“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 79

06 Sunday Nov 2022

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

Tags

1968, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 79, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 79
“A Monster Forever?”
Published July 1968
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Jack Kirby
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 79 opens with the Human Torch, Crystal and the Thing hanging out in the Baxter Building, celebrating Ben’s return to human form. As Johnny and Crystal head out for a day on the town, a nervous Ben takes a taxi to see his girlfriend, Alicia. In his anxiety, he absent-mindedly brings along the Wizard’s “wonder gloves,” confiscated after their battle last issue.

Meanwhile, Mr. Fantastic is confronted with test results that show the Invisible Girl’s pregnancy might be threatened by her exposure to the cosmic rays that gave her powers. When Sue asks him what’s wrong, he deflects and doesn’t share his concerns.

Elsewhere, the New York police are examining the workshop of the Mad Thinker, last seen in issue 71, when they inadvertently awaken his Android Man, which has been programmed to seeks out a signal sent by the Thinker. For reasons not really explained, the Android Man picks up a signal from the Wizard’s wonder gloves, and crashes into the restaurant where Ben and Alicia are dining in pursuit of the holder of the gloves. In the confusion, Alicia hangs on to the gloves, and Ben, in human form, tries to slow the Android. But with Alicia in danger, Ben forces himself to transform back into the Thing, knowing the change will be irreversible, and defeats the android.

What’s going on here?

This is an excellent issue, full of humor, drama, and tension. The focus is really on three couples: Johnny and Crystal, who are enjoying being young in New York; Reed and Sue, who are expecting a child and full of worry; and Ben and Alicia, who are struggling to adjust to the dramatic change in Ben’s appearance.

The Android Man is a useful villain, even if its appearance doesn’t make a ton of sense (did the Thinker make the Wizard’s gloves? it’s never explained). There is an inevitability to Ben returning back to the Thing, but it doesn’t make the moment any less poignant.

Ben and Alicia

There is a painful awkwardness between Ben and Alicia’s meal together …

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… which is —almost thankfully—interrupted by the Android looming in the window, then bursting through it.

Clobberin’ time

This is an all-time-great use of Ben’s signature line.

In a family way

Reed’s unwillingness, or inability, to be truthful with Sue about her condition is equally uncomfortable. Thus far, this is as close to appearing pregnant as we’ve seen Sue.

We also get this splash-page portrait of Reed and Sue, apparently due to popular demand:

Young love

There’s a lot of fun, flirty banter between Johnny and Crystal.

Top O’ the Mornin’

FF 79 marks the debut of Sergius O’Hollihan, the Baxter Building’s doorman and a (very) minor supporting character distinguished mainly by his caricatured Irish brogue.

He shows up a few more times over the years including, bizarrely, as a a mental construct the Thing conjures up while stuck on Battleworld in 1985’s Thing 21 (by John Byrne, Ron Wilson and Joe Sinnott).