“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 179

13 Sunday Jul 2025

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1976, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 179, Gerry Conway, Marvel comics, negative Zone, Ron Wilson, Roy Thomas

Fantastic Four 179
“A Robinson Crusoe in the Negative Zone!”
Published November 1976
Writers: Roy Thomas/ Gerry Conway
Pencils: Ron Wilson
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Al Milgrom and Sinnott

Editor’s note: Apologies for the two week absence. It’s summer vacation season!

Synopsis

While Mr. Fantastic is trapped in the Negative Zone, his evil doppleganger infiltrates the Fantastic Four. Tigra—who is hanging around the team along with Thundra and the Impossible Man—has her suspicions, but before she can reveal them to the Thing, the two fight and defeat a giant bank-robbing robot. The comic ends with Reed about to confront Annihilus in the Negative Zone.

What’s going on here?

This is an odd issue, one that interupts the momentum of the recent arc and contains a lot of character development and banter but not much plot. That may be because of the divided authorship, with Gerry Conway returning to plot the comic. The battle with the robot — called Metalloid on the cover but never identified in the issue — seems to serve no real purpose other than to insert an obligatory fight scene, although it may play a larger role in the next few issues. What stands out is the interactions between Johnny, Tigra, Thundra and Ben, and Ben’s obvious discomfort at being an object of attraction. Also of note is the very creepy dynamic between Sue and the imposter Reed.

The credits for this issue are peculiar:

This was Conway’s first FF credit since issue 152. For this month alone, Conway is credited with writing eight (!) comics for two companies: Ms Marvel 2, Ghost Rider 22, Superman 308, Avengers 156, Defenders 44, Iron Man 95 and Spectacular Spider-Man 3, along with this issue of the FF. Why they called on the busiest man in comics to plot this issue doesn’t make much sense, but from the lack of coherent story it’s pretty clear Conway was overstretched.

This issue also marks the Fantastic Four debut of Ron Wilson, who handled the pencils. Wilson would only draw a handful of FF issues, but would have a very long run drawing the Thing in Marvel Two-in-One and the Thing’s subsequent solo book. The cover was drawn by Al Milgrom, using a very Kirby-esque design. Milgrom inked an earlier issue but this is his first FF cover.

What I liked

The scenes of the FF hanging out with their guests are genuinely fun. Johnny flirting with Tigra, Tigra swatting him down, Thundra’s pursuit of Ben, and Ben’s unease with her.

(What’s unclear is who among the writers speaks Yiddish, or if any readers understodd the reference to the “whole magilla.”)

The team then adjourns to watch the Bionic Woman:

This is a great splash page from Wilson:

What I didn’t like:

It’s implied that the imposter Reed sleeps with Sue, which today can only be understood as rape. It’s not exactly swept under the rug here, but the magnitude of the crime isn’t made clear, either. We’ll see if it’s addressed more fully in subsequent issues:

Less seriously, there’s a bit too much fourth-wall breaking by Thomas:

And this reference to Bruce Wayne wasn’t very subtle (or in character for Reed):

Lastly, this is pretty silly. Flint can create a spark, but it’s a stone and doesn’t burn:

Anything else?

Here’s a look at the Marvel masthead, the first time I recall seeing this printed:

Lots of familiar names.

This is a cool looking toy:

Overall

A decidedly mixed bag

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Giant-Size Fantastic Four 3

08 Sunday Dec 2024

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1974, Fantastic Four, Gerry Conway, Giant-Size Fantastic Four 3, Marvel comics, Rich Buckler

Giant-Size Fantastic Four 3
“Where Lurks Death … Ride the Four Horseman!”
Published August 1974
Plot: Gerry Conway
Script: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Colors: Stan Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Bucker and Sinnott

Editor’s note: As mentioned in my last few posts, I recently discovered four issues of Giant-Size Fantastic Four published in 1974 contained new material, and were not just reprints of back issues as I believed. I am belatedly going back and blogging about them, with this issue, which takes place between FF 150 and 151, being the last that is out of order. We’ll resume with Fantastic Four 154 with my next post.

Synopsis

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, seemingly characters from the Book of Revelations but in actuality aliens, each appear on Earth. The Fantastic Four together defeat Pestilence, then split up to beat War and Famine, before coming together again to conquer Death, all accomplished by triggering a curse-like “protection device” that sends them back to their home world.

What’s going on here?

