“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 211

15 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

Tags

1979, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 211, galactus, Joe Sinnott, John Byrne, marv wolfman, Marvel comics, Terrax

Fantastic Four 211
“If This Be Terrax!”
Published July 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joseph Rosen
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Byrne and Sinnott

Synopsis

As part of their bargain with Galactus, the Fantastic Four are transported to an alien world, where they are to locate a new herald. They are captured by stone-based robots and summoned to the throne room of the local warlord, Tyros the Terrible, and after besting him in battle, it is revealed he is to be the new herald. Galactus transforms him in Terrax the Tamer, imbuing with potent earth-based powers, and, with the FF, departs for Earth to battle the Sphinx.

What’s going on here?

This is the best FF issue in quite some time, and not coincidentally, it’s the one that most feels like a John Byrne comic. Despite Marv Wolfman being credited with the writing, it would not have felt out of place during Byrne’s later run when he wrote and plotted the stories. I have no way of knowing how much of this story was Byrne’s vs. Wolfman’s but if I were to bet, I’d say it was mostly Byrne.

Much of the story involves Galactus’s transformation of Tyros into Terrax, and Byrne takes his time demonstrating both the power of Galactus and then Terrax.

I’ve always liked Terrax as a villain, in part because he featured prominently in Fantastic Four 260, my first FF issue and (I still maintain) one of the best single FF issues ever. It makes sense that he is a Byrne creation, since he contains so many traits Byrne loves in his bad guys: pomposity, arrogance and cosmic power.

What I liked

This issue spells out why Galactus chose Tyros to make into his herald: His powers are earth based, following a roster of heralds with similar, element based powers, which I’m guessing was a coincidence up to this point: the Silver Surfer (water), Airwalker (air, duh) and Firelord (also duh). And since the morality of other heralds got in the way of their service, this time Galactus deliberately chose an amoral asshole.

I’ve groused about how the effects of the Skrull’s aging ray, which is suppossed to rapidly age and kill Reed, Sue and Ben, have been more or less ignored by Wolfman since they were zapped in issue 206. But here, Byrne visibly ages Reed and Sue without calling attention to it. In fact, the only reference to their altered appearance comes from Tyros, who objects to Sue’s wrinkles (although he will still ad her to his harem):

I also liked how Ben points out that a life of servitude to Galactus is what Tyros deserves after subjugating his own people.

And lastly, there are some just great Byrne panels and sequences throughout, like this

and this:

and this:

What I didn’t like

Not much. As I said, this is a really good comic and I’m just picking nits here. I thought this was an oddly formal turn of phrase from Johnny:

I also thought is was strange that the aliens on this planet initially communicate telepathically — which makes sense because they don’t speak English! —then just start speaking English after a few page:

Anything else?

Some fun new ads. Did anyone have a banana walkie-talkie?

Overall

An excellent comic

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 210

08 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

1979, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 210, galactus, Joe Sinnott, John Byrne, marv wolfman, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 210
“In Search of Galactus!”
Published June 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Keith Pollard and Frank Giacoia

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four battle a meteor shower before reaching Galactus’s spaceship. After overcoming a few obstacles, they negotiate a deal whereby Galactus will travel to Earth to defeat the Sphinx and in exchange, Mr. Fantastic releases Galactus from his promise not to devour the Earth. But first, Galactus sends the FF on a quest to find him a new herald.

What’s going on here?

This is a fun issue, and much more engaging than the two that preceded it. The story is straightforward, there are some modest twists and turns, and we get some nice moments between members of the FF. It’s not a coincidence that in this issue Marv Wolfman finally jettisoned Nova, Xandar and those random characters that were weighing down the story.

The art is again strong, and although only the layouts are credited to John Byrne, with Joe Sinnott handing finishes, it’s easy to see Byrne’s style all over this comic, such as in the panel above.

The cover, by Keith Pollard and Frank Giacoia, is less successful, and proves not everyone is great at drawing Galactus.

What I liked

In an early scene, Ben refuses to come inside the spaceship because he’s needed to swat away meteors. Johnny somehow thinks he can save him. None of it makes much sense but the sequence looks amazing. Credit to Ben Sean, the colorist.

This is followed by a touching scene were Ben performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Johnny.

There’s also a poignant scene where Sue realizes she’s going to die before her teammates, the result of a punishment meted out by the Skrulls a few issues ago.

This may be Byrne’s first attempt at drawing Galactus, a character he goes on to depict many, many times over his career. I would argue his version is perhaps the best ever.

