Fantastic Four 60 | Percival Henry: The Fantastic Four and more

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1966, Dr. Doom, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 60, jack Kirby, Silver Surfer, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 60
“The Peril and the Power!”
Published: Dec. 1966
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 60 picks up where issue 59 left off, with Dr. Doom preparing to conquer Earth with the stolen power of the Silver Surfer. As the Thing rages in frustration, Mr. Fantastic urges patience as the Army is building a weapon he designed. But when Wyatt Wingfoot tells the team the Human Torch has gone after Doom on his own, the rest of the FF flies off in pursuit.

Johnny is defeated by Doom, and when the rest of the FF approach, he destroys their aircraft before battling the Thing in hand-to-hand combat. Doom and the FF then fight for most of the rest of the issue until Reed’s “anti-cosmic flying wing”—which we saw a glimpse of in the last issue—appears and stuns Doom. Doom then chases it into the stratosphere when he loses his powers, the result of the barrier Galactus placed around earth to prevent the Silver Surfer from escaping. This issue ends with the Surfer’s board heading back to the castle in Latveria where he was imprisoned.

What’s going on here?

FF 60 wraps up the four-issue arc start that started when Doom stole the Surfer’s powers in FF 57, and the 16 issue stretch, starting in FF 44 with the introduction of the Inhumans, that marks the apex of the Lee/Kirby run. To recap, in a bit more than a year, Stan and Jack introduced Gorgon, Crystal, Karnak, Triton, Lockjaw, Black Bolt, Maximus, Attilan, the Silver Surfer, Galactus, “the power cosmic”, the ultimate nullifier, Wyatt Wingfoot, Wakanda, the Black Panther, Klaw, Prester John, and Quasimodo, and along the way wrote FF 51, a one-shot many consider one of the greatest stand-alone comics of all time. It’s not that there weren’t great issues before and after, but every mountain has a peak, and FF 44-60 is Stan and Jack’s.

Given all that, FF 60 feels like a bit of a let down. The concept animating this arc—Doom stealing the Surfer’s power—is brilliant, and as I’ve said before, really cements Doom as a formidable villain. Up until this point he’d been crafty, but stealing the Surfer’s power added an element of ruthlessness and grandiosity that we’ll see again and again over the years. But the story’s end doesn’t live up to its beginning and middle: the business with the flying wing feels rushed, and when Doom is stripped of his powers, it happens basically off-camera and explained only in Reed’s narration.

The scene seems designed for a dramatic Kirby panel, with Doom crashing into Galactus’s barrier, so it’s a puzzle why we don’t see it. It’s possible Jack ran out of room to finish the story, something we have seen in earlier issues. Or maybe plans for another issue wrapping up the arc were dropped, meaning they had to cram the endinging into this one. In any event, it’s shame, because as a story-telling mechanism, it’s a great device: Doom, like Icarus, challenges the gods and is pushed for his hubris.

Who invited them?

FF 60 features a few odd cameo appearances. The Inhumans show up for a few panels, as the the royal family makes its way from its refuge. We’ve been following their story for a while now, so the subplot isn’t too surprising, but it is jarring when it appear in the middle of a the FF’s fight with Doom.

Stranger is the appearance of the Watcher, who observes the FF’s struggles, when (for once) obits his vow of non-interference and goes on to do something else. It’s a great excuse for Jack to draw some cosmic stuff but otherwise a peculiar insertion.

Hero time

Since most of the issue features the FF fighting Doom, there’s chance for each of the four to get a moment in the spotlight. In a rarity, Sue gets to use her powers creatively, and she rises to the occasion to take on Doom here.

Ben also battles Doom, and it’s another opportunity to showcase his tenacity and resolve.

Plus, we get an excellent …

Clobberin’ Time

This is one of the best matches between story, art and catch phrase to date.

They’re fighting again

The sexist sixties

It was probably too much to ask for a whole issue without a woman being demeaned. Here, in the Bullpen Bulletins, Stan manages to belittle Marie Severin while trying to praise her.