This is a big, ambitious comic that feels like a classic annual story, and takes 30 pages to tell across four “chapters.” Unfortunately, it’s not that good, with an incoherent plot that tries hard to be profound but ultimately just fizzles out. Structurally it’s similar to the last Giant-Size FF, with the team facing some larger, metaphysical foe and splitting up before reuniting to triumph in the end. But while last issue’s time-travel to colonial New York and gangland Chicago had a goofy charm, there’s nothing much fun about war and famine, and the story can’t bridge the gap between the metaphorical challenges represented by the Four Horsemen and the comic-book realities of needing bad guys to punch.

The script is by Marv Wolfman, who at this point had been in comics for about six years at Marvel and DC, but primarily writing horror comics. This is his first work on the Fantastic Four and he would come back in a few years to have a longish run from FF 194 to 215 before returning to DC and taking on the New Teen Titans.

Giant-Size Fantastic Four also reprints FF 21, an important early story with distinctive inks by George Roussos. Read all about it here.

What I liked

I really did want to like this comic, because I loved the swinging-for-the-fences ambition of it. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is a great concept (thanks, John of Patmos, the exiled ancient Christian who wrote Revelations) and in a comic book world populated with characters like Thor and Hercules, as well as Death and Eternity, they are obvious subjects for comic writers to take on. It’s a great idea for a big, annual-type story. But as discussed, Conway and Wolfman bit off more than they could chew here.

Rich Buckler rises to the occasion here, at least initially, with some of his best FF work, including the great splash page above, and a staggering, double-page splash that follows (pictured above). Unfortunately, his work falters was the book goes on.

I liked this sequence of Ben, in classic never-say-die mode:

There were some nice character interaction, including this one which offers some insight into Reed and Ben’s relationship (the sequence also at least acknowledges Sue’s existence, although she never appears or is referenced again):

Lastly, this was a fun way to end the comic:

What I didn’t like

Rather than simply let the Four Horsemen exist as mystical entities, Conway and Wolfman construct a very complicated backstory for them, which needlessly tangles up the plot. And despite their bluster about rending galaxies, they were very easy for the FF to defeat, leading to a highly anticlimactic ending.

The attempts to use the Horsemen to make some bigger points consistently fell flat and are, once again, a reminder that social commentary in a super hero comics is very rarely successful. For example, here is the introduction to a chapter set in Cambodia, site of a destructive civil are in 1974.

Reed’s subsequent attempts to force a Cambodian boy to eat are almost painful to read (the boy was under famine’s main control):

Johnny and Medusa’s encounters with War are similarly hard to read:

And the FF’s battle with their evil doppelgängers, conjured up by Death, feels pointless and like padding. The concept was done much more successfully in FF 75.

Overall

An unfortunate mis-fire

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Giant-Size Super-Stars Featuring the Fantastic Four No. 1

28 Thursday Nov 2024

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1974, Fantastic Four, Gerry Conway, Giant-size, Giant-Size Super-Stars Featuring the Fantastic Four No. 1, Rich Buckler

“The Mind of the Monster!”
Published Feb. 1974
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buckler and Sinnott

Editor’s Note: OK, this requires a little explanation. When I set out to blog every issue of the Fantastic Four, the idea was to limit it to the regular book and annuals just to make the project manageable. Thus, no Strange Tales issues with the Human Torch and I don’t plan to blog about Marvel Two-in-One featuring the Thing (I figure I will decide what to do with the FF-starring mini-series when I get to them). Because of this, I didn’t give much thought to the issues of Giant-Size Fantastic Four, in part because I believed them to be reprints, along the lines of recent annuals (notably, there were no annuals with new material printed between 1968 and 1976). Belatedly, it came to my attention that the five issues of Giant-Size published in 1974 included new Fantastic Four material, with the stories serving as sort of a cross between an annual and a second FF series (the issues also include reprints, making them “Giant Size”). The stories take place in FF continuity, but are unconnected to the main book. Since they seem to fall under the “regular book and annual” rule I made for myself, I’m going to blog about them here. Unfortunately, I discovered this a bit late, so the first few of these are going to be out of order. This issue, for example, falls between FF 146 and 147, when Reed and Sue are still separated.

Adding to the confusion, this first issue was called Giant-Size Super-Stars (which is one hyphen too many) because it was originally intended to be an anthology book. But it was later decided each of the comics would get their one Giant-Size editions (ie. Giant-Size Spider-Man), and this run was renamed to Giant-Size fantastic Four but it kept the numbering.

Synopsis

Finding himself in New York City, Bruce Banner seeks the help of Mr. Fantastic to prevent his transformations into the Hulk. Reed is absent, but with the Thing’s help, Banner uses the equipment in the Baxter Building to build a device to cure both he and Ben of their monstrous forms. Instead, the device switches their brains, and the now-enraged Hulk ends up in the Thing’s body and vice-versa. The two battle throughout the city, joined by Thundra, and are only stopped when Reed tranquilizes the Hulk’s body, returning him to Bruce Banner’s form

What’s going on here

This is a truly nutty issue, but very fun in an unhinged way. Almost nothing in it makes sense — from Banner’s crazy idea of using the radiation in his and Bens’ bodies to cancel each other out, to their minds being switched to Thundra’s random appearance to Reed’s deduction of what happened. But the story moves along briskly, the scenario is novel enough to be interesting and the fight between the Hulk and Thing never gets boring (as it did in FF 112) in part because of the swapped identities.

Hulk / Thing fights are a staple of Marvel comics and of the half dozen or so I can recall, this is one of the more enjoyable ones.

What I liked

There are some fun touches throughout the issue, including this exchange between Ben and Banner about Reed’s coffee maker (although I found it odd that Ben can get him coffee but not a shirt):

Buckler does a great job depicting the Hulk, including one of the best transformation sequences I’ve seen:

I also liked this exchange between Reed and Medusa (who, again, is otherwise basically sidelined in this issue):

What I didn’t like

I was willing to accept a lot of this issue’s goofiness, but the idea that Reed could plunge a needle into the Hulk — whose skin repels machine gun fire — was a bridge too far.

There’s also a lot of self-referential editor’s notes in this issue, like this mention of “Marvel Time Paradox No. 74.” They’re unnecessary and distracting.

This sequence also includes one of my pet peeves: the hopelessly confused treatment of New York City real estate. Are we really supposed to believe the FF are in a rent-controlled building?

Overall

This issue was a hoot!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 152

10 Sunday Nov 2024

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1974, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 152, Gerry Conway, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 152
“A World of Madness Made!”
Published Aug. 1974
Writer: Genny Conway
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Jim Mooney
Letters: Artie Simek
Colors: Jan Brunner
Cover: Buckler and John Romita

Synopsis

Thundra confronts Mahkizmo, who had just defeated most of the Fantastic Four, and as they battle they are transported to Machus, his male-dominated world (yes, I know – aren’t they all?). Mr. Fantastic modifies Dr. Doom’s time machine so the FF can pursue them, but when they arrive in the future dimension, they are again defeated and enslaved by Mahkizmo. Medusa escapes, but instead of freeing the rest of the FF, she uses the time machine to travel elsewhere.

What’s going on here

This issue continues the arc that began in FF 151. By now Mahkizmo and his bombastic rhetoric is starting to get tedious, and the story feels padded out with fight scenes that are pretty repetitive. I still like the multiversal plot, but the execution is not idea. The twist with Medusa is promising — we’ll see if Conway can stick the landing next issue.

The big development is the change of inker. Jim Mooney fills in for Joe Sinnott (John Romita Sr. chipped in to ink the cover) and the difference is pretty noticeable, with a rougher, thicker line. By this point, Mooney had been around forever, with his first credit in 1940 (!), and he worked pretty regularly until 1991. A true comics lifer.

Here are some representative examples of Mooney’s inks:

He’s not Sinnott (who is?) but the change is interesting.

What I liked

There were some fun moments in this comic, such as this exchange between Reed and Ben. I also liked Reed’s screen, which seems to use the Time magazine logo.

I also liked this line from the Torch. Very Walter White.

What I didn’t like

Sue is technically back, but in such a limited role that she might as well not be here. Of course, once she returns to the team she is immediately shunted to the side. Also, the way she’s carrying that machinery makes me wonder if it wasn’t initially drawn to be Franklin, then redrawn later.

Yes, I have complained Medusa doesn’t have enough of a role. And she’s a lot more present here. But this sequence doesn’t make sense. Mahkizmo, who bounces back from Ben’s blows, is knocked out by a wine bottle?

Anything else?

This feels an April Fool’s joke. Did Marvel really produce a comic called HITLER? (If it exists, I can’t find a record of it).

Overall

Pretty typical

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 151

02 Saturday Nov 2024

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1974, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 151, Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four 151
“Thundra and Lighting!”
Published July 1974
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rick Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Colors: Petra Scotese
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buckler

Synopsis

The Thing and Human Torch’s clothes shopping is interrupted when an interdimensional warrior, Mahkizmo, invades the Baxter Building, demanding the whereabouts of Thundra. As he battles the FF (minus the Invisible Girl), Thundra explains to Medusa that Mahkizmo comes from a male-dominated planet parallel to her’s.

What’s going on here

Frequent readers of this blog know I regard this era of the Fantastic Four as a fairly uninspired one. While there are a few high points, mostly it’s a pretty dreary stretch between the end of Lee / Kirby and the beginning of the Byrne run. If anything , the period is notable for its silly plots and goofy villains, and while we’ve yet to get to the goofiest (Gaard, anyone?) I was bracing myself for this issue and the absurdly named Mahkizmo. Surely if any character embodied the lazy crutch of seizing on the news of the day and making it a comic story, it would be Mahkizmo, who—in his inevitable clash with the Femizon, Thundra—would caricature the mid 1970s, anti-ERA strain of American politics.

And yet, the issue wasn’t all that bad. There’s some fun characterizations, the plot is more nuanced than I expected and, despite the awful name and weird character design, Mahkizmo is a servicable villain. So much for judging a comic book by its cover.

What I liked

What redeems Mahkizmo is his absolutely savagery. As written by Gerry Conway, he just pummels the male members of the FF. There’s been other brutal characters, of course, but it’s hard to recall one that so completely overwhelms the FF.

His costume is a bit odd, and with all its straps, seems to foreshadow the 1990s look. Also, he appears to have taken off his shoes and is fighting in his socks in the double-page spread above.

Mahkizmo is really good at insults that reflect his contempt for his sissy-like enemies. My favorite is “male-ling.”

I liked the multi-verse explanation of Thundra and Mahkizmo’s origins, with their parallel universes being drawn together, which seem obviously inspired by the Fourth World stories Kirby was cranking out at DC. Some Kirby-esque character designs, too (no surprise there).

This is as cogent and concise and explanation for the multi-verse concept as I have seen (and this imagery will become familiar in about a decade):

And lastly, I liked the small bits of character development, from Ben and Johnny bonding over clothes shopping to Reed’s happiness at being reunited with his son and daughter.

What I didn’t like

Speaking of Sue and Franklin, where are they? You might think the issue after Sue is reunited with her husband and Franklin is returned to health might merit an appearance, but you clearly don’t think like Conway. Despite all th events of last issue, they are, shockingly, absent.

And despite my prediction that Medusa would at last be shuffled out of the team, she’s back, although she again serves no real purpose but to be a confidante to Thundra.

Anything else?

If you think the phrase “the Nuclear Man” is familar, you’re not wrong. Conway repurposed it for Firestorm, a hero he invented for DC a year years later.

Richard Pini, who later became half of the team of creators behind the legendary indie comic ElfQuest, has a letter to the editor (he’s not too happy with the book’s current direction):

And lastly, I really hate when I buy a back issue only to find this inside (stupid coupons):

Overall

Much better than I had any right to expect

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 150

27 Sunday Oct 2024

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1974, Avengers, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 150, Gerry Conway, Inhumans, Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four 150
“Ultron 7: He’ll Rule the World!” and “The Wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver!”
Published June 1974
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Linda Lessman
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia

Editors note: Apologies for skipping a week. This post was delayed, ironically, because I spent a few days at New York Comic Con. We should be back on track going forward.

Synopsis

Ultron 7, whose head is attached to the gigantic form of Omega, unleashes a mental blast that stirs the powers in comatose Franklin, and the resulting feedback shuts down Ultron while awakening Franklin, to the delight of his parents. In an epilogue / second story, Crystal weds Quicksilver while the gathered heroes consider their own love lives.

What’s going on here

After the jumble of Avengers 127, things finally cohere in FF 150 into an intelligible plot. The confrontation with Ultron is thankfully brief; mostly the robot rants and raves, explains how Maximus launched it upon the Inhumans, and then is disrupted by Franklin’s psychic energy. Ending the threat of Ultron while wakening Franklin was a neat plot twist I didn’t see coming, and combined with Sue’s rapprochement with Reed last issue, serves to end a two-year period of disharmony between Reed and Sue. My guess is that this will also end Medusa’s tenure as a member of the FF, but we will see.

The wedding of Crystal and Quicksilver still doesn’t make a ton of sense, but they stuck it out for almost two decades in real time and had a daughter, Luna, before Pietro went nuts and the marriage fell apart. While it lasted, it was a fun inter-Marvel relationship, connecting the Inhumans, the FF, the Avengers and the X-Men.

Gil Kane again did the cover. Not his strongest work, but Johnny looks cool.

What I liked

I’m a sucker for quiet moments comics—where heroes aren’t in the middle of epic battles and can reflect on their lives—and this issue’s second story provided a lot of that. There was a nice moment between Reed and Sue, and an odd sequence where Thor and Iron man discuss their romantic troubles. (Not sure what “Scenario” means here but whatever).

We finally get some angst from Jonny about his ex getting married:

And there are some big, Kirby-esque splash pages from Rich Buckler:

What I didn’t like

For a robot, Ultron talks sooo much. Here is but a sample of its blather:

Anything else?

There is a curious panel that identifies the Golden-Age hero the Whizzer as the father of Pietro and Wanda. This was an idea introduced briefly in Giant-Sized Avengers 1, but was eventually swept aside when it was revealed their father was actually Magneto (and eventually this too would be retconned away).

This ad seems to have a bit of everything: Kung Fu and SportsAction!

Overall

A surprisingly successful issue.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 149

05 Saturday Oct 2024

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1974, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 149, Gerry Conway, Inhumans, Marvel comics, Namor, Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four 149
“To Love, Honor, and Destroy!”
Published May 1974
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rick Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buckler and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Sub-Mariner, with the Invisible Woman at his side, attacks Manhattan, ostensibly to avenge Mr. Fantastic’s treatment of Sue and their child, Franklin. After a long battle, the Thing convinces Sue to forgive Reed, and Namor’s attack is revealed to be a plot cooked by him and the Inhumans Medusa and Triton to bring Reed and Sue back together.

What’s going on here?

This is a really frustrating issue with a flimsy story doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny. It has the feel of a Julie Schwartz-era Silver Age comic, where a silly situation involving Lois Lane is revealed to be a scheme by Superman. Here, Namor’s invasion of the surface world was never a very convincing threat, because it was never fully explained, nor were Sue’s motivations for joining him. But it’s also not convincing that Namor would agree to take part in a elaborate plot to reunite Reed and Sue either. And Sue’s decision to forgive Reed doesn’t work, either (more on that later).

The comic is also padded with a long flashback of the FF’s first battle with the Sub-Mariner, and double-page spread that serves no real purpose other to take up space. The reconciliation of Reed and Sue deserved a better story than this gimmicky, ill-conceived nonsense.

What I liked

Suddenly, Thundra seems to be part of the team, or is at least tagging along until she can defeat Ben in combat. It’s not really clear what’s she doing here, but she’s a fun addition.

We haven’t seen much of Sue lately, so it was good to see her in action, and particularly using her powers to new and devastating effect.

What I didn’t like

As noted above, the whole issue is a failure. But the biggest flaw is Sue’s decision to reunite with Reed, without Reed ever offering her an explanation or apology. Here,. Ben says Reed admitted his mistake, but did he? If so, it’s not in this issue and I don’t recall him ever telling that to Sue in the preceding issues.

And despite that lack of admission of fault, Sue accepts Reed back by saying he knows how to say he’s sorry – which he never does!

Further, throughout all of this, there is no discussion of Franklin, whether he is still in a coma or vegetative state, or what Sue intended to do with him if she ran off with Namor. Was he going to grow up underwater? Go to Atlantean childcare? It all feels slapdash and rushed, as if Roy and Gerry needed to get Sue and Reed back together before the big 150th issue.

And the reveal at the end, with Triton pulling off his mask, had a goofy Scooby-Doo feel to it.

Overall

One to forget

“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. 147

22 Sunday Sep 2024

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1974, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 147, Gerry Conway, Marvel comics, Namor, Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four 147
“The Sub-Mariner Strikes!”
Published March 1974
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rick Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Colors: Linda Lessmann
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buckler and Sinnott

Synopsis

After their adventures in the Himalayas, the Thing, Human Torch and Medusa return to find a distraught Mr. Fantastic with divorce papers filed by the Invisible Girl. When Ben and Johnny fly to Pennsylvania to confront Sue, they are attacked by the Sub-Mariner, who they later learn has abducted Sue and Franklin. The team then mounts an attack on Namor’s underwater citadel, only to learn Sue joined him of her own volition.