Byrne also likes drawing weird aliens, and he goes to town with the inhabitants of Galactus’s zoo (the question of why Galactus has a zoo goes unanswered).

What I didn’t like

Not much, to be honest. I do think Reed (and thus Wolfman) is being way to lackadaisical about the team’s imminent demise from old age. Perhaps Reed figures he’ll whip a cure when he gets a chance, but he’s cutting it close. Maybe he should have asked Galactus to throw in a cure as part of their bargain?

I also thought the flashback explains why Galactus wasn’t dead was convoluted and totally unnecessary. Did anyone think Galactus was really dead?

Anything else?

A cool house ad by Gene Colan:

Overall

A vast improvement over recent issues

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 209

01 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1979, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 209, Joe Sinnott, John Byrne, marv wolfman, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 209
“Trapped in the Sargasso of Space!”
Published May 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letter: Tom Orzechowski
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Keith Pollard and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four head off into space in search of Galactus — whom they hope to recruit to battle the Sphinx — accompanied by the robot H.E.R.B.I.E. (hereafter just “Herbie”). They find themselves in a junkyard of abandoned spaceships where they get encounter a dying alien police officer and escaped criminals. The FF defeat the criminals, keep therefrom stealing their Xandarian spaceship, and continue on to finding Galactus.

What’s going on here?

This is issue of notable firsts. Most prominent is the FF debut of John Byrne, who will go on to become one of the Fantastic Four’s most significant creators. This, however, is Byrne’s first stint on the FF, where he will last about a dozen issues, and worked only as a penciler. At this point he was juggling penciling duties on the FF, X-Men and Avengers, which is a lot of characters to draw (!) and had no time for inks. Byrne would rejoin the book with issue 232 as writer, penciler and inker, and launch the legendary five-year run that made me fall in love with comics in general and the FF in particular. In truth, I never gave this first run much thought; considering it an odd footnote in Byrne’s career, a prelude before the big show. What little of it I had seen didn’t appear particularly Byrne-like, as he seemed overshadowed by Joe Sinnott’s inks and he was following Marv Wolfman’s lackluster plots.

So it was a pleasant surprise to realize there is plenty of quality Byrne to be found in this issue, and while Sinnott’s inks can obscure Byrne’s unique pencils, they don’t erase it. Here are some solid examples of his distinct, fluid style that would not look out of place in Byrne’s subsequent run:

This issue also marks, for better and probably worse, the comics debut of Herbie. Herbie at this point had been featured as the fourth member of the FF (replacing the Human Torch) on the 1978 version of the Fantastic Four’s Saturday morning cartoon show, leading to an urban myth that the network was afraid children would light themselves on fire in imitation of the Torch. The truth was less interesting: Marvel had previously sold the rights to the Torch for a planned movie, and so he couldn’t he used in this show (the movie never happened). Herbie was apparently the idea of Stan Lee, who was inspired by R2-D2, and it was designed by Jack Kirby.

In the comic, the FF tackles the rumors head on, acknowledging the TV cartoon but providing an alternate explanation:

For the record, I’ve always disliked Herbie, and filed him alongside the Impossible Man as gimmick designed to provoke cheap laughs. So I was pleased to see Wolfman poke fun of the concept, and he drops some hints that Herbie may have a darker side. One can hope.

Lastly, this marks the FF debut of letterer Tom Orzechowski. Best known for his work on the X-Men (and in fact, any X-book written by Chris Claremont) Orzechowski has had a long and distinguished career, which you can read more about here.

What I liked

Wolfman’s strength is interpersonal relationships, and this was a nice scene between Sue and Johnny:

What I didn’t like

Pretty much everything else in this issue seemed poorly thought out. As Reed makes clear, the Earth is in imminent danger, they need to recruit Galactus, and yet the FF are engaged in what the kids today would call a side-quest that is confusing and has no real purpose. We never learn why all these space ships are marooned, we never learn what these space criminals did, and we don’t really know what will become of them. It feels like Wolfman is stalling for time before getting to Galactus, but it’s really unclear why.

Here’s another silly element that goes unexplained: Why is there breathable air in space (and even if the team can breath, wouldn’t they surely die in seconds from the extreme cold)?

Another thing that bugs me: Wolfman makes Ankara the destination for the dying space cop, perhaps forgetting Ankara is the capital of Turkey. Like his use of “suzerain” last issue, it seems like Wolfman chooses words based on their sound and associations without considering what they actually mean.

