Tag Archives: galactus

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 213

28 Saturday Mar 2026

Posted by in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Fantastic Four 213
“In Final Battle!”
Published September 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Wolfman
Cover:Byrne and Sinnott


Synopsis

Aboard Galactus’s ship, Reed, Ben and Johnny confront Terrax, who wants his revenge after being humiliated by the team on his home planet. Ben, under the effects of the Skrull aging ray, is overcome, and Johnny defeats Terrax by freezing him in liquid oxygen. Meanwhile, Galactus battles, and defeats, the Sphinx for the rights to the Earth. In punishment, Galactus send the Sphinx to his past to re-live his long life again. Galactus can now consume the Earth, but is confronted by Reed, who again wields a version of the Ultimate Nullifier, this one of his own making. Galactus cannot read his mind, and so can’t tell if Reed is bluffing and so leaves Earth. Reed reveals was a fake nullifier, and the Watcher blocked Galactus’s mental probe of Reed. The issue ends with Reed collapsing from the aging ray, leaving the Torch alone.


What’s going on here?

As promised in the last issue, we finally get the big confrontation between Galactus and the Sphinx we’ve been headed toward for many months, and in truth, it’s a bit of a dud. I’ll get into particulars below, but broadly, it didn’t feel big enough to justify the build up. Galactus takes care of the Sphinx without too much effort, and the fight serves both to marginalize the Sphinx as a cosmic baddie and reinforce Galactus as someone you definitely don’t want to mess with.

The John Byrne/ Joe Sinnott art team does another solid job, and it’s very clear Byrne draws the best Galactus, bar none.


What I liked

The conclusion of the Sphinx / Galactus fight had some cool moments, like this:

Unfortunately, that great panel is just one third of a page. In a just world, it would have been a double-page splash (we got one last issue) but it seems there was so much story to cram into this comic that Byrne was tight on space.

This was also impressive:

I like how the Sphinx literally shrinks before Galactus.

And I enjoyed this sequence where Johnny calls the Watcher on his non-interference bullshit:


What I didn’t like

I’ve said this before, but my preferred version of Galactus is one who uses his power from an Olympian remove. He should be above the fray, god-like, dispatching his minions to fight on his behalf or zapping enemies with his eye beams. I don’t even think he should touch the ground, but should hover above it. So I’m always disappointed when writers pull him into physical confrontations, and this one was just silly.

Galactus in a fist fight? It’s … unbecoming.


There was also some weird stuff between Galactus and the Sphinx, which suggested they have fought before. Is this a possible reference to the time loop Galactus condemns him too? That seems too subtle and intricate for Wolfman. (This is another cool sequence from Byrne and Sinnott).

Reed’s Ultimate Nullifier gambit was also a big disappointment. For the last few issues we’ve been promised he has a secret means of defeating Galactus. But it turns out it’s just the same way he defeated Galactus the first time he came to Earth, only dumber. Also, how is Galactus supposed to recognize Reed’s new Ultimate Nullifier when it looks nothing like the device from issue 50.


After Ben is defeated by Terrax, Reed orders Herbie to fly him home. To New York. From Egypt. More than 5,600 miles, dangling from the air. And since I’m pretty sure that little robot can’t fly as fast as a commercial airline, that must have taken a very long time.


Lastly, I’m not sure this was intentional or not, but Galactus really can’t accuse the Sphinx of speaking in riddles. That’s his whole schtick!



Anything else?

It’s that time of year when the networks rolled out their Saturday morning cartoon lineup. Here are CBS’s and ABC’s (I think NBC’s was in the last issue):



Overall

A fairly predictable disappointment

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 212

23 Monday Mar 2026

Posted by in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Fantastic Four 212
“The Battle of the Titans!”
Published August 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Carl Gafford
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Walter Simonson

Synopsis

Galactus, Terrax and the Fantastic Four head to Earth to stop the Sphinx. Once there, the Invisible Girl falls unconscious as the Skrull’s aging ray takes effect. The rest of the FF track the Sphinx to Egypt (naturally), where he announces his plans to remake the world. Terrax attacks the Sphinx and is quickly defeated. Galactus then arrives and while he and the Sphinx prepare to do battle for the right to Earth, Terrax launches an attack on the FF.

What’s going on here?

