Fantastic Four 97
“The Monster From the Lost Lagoon!”
Published Jan. 1970
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Frank Giacoia
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Kiby and John Verpoorten

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 97 opens with Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch and the Thing in a small submarine, searching for a sea monster. In passing we learn the team was on a beach vacation (the actual location is never said), and the U.S. Navy has asked for the team’s assistance (and loaned them the sub). The trio encounters a killer whale that seems directed by a human form, but it disappears before they can learn more.

Back on the beach, the Invisible Girl is waiting with baby Franklin, and is soon joined by the rest of the team. Meanwhile, in an underwater cavern, the sea creature takes on a human form and journeys to the surface where he revealed to be the handler in a dolphin show attended by the Reed, Ben and Johnny. Reed begins to suspect the dolphin handler is somehow connected to the sea creature, and drafts the handler into showing the team the underwater caverns.

Once they are submerged in the submarine, the handler breaks out of the vessel, leaving the others to drown. They escape to the cavern, where the handler transforms back into the creature, and battles the team. Eventually he leads them to a space craft with other creatures, and the three realize he is an alien attempting to leave Earth. The comic ends with the space craft launching from beneath the ocean.

What’s going on here?

This is an odd but entertaining issue, a one-and-done story that feels like a pre-super hero monster mystery Marvel was knocking out in the 1950s. It obviously borrows its villain from the Creature From the Black Lagoon, a 1954 horror movie, and Stan and Jack don’t bother to disguise their swipe. But despite that lack of creativity, there are enough original elements to keep the story moving. The creature’s secret identity as a SeaWorld-esque dolphin handler is a fun twist, and while the misunderstood-alien trope is pretty familiar by now, it works in this context. The alien returns in a few years, in FF 124, and then once more decades later in a Power Pack story.

What elevates the story is the characterizations of the team members, both internally (Johnny is pining for Crystal, Ben is devoted to his teammates) and amongst each other. The team is on vacation, and for Stan and Jack, it’s an opportunity to slow things down and let them be family and friends with each other. These two pages convey a ton about the team, particularly Johnny, and their relationships with each other. They help invest us more in the the team then any number of action pages:

We get more of this as the characters banter later in the story:

About that cover

Speaking of character development, the cover is a great snapshot of the Fantastic Four on vacation. Johnny is bored, Ben is relaxed, Reed is doting on Franklin and Sue is checking the temperature of the milk in the baby’s bottle. All while a monster looms. Perfect.

Crazy Credits

We are told explicitly what sort of story this is: ” mystery thriller.” Note Joe Sinnott is gone again. Fear not, he returns next issue.

The sexist sixties seventies

It’s a new decade but the same old treatment of Sue. She’s is basically not in this story except the scene on the beach shown above. Some vacation; Sue is stuck watching the baby while the boys have an adventure.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

There’s one interior splash page in this issue, and it continues the series of portraits Jack has been turning out lately:

Some other great images:

Also on newsstands

What else was on sale in January 1970? Covers by Franzetta, Adams and Romita

Next issue: The return of the Kree Sentry!