Fantastic Four 106
“The Monster’s Secret”
Published: Oct. 1970
Writer: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Romita
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Romita and Sinnott

Note: Apologies for the long delay since my last post. I have been dealing with some personal business. I’m hoping to get back to regular, weekly posts.

Synopsis

To save Sue and the city from a rampaging energy monster, Reed leaves Johnny to ice down Ben, who is mid-way through a process that could return him to human form. The energy monster turns out to be the son of a scientist and former colleague of Reed’s, part of an experiment gone awry, and with Reed’s help he is restored to normal.

What’s going on here?

This is a much more satisfying comic that last issue, which was notably disjointed. There are still plenty of plot holes—why, exactly, does Johnny need to put Ben in a deep freeze?—but the story is pretty straightforward and the reveal, that the monster is Dr. Rambow’s son, adds a poignant (if predictable) note.

The issue is also notable for the return of Joe Sinnott, who missed the last three issues. John Verpoorten did a credible job in his absence, but under Sinnott the comic looks and feels more like Kirby hadn’t left. That includes a panel like this:

Dig that Kirby Sinnott Krackle!

What I liked

The Romita / Sinnott combination is pretty effective, and the art hits some high notes. I particularly liked this sequence:

There’s also one of Stan’s moral lessons, about Dr. Rambow’s hubris. These maxims can be a bit corny, but I like how Stan is reaching for an elevated purpose in his stories. (Also: more Krackle)

What I didn’t like

The story feels like a bit of a throwback to one-and one plots of early issues, where the FF tangles with some bad guys and Reed whips up some gizmo to save the day. Outside of the twist about Rambow’s son, it’s all very obvious and linear. There’s no way of knowing for sure, but the lack of originality in the storiy may be a result of Kirby’s departure, with a distracted Stan cooking up plots on his own and resorting to old, clichéd story lines.

Anything else?

The cover is another in a line of “quad” covers that dates back all the way to issue 17 and extends far into the future. Here are a handful:

Overall

A serviceable issue