This is a table-setting issue, laying the ground up the next and (one hopes) final chapter in a very long story arc that began way back in issue 204. After maneuvering the chess pieces around for nearly a year, Wolfman seems to have what he wants: Galactus vs. the Sphinx for the Earth, with the FF helpless as they succumbs to the Skrull’s aging ray. It took a lot to get us here and it remains to be seen if Wolfman can stick the landing.

The art in this issue is unremarkable. There are a few panels that have Byrne’s signature elements, but it’s much more by-the-book than last issue. Maybe he got a talking-to.

He does deliver an impressive double-page splash which also seems like an exercise in illustrating one-point perspective:


Perhaps the most significant aspect of this comic is the cover, which marks Walt Simonson’s Fantastic Four debut. At this point Simonson was an established creator with runs on comics like Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, but he was still a few years from his legendary run on Thor which established him a comics superstar. Simonson, of course, would go on to have his own, too-brief run on the FF as writer and illustrator for 20 issues from 1989 to 1991. I consider it one of the top 5 FF runs of all time.

While I am a huge Simonson fan, I have to say this cover is not exactly his best work. Ben, particularly, is hard to look at. But it has his signature dinosaur signature, which is something.


What I liked

It took a while, but the Skrull aging ray finally is having a serious impact on the FF, as Sue approaches death. Johnny explains that there’s a history of early death in their family, which was brought up a few issues ago. This sequence is appropriately grave and ratchets up the stakes for the team.


I also liked the reappearance of the Skrull from issue 204, who seems to have spent the previous week as a computer.


And I liked how Terrax is again reprimanded by Galactus in a great Byrne panel:


What I didn’t like

A big chunk of this issue is taken up by recaps and flashbacks. The first four pages are devoted to explaining the last eight issues, which makes for a very dull start to the comic. There’s so much to recap Wolfman drags in the Watcher for the sequence:


We also get a lengthy flashback explaining how the Sphinx became suicidal, which involves the intervention of a character called Sayge. Sayge apparently has been around for a while, first appearing in the mid-60s as a Dr. Strange character, but here their appearance feels utterly unnecessary and just drags out the Sphinx’s mostly uninteresting origin story.


Anything else?

These look cool:



Overall

Nothing to get excited about

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

15 Sunday Mar 2026

Posted by in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

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 in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

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

Very Short Review: Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

27 Sunday Jul 2025

Posted by in Very Short Review

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,


Warning: spoilers below

As a longtime fan-slash-collector-slash-blogger of the Fantastic Four, I had anticipated the new movie — the first FF film produced by Marvel Studios — with a mix of optimism and dread. Optimism because Marvel understands its own characters and generally does right by them, even if they veer off from the original source material of the comics. Dread because the three previously released FF movies ranged from mediocre to terrible, dread because the trend of recent Marvel movies has been decidedly downward and dread because the universe doesn’t want us FF fans to have nice things.

I am pleased to report that the dread was misplaced and the optimism justified. The movie wasn’t perfect, and there are lots of things for fans of the comic to quibble about, but it got the main things right: The Fantastic Four are a family, they are scientists and explorers, and in contrast many costumed heroes, their identities are very public.

Unlike other adaptations, the movie doesn’t start with their origins on an ill-fated space flight, but takes up their story four years later. They are at this point established heroes, universally beloved, and Reed and Sue are expecting their first child.

The story is roughly based on the Fantastic Four’s first encounter with the world devourer, Galactus, from issues 48-50, but with many significant differences. There is no Watcher warning the team (and violating his oath not to intervene in human affairs), there is no ultimate nullifier, the Silver Surfer doesn’t discover the goodness in humanity via blind sculptor Alicia Masters (who puzzlingly is not in the movie) and Galactus doesn’t vow to leave Earth alone. But in many ways, this version is just as good as the Stan Lee / Jack Kirby original. Once warned of his approach by the Silver Surfer (who is unnecessarily gender swapped in the movie), the team flies into space to confront Galactus. This cinematic Galactus is vast and terrifying, and the offer he makes the Fantastic Four to spare Earth — Reed and Sue must hand over their unborn son, whose powers are enormous — creates an agonizing dilemma for the team.

