Fantastic Four 26
“The Avengers Take Over”
Published Feb. 1964
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: George Roussos
Letters: Art Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sol Brodsky

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 26 picks up right where the last issue left off. As the Hulk rampages through New York looking for the Avengers—who he feels abandoned him—the Thing again tried to stop him. The Human Torch, injured in the last issue, leaves the hospital to rejoin the fray, but the Hulk overpowers them both and eventually make his way (by subway!) to Avengers mansion. There, he tangles with both the FF and the Avengers but escapes with his erstwhile sidekick Rick Jones to a skyscraper under construction. There, the Hulk battles most of both teams individually until Jones gets him to swallow a “Gamma-ray treated capsule,” which turns him back to Bruce Banner.

What’s going on here?

Action! FF 26 is really just a prolonged action sequence, with almost no breaks for character development. There’s none of the shenanigans in the Baxter Building, no squabbling between Ben and Johnny, no pontificating by Reed. In fact, Reed is almost entirely sidelined in these two issues with an illness, and when he does appear in FF 26, he’s mostly ineffectual. It’s Rick Jones, with an assist from Bruce Banner, who saves the day.

The issue does give us an extended look at the Avengers, and we get the same character beats that have lasted 60 years. Iron Man is arrogant, the Wasp is ditzy etc. Notably, this is just Captain America’s second appearance since he was unfrozen from the ice in Avengers 3 (FF 26 came out between Avengers 3 and 4) so in some ways Stan is still feeling his way around Cap’s character.

About that cover

Something about it looks familiar ….

Alert the media

Throughout FF 26 radio and TV reporters pop up to narrate the action, acting as a sort of Greek chorus and helping magnify the stakes of the battle.

• 

• 

While it’s a device used in lots of movies and TV shows, it only occasionally is used in comics as well. In the Dark Knight Returns, the TV news features prominently, both to provide commentary on the events and a comment about the role of media in society. But I most associate the device with the “Fall of the Mutants” storyline in the Uncanny X-Men from 1988, where a TV crew becomes part of the storyline:

• 

• 

They’re fighting again

In the grand tradition of all superhero team-ups, the FF and Avengers first must fight with each other before tackling their common foe

Weird Science

Transistors were still a novel technology in the early 1960s, and Iron Man was really into them.

More sixties technology: Iron Man has a built-in short-wave radio, complete with a shoulder antenna. Incredible!

Also, asbestos were a thing back then. Apparently even pajamas were made out them.

The sexist sixies

This time is Jane Van Dyne who gets written like a dingbat

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Great sequence here:

These panels, too:

For sale

A mint edition (9.8) of FF 26 will run you about $22,000.

Next issue: The return of the Sub-Mariner (plus Dr. Strange)!