What’s going on here?

This issue marks the return of artist Rick Buckler, which is a good thing, mostly (more on this later). It’s also the first issue colored by Linda Lessmann, a new Marvel colorist.

The story fits neatly in the established narrative of Reed and Sue’s unraveling marriage, which really began in FF 130, when Sue left Reed with Franklin, but accelerated in FF 141, when Reed zapped Franklin into a vegetable-like state to prevent his powers from destroying the world. To Gerry Conway’s credit, he has kept the sub-plot bubbling in the background, so readers were well prepared for the bombshell revelation of Sue filing for divorce. Unfortunately, the story deteriorates from there.

What I liked

Buckler has a bold style and likes big panels and splash pages. Here, he gives us two, including a very Kirby-esque design of Namor’s underwater lair.

We also get a a lot of cool, sci-fi type stuff that has made the FF just a fun read over the years. Mento-scan device, anyone?

And Reed’s lengthy explanation of how they are going to fight underwater makes sense, I guess?

I also liked Ben correcting Johnny’s grammar.

What I didn’t like

The introduction of the Sub-Mariner into the plot feels like lazy writing and a deliberate attempt to reclaim some of the old Lee / Kirby magic. Since Sue and her background is so thinly developed, writers like Conway seemingly have no choice but to resort to Namor whenever Sue is questioning her marriage. There’s an implied sexism here, that Sue couldn’t have any reason to want to leave Reed except for another man. Sue is basically invisible in this issue, which is ostensibly about her, and features a bunch of men fighting over her (Medusa, too, is basically ignored). The first time Sue speaks is in the final panels:

The fight between Ben, Johnny and Namor feels pro forma, and geographically implausible, since Pennsylvania does not have an abundance of large lakes. Maybe they fought over Lake Wallenpaupack?

We’ll see how the story resolves but this Reed-Sue Namor love triangle feels contrived and overly familiar.

Also, there’s an unevenness to Buckler’s art in this issue, particularly in this sequence:

Anything else?

Star Wars fans might recognize this exchange, since a version of it appears 31 years later in the Revenge of the Sith (minus the “unthinking buffoon” line, which would have been fun):

Whose idea was it to recruit comic book readers to sell gardening seeds? Do kids know anything about how to grow petunias and pansies?

Overall

Pretty forgettable

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 146

14 Saturday Sep 2024

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1974, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 146, Gerry Conway, Marvel comics, Ross Andru

Fantastic Four 146
“Doomsday: 200 Below!”
Published: February 1974
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Ros Andru
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Gil Kane and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After escaping the clutches of Ternak, leader of the creatures that capured them, the Human Torch and Medusa are joined by the Thing in defeathing the climate cannon and restoring the Yeti-like Chosen to human form.

What’s going on here?

After the lackluster previous issue, this was an improvement. It’s not a great issue, but the story has some fun twists and turns and there’s some nice character moments that make up for what is basically a nonsensical plot.

Ross Andru is back for the penciling duties, with inks by Joe Sinnott. The art is serviceable, but rarely exciting. Even a big double page splash (see above) feels a bit tepid. The cover is another by Gil Kane (inks by Sinnott) and another I suspect only the most dedicated Kane fan (Kanatic?) would recognize as by him.

What I liked

A big theme of the last few issues was Johnny’s anger at Reed for zapping Franklin into a coma to shut down his powers and save the world. Here, he talks through his issues with Medusa, who again gets a bigger role in this comic. It’s a nuanced and surprisingly mature conversation.

I don’t love all of Andru’s art, especially his rendition of the Thing, but I do like these long shots of the ice caves:

What I didn’t like

Ben’s appearance in the comic is teased in a way that’s both silly and unsuccessful. He first shows up as a silhouette, yet sounds and acts just like the Thing. But even if a reader was puzzled about who this mysterious figure might be, he’s on the frickin’ cover! Maybe no one thought to tell Kane not to give it away.

The conclusion also felt off, where the solution to ending the Yeti’s aggression is turning them into humans. Forcing a unique culture to give up what makes them special because they were led astray by their leader seems wrong. You can insert the historic analogy of your choosing.

Anything else?

Roy gives a rundown of Marvel’s editorial staff. About half these guys got a chance to be editor-in-chief at one point or another. (Note the adjective for the one woman mentioned is “cute.”)