Unfortunately, that sequence — and the subsequent birth of Franklin while the FF flee the Surfer — mark the high point of the movie. For the remainder of the film the team struggles with ways to thwart Galactus’s plan while conscious that their choice to protect Franklin endangers all of humanity. The final confrontation, where the team tries to bait Galactus into a teleportation device, seems a bit too obvious a plan for the world’s smartest man. But it is Sue who ultimately defeats the bad guy, creating a satisfying reversal from her Lee / Kirby depictions as the team’s weakest member to now its strongest.

Much as been made of the retro-futuristic world this story is set in, and in many ways it’s the logical place to stage this movie. It pays homage to the Fantastic Four’s 1960s origins, it means the film can reference villains like the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes without appearing (too) ridiculous, and it creates a bubble of isolation from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so this story can be told without wondering why Iron Man isn’t lending a hand. But it’s also frustrating choice, because it’s the same one so many comic creators make. They are so smitten with the Lee / Kirby past they seem to forget that the Fantastic Four is about the future. Hopefully the next film appearance of the FF escapes that trap.

Despite that failing, there’s a lot to like. The performances are excellent, the characters feel both real and true to the comic, and the family dynamic that makes the FF unique is at the center of the film. The movie also includes a nice homage to Kirby, a much-belated official recognition of his contributions to the Marvel Universe.

This movie version of the Fantastic Four isn’t the same as the one in the comics, but that’s OK. If we’ve learned anything after 60 years and nearly a thousand issues, there are lots of ways to tell a great Fantastic Four story.


“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 175

26 Monday May 2025

Posted by in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Fantastic Four 175
“When Giants Walk the Sky!”
Published July 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Buscema
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Jan Cohen
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

The High Evolutionary, with the help of the Fantastic Four, attempt to stop Galactus from devouring Counter Earth. At the last moment, the Invisible Girl seemingly appears and offers Galactus a new world, one she has just returned from. Galactus agrees, but after consuming it, becomes incapacitated and the High Evolutionary de-volves him to a state of pure energy. The Invisible Girl is revealed to the the Impossible Man, who offered his own planet Poppup to Galactus because his people’s shared consciousness means they had no need for a planet. The real Invisible Girl returns and lastly, Ben Grimm reverts to his Thing form, a result of Galactus zapping him with cosmic energy.


What’s going on here

This issue is very much a mixed bag. There’s some clever ideas here and the long-awaited confrontation between the High Evolutionary and Galactus begins on a strong note, but like many of Roy Thomas’s arcs, it fizzles out anti-climactically. The Impossible Man reveal feels too deus ex machina (although it’s totally in keeping with Thomas’s love of obscure call-backs) and the idea his people would sacrifice their planet makes little sense. Unlike the stories of the Lee / Kirby era, where Reed would whip up some solution to save the day, Thomas delivers another storyline where the FF are reduced to spectators as events swirl around them.

One note on the art: John Buscema handles both pencils and inks, filling in for Joe Sinnott. As a result, his characters look a bit more Busecma-esque (in fact, in some places they look as if they were drawn by Sal Buscema, John’s younger brother). Check out the close up of Reed below.


I was surprised to learn this was only the second appearance of the Impossible Man, a character so annoying it feels like he’s always showing up. Marvel’s version of Mr. Mxyptlk — another insufferable character — he first appeared way back in FF 11, and will hang around for the next several issues. I will try to keep an open mind but I am dreading these stories.

Kirby and Joe Sinnott return for the cover, which is stronger than their last few.


What I liked

Ben’s reversion back to his Thing form at the hands of Galactus was well done. Ben wasn’t going to remain in the exoskeleton forever, and if Thomas needed a mechanism to change him back, the wrath of Galactus feels like a good choice.


I also liked the posturing and pompous boasting between the High Evolutionary and Galactus. This was the clash this arc promised, but besides a few panels, didn’t really deliver.


What I didn’t like

I’ve detailed my bigger complaints with this issue above, but here are few other nits to pick:

As I’ve mentioned, I hate it when writers force Galactus into physical fights with lesser foes. He should be above such things.


The devolution of Galactus was also peculiar. It’s an interesting way to remove him from the board (although of course it won’t be permanent) but I’m not sure it’s very successful.


Anything else?

Here’s a Bullpen Bulletin notice that Archie Goodwin is taking over as editor, the fifth in four years in an era that led to lots of instability in the comics. This run of editors reminds me of late Rome, where emperors were crowned and deposed every few months.