And I didn’t much like this “one to grow on” moment at the end. It felt like a throwback to Stan’s ham-handed endings during the FF’s early years. Note the hint about Herbie.

Lastly, the cover made no sense. It seems pretty clear that Pollard was given just a rough idea of what the story was about without ever seeing an actual plot.

Anything else?

Some cool looking ads. Seems weird to see ads for Superman-related stuff in a Marvel comic but I guess a buck’s a buck.

Overall

An unsatisfying comic saved by Byrne’s art

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 208

23 Monday Feb 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1979, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 208, marv wolfman, Marvel comics, Nova, Sal Buscema, Sphinx

Fantastic Four 208
“The Power of the Sphinx!”
Published April 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Sal Buscema
Inks: “D. Hands”
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After destroying their spaceship in a case of mistaken identity, Nova rescues the Fantastic Four, who confront the Sphinx aboard Nova’s ship. As they approach Xandar, the Sphinx senses the power of the Xandar living computer and teleports to it. Meanwhile back on Earth, the Human Torch returns to the Baxter Building where he is also teleported to Xandar, and where he rejoins the rest of the FF. The FF and the champions of Xandar then battle the Sphinx, who has tapped the living computer and has become vastly more powerful. After swatting away their attacks, he heads to Earth vowing to destroy it. The issue ends with Reed concluding they need the help of Galactus to defeat the Sphinx.

What’s going on here?

Marv Wolfman’s confusing and tedious space epic drags on. While it’s all revealed in the final few issues of Nova (also written by Wolfman), he never explains why the Sphinx seems to have joined forces with Nova, and why all these other characters are along for the ride. Dr. Sun? Powerhouse? Diamondhead? The Comet and Crimebuster? Who are these guys? Don’t expect to get any answers here. I’m repeating myself but it’s a major failing of Wolfman’s and of Jim Shooter for allowing him to be his own editor. And it speaks to the general neglect of the FF by the powers-that-be during this era.

Here’s a bunch of them fighting the Sphinx, whoever they are.

The Sphinx is an odd Marvel character. He’s powerful and cosmic, but never got the traction of other, similar characters like Galactus or Thanos. He does reappear over the years, but in second-tier books and never in the Fantastic Four or Avengers main titles. It could be because he debuted in Nova, somewhat of a Marvel backwater, or because he was so closely associated with Marv Wolfman. It’s also possible that he was pre-empted by Apocalypse, another powerful, grey-skinned villain with origins in ancient Egypt.

Sal Buscema is again the penciler, while the inks in the comic are credited to “D. Hands,” which is Marvel code for inkers by committee (sometimes it’s M. Hands). Mike’s Amazing World of Comics credits Al Milgrom with the inks, while GCD says it’s a combination of Milgrom, Frank Giacoia, and Frank Springer.

Keith Pollard contributed the cover (with Joe Sinnott inking) and it might be the best single thing about this comic.

What I liked

When preparing these reviews, I occasionally have to strain to find something positive to say, and this is one of those issues.

We do get a cool splash page from Buscema:

And I liked Johnny’s journey from the Baxter Building to Xandar:

(Incidentally “Suzerain” seems to the wrong title for Adora, since Xandar is not a vassal of another entity, but it’s own independent state. I’m guessing the editor-less Wolfman just liked the sound of it and no one told him not to use it. In later comics she is called Queen Adora, which seems more appropriate.)

What I didn’t like

We are reminded early in this comic that the FF have been subject to a Skrull aging ray, which is beginning to take effect and weaken them. Here, Reed has trouble stretching and Ben can barely lift a chair:

But that all seems forgotten it comes time to fight the Sphinx:

Anything else?

This was a good comic for ads featuring wholesome, all-American sports heroes like Johnny Unitas and, um, Pete Rose and, well, errr, hmm … O.J. Simpson.

Overall

Can this arc end soon? Please?

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 207

14 Saturday Feb 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1979, Fantastic Four, marv wolfman, Marvel comics, Sal Buscema, Spider-Man

Fantastic Four 207
“Might of the Monocle!”
Published March 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Sal Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Keith Pollard and Sinnott

Synopsis

Hypnotized by the Monocle, the Human Torch and rest of the students at the elite Security College are forced to steal items of value to be used for world domination by the secretive Enclave, the employer of the Monocle. Meanwhile, news photographer Peter Parker gets an assignment to infiltrate Security College and take photos. Once there, he realized something is up and as Spider-Man, follows the hypnotized students to an army depot. Spider-Man rescues the soldiers from the mob of students and hypnotized Torch, and then, back in the dorms, enlists Johnny to take on the Monocle, who has broken with the Enclave and is working on a plot of his own. The Monocle briefly hypnotizes Johnny again and he fights Spidey, but comes to his senses. Neither is able to stop the Monocle from escaping and the Enclave plots its revenge in a scheme that involves kidnapping Medusa of the Inhumans.

