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“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 145

07 Saturday Sep 2024

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Fantastic Four 145
“Nightmare in the Snow!”
Published Jan. 1974
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Ross Andru
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Linda Lessmann
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia

Synopsis

Responding to a summons from Black Bolt to return to Attilan, the Human Torch and Medusa are shot down in the Himalayas and attacked by a yeti-like tribe led by the evil Ternak. Ternak captures them, then reveals his plan to lower the world’s temperatures with his “climate cannon.”


What’s going on here

When I started this project several years I was eager to do a complete read-through of the Lee / Kirby issues, and I was looking forward to re-reading the John Byrne run. I was less certain of what I would find in between. The best case scenario would be some bronze-age gems I never would have encountered. The worst case was hokey stories with forgettable villains and inane plots. Reader, this comic represents everything I feared I might find between issues 103 and 232.

It isn’t terrible, per se, but it is deeply silly, and very forgettable. The story seems stolen from a pulp novel, and while you may believe a race of enlightened snowmen can build a machine capable of lowering the earth’s temperature, I am skeptical (today, of course, they would be celebrated as heroes). The issue’s structure is also odd, starting with the crashed pogo plane in the Himalayas, then the attacking yetis, before finally revealing via flashback how Johnny and Medusa wound up there. I had to check I was reading the right issue to make sure I hadn’t skipped one accidentally.

More compelling than the story is the appearance of some interesting names in the credits. This is Linda Lessmann’s first credited issue of the FF as colorist. She would go one to have a long career, mostly at Marvel but also at First Comics. It also marks the return of Ross Andru, who is filling in here for Rich Buckler. As usual, Sinnott’s inks give the FF a generally uniform appearance, but Andru brings his own energy to the comic and his Human Torch looks unlike anyone else’s.

Lastly, Gil Kane is back for the cover, where he is inked by Frank Giacoia. This effort is more successful than his cover two issues ago, although I don’t know that it screams “Kane.”

What I liked

Medusa finally gets a starring role, about a dozen issues into her stint as a team member. It’s still not clear that Conway knows what to do with her, and her personality seems completely generic, but at least she gets more than two speaking panels. Plus, we now know she can feel through her hair (which seems weird?)

I also liked Andru’s handing of the backstory of the yeti-people, aka The Chosen (not to be confused with the Frozen Chosen). It’s very evocative, and reminded me of Hergé’s Tintin in Tibet.


What I didn’t like

Aside from the above-mentioned critiques, the very lengthy flashback included yet another pointless fight between Ben and Johnny, one that serves no real purpose except to remind us how tedious their squabbles have become. Maybe Roy Thomas insisted Conway deploy these Lee / Kirby gimmicks, but Conway should have known better than to go back to this particular well so many times.


Anything else?

Marvel explains its value stamps (the reason this comics and the one before it have holes cut out of them) and it mostly sounds like a scam.


Overall

A thoroughly mediocre comic book

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 144

31 Saturday Aug 2024

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Fantastic Four 144
“Attack!”
Published: Dec. 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Bucker and Sinnott

Synopsis

Aided by Darkoth, Mr. Fantastic, the Thing and Medusa escape Dr. Doom’s subterranean New York lair, only to be attacked by the android Seeker. Reed reprograms the Seeker to free the Human Torch, and while Doom flees into space, he is attacked and apparently destroyed by Darkoth.


What’s going on here?

This is a fun, if not entirely coherent, issue. Bucker’s art is big and bold, as we will see, and Conway has crafted a rollicking story that hits a lot of the notes of later Lee / Kirby issues, but probably tries to stuff too much into the comic. This issue feels like the clearest example of how Conway and Bucker’s Fantastic Four differs from the Roy Thomas / John Buscema era. It’s less wordy, less concerned with intricacies of plot, while more exuberant and grandiose.

The issue wraps up a three-part arc that featured the return of Doom and introduced Darkoth. Both appear to die in the final pages, which feels like a classic way to wrap up a big story, but I assume most comic fans knew better than to think it was conclusive.


What I liked

As mentioned, Bucker’s art is dynamic and the double-page spread above is a great example. I’m not sure the FF have had a double-page spread since the Kirby era (and they were pretty rare then) so this was a an exciting surprise when I found this across pages 2 and 3. The panel is big enough to serve up recaps from the last few issues, give a great visual image of the FF’s plight (who knew the New York sewers had stalactites?) and even include an apology about Medusa’s outfit.

Here’s another great Buckler image:

I love the way the Torch pops off the page. It’s like a 3-D comic.

This issue also had a lot of by-play between Reed and Ben, who is distraught and irritable about Alicia being held prisoner by Doom. Reed is at his best as a leader and friend here.

And a bit later:

Conway strikes the right balance here with Reed, who can be a pushy and domineering jerk, but also knows how to motivate his team to get the job done.

The comic had a bittersweet ending, with Ben once again reminded of his monstrosity.

And I liked how Doom refers to his prisoner as “Coach Thorne.” Just like me, he has trouble referring to old teachers by their first names.


What I didn’t like

Overall, the story felt thin and not full developed. Darkoth’s backstory is confusing — is he a demon? is he a cyborg? — and it’s not clear how or where Doom found him. Doom’s plot for world domination, utilizing the mass-hypnotizing vibro-bomb, never feels like more than a McGuffin, while the Seeker shows up out of nowhere and makes little sense. It’s easily defeated, and serves as Doom’s undoing. I’ve written before about how the villain’s androids in the Fantastic Four rarely seem like androids, and have oddly human characteristics for machines. This is another example. Why does an android have muscles? Why does it need to talk? (And what are “nuclear-discharger rods,” anyway?)

Once again, Medusa is barely in the story — I think she only speaks in two panels — and Sue and Franklin are not only not seen, but never referenced. In all, there’s a “let’s throw it against the wall and see what sticks” quality to the story that leaves it unsatisfying.

There’s also this weird interlude, which feels like Conway getting back at the jocks in his high school.


Anything else?

Lots of interesting advertising in this issue. I love these ads for record clubs. It’s reminder of what we think of music from the 1970s wasn’t all that people listened to. Englebert Humperdink, anyone?


Also lots of ads for job training. The economy was not great in 1973.


Lastly, I hate when this happens. Luckily the kid who owned it didn’t cut to cut out any of the story.


Overall

Fun but flawed (like most of ’em)

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 143

25 Sunday Aug 2024

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Fantastic Four 143
“The Terrible Triumph of Dr. Doom!”
Published November 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Frank Giacoia
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Gil Kane and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

Dr. Doom captures Mr. Fantastic and Medusa, and reveals his plan for world domination by hypnotizing humanity. But as he subdues the Human Torch and Wyatt Wingfoot, Darkoth escapes and frees Reed and Medusa, enlisting them in a plot of revenge against Doom.


What’s going on here

This comic continues the story that began in earnest last issue. The focus is really on Doom and his machinations, and he’s in full, megalomaniac, world-beater mode in this comic. In years to come, Doom’s personality will shift and he’ll become more sinister and less grandiose, but this depiction, thanks to Gerry Conway’s over-the-top script, feels one of an archetypal super villain.

Rich Buckler’s art bolsters this concept of Doom, especially with this amazing double-paged splash that comes out of now where and blew my mind (Doom is addressing Belle Thorne, the wife of Reed’s now-unconscious college friend).


The Kirby influence is unmistakable here, not just in the layouts but in the finishes. But interestingly, this comic was inked by Frank Giacoia, not Joe Sinnott. Giacoia does a great job and is I think pretty under rated as an inker. (If anyone knows the whereabouts of the original art for this DPS, I would love to see it).

Also of note, the cover is by Gil kane and Sinnott, although it’s not obviously recognizable as such (nor does it depict anything that happens in the comic). Kane, a true legend, will go on to draw a few more FF covers over the next few years but never an interior, which is a shame.


What I liked

This was generally a well-plotted and -paced comic, with an exception I’ll get to. I liked the concept of Doom building a massive bunker under Manhattan, as if no one would notice (hopefully it was zoned appropriately). Doom’s scheme of hypnotizing all of humanity with a bomb is basically ridiculous, although no more than a million other comic plot devices. But his demonstration of its ability is chillingly cold blooded, and should be used as evidence for anyone who thinks Doom is warm and cuddly.


This splash page was also unexpected, and amazing:


What I didn’t like

The Darkoth twist at the end wasn’t well set-up over the course of the last two comics and wound up convoluted and confusing (I wouldn’t be surprised if Thomas didn’t have a hand in it). A lot of exposition was jammed into the last page (a Lee / Kirby tic), and this panel, where Darkoth reveals what has transpired, might set a record for the number of words in one comic panel:


Also, this comment from Johnny is just weird, where it seems like he’s telling Wyatt he should be OK with being jailed because his ancestry. Yeesh.


Overall

A solid comic

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 142

17 Saturday Aug 2024

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Fantastic Four 142
“No Friend Beside Him!”
Published Oct. 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buckler and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Thing, disgusted with Mr. Fantastic’s actions in the last issue, flies to Eastern Europe to join Alicia Masters, only to be attacked and subdued by the villain Darkoth. Meanwhile, a distraught Reed —accompanied by Medusa — attend his college reunion, where they are confronted by Dr. Doom.

What’s going on here?

The biggest development in FF 142 is the introduction of Rich Buckler as penciler, replacing John Buscema. Buscema, who took over with issue 107 and penciled almost every issue for more than three years, was responsible for establishing the post-Kirby look of the Fantastic Four, a style reinforced by inker Joe Sinnott, who kept the book’s art uniform even as it changed pencilers. I suspect many collectors wouldn’t have noticed the change if hadn’t been announced. Buscema will return to the FF several times over his career.

Buckler was relatively new to comics, starting in 1970, but would go on to have a long career, primarily at Marvel and DC but also at places like Archie. He may be best known for creating Deathlok, a cyborg killing machine from the future and an amazing character, and for drawing the notorious KISS comic. Buckler sadly died in 2017.

There’s no denying the dynamism of his art, and the Kirby influence:

The other newcomer of note is Darkoth, the villain. This is my first exposure to the character, despite owning a Steve Rude drawing of him and the Thing, for a playing card almost certainly inspired by this comic. So far as a villain, there’s not much to him. He’s got an odd set of powers, and he speaks with Gerry Conway’s over-the-top grandiosity. A little online research reveals there’s more to the character than meets the eye but we’ll deal with that if and when we get to it.

Here’s is my Rude drawing of Darkoth:


What I liked

This was a fun, satisfying issue. It’s been a while since we had the Thing in what’s basically a solo adventure, and it was well structured and paced, starting with the Alicia subplot established in the last two issues. The Darkoth fight was fun, and the jumps between Ben’s story and that of Reed and Medusa, Johnny and Sue, rather than distracting from the flow, added dimension and which all paid off in the climactic scene, the Doom reveal. Doom, of course, makes any FF comic better.

For those keeping track, Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin used this same set-up, including the climactic last panel revealing the bad guy, in X-Men 111 about five years later:


As mentioned above, Rich Buckler’s art packs a (literal) punch. I really liked this splash (who couldn’t?):


What I didn’t like

Oddly, some of Buckler’s panels were annotated with arrows, pointing out details that readers might otherwise have missed. That seems like either a failing of Bucker to make his art clearer, or of Conway and/or editor Roy Thomas, not giving him better direction. Either way, I found them distracting.

Anything else?

Some more ads of note. I have no idea what iced cologne is, and even less of an idea why a 12-year-old comic reader would want some (reading more closely, it seems like an ad to entice women to become saleswomen in a vertical marketing scheme. Even more confusing for 12-year-old comic readers).

The Evel Kneivel toy, on the other hand, is exactly what 12-year old me would have wanted (and I think I did have some version of this as a kid).


Overall

Perhaps Gerry Conway’s best effort to date

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 141

10 Saturday Aug 2024

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Fantastic Four 141
“The End of the Fantastic Four!”
Published Sept. 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: John Romita

Synopsis

After capturing the now helpless Fantastic Four — plus Sue, Franklin, Agatha Harkness and Wyatt Wingfoot — in his Negative Zone stronghold, Annihilus taps Franklin’s comic powers in order to drain them. The FF escape, free Franklin and returns to the Baxter Building, where Reed, fearing Franklin’s powers will destroy the solar system, zaps him with a device that renders him a vegetable. Horrified, Ben declares this is the end of the Fantastic Four.


What’s going on here?

This is a heavy issue. I’m not particularly sure it’s a well-written story, but it has big themes and consequences. The big revelation is that Franklin possesses enormous power that threaten all of existence. His powers had been teased at for years now, but this is the first indication of their scope, and it’s a development that has major ramifications for not just the Fantastic Four but the Marvel universe for decades to come. As but one example, the mid-90s Onslaught storyline, which resulted in the cancellation and reboot of most of Marvel’s mainstream comics, was facilitated by Franklin creating a pocket universe. At some point he is identified as a mutant, although he’s not labeled one here.


It’s not clear who came up with the idea of giving Franklin these god-like powers. In an interview, Stan Lee said after they decided for Reed and Sue to have a child, he and Jack Kirby envisioned him having powers, and liked the idea of keeping readers guessing what they might be. It seems like Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway took that idea and ran with it. His powers have resulted in a lot of interesting stories, but also some petty tedious ones as well.

From my perspective, a super-powered Franklin is a mixed blessing. There is something compelling about the idea of a child with these immense powers, and when they are unleashed in the hands of a great writer, it can be a lot of fun. Hickman’s future Franklin battling Celestials and summoning Galactus might be as good as it gets (from FF 604, art by Steve Epting and Rick Magyar).


But for every fun story, there’s a lot of uneven ones about Franklin’s powers run amok, or Franklin in danger. And when taken together, they tend to reflect poorly and Reed and Sue as parents who are constantly exposing their child to danger.

The other big development is Reed’s panicked decision to depower Franklin, and — it appears — effectively lobotomize him. It’s not the first, and certainly not the last, example of Reed prioritizing the good of humanity or the universe of over personal needs or desires, but it’s a poignant one. Of course, we know know that Franklin eventually recovers but for readers at the time, this must have felt like a pretty significant episode in the marriage of Reed and Sue and the future of the FF.


What I liked

I did appreciate how the stakes were ratcheted up in this story, and how Conway finally resolved long-hanging plot points, such as the disappearance of Agatha Harkness’s house way back in issue 134. Unlike Lee and Kirby, who rarely seemed to plot more than an issue or two in advance, Thomas and Conway unspool their subplots over months, creating bread crumbs for readers to follow. Even in this issue, which wraps up a long arc, Conway teases another story featuring Alicia Masters.


This form of story development isn’t always successful, but it suggests a respect for their readers’ ability to handle complicated ongoing stories. Chris Claremont would of course take this style of storytelling to absurd lengths, letting plots tangle for years, some never to be resolved.

I also enjoyed this splash from Buscema and Sinnott, which has a Kirby-ersque flair.


What I didn’t like

Despite the major themes introduced in this comic, the story itself wasn’t very interesting or well constructed. Basically, Annihilus captures the FF, they escape and defeat him. There’s not a lot of nuance, and it all feels pretty rote until we get to the climax.

One of my gripes about the Conway era has been how underutilized Medusa has been. Here, he rectifies that in the most obvious and silly way possible (Annihilus has imprisoned the FF in a room with an open window???).


We also get this unfortunate exchange between Wyatt — even more under-utilized in this issue than Medusa — and Johnny.