Goodwin would last two years before he was replaced by Jim Shooter, who will hold the job for a decade and put his own stamp, for better or worse, on Marvel and comics in general.



Overall

A disappointing conclusion to a fun arc.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 174

10 Saturday May 2025

Posted by in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Fantastic Four 174
“Starquest!”
Published June 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia

Editor’s note: This may be the last blog update for a few weeks. I will be traveling and it’s unlikely I’ll have time for blogging while I’m on the road. Hang tight, we will wrap up this arc when I get back!

Synopsis

Frustrated that the High Evolutionary won’t act to rescue the rest of the Fantastic Four, the Invisible Girl uses his machinery to teleport herself to them, only she sends herself to the wrong planet where she risks running out of air. Meanwhile, on the planet Mekka, the Thing and Mr. Fantastic escape from Torgo and and subdue his world of robots, only to free them rather than have them consumed by Galactus. Torgo, in turn, gives them permission to leave. And on the medieval planet, where the Human Torch and Gorr the gorilla were captured, it is soon revealed the inhabitants were Skrulls play-acting as knights of the round table. With no planet available to serve up to Galactus, the High Evolutionary prepares to battle him.

What’s going on here?

This is the fourth installment in an arc that will reach five issues, making it one of the longest since the end of the Lee / Kirby era. This comic didn’t have the same energy as the previous issue, but it’s still a satisfying story and a solid prelude to the fifth and final issue. The Skrull reveal is a fun twist, and there’s nice pieces of character development throughout.

John Buscema returns as a fill-in artist, with mixed results (more about that later). Jack Kirby turns in another lackluster cover (inked by Frank Giacoia) and colorist Janice Cohen makes her Fantastic Four debut.

What I liked

The resolution with Torgo was well handled. After engaging in a fight neither side really wanted, the parties reach an understanding based in mutual respect.

Torgo hangs around as a peripheral Marvel character for decades, appearing in a comic as recently as 2019.

The entire sequence with Reed and Ben on Mekka was nicely done, starting with Ben’s escape from his ex-skeleton, which creates an odd visual.


The banter between Ben and Reed continues with Reed’s admission that his powers no longer work properly, while Ben disguises his concern with another wisecrack where Reed plays along.


What I didn’t like

After being left out of the action in the last issue, Sue takes the initiative, only to end up stranded. Once again her powers and abilities are squandered.


While the Johnny / Gorr arc was quirky and amusing, it’s resolution was crammed into six panels that revealed the RenFaire people were Skrulls, that the dragons were intelligent vegetarians, that there was only one left and it was just killed, that the damsel in distress was a robot, and the Skrulls were leaving. Whew!


Buscema’s art seems rushed in this comic, and there’s two examples of mistakes I doubt he would normally make. First, in the panel of Ben punching up, he has five fingers, not his normal four:

And here, Reed stretches with his left arm, but it’s his right hand that pulls the switch:

We all have bad days. Most of us are lucky that we don’t have bozos blogging about them 50 years later.

Anything else?

I liked this ad for Spalding baseball gloves on the back cover. Art by Jack Davis, best known for his work in MAD Magazine.


Overall

Another solid comic book

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Fantastic Four No. 173

04 Sunday May 2025

Posted by in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Fantastic Four 173
“Counter Earth Must Die — At The Hands of Galactus!”
Published May 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After Ben unsuccessfully attacks Galactus (while wearing his Thing exoskeleton), the FF, Gorr the Gorilla and the High Evolutionary try to stave off Galactus’s plans to devour Counter Earth. Galactus agrees to consume another suitable world without advanced life if they can find one, and the team splits up to scout two of three planets identified by the High Evolutionary. On the first, Ben and Reed find a city of robots led by Torgo, whom Ben previously battled against and alongside on a Skrull planet in issues 90-93. Torgo apprehends them lest they reveal the planet’s existence to Galactus. On the second, the Human Torch and Gorr find themselves in a medieval-type world, where they too are captured.


What’s going on here?

After a slow start, this story arc is picking up steam, and this is by far the best of the three thus far. There’s a lot of action, some fun and interesting plot twists, a bit of character development, and solid art by penciller John Buscema (Big John will handle this and the next two issues before George Perez returns).