What’s going on here?

This issue resolves the Torch/Monocle storyline and just as last issue featured the rest of the Fantastic Four with no mention of the Torch, this issue has no mention of the rest of the FF and is devoted solely to the Torch.

Except that’s not really true, since the issue’s real star is Spider-Man, with the Torch in a supporting role. In fact the comic feels more like an issue of Marvel Team-Up than the Fantastic Four, perhaps because Marv Wolfman has spent the last year writing Amazing Spider-Man along with the FF.

Also contributing the Spider-Mannish feel of the comic are the guest pencils of Sal Buscema, who had just finished a long run on Spectacular Spider-Man and will go on to draw Spidey for the next 30 years or so. Buscema recently passed away and while he was never one of my favorites, his career was legendary and he was without a doubt, along with his brother John, an indispensable pillar of Marvel in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

Buscema picked up this issue because of the departure of Keith Pollard, who moved on to pencil Thor. Pollard, who is generally underrated, will return to the FF in about 100 issues. Buscema will draw the next issue as well before stepping aside for John Byrne, in the first of his stints on the FF.

As a story, FF 207 is perfectly adequate. Nothing too exciting, nothing too disappointing.

What I liked

Buscema certainly knows how to draw comics, and this is a great splash page. The bold, san-serif title gives it power, even if “Might of the Monocle” seems a little ridiculous.

The Spidey/Torch banter is fun, and I liked this reference to Superman.

As I mentioned, it’s basically a Spider-Man comic, but that’s OK. Here, Peter Parker finally catches a break, which is always worth celebrating:

What I didn’t like

The cover seems to think comics readers are desperate to see the Torch and Spider-Man fight before, as if they haven’t done this a million times before.

And ironically, when it comes time for the two to tangle, it’s over in a single page. Here’s the whole “battle:”

And one plot hole bugged me: Peter Parker is on campus ostensibly to meet the headmaster. He’s not the son of any one powerful or connected, so how does he end up in a dorm room that night?

Anything else?

Some fun ads, and another perceptive letter from future Eclipse editor-in-chief Cat Yronwode.

Overall

A perfectly fine issue of Marvel Team-Up

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 206

08 Sunday Feb 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1979, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 206, marv wolfman, Marvel comics, Nova, Skrulls

Fantastic Four 206
“The Death of … the Fantastic Four!
Published February 1979
Writer: Marc Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Pollard and Sinnott

Synopsis

Now prisoners on the Skrull home world, Mr. Fantastic, the Thing and the Invisible Girl are brought before a court, where they are zapped with a ray while trying to fight back. It’s later revealed the ray will speed up their metabolism so they will die of old age in three days. After escaping once again, the FF steal a Skrull spaceship and travel back to Xandar, when they are unknowingly attacked by a spaceship carrying Nova, the Sphinx and other characters.

What’s going on here?

The FF’s Xandar arc continues and a storyline that started off promisingly now seems to drag. The sequence of the FF in the Skrull court did nothing to advance the plot, the lengthy scenes with Xandar’s Queen Adora and her consort Tanak don’t add anything, and while there’s some fun Skrull palace intrigue, it feels the whole issue could be told in half the pages.

By far, the most discordant element of the comic is the sudden appearance of Nova and a collection of characters who are not introduced and were utterly unfamiliar to me (save for the Sphinx, who we last saw as a villain). These are apparently the Champions of Xandar, although they won’t get that name for another few issues, and while readers of Nova might know who they are, FF readers would have no clue.

Again, this is a serious failing of Wolfman’s, who is writing and editing both the FF and Nova at this point. Besides this being a serious disservice to the reader, it’s also a bizarre lapse in marketing. I understand this is before the ear of crossovers, but surely you would signal on the cover that this issue includes a guest appearance of another Marvel hero.

As far as I can tell, Nova’s inclusion was Wolfman’s attempt to wrap up a story that he began in Nova but couldn’t complete because the series was canceled with issue 25. While this happens occasionally (Chris Claremont pulled lots of his characters from defunct series into the X-Men), it’s rarely done so awkwardly.

I did track down Nova 25 to figure out what was going on and man, it’s got some gorgeous art by Carmine Infantino, in his brief stint at Marvel, and the great Klaus Janson.

Also of note: Johnny doesn’t appear in this issue, and his Monocle subplot isn’t advanced.

And the cover (an excellent one) is the first that features Keith Pollard’s distinct lower-case signature, the first FF comic where he uses it. It’s one of my favorite signatures in comics.

What I liked

The old-age ray is an intriguing concept. I look forward to seeing how it plays out, although I think we all know it won’t be permanent.

I also liked the bickering between Skrull Emperor Dorrek and the Empress R’Klll. Like the Kree and Shi’ar, and unlike most other alien races in comics, the Skrulls have a well-developed structure and characters, giving their stories more depth and favor.

What I didn’t like

After what was arguably Pollard’s best FF issue last month, his work here is much more pedestrian and it feels like Joe Sinnott is carrying him across the finish line. Aside from the great cover, the art is a disappointment.

As mentioned earlier, the court scene dragged on and offered little. And strangely, the FF are accused of treason, which doesn’t seem possible, because they are not Skrulls. Although I liked the idea of the Skrulls having archaic rules of procedure dating to the Convention of Fornax.

Lastly, the Adora / Tanak romance would be a lot more interesting if we had been given any reason to care about these characters. As it is, it’s incredibly dull.

Overall

A misfire

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 205

31 Saturday Jan 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

1979, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 205, Keith Pollard, marv wolfman, Marvel comics, Skrulls

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

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 204

18 Sunday Jan 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1978, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 204, marv wolfman, Marvel comics, Skrulls

Fantastic Four 204
“The Andromeda Attack!”
Published December 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Françoise Mouly
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Al Milgrom and Sinnott

Synopsis

Mr Fantastic, investigating lingering damage caused by Quasimodo, discovers a ray leading from Earth to the Andromeda Galaxy. It delivers an alien woman, who is quickly followed by a Skrull. The FF subdue the Skull and learn the woman’s home planet is being attacked. When the team prepares to journey to space to save it, Johnny says he wants to remain on Earth and enroll in a new college, which unbeknownst to him is a trap set by The Monocle.

What’s going on here?

Despite it being a bit of a jumble, I liked this comic. It’s very much a setting-the-stage issue, putting into motion two plots but still leaving plenty of room for the character work that Wolfman excels at. There is an overly-long flashback that goes into great length about the history of the alien race, but it’s sort of fun and feels like a story from the golden age of science fiction. It’s also good to see the Skrulls again; a successful comic rotates stories between new menaces and old, familiar villains and it had been a while since we heard from the Skrulls.

Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott are again solid on the art. The cover is by Al Milgrom, with inks by Sinnott.

What I liked

Johnny is really the star of this issue, and Wolfman returns to his feelings of loneliness and lack of independence. There is a cutting sequence where he tries to impress a girl and ends up doing the opposite:

(We later discover she may be a plant from The Monocle to undermine his confidence).

Johnny also runs into Franke Ray again, with similar results.

Johnny’s frustrations are revealed at this family conference, a reminder of how the FF is different from other teams:

I also liked this action sequence with Reed, Ben and the Skrull:

What I didn’t like

Comics often play fast-and-loose with science, and lord knows I’m no physicist, but everything about the ray from outer space makes no sense (and in fact seems borrows from the zeta-beam Adam Strange uses to jaunt around the galaxy). Since when do rays contain minerals?

There is an extended scene of Johnny moping around the city looking for a friend, which begins to feel a little maudlin. If I was a cynic, I would suspect this was just a ploy to plug ASM 190.

Anything else?

Future Marvel writer Peter Sanderson writes another long letter from his Columbia dorm, this time about issue 200. His analysis of that story just happen to agree with mine.

Some more cool house ads, for a pair of comics I never really read (that looks like Gil Kane on the PM/IF ad).

Edited to add: It’s actually Rich Buckler and Dave Cockrum on the PM/IF . A few readers set me straight.

Overall

A satisfying comic book

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Fantastic Four No. 203

11 Sunday Jan 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

1978, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 203, marv wolfman, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 203
“…And a Child Shall Slay Them!”
Published November 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Dave Cockrum and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After Reed cleans up left-over radiation from the FF’s fight with Quasimodo last issue, he and Sue are summoned to a hospital to treat Willie Evans Jr., a young boy who is in a coma because his father was exposed to cosmic radiation as a soldier. In his coma, Willie, a mutant and Fantastic Four fan, manifests evil versions of the FF that rampage throughout New York. The FF struggle to contain them until Reed figures out their source and uses his radiation-absorbing device to neutralize them. Willie recovers and Reed suggests the family take him to Professor X for training.

What’s going on here

This is a perfectly fine one-and-done. Nothing of great consequence happens and while the premise is hard to swallow — why does the boy create evil versions of the FF if he’s a fan? — it’s resolved neatly and in classic FF fashion, with Reed saving the day with science. And at least in this issue, Marv Wolfman introduced the device Reed used at the beginning of the story, unlike in the Stan and Jack days, where it would just appear at the end, deus ex machina.

In his ability to create super-powered entities out of radiation, Willie Evans Jr. appears to be an enormously powerful mutant, on a par with the Scarlet Witch and adult Franklin Richards. Apparently there were plans for him to become part of an early version of the New Mutants (along with Kitty Pryde) but Jim Shooter killed that idea. He does reappear many years later, in Iron Man Annual 8, where a manifestation of his power — an evil frog called Grunt — pushes him to battle Iron Man and X-Factor. It’s a pretty good story and worth seeking out.

Iron Man Annual 8 (1986), Words by Bob Harras, art by Paul Neary, Ian Akin and Brian Garvey)

Also of note: the cover is by Dave Cockrum (with Joe Sinnott’s inks). One of the few Cockrum FF covers. I don’t think it’s a particularly good cover, but there it is.

What I liked

There was some fun kibbitzing among team members. Team dynamics is Wolfman’s strength, here and later in the Teen Titans.

There’s also time for some domesticity, and a glimpse into Franklin’s growth (although it seems like he stays this age for the next two decades):

And I liked this image of Reed and Sue arriving at the hospital, like benevolent deities granting mortals a favor:

What I didn’t like

As mentioned earlier, Wille’s creation of the evil FF didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Buy, hey, mutant powers. They cover up a lot of plot holes.

Anything else?

Some pretty good house ads in this issue, especially for Micronauts (Michael Golden!) and Master of Kung Fu (Mike Zeck!)

Overall

Inoffensive but forgettable

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 202

28 Sunday Dec 2025

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

1978, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 202, Iron Man, John Buscema, marv wolfman

Fantastic Four 202
“There’s One Iron Man Too Many!”
Published October 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four are attacked in the Baxter Building by a doppelgänger of Iron Man, who triggers a new device installed by Mr. Fantastic that allows the top six floors of the building to fly across the world (yes, really). The FF team up with the real Iron Man to track down their building and discover Quasimodo, an artificial intelligence, created a replica Iron Man and stole the Baxter Building to drain its power. After a battle, Quasimodo escapes into space in the FF’s rocket.

What’s going on here?

This issue is only notable because of the appearance of Iron Man, but the story makes clear there’s no legitimate reason for Iron Man to be in the comic. Quasimodo explains he needed a robot to serve as his arms and legs — makes sense! — but he could have built anything. It seems he chose a replica of Iron Man to compel Iron Man’s guest appearance in the comic. It’s the sort of plotting problem an editor could save a writer from making, but in this case, writer Marv Wolfman serves as his own editor. It’s a reminder that Wolfman is much stronger at dialogue and characterizations than in story telling, and another reminder (if we needed one) that writers need actual editors.

John Buscema fills in for Keith Pollard on pencils and delivers his usual steady work.

What I liked

Despite its practical impossibility, I liked the idea of the top floors of the Baxter Building shooting into the sky like a bottle rocket. And Reed’s explanation — that the landlord demanded some sort of failsafe to protect other tenants — actually makes sense.

This scene with Tony Stark is a flashback to our pre-MCU concept of Iron Man, where everyone somehow accepted he was Stark’s body guard, despite them never being seen together.

This cliff hanger ending was intriguing:

What I didn’t like

My big complaint is the dumbness of the story’s premise. But I’ve said my piece about that.

Also, I can usually accept that the image on the cover is meant as marketing, and doesn’t literally capture a scene from the comic. But it’s been a while since I’ve seen one this divorced from the events in the story. Even the the blurb — “Mayhem Over Manhattan! — is misleading.

And why does the FF keep a wooden desk in their high-tech control room?

Anything else?

A very eloquent letter to the editor from Cat Yronwode, who would go to be the editor-in-chief of Eclipse Comics, among many other diverse and varied roles.