Fantastic Four 205
“When World’s Die!”
Published January 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Pollard and Sinnott


Synopsis

Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl and the Thing travel by “teleportation ray” to the Andromeda Galaxy where Xandar is attacked by the Skulls. The FF battle on the side of the Xandarians before they are captured by the Skulls. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Human Torch is hypnotized, along with other students at his new colleges, as part of some nefarious scheme of the Monocle and his unknown employer.

What’s going on here?

This comic does a capable job of advancing the two storylines that were kicked off in the previous issue. The main story is very much a space opera, with the Fantastic Four as players in the bigger struggle between Skulls and Xandar.

The fact that the FF are on Xandar came as a surprise, since it was never mentioned in the first issue. I confess I am not a reader of Nova, so I wasn’t familiar with the planet’s unique set-up, but I did think the soldiers looked suspiciously Nova-like. For a comic published in the era where it was assumed every issue was someone’s first, omitting the name of the planet seems like a big goof, and yet another reason why writer’s shouldn’t be their own editors.

While Wolfman’s story hums along, the star is really Keith Pollard, who delivers some incredible images, including a stunning double-page spread, which needs to be seen in a comic to really do it justice. With each issue, my appreciation for Pollard grows. Like John Buscema, he seems very comfortable within the official house style, as established by Kirby and policed by Sinnott, yet brings a flair for storytelling and dynamic panel designs.

What I liked


Here’s some more Pollard:

What I didn’t like

There are a number of odd elements in this comic, such as the narrator’s description of Ben as a “monstrous orange-hided Thing.”

The Watcher shows up and, of course, violates his oath. has there been a comic where he actually honors his oath? I would never lend that guy money because his word is just no good.

For an alien race, the Skulls seem very obsessed with dogs. Do they even have dogs?

Overall

A meh comic redeemed by Pollard