Whenever I see Galactus used as a villain I become worried, since he should be written as god-like and above the fray. When he ends up physically scrapping with the FF, as he did in issue 122, it diminishes the character. Here, even though Ben attacks him (futilely), most of the action is directed elsewhere, as the FF and their allies struggle to prevent the destruction of Counter Earth. Galactus becomes less an antagonist and more of a force of nature that must be defended against.

I have called out Roy Thomas’s tics as a writer several times, including his propensity to call-up obscure characters and events from Marvel’s past. That can often lead to convoluted stories, but in this issue, the reappearance of Torgo is both surprising and well played by Thomas. Ben’s ordeal in the Skrull arena is one of the best stories from the latter years of the Lee / Kirby run, and it’s fun to see Ben reunited with his former sparring partner slash brother-in arms. Even when they end up fighting it’s clear neither’s heart is in it.


The cover is again by Jack Kirby, although it lacks his trademark energy. A bit of a dud from the master.


What I liked

It’s generally fun when the team gets split up and goes on separate missions. Here, the Human Torch and Gorr have an adventure that features a gorilla’s critique of Johnny’s clichés.


I liked this meet-up between Reed and the High Evolutionary, two big brains who clearly have much to discuss.


And this is a nice panel by Buscema evoking some Kirby-esque cosmic grandeur.


I also liked this panel of Ben in his exo-skeleton.



What I didn’t like

As mentioned before, I think it’s silly for the FF to try to physically assault Galactus. This sequence felt like a waste of time.


Sue is again shunted off to the side. At least here Reed comes up with an excuse, even if Sue is skeptical.


Overall

A solid issue. The Fantastic Four as it ought to be.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 172

27 Sunday Apr 2025

Posted by in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Fantastic Four 172
“Cry, The Bedeviled Planet!”
Published April 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas and Bill Mantlo
Pencils: George Perez
Inker: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Gorr, the golden alien gorilla the Fantastic Four captured last issue, explains that he was mutated by the High Evolutionary, whose Counter-Earth is now threatened by Galactus. Gorr escapes and lures the FF to his spaceship, which he crashed in Central Park as a ruse. Once in his ship, Gorr abducts the FF and heads to the moon of Counter-Earth where the Destroyer, Galactus’s latest herald, is in the High Evolutionary’s stasis field. The Thing battles the Destroyer until the arrival of Galactus.


What’s going on here?

The highlight of this issue is probably the great Jack Kirby cover, which looks like it could have been drawn in the late 1960s, complete with Kirby Krackle. The powers-that-be even adjusted the logo (and removed its floating heads) to make it work.

The rest of the issue is fine, not great. Perez and Sinnott do their normal stellar job. There is a lot of complicated backstory, as is typical of a Roy Thomas comic, with references at least three different, non-FF comics: Marvel Premier 1, Incredible Hulk 178 and Thor 228. For serious Marvel fans, this set of elaborate intertwining of stories can be really satisfying (I know, I used to be one), since it rewards all their obsessive collecting. For more causal fans, it’s a bit bewildering. At least Perez jazzes up all the exposition with a cool double-page spread.

This issue also is the Fantastic Four debut of Bill Mantlo, who provides the script over Thomas’s plot. Mantlo, a prolific writer who actually had a letter to the editor printed just a few issues ago, would fill-in on the FF over the years but never had a run of his own.


What I liked

It’s fun to see the FF back in space again and the High Evolutionary is a very worthy antagonist for the FF, although he doesn’t confront them in this comic. This arc has been rocky through the first two issues; we’ll see if Thomas can deliver a solid conclusion

This was a fun sequence:

And this is a great image of the team by Perez:


What I didn’t like

The comic felt sluggish throughout. It’s not just all the space devoted to explanation, but the fight with Gorr in the first few pages felt repetitive. There’s also the problem with Ben’s fight with the Destroyer; which feels very pro forma, particularly as Galactus was on his way. And lastly, it’s unclear why Galactus shouldn’t consume Counter-Earth. It’s an artificial construct – does anyone live there? We don’t know. It’s hard to get too upset about his arrival when the stakes seem pretty low.


This sequence with Sue was a bit of a let down. I was prepared for her to knock Gorr upside his head, and the opposite happened. It may have been a miscommunication between Mantlo and Perez.


And what does “Cry, the Bedeviled Planet?” even mean?


Anything else?

Some fun ads. This is a very weird G.I. Joe.


Overall

I give it a C+

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 123

30 Saturday Mar 2024

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

Fantastic Four 123
“This World Enslaved!”
Published March 1972
Story: Stan Lee
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jon Costanza (credited as Jon Costa)
Cover: Sal Buscema

Synopsis

After Galactus delivers his ultimatum—either the Silver Surfer becomes his herald again or he will destroy the Earth—Mr. Fantastic counters with a threat to destroy Galactus’s spaceship, stranding him on Earth. Galactus calls his bluff and Reed returns Galactus’s ship, but when the Surfer attempts to follow him into space, Reed stops him, leading the U.S. military to intervene and almost fatally wounding Reed. While the Thing and Torch battle the army, Reed, with the help of Agatha Harkness, broadcasts a message around the world that he has has tricked Galactus, rigging his spaceship to send him to the Negative Zone, where his deal with the Surfer doesn’t apply.


What’s going on here?

This issue wraps up the latest Galactus arc in a perhaps less-than-satisfying way (more on that later). As befitting a big, climactic issue, it includes a number of guest stars, like the Surfer and Agatha Harkness, and yet it feels, given all that’s at stake, that other heroes should appear. I’m not sure where the Avengers are at this point, but the potential end of the world seems like something that would interest them.

Perhaps the most intriguing guest appearance is that of Richard Nixon, who is unnamed but obviously himself, making references to John Mitchell, Henry Kissinger and his reelection.

There’s a long history of U.S. presidents appearing in comics, and I could devote an entire blog post to tracking them down. Sometimes they are generic old white men, and sometimes they seem to resemble whomever is president at the time. Few, however, are as specific as this representation of Nixon.

(One small detail of interest: in the second panel above, there’s a typo in the printed comic, and it reads “he on the open circuit” which is corrected in the digital comic, which I used here).

There are also some creators making their first contributions to the Fantastic Four. After a few years at DC, Jon Costanza joined Marvel in late 1971, and starting with this issue, becomes a semi-regular letterer of the FF. Probably more significantly, FF 123’s cover is drawn by Sal Buscema, Big John’s younger brother. Sal began working in comics in 1968, but this is first work on the Fantastic Four. He later does a few fill-in issues and will become the regular FF penciler for a brief stretch in 1986. While I’ve never loved Sal Buscema’s style, it’s hard not to admire his productivity and longevity. And I do like his extra-shiny version of the Surfer on what’s otherwise a very busy cover.

What I liked

This entire Air Walker / Galactus / Surfer arc has a fun, throw-back feel. An appearance of Galactus makes any comic feel important, and in this issue we get more insight into his psyche. He’s not just a villain intent on destruction, but a weary agent of the universe who can’t control his own destiny.


We’re also treated to some harrowing images of what Galactus’s consumption of Earth might look like.


What I didn’t like

Like a lot of Fantastic Four epics, the climax to this story feels rushed, and this one feels particularly half-baked. Reed appears to have saved the Earth with a bit of legal trickery, based on the Surfer’s pledge to follow Galactus “in this universe,” creating a loophole so Reed can send Galactus to the Negative Zone, where he’s not bound by the agreement. Left unclear, of course, is why Galactus would feel obliged to honor a deal whose spirit is so obviously violated by Reed. Did we miss the panel where contracts were signed and notarized? Will some court enforce it? I suppose Reed (and Stan) could argue that since Galactus violated his pledge to leave the Surfer alone, then he’s just getting what he deserves, but it feels weak.

And all this leaves aside the issue of how Reed altered Galactus’s ship to enter the Negative Zone, something we previously thought could only be achieved through a portal in the Baxter Building.


The comic also digresses into an off fight between the military and the Fantastic Four. It’s distracting and while it creates the opportunity for Reed to be shot by a panicky soldier, and then saved by the Surfer, none it feels very necessary or serves to advance the story.


Anything else?

I liked this house ad: More Marvel for your Bread!

(I’d never heard of Combat Kelly and his Dirty Dozen before. Apparently it was a reboot of a 1950s war comic but it only lasted nine issues in its second incarnation). Luke Cage had a bit more success.


Overall

A bit of a let down.