel universe for decades to come. It’s also the first comic in a 16-issue run that may be the most influential and creative stretches in all of comics. In these issues Stan and Jack introduce:

* The Inhumans: Black Bolt, Gorgon, Crystal, Karnak, Triton, Lockjaw, Maximus and their city of Attilan (all except Medusa, who first appeared in FF 36).
* The Silver Surfer
* Galactus
* Wyatt Wingfoot
* The Black Panther and Wakanda
* Klaw
* Prestor John

Plus they deliver one of the single best standalone stories (“This Man, This Monster” in issue 51) and arguably the best Dr. Doom story, when Doom steals the power cosmic from the Silver Surfer. Much more on all of this to come, of course!

The only comparable runs of similar length (about a year) I can think for their lasting significance in comics history are the Claremont/Byrne Uncanny X-Men from UXM 129-142 (which includes the Dark Phoenix Saga and Days of Future Past), and Green Lantern 76-89, the classic Denny O’Neil/Neal Adams run that brought contemporary issues to comics while introducing major characters. I’m sure I’m missing some, so feel free to drop your ideas in the comments.

FF 44 also introduces Gorgon, who becomes a part of the Marvel firmament, but almost always as part of the Inhumans. In some ways, this might be a high point for Gorgon, as he appears both immensely powerful here and not in the shadow of his even more powerful cousin, Black Bolt. While he appears to be depowered over the years, he occasionally gets to strut his stuff, as in this fun sequence from Uncanny X-Men: First Class.

*Uncanny X-Men: First Class 1, (2009, story by Scott Gray, art by Roger Cruz)*

What’s in a name?

A gorgon in Greek mythology, was one of three snake haired women whose appearance could turn one to stone. One of the sisters was, of course Medusa, suggesting that if Stan and Jack knew their myths, they were’t overly concerned with the details.

The real Medusa, a gorgon (painting by Rubens)

Crazy Kredits

Not only does the creative team get goofy credits, but the FF gets nicknames.

This image of Gorgon also foreshadows Mantis, a villain Jack created for DC about six years later:

The sexist sixties

Sue is so determined to be a ’60s housewife, she’s wearing an apron.

Oops

Did Stan have to explain why Johnny’s Corvette Stingray has a backseat? It sure reads that way. Also: A vacuum gun!

We have a helicopter?

The FF has two Fantasticars, a Pogo plane, an ICBM, and apparently a helicopter.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Some cool art in this issue.

Next issue: The rest of the Inhumans!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” Fantastic Four No. 35

17 Sunday Oct 2021

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1964, Diablo, Dragon Man, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 35, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 35
“Calamity on the Campus”
Published Nov. 1964
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and Dick Ayers

Synopsis

The comic opens on the campus of State University, the alma mater of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm, where Reed has been invited to give a lecture. Some hijinks on campus ensue as Ben and Sue tangle with the football team, and Reed learns that a Prof. Gilbert on campus is building “a creature more powerful than anything that lives—including the Fantastic Four.”

Meanwhile (although logically some time before the other events in the comic), in Transylvania, Diablo escapes the mountain under which he was buried in FF 30 and makes his way to New York in pursuit of the Fantastic Four. Once on campus at State U., he convinces Gilbert to let him animate his creature, which becomes Dragon Man.

The Thing stumbles on the Gilbert and Diablo, and battles with Dragon Man, before the robot monster runs amok across campus. While Sue is able to subdue it with kindness, Diablo attacks the FF. Dragon Man now turns against Diablo, and both plunge into a lake and disappear. The story ends with Reed and Sue strolling down State U’s “lovers lane” and Reed kind-of, sort-of proposing to Sue.

What’s going on here?

This is a fun issue, and Stan and Jack clearly enjoy the campus setting, with its swooning co-eds, tweedy professors and beefy football players. The FF comic book was gaining popularity among college students by this point, and it seems possible Stan and Jack were either inspired by the feedback they got from the students, or simply wanted to give some them college-based material. The story also reinforces Reed and Ben’s shared history as college roommates but interestingly, another former classmate, Victor Von Doom, isn’t mentioned.

One puzzle that’s hard to unravel is where, exactly, did Reed and Ben, go to college? Here, in FF 35, it’s referred to as State University, and it appears to be a rural campus, with a lake and woods with a lover’s lane (some sources put it in Hegemans, New York). But later retellings of Reed and Ben’s origins put them on the campus of Empire University, or Empire State University. Here’s one mention of it, in The Thing 2, written by John Byrne:

*The Thing 2, 1983, art by Ron Wilson and John Byrne*

Empire State University plays a significant role in the Marvel Universe, chiefly as Peter Parker’s university both as a student, and a graduate assistant. So it would make sense that Reed and Ben went there, and that “State U.” is is just shorthand for “Empire State U.” Yet most depictions of Empire State U. place it it in the middle of Manhattan, making it an urban campus, and not at all the rural location of FF 35. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe puts it in the village, pretty much where New York University is in the real world:

Further confusing matters, the Handbook is inconsistent about where Reed and Ben attended college. Reed’s entry says it was State U. (among other institutions), while Ben’s says Empire State U.

The obvious, and unsatisfying, answer is that over the years writers have conflated the two universities, and since Empire State U. became a prominent part of the shared universe, it just made since to retcon away State U., although not every writer got the memo.

Just please don’t ask about Metro College, where Johnny begins classes in FF 50:

Introducing Dragon Man

FF also features the return of Diablo, and the introduction of Dragon Man, who becomes a fixture in the Marvel Universe. It’s established in this issue that he (or it?) is not inherently evil, but does the bidding of whomever controls him. Over the next few decades that’s pretty much how he’s used, as a pawn of other villains. Here is is in Power Pack 6:

*Power Pack 6 (1984), written by Louise Simonson, art by June Brigman and Bob Wiacek.*

But much later, Dragon Man gets an intelligence upgrade, and joins the Future Foundation, the group of super-smart kids (and moloids and other creatures) founded by Reed.

*Fantastic Four 579 (2010) written by Jonathan Hickman, art by Neil Edwards and Andrew Currie.*

There, he becomes a sort of chaperone, keeping an eye on the kids, and developing some very urbane tastes.

*FF 22 (2011) Hickman, art by Andre Araujo*

**True love**

Since Reed and Sue have been married for most of their comic-book existence (more than 50 years in real time), it’s hard in retrospect to imagine there was any suspense about the future of relationship. But Stan and Jack are determined to tease us.

Cameos

FF 35 also features some unannounced cameos, from Professor Xavier and Scott Summers:

and from Peter Parker:

This is the sort of shared universe stuff that set Marvel apart in the Silver Age, and must have been so thrilling for fans to stumble across, particularly since their appearances were unannounced. Of course, Stan being Stan, he went ahead and took credit for that in the letters page: