“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 218

25 Monday May 2026

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1980, Bill mantlo, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 218, Frightful Four, Joe Sinnott, John Byrne, Marvel, Marvel comics, Spider-Man

Fantastic Four 218
“When a Spider-Man Comes Calling!”
Published February 1980
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Cover: Al Milgrom and Joe Rubinstein

Synopsis

Disguised as Spider-Man, the Trapster infiltrates the Baxter Building and subdues the Human Torch and Thing before letting the rest of the Frightful Four in. After capturing the Invisible Girl, they corner Mr. Fantastic but Spider-Man, whom they had previously abducted, breaks free, and joins Reed in battling the bad guys. Soon, the rest of the FF join them in defeating the Frightful Four.

What’s going on here?

This is a pretty pedestrian comic, which is a sequel to an equally pedestrian comic, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man 42, also written by Bill Mantlo. In that issue, The Frightful Four (who have added Electro to their ranks) lure Spider-Man into a trap by pretending to be the Human Torch. Now, with Spider-Man captured, they figure to use the same trick to take out the Fantastic Four.

That Peter Parker issue has a cool cover by Mike Zeck and Joe Rubinstein, but not much else going for it:

Overall, FF 218 is a very by-the-numbers story, in which the FF repel bad guys who invade the Baxter Building. We’ve seen probably a dozen variants of this plot over the last 200+ issues, and this one is as forgettable as most of the others.

What I liked

One fun aspect of the Frightful Four is their constant bickering, and Electro adds an even more curmudgeonly member. The Trapster gets most of the spotlight in this issue and is surprisingly effective at neutralizing half of the FF, even while holding a grudge at everyone who made fun of him when he was Paste Pot Pete.

This is not a great issue for John Byrne, who must have provided only rough pencils for Joe Sinnott to finish, but I liked this image of three villains:

And this one of the Thing being electrocuted:

It’s been a while since we had some wacky credits. These are all building themed, since the splash page is of the Trapster ascending the Baxter Building dressed as Spidey. (It’s possible only New Yorkers would get the co-opted joke).

Lastly, this was a fun sequence:

What I didn’t like

I’ve already outlined my critiques of this issue. There’s nothing awful in it, just not much that’s worth celebrating. It feels a bit like Mantlo is stalling for time as the fill-in guy, stretching out his Spider-Man story before the new creative team takes over next issue.

Anything else?

Some more house ads

Overall

A gentleman’s C

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 178

22 Sunday Jun 2025

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1976, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 178, Frightful Four, George Perez, Marvel comics, Roy Thomas

Fantastic Four 178
“Call My Killer — The Brute!”
Published October 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: David Hunt
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Hunt
Editor: Thomas
Cover: John Romita and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

The Thing is retrieved from the Negative Zone and captured by the Frightful Four alongside the rest of the Fantastic Four, Tigra and Thundra. The villains announce a billion dollar ransom for the team, but the city of New York is unable to deliver and the team faces death when the Impossible Man coincidentally pulls the plug on the Baxter Building’s power, freeing the heroes. They defeat the Frightful Four and the evil Reed Richards of Counter-Earth is apparently exiled to the Negative Zone — but it is revealed that it’s the real Reed, and the evil Reed has secretly infiltrated the Fantastic Four.

What’s going on here?

If last issue was an example of a successfully whimsical issue, this one is a successful return to classic adventure storytelling. There are some gags, but it’s mostly a taut, action-packed issue that delivers on the implicit promise of all Fantastic Four comics. The evil Reed / Brute plot creates suspense and the rest of the Frightful Four are just menacing enough to be compelling villains. Roy Thomas has struggled to stick the ending of his previous multi-part story arcs—which unfortunately tend to end with a whimper, not a bang—but I’m hopeful the payoff of this one will match the buildup.

This issue again features excellent George Perez pencils, and unusually, he’s inked not by Joe Sinnott but Dave Hunt (who also colored this issue). For better or worse, Sinnott had been inking the FF for more than a decade by this point and no matter the penciler, he brought a uniform, consistent look to the comic. Under Hunt’s inks, Perez’s pencils look lighter and crisper, and it’s a preview of what we will come to see from him on New Teen Titans, where he was inked by Romeo Tanghal.

I’m not that familiar with Hunt, who had a 30-year career as an inker, letterer and colorist. He seems like a classic comic journeyman. Also of note is the return of John Romita as cover artist (inked by Sinnott). He was then serving as Marvel’s art director, and I suspect he came to the rescue as an emergency fill-in.

What I liked

There’s a great fight scene in this comic, brilliantly choreographed by Perez, with the Fantastic Four and Frightful Four trading partners. It’s a lot of fun.

This issue also featured an amusing tour of politicians responding to the Frightful Four’s ransom demands. Often real politicians in comics are only alluded to but here it’s quite explicitly Abe Beame who is the mayor. The others are pretty obvious too. Ford’s comment is a reference to Washington’s refusal to bail out New York in 1975 (“Ford to City: Drop Dead”). Note this issue came out the weeks before the 1976 presidential election.

As mentioned, the business with evil Reed-slash-the Brute is pretty effective. This is a powerful sequence from Perez:

And while the switcheroo at the end was a bit predictable, it lends itself to a nice cliffhanger:

And I really liked this exchange between Ben and Reed, which reveals the family dynamic that’s at the core of the FF:

What I didn’t like

The issue opens with Ben drifting in the Negative Zone, but is instantly transported back to the Baxter Building with no real explanation. It suggests Thomas didn’t really have a plan after last issue and was making it up as he went along.

Anything else?

Some fun ads in this comic:

Overall

An excellent Fantastic Four comic book

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 177

15 Sunday Jun 2025

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1976, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 177, Frightful Four, George Perez, Roy Thomas

Fantastic Four 177
“Look Out For The Frightful Four!”
Published Sept. 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Marie Severin
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four confront the Frightful Four (really, just three) in the Baxter Building and are subdued by the Trapster’s booby trap. Imprisoned, they are forced to watch the villains audition a potential fourth member. Among them is Tigra, who initially pretends to be a villain before freeing the Human Torch and the Thing. In the ensuing battle, a villain named the Brute appears and manages to force the Thing into the Negative Zone. The Brute is then revealed to be a transformed version of Reed Richards from Counter Earth.

What’s going on here?

Like last issue, much of this comic is ridiculous and played for laughs. But unlike last issue, which was self-indulgent and tiresome, this comic is a lot of fun. The central conceit — the Frightful Four are auditioning new members and for reasons unexplained, they want the Fantastic Four to watch — makes no sense. But it allows for a procession of characters both new and familiar to troop through the Baxter Building and interact with the pompous Wizard and the hapless Sandman and Trapster. It’s a clever idea and one well executed by Thomas, aided by Perez’s stellar artwork.

While mostly a goof, the story does end in a dramatic showdown and big reveal, with a classically Thomasian call-back to an obscure comic, in this case Warlock 6 and 7, where the Brute was first introduced. I am completely unfamiliar with this character, and had to dredge up the issue to find out on this version of Earth, he alone was transformed by the cosmic rays and during a full moon, transforms into a purple monster. In the Warlock comic, he was manipulated by Man-Beast into battling Adam Warlock. At some point he turned evil and made his way to Earth proper.

Warlock 6 (1972), script by Mike Friedrich, art by Bob Brown and Tom Sutton.

The cover is a return to form for Kirby, and even features some Kirby Krackle. Marie Severin handles colors in this issue, further proof she could do just about anything in comics when given the chance.

What I liked

As mentioned, the parade of characters hoping to join the Frightful Four makes this an entertaining comic. There’s the Osprey …

… the Texas Twister, the debut of a character who would pop up here and there over the years (note the painful accent) …

… the return of Thundra (in a great Perez sequence)…

… Captain Ultra, another debut for a D-list character …

… and Tigra, who recently debuted and would become a founding member of the West Coast Avengers.

Sue doesn’t have a lot to do in this issue — and to be fair, the rest of the FF are mostly sidelined too — but she does get to do this:

Lastly, Thomas manages to dispose of the Impossible Man quickly, and he blessedly is mostly absent from this issue:

What I didn’t like

I regret I never started tracking how many times the Fantastic Four have been captured and imprisoned in cells or devices uniquely configured to neutralize their powers. Surely it’s been a dozen instances by now.

Anything else?

I’m curious about this encyclopedia of comics. Has anyone seen one in person?

Overall

Successfully putting the comedy in comic books.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 148

29 Sunday Sep 2024

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1974, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 148, Frightful Four, Gerry Conway, Marvel comics, Namor, Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four 148
“War on the Thirty-Sixth Floor!”
Published April 1974
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Colors: Linda Lessmann
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Bucker and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four return from last issue’s battle with the Sub-Mariner to the Baxter Building, where they are attacked by the Wizard, Sandman and Trapster. The battle is turned when Thundra shows up to aid the FF. The issue ends with Namor seemingly invading New York, accompanied by the Invisible Woman.

What’s going on here?

There’s a tension in comic books between the silly and the realistic. A lot of fans love the nutty stories from the Silver Age, where science and logic is abandoned for goofy fun. Other fans prefer stories grounded in reality, where real-world consequences of comic stories are borne out in often grim or disturbing ways. Readers of this blog probably recognize I’m somewhere in the middle; I love the fun energy of comics that are unconcerned with practical concerns, but I like at least some pretense of explanation and structure. When plots are too unhinged, I get annoyed and lose interest.

Fantastic Four 148 is squarely on the goofy side of the ledger. There’s not a lot in this comic that makes a lot of sense, from the random attack of the Frightful Four (Frightful Three?) to Thundra’s unexplained appearance to the out-of-nowhere double-page splash attack by Namor. But despite all that, the story is a lot of fun. It’s pretty much just a series of battles between FF members and the Wizard, Sandman and Trapster, in which they pair-off in various combinations and fight. There’s not a ton of plot involved, and the bad guys’ motivation is simply revenge, but it’s never boring and Buckler brings his high-energy style to it all.

What I liked

Along with the aforementioned fightin’, there were a few smaller moments I enjoyed, such as this sequence with the sandman running his mouth about Reed’s lack of street smarts, while Reed is out-smarting Sandy by sneaking his arm behind him.

I also thought this was a cute panel:

What I didn’t like

I’ve grumbled before about how Conway almost reflexively reaches into the Stan and Jack bag of tricks when he needs a plot device, and the Namor-invades-the-surface-world plot is a textbook example. We’ll see how this plays out (I’m guessing he doesn’t succeed) and how and when Sue’s estrangement from Reed is resolved, but so far it seems pretty uninspired as a storyline.

It’s also worth remembering Conway was very young when he wrote these comics, and while it’s not always evident, occasionally there’s an odd turn of phrase or idea that an older writer might have avoided, like this stray thought from Johnny about how having a sister is like having a wife:

(also, he’s crazy muscular in that left image)

When I started this blog, I had a recurring item I called “Reed Richards is a Jerk” (a play on my favorite line from Kitty Pryde), in which I showed panels of Reed being, well, a jerk. This would have been a very good example:

And while I’ve mentioned this many times, but once again, Medusa has almost no role in this comic, which seems a real waste of potential.

Anything else?

Lots of new names in this Bullpen Bulletins team who would go on to have a huge impact on Marvel and comics in general, among them Larry Hama, Paul Gulacy, Dave Cockrum, Al Milgrom and Klaus Janson.

This ad is another example of what seems to be an ongoing confusion in the ad sales department about who was reading comic books. Were there a lot of car owners and aspiring mechanics reading these things?

Overall

A hoot!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 94

04 Saturday Mar 2023

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1969, Agatha Harkness, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 94, Frightful Four, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 94
“The Return of the Frightful Four!”
Published October 1969
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Kiby and John Verpoorten

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 94 opens with the team (plus Crystal) assembled to hear Mr Fantastic and the Invisible Girl announce they have named their baby Franklin. When the Thing hears the child’s middle name is Benjamin, he dissolves into tears. Reed and Sue then announce they will be taking Franklin to a nanny who can look after him.

Meanwhile, the villainous Wizard has reassembled the Frightful Four—the Sandman, Trapster and Medusa—to gain his revenge on the Fantastic Four, and after spying on the team, plots to attack them.

The Fantastic Four flies through stormy skies via the Fantasti-car to Whisper Hill, where they meet Franklin’s new nanny, Agatha Harkness. She invites them to spend the night, where they are attacked by the Frightful Four. While the villains quickly gain the upper hand, Medusa—the Inhuman queen and sister of Crystal—turns on them. Then Harkness reveals powers of her own, using sorcery to defeat the villains. The Fantastic Four, baffled by the bad guys’ defeat, find Harkness minding Franklin and leave none the wiser.

What’s going on?

I just loved this comic. It’s a great, one-and done story that upends our expectations, and it’s told with wit, humor and great characterizations for everyone in the story. Stan and Jack set us up to expect the worse from Agatha Harkness and her haunted house on Whisper Hill, then subverts the trope to make the witch the hero. The FF are more-or-less bystanders to the main action, yet they and particularly Franklin remain at the center of the story. Even Medusa, roped back into the Frightful Four without explanation, gets a moment in the spotlight as she turns the tables on her old team. And Kirby and Sinnott do a great job with the haunted house setting, where everything looks extra creepy.

If there’s one negative to the story, it’s that it depicts the Frightful Four as fairly hapless villains, who are really there to further the plot about Agatha Harkness. It’s too bad, because in past issues, notably issue 38, they have proven to be formidable opponents who gave the FF all they could handle and deserve better than being a punch line.

Fantastic Four 94 has two major developments that will have a lasting impact in the Marvel universe. One is the introduction of Agatha Harkness, Franklin’s nanny (or governess, if you prefer) and from the get-go, a pretty powerful witch. She becomes a fairly important supporting character in both the Marvel universe, where she interacts with Dr. Strange and the Scarlet Witch, along with the FF, but in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well. I don’t know what Stan and Jack had in mind for her when they created her, but she’s proven to have staying power.

Her (and Ebony’s) disposal of the Wizard is particularly impressive.

The other big development is the reveal of Franklin’s name. As I have discussed, Franklin, and later with his sister, Valeria, becomes a key character in the Fantastic Four and it’s impossible to think of the team’s growth without him. It was inevitable that he would have a name, but naming him after Sue and Johnny’s father further establishes the team as a family first. And when they reveal his middle name, there’s not a dry eye in the house.

Now that’s what I call evil

The Wizard is just irredeemably bad, a pure villain. Jack draws him accordingly:

Domestic bliss

I love this splash page, and it’s another useful reminder that Ben is not a giant, despite how some artists insist on depicting him.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

A few other fun panels from this issue:

Also on newsstands

What other comics were for sale in October of 1969?

Next issue: Introducing Monocle! (?)

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” Fantastic Four No. 43

12 Sunday Dec 2021

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1965, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 43, Frightful Four, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 43
“Lo! There shall be an ending!”
Published: July 1965
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Art Simek
Cover: Kirby and Colletta

Programming note: This issue actually appeared on newsstands after Fantastic Four Annual 3, but for the sake of clarity, we’re going to tackle the issues in order of continuity and get to the annual next week.

Synopsis

Continuing a story arc that began six issues ago, in issue 38, Fantastic Four 43 picks up where the previous comic left off, with the Frightful Four pursuing Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl. The Frightful Four has brainwashed the Thing, who Reed has subdued and captured with one of the Wizard’s antigravity disks, and the Human Torch, who is in pursuit of Reed and Sue. Reed and Sue escape, however, and the Wizard (and Reed) suspect the Human Torch of only pretending to be brainwashed. The villains realize Reed tampered with the brainwashing device, then re-capture Johnny.

Meanwhile, back at the Baxter Building, Reed attempts to reverse the Thing’s brainwashing with a complicated and dangerous process that leaves Ben unconscious. The Frightful Four arrive and demand Reed and Sue undergo brainwashing, or the Torch—who is strapped to a giant antigravity disk—will be sent into space. Reed and Sue stall for time until Ben wakes and destroys the Wizard’s anti-gravity controls, freeing the Torch. The reunited team then quickly mops up the the Frightful Fours, save for Medusa, who escapes the Torch. The issues concludes with a reminder Reed and Sue are to be married soon.

What’s going on here?

The Frightful Four saga finally wraps up, ushering in the wedding of Reed and Sue, and setting the stage for a 18 issue run from FF 44 through 62 that is arguably the greatest single stretch of issues in comic book history (much more on that to come). In that context, the six-part Frightful Four/Doom/Frightful Four storyline can be seen as a trial run for more the more ambitious, multi-part stories to some.

This issue, despite Stan’s grandiose title, ends with more of a whimper than a bang. It’s not a bad resolution, and it concludes with Ben back in the fold after his time in the wilderness, but the stakes don’t feel particularly high here. The Frightful Four, ultimately, aren’t all that menacing, and despite beating the FF pretty soundly twice, there’s never any real doubt Reed will find a way to win.

FF 43 does feature a great sequence when Ben revives and it’s as yet unclear whether he has escaped the brain washing. Jack keeps us in the dark by not showing Ben’s face.

The issue ends with Reed and Sue standing around Ben’s bed, reunited but still with a hint of melancholy.

It’s far from the last time Ben ends up convalescing in bed, and reminded me up Marvel Two-in-One 96, where he spend the whole issue in bed as a brawl rages outside the hospital.

*Marvel Two-in-One 96 (1982), Ron Wilson/Mike Esposito*

FF 43 also features an odd sequence, where Johnny flies off to capture Medusa, but pulls up short, then gets scolded by Reed.

It’s not entirely clear what’s going on here, and why Stan and Jack place so much emphasis on it, but it’s likely related to the upcoming developments for Medusa and the introduction of the Inhumans.

Lo down and dirty

“Lo” is a word used very rarely, and mostly by Stan Lee (it’s both on the cover and the title of this issue). Lo is an Old English variant of “look” and to the extent it survives, it’s mostly in “lo and behold.” That doesn’t stop Stan from using it, of course, and it’s one of those archaic words and phrases he sprinkles into titles to ramp up the grandeur. There’s no easy way to track down all the uses of “lo” in Marvel comics but I found a few. Not surprisingly, they’re either by Stan or his acolytes, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway.

They’re fighting again

Sort of a fun fight, too.

Krazy Kredits

Meanwhile

This might be the first time Stan and Jack have cut away from the action to set up a story in an upcoming issue. Here, they tease a Doom appearance in the annual.

Weird science

To reverse the Wizard’s brainwashing of Ben, Reed employs a machine that seems to leak both electricity and “deadly cosmic waves.” The whole thing is baffling and made me wonder why he didn’t just call Professor X or Dr. Strange to fix Ben’s noggin.

The sexist sixties

Sue has “no right” to distract Reed?

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Some cool panels that display Jack’s masterful of perspective for dramatic effect.

Next issue: FF Annual 3, and the marriage of Reed and Sue. What could possibly go wrong?

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 42

04 Saturday Dec 2021

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1965, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 42, Frightful Four, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 42
“To save you, why must I kill I you?”
Published June 1965
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Kirby and Sol Brodsky

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 42 picks up where FF 41 left off, with the Frightful Four goading the brainwashed Thing into killing Mr. Fantastic, who is glued to a board. Unable to stretch his limbs, Reed inflates his chest to escape, eventually inducing Ben into destroying the board. The teams continue to battle, with Ben eventually capturing Reed and stuffing him into a jar (really). The Human Torch’s flames are doused when Medusa uses her hair to soak him, and he is captured and brainwashed by the Frightful Four. The Invisible Girl frees Reed, and the two use tear gas to flush the villains out of their lair. Reed then attaches the Wizard’s antigravity devices to Ben, rendering him helpless when the Torch attacks. The comics ends with another cliffhanger.

What’s going on here?

Fantastic Four 42 is wall-to-wall action. The fight that began in issue 41 continues all the way through 42 without conclusion (presumably that happens in the next issue) and with no digressions or cutaways for other stories. Further, virtually the entire story takes place in the Frightful Four’s house in New Jersey that gives the battle a claustrophobic intensity.

Also notable is Stan and Jack’s embrace of the multi-issue story arcs and the cliff-hanger ending. After nearly 40 issues of one-and-done comics (with two exceptions), we’re now on the fifth issue of an arc that began in issue 38, each ending with a cliffhanger. As discussed in a previous entry, I think it reflects Stan and Jack’s confidence that their now large and loyal body of fans that would seek out new issues. It might also be a sign that newsstands and drug stores, impressed with the Fantastic Four’s sales, were ordering them with sufficient regularity that the creators didn’t have to worry about readers not being able to find issues.