Overall

A pivotal issue the history of the Fantastic Four

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 135

23 Sunday Jun 2024

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Fantastic Four 135
“The Eternity Machine”
Published: March 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Breakdowns: John Buscema
Finishes: Joe Sinnott
Letterer: Artie Simek
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Michel Esposito

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four are trapped by Gregory Gideon, who reveals his plan to drain the powers of Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl and their son Franklin to counter his radiation poisoning and rule the world. Thanks to new member Medusa, the team escapes their imprisonment and beats Gideon by turning Dragon Man against him.


What’s going on here?

This is a fairly straightforward story, wrapping up a two-part arc while introducing some new sub-plots. Probably the biggest development isn’t a development at all, but the continuation of Sue’s estrangement from Reed. Despite both being captured with their son, at the conclusion of the issue Sue has no interest in reconciling with Reed.


It’s a poignant and effective ending, maybe even more so given writer Gerry Conway was just 20 years old when he wrote this comic. In a 2016 interview, Conway discusses his relative immaturity during this period and how he did his best to mask it as a writer. He concedes he wasn’t always successful, and we’ll see some of that toward the end of his Fantastic Four run. But for a writer barely out of his teens, he handled the strains in Reed and Sue’s marriage with surprising deftness.

What I liked

Another notable development is the emergence of Medusa—finally—as a useful member of the team. I’ve been surprised that, as the newest member of the team, she’s been relegated to the background, but in FF 135 she plays a key role in breaking herself, Ben and Johnny out of their imprisonment, then in removing a device that allowed Gideon to control Dragon Man. I would still welcome a story that focused on her and her decision to leave the Inhumans, but this is progress.

There’s also a nice interlude of Alicia pining away for Ben. It doesn’t seem to be furthering any plot point, but serves to remind us Ben’s life extends beyond the team.

This may be the first time we’ve seen Alicia crafting images of Ben. That becomes a pretty standard feature—at one point almost every appearance shows her surrounded by her sculptures of Ben and other heroes—but this is the first I recall seeing it. If anyone knows of an earlier appearance of this trope, let me know.

Also, I liked this exchange between Gideon and a salty Ben.


What I didn’t like

The backstory explaining Gideon’s turn from remorseful rich guy to super villain was truly absurd. His private pilot somehow flew them into a nuclear test site, killing his wife, and giving Gideon and his son radiation poisoning that would kill them in two years. The solution? Stealing the energy of half the Fantastic Four!

Also, a new subplot is introduced, when a mysterious, muscular man entering the FF’s Baxter Building headquarters. But what happened to last issues’s subplot, of Agatha Harkness’s missing house? Hopefully they tie together, or I fear we are entering Claremontian territory of subplots mushrooming without resolution.

Overall

A solid effort.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 134

15 Saturday Jun 2024

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Fantastic Four 134
“A Dragon Stalks The Skies!”
Published: Feb. 1973
Script: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Colors: Dave Hunt
Letters: Artie Simek
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

While the new-look Fantastic Four investigates Agatha Harkness’s missing home, the Invisible Girl and Franklin are abducted by Dragon Man, who is under the control of Gregory Gideon, the world’s richest man. When the rest of the FF attempt to rescue Sue and Franklin, Gideon subdues them and takes them prisoner.


What’s going on here?

Gerry Conway is credited as the sole writer of this issue—albeit as “scripter— although a previous letters page says he is working from a Roy Thomas plot. Thomas’s influence seems obvious, since the villain is a minor figure summoned from obscurity, a very Thomasian trope. In this case, the bad guy is Gregory Gideon, who last appeared 100 issues ago in FF 34, and was then called the richest man in the world (and who, in passing, was said to have owned the Baxter Building). In FF 34, after attempting to defeat the FF to win a bet, Gideon is remorseful and the issue concludes with him renouncing his fortune and vowing to spend time with his wife and son.


It’s fair to say that his redemption didn’t take, because in FF 134 he is a raving megalomaniac. (The relationship with the son doesn’t seem much improved, either).


