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