Fantastic Four 42 also happens to be an issue I own, which means we get to check out some non-story elements of the comic. First up, some house ads and the Bullpen Page:

Another house ad (that Thor Annual was so good it was plugged twice!):

The letters page (two pages!). I learned here that a fan gave Alicia Masters her last name. No celebrity letters though.

And finally a real ad. I could probably write a whole post dissecting this ad and what it says about popular music at this point of 1965.

The incredible Mr. Fantastic

There’s a lot of excellent stretching action in this comic. Here, Reed puffs up like a blowfish:

And here, he makes a slingshot out of his fingers:

Signed, Stan

Is this the first signed editors note? It can’t recall seeing this before.

Oops

Is this a goof? it looks like Stan might be covering for Jack to explain why Medusa and the Trapster aren’t incapacitated (either way, it’s pretty clunky writing):

Deus ex machina

I guess if anyone is going to keep canisters of tear gas in their storage shed, it’s going to be a super villain.

The sixties are slightly less sexist

Sue rises to the occasion here, although opening a jar still wipes her out.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

An all fight issue means fewer opportunities for Jack to really shine, but there’s some fun panels of Ben and Reed battling:

which eventually ends like so:

Next issue: The conclusion!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” Fantastic Four No. 41

27 Saturday Nov 2021

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1965, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 41, Frightful Four, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 41
“The Brutal Betrayal of Ben Grimm”
Published: May 1965
Story: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Vince Coletta
Letters: Sam Rosen or Art Simek
Cover: Kirby and Frank Giacoia

Synopsis

Continuing a new approach from Stan and Jack, Fantastic Four 41 picks up where FF 40 left off, and is the third consecutive issue to start this way. After Mr. Fantastic reverted Ben from his human form back into the Thing in order to defeat Dr. Doom, Ben, in the last panel of the previous issue, quits the team out of anger and frustration. FF 41 picks up with him leaving, even as the Human Torch beg him to reconsider. Exhausted after his battle with Doom, Ben collapses in the back of a pickup (“I dunno where this pickup is headed for .. but as long as its headed away from the Baxter Building it’s OK with me!”), and tumbles out on to a road in rural New Jersey. His sleeping form is then collected by the Frightful Four who—coincidentally!—are holed up in a house nearby. After much squabbling, the Frightful Four under the leadership of the Wizard manages to brainwash Ben.

Meanwhile, the rest of the team becomes worried and starts searching for Ben. After hearing he was spotted on a New Jersey road, the team investigates, and eventually comes to the house of the Frightful Four. The teams battle, and with the help of the Thing, the Frightful Four subdues the Fantastic Four. The issue ends with another cliff hanger, with the Frightful Four convincing the Thing to kill his former teammates.

What’s going on here?

This is an interesting issue, in part because it’s the opposite of the former standalone, one-and-done storytelling that pretty much dominated the first three years of the Fantastic Four. This is very much a serial narrative unfolding over multiple issues, centered on the Thing’s loyalties and identity. This isn’t the first time he’s wrestled between resenting Reed and the others for his monstrous form, and the sense of purpose and family he derives from the team—it was part of the first issue—but it’s the most developed exploration of the theme to date. And as we will see, it will return again and again.

The story is also notable for its treatment of Medusa. Stan and Jack are clearly intrigued with her as a character, and have fun with her as she banters and battles with her teammates. This issue spends almost as much time with the Frightful Four as it does with the Fantastic Four, and Medusa is at the center of it all. I don’t know if at this point they had planned for her to become a hero and queen of the Inhumans, but it seems obvious she was meant for greater things.

Incidentally, it’s never explained why she is wearing a mask. She doesn’t have a secret identity, so far as we know, and even if she did, I think the hair would be a giveaway. After bullying Sandman, they decided to hang out and play cards:

About those letters …

Who lettered FF 41? It’s either Artie Simek or Sam Rosen—between the two of them they lettered almost all of these early issues—but it’s not clear which one. While it’s not all that big a deal, the reason for the ambiguity is a bit mysterious.

The credits on the splash page of the version of FF 41 on Marvel Unlimited app are in the Krazy Kredits mode, and while it says Rosen is the letterer, Simek is mentioned:

But in the Marvel Essentials reprint from 2001, the credits are completely different (image taken by my phone camera), with no letterer listed:

What gives?

The Grand Comics Database and the Marvel Fandom wiki credits Rosen, but Mike’s Amazing World (usually my default for credits) doesn’t list either.

Unfortunately I don’t have the original issue, so I can’t check those credits. If anyone out there has it, I would love to know how it is credited. Also, I’m curious how the credits were treated in other reprints, like Marvel Masterworks, and the FF Omnibus (neither of which I have).

They’re fighting again

It’s been a few issues, but this time Ben is serious.

The sexist sixties

Even Medusa isn’t immune to Stan’s stereotyping of women.

Reed Richards is a jerk!

Plenty of sexism in these panels too, but Reed is really being awful.

Trapped

Once again, the FF are captured and each confined with a device to neutralize their powers. This is maybe the fourth or fifth time we’ve seen this device.

Don’t smoke, kids

How do we know ben is brainwashed? He’s smoking a cigar!

Ben obviously smokes lots of cigars in future issues. I don’t know if this is his first taste of them, but it would be a fun project to go back through the first 40 issues to check. Meanwhile, here’s a great image of Ben with a stogie by the great Barry Windsor-Smith.

Real estate woes

The FF may not get their damage deposit back.

Hot roddin’

With the Fantasticar out of action, it makes sense for the FF uses alternative means of transportation. Why this was their only option isn’t explained.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

Sort of a subdued issue from the King (maybe due to the Colletta inks?) but this is a cool panel:

Next issue: The showdown with the Frightful Four!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” Fantastic Four No. 38

06 Saturday Nov 2021

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1965, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 38, Frightful Four, jack Kirby, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 38
“Defeated by the Frightful Four”
Published Feb. 1965
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Kirby and Stone

Synopsis

Fantastic Four 38 opens, as most issues do, with horseplay among the FF in the Baxter Building. We then cut to the Wizard, who is plotting the downfall of the FF with the rest of the Frightful Four. We return to Sue Storm, who is visiting a clothing boutique in advance of her wedding with Reed when she is taken hostage (yes, again) by Medusa and the rest of the Frightful Four.

As the Frightful Four abducts her to a remote atoll, the Wizard reveals his plan to use her as bait for the rest of the team, who he will then kill with a “Q-Bomb.” A distraught Reed tracks the Wizard’s aircraft, and when it appears, the Human Torch pursues it before he is captured by the Trapster (formerly Paste Pot-Pete). Ben and Reed follow in the Pogo Plane to the atoll, where their plane is destroyed by the Trapster. The two teams battle, and while Sue frees herself and, with Johnny, is eventually rescued, the Frightful Four escape, detonating the bomb. In the last panel, the team appears to have survived thanks to the Invisible Girl’s force field, but the team is unconscious and Ben is returning to his human form.

What’s going on here?

Another slam-bang issue. There’s some fun hijinks in the beginning, but for the most part, this is an action-packed issue, leading to just the second cliff-hanger in the Fantastic Four to date (the last was in issue 25, when they battled the Hulk). It’s also the second appearance of the Frightful Four, who quickly become first-tier FF villains.

The comics is now at a sustained level of excellence. Even when the stories are silly, like last issue, the interplay between the characters and Kirby’s amazing art makes up for it. Stan and Jack are really hitting on all cylinders now, as we approach the mid-way point of their run and the legendary issues from about 44 to 60.

The sexist sixties

Sue is once again taken hostage or prisoner. By my count, that’s the 10th time in the first 38 issues (and two annuals) of the FF, so about once every four issues.

To her credit (I guess) she escapes on her own, but is so groggy she still needs rescuing.

Fun and games

This is a fun sequence, and is a great capsule introduction to the team, their powers, and their relationships with each other.

The Mighty Marvel Marching Society

For the second issue in a row, the Marvel fan club gets a shout-out on the cover.

That’s Mr. Trapster to you

It finally dawns on him that Paste-Pot Pete is a ridiculous name.

It’s Clobberin’ Time

Just the fifth time Ben says it, but the second time in two issues. It’s becoming his signature. Also, it’s too bad that spring trick with Reed didn’t become a recurring feature like the X-Men’s Fastball Special.

Weird Science

The Wizard has a Q-Bomb. What is a Q-Bomb? I have no idea, but apparently it’s an atomic bomb powered by quarks (maybe?)

(And yes, the Frightful Four are all dressed in purple)

Read all about it

Once again, the power of print.

Dig that Kirby Krackle

FF 38 features an astounding splash page, which unfortunately gets covered with too much copy.

Another great splash:

And this panel is pretty cool too:

Next issue: Dr. Doom— and Daredevil!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” Fantastic Four No. 36

24 Sunday Oct 2021

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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Tags

1964, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 36, Frightful Four, jack Kirby, Medusa, Stan Lee

Fantastic Four 36
“The Frightful Four”
Published Dec. 1964
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters:Art Simek
Cover: Kirby and Stone

Synopsis

As the engagement of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, seen last issue, is made public, the Baxter Building is swarmed with media. The couple also gets gifts including a gag from, of course, the Yancy Street Gang. Meanwhile, a trio of enemies of the Human Torch—Paste-Pot Pete, the Sandman and the Wizard—plot to team up to defeat the FF by recruiting a fourth, female member, Madam Medusa.

As the FF rests after an engagement party, the newly named Frightful Four launch an attack on the Baxter Building, and successfully subdue the Thing, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl. Undetected, Alicia Masters uses Sue’s flare gun to summon the Human Torch. The Frightful Four then apprehend Alicia, and attach the Wizard’s anti-gravity disks to her and the unconscious captured trio, sending them up toward space.

The Human Torch forces the Wizard to fly them in his spacecraft to rescue the team and Alicia. Then, reunited the team confronts the rest of the Frightful Four back on earth. During a battle, the Wizard’s detonates his spacecraft, and the villains escape in the confusion.

What’s going on here?

This is a fun comic, and contains a lot of elements that make the Fantastic Four so successful. There’s character development as Reed and Sue progress toward marriage. There’s the slapstick elements of the Thing (again) falling for a Yancy Street gag. There’s the Marvel world-building, with the synthesis of the assorted Torch villains into the Frightful Four. Plus there’s a pretty good action story, featuring some heroics from the Torch. What’s not to like?

The issue’s notable introductions are the Frightful Four as a super-team capable of taking on the FF—and we’ll see much more of them in issues to come—and of course, the first appearance of Medusa. Medusa is later revealed as queen of the Inhumans, and becomes a significant character in the Marvel Universe, but it’s doubtful Stan and Jack had that future in mind for her in FF 36. At this point, she’s just an intriguing female villain with an unusual power.

The formation of the Frightful Four is an interesting concept, since none of them had previously appeared in the Fantastic Four. While Sandman was primarily a Spider-man villain, he fought the Human Torch in Strange Tales, and the Wizard and Paste-Pot Pete (who thankfully will become the Trapster) were both introduced in Strange Tales.

(As an aside, I debated whether to include the Torch’s appearances in Strange Tales in this blog. They are in-continuity, and the rest of the FF often appear, so it would make sense to fold in those issues. Ultimately, I’ve decided to just focus the blog on the FF’s main title. The FF appear in so many comics outside their main book over the years—particularly the Thing, in Marvel Two-in-One and his solo titles—that adding them all could add hundreds of comics to the project. And with more than 600 issues of the main title in its various volumes, I have more than enough to write about.)

Here’s the first appearance of the Wizard:

*Strange Tales 102* (art by Kirby and Ayers)

and of Paste-Pot Pete:

And here’s an odd battle between the Torch and Sandman, where Johnny claims his flame powers give him super strength, which I’ve never seen before or since (then again, the comic was called Strange Tales).

Eventually, in FF 36, the team gets together in snazzy new uniforms, and looks like a super team ought to:

Saying the quiet part out loud

Stan and Jack sort of tip their hand a bit here. It’s not obvious why the Frightful Four needs a female version, save for better story-telling possibilities.

Cameos!

The guests at the FF’s engagement party seems to be mostly the Avengers and X-Men (plus Rick Jones), and features some stilted dialogue from Jean Grey: