Fantastic Four 16
“The Micro-World of Dr. Doom”
Published: April 1963
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Dick Ayers
Letters: Art Simek
Cover: Kirby and Ayers

Synopsis

The Human Torch arrives at the Baxter Building to find the rest of the Fantastic Four have shrunk to a tiny size. After they recover their stature, they reveal they each had separate shrinking episodes. They summon Ant-Man for a consultation, and he leaves them with a shrinking potion so they can find the source of their affliction.

The FF resume their lives, but hear a mysterious woman’s voice warning them about Dr. Doom. Recalling Doom was last seen shrinking into nothingness (in issue 10), they connect him to their shrinking and pursue him using Ant-Man’s serum.

The team arrives in the Microverse (in later issues, revealed to be a separate universe accessed through shrinking), a feudal society where Doom has placed himself on the throne. Doom shrinks the FF further and, after a brief battle with his henchmen, the team is captured and imprisoned with the world’s king and his daughter Princess Pearla. It was Pearla’s voice they heard. Back in the larger world, Ant-Man discovers the team has shrunk, and travels after them, only to be captured by Doom as well.

The FF escapes their prison, free Ant-Man, and defeat Doom, who escapes capture. The team then returns to their world with Ant-Man, in pursuit of Doom.

What’s going on here?

This is one of the more satisfying of Stan and Jack’s early issues. It’s a fun, well-structured story that starts with a slow boil with the team puttering around New York before picking up speed and turning into a science fiction adventure. FF 16 introduces some cool new concepts—the Microverse, and a medieval society that live in it—while including a guest star in Ant-Man and offering a plausible explanation for what happened to Doom. It also gives Jack an opportunity to have fun drawing the shrunken FF fighting larger villains.

This issue was an obvious inspiration for the now classic FF 236, written and drawn by John Byrne, where shrunken versions of the FF (actually, tiny clay copies of their bodies molded by the Puppet Master) are trapped in a tiny town. Compare this panel from FF 16 …

…with this one from FF 236

Or here, where Doom captures Sue in a jar …

…and, 20 years later, a glass

The issue is also referenced by Byrne more overtly in FF 282, when the FF shrink down in pursuit of the villainous Psycho Man.

Doom’s plot in FF 16 to sell the FF to the Lizard of Men of Tok, where Ben will become a slave in their diamond mines…

… is recalled when She-Hulk is captured (no lizard men, though).

And Princess Pearla, introduced here …

… reappears in FF 284, where she helps rescue She-Hulk.

Ch-ch-changes

Ben turns human again. I’ve lost track of how many times so far, but about every other issue he changes back. That slows down pretty significantly over the years.

The Wasp

Janet Van Dyne—who will eventually spend a big chunk of time in the Microverse, both in the comics and the movies—briefly makes an appearance, just a month after her debut in Tales to Astonish 44.

Good grief!

Johnny’s jacket seems to be from the Charlie Brown collection

• 

• 

The sexist sixties

Sue just loves perfume

In fairness to Stan and Jack, Sue steps up is surprising ways in this issue, disarming Doom and coming up with a plan to escape their cell.

Kirby Krackle

Lots of fun stiff in this issue, including the Thing taking a swing at the Lizard Men’s space ship

And a fun bit of perspective

For Sale

In mint condition (9.8) FF 16 will cost you about $17,000, quite a bit less than the last issue. Go figure.

Pin-up!

Reed gets the pin-up treatment here. By now, Jack has settled into drawing youthful, muscular version of Reed (compared to the elderly, almost wizened version in issue one).

Next issue: In pursuit of Doom!