Fantastic Four 129
“The Frightful Four .. Plus One!”
Published Sept. 1972
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Frank Giacoia

Synopsis

Intending to marry Crystal, the Human Torch leaves the team for the Great Refuge and is captured by Inhumans. Meanwhile, The Thing is ambushed by the Frightful Four and while one-time member Medusa comes to his aid, Thundra, a new member, attacks.

What’s going on here

Fantastic Four 129 is probably most notable for the introduction of Thundra, the powerful, seven-foot warrior from an alternate Earrh called Femizonia. As a character she’s part Wonder Woman, part Big Barda and part pandering to the women’s liberation movement of the 1970s. As befits Thomas, her backstory is long and elaborate, and will unspool over the next few years as she becomes a semi-regular character in the Fantastic Four during this era. More recently she goes on to have a big role in the Hulk.

From a design perspective, she’s pretty cool looking and her presence adds an interesting dimension to the FF, where gender norms have been enforced by the very macho male members and the very feminine Sue and Crystal.

Speaking of Sue, her liberation under Thomas’s writing is becoming more pronounced. In two sequences, she puts Reed in his place in a way that would been unheard of in a Stan Lee-written book.

Here, she lets Johnny escape the team to join Crystal:

(I love the look on Reed’s face)

And here, she lets Reed knows what she thinks of his priorities while Ben looks on in amazement:

What I liked

I don’t pay Joe Sinnott’s inks enough attention and I should. I love this panel, which is obviously enhanced by the colors (at this point Marvel wasn’t naming colorists so I have no one to credit).

And this Buscema panel is wonderfully Kirby-esque:

What I didn’t like

Ben’s fight with the Frightful Four felt a bit too by-the-numbers, and the appearance of Medusa didn’t make much sense (and is not explained). Is it just a coincidence a former member of the Frightful For shows up just when Ben needs her help to fight them? Is her appearance related to Johnny’s trip to the Inhumans? Who can say?

Anything else?

The letters page is devoted entirely to one very long, tortured letter summing up the Stan Lee ear, by a writer named Tim Allen. Unclear if it’s the Tool Time guy.

Overall

Another solid effort from Roy, John and Joe.