By the end of the issue he’s gone full-blown Lex Luthor, complete with a battle suit. But despite his transformation into a standard super villain, he never appears after the conclusion of this arc.


What I liked

This is another place-setting issue and as such, there are some fun interludes and bits of character development. For example, Sue and Franklin are shown visiting Sue’s childhood friend Carol Landers, and her husband, Bob, on a farm in Pennsylvania. I’d never encountered the characters before but apparently they hang around for about a dozen issues before fading away. (If they appeared today, there is a 100% chance that one of them would have developed powers within 10 issues).

Note the reminder about Franklin’s powers, a plot point which will only become more prominent from here. Also note the horse is named Zelda, which happens to be the name of my dog.

Another odd appearance is of Dorrie Evans, the Human Torch’s girlfriend in the early days of the FF, and now a rebound target after his breakup with Crystal. If they had Facebook in 1973 he might have avoided this awkwardness.


I’m also a sucker for building diagrams and cutaways. Not sure why John Buscema felt one was necessary here; maybe he was just a sucker for them too.


What I didn’t like

On an otherwise great cover, Franklin’s hair is red. Oops.

The issue opens en media res, with the FF examining a crater where Agatha Harkness’s home used to sit. The disappearance of your witch-nanny’s home seems like a big deal! But by the third page it’s basically forgotten and never referenced again. I assume Conway will back to it, but the sequence felt very abrupt and odd.


Medusa has been on the team for about a week and she already seems to know an awful lot about their history.


Also, I didn’t much care for how Gideon’s henchmen subdued Ben and Medusa so easily. It should take more than one panel to knock out the Thing.


Overall

A satisfying comic book.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” Fantastic Four No. 133

08 Saturday Jun 2024

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Fantastic Four 133
“Thundra at Dawn”
Published Jan. 1973
Plotter: Roy Thomas
Scripter: Gerry Conway
Pencils: Ramona Fradon
Inker: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Constanza
Colors: Stan Goldberg
Editor: Thomas
Cover: John Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

In a plot engineered by the Frightful Four, Thundra challenges the Thing to a duel at Shea Stadium, and kidnaps Alicia Masters to ensure he accepts the challenge. Thundra is on the verge of killing Ben when Mr. Fantastic momentarily returns the Thing to his human form, leading Thundra to abandon the fight.


What’s going on here?

This is a consequential issue! It features a new writer and a new penciler (and a kinda sorta new colorist), and the first issue of the new-look FF, with Medusa stepping in for the Invisible Girl.

Probably the most notable debut is that of Ramona Fradon as penciler. Fradon, who passed away in February at age 97, was a comic industry legend, with her first credit in 1949 and was drawing commissions up until last year (I was on her commission list at the end). By 1973, she was an established veteran with years of drawing Aquaman under her belt. FF 133 was her only work on the Fantastic Four and, it seems, the only time a female artist has penciled an issue of the Fantastic Four’s flagship title. Joanna Estep drew something called “100th Anniversary Special: Fantastic Four 100” in 2014, and there have been a number of women who colored the FF, but as far as I can tell, Fradon was the only woman in 70 years to pencil the comic. If I’m missing someone, let me know!

Her fill-in issue, along with Ross Andru’s on issue, 131 was announced in the letters page a few months earlier, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence this issue featured Thundra, a female villain. Here’s a look at Fradon’s distinct style.

She also wasn’t afraid to go big:


This issue also marks the debut of Gerry Conway as a Fantastic Four writer. Thomas is credited as the plotter, with Conway as scripter, but by next issue Conway takes over and writes the book for the next few years. Conway had been in the industry for a few years at this point and established himself as an incredibly prolific writer. The month FF 133 came out, Conway was credited with writing six comics, including the Amazing Spider-Man and Thor.

Also appearing in the credits for the first time is colorist Stan Goldberg (who doesn’t appear to be related to Petra Goldberg, who colored the last few issues). Stan Goldberg’s name may be appearing for the first time, but he was the main Marvel colorist in the 1960s, and probably colored dozens of issues of the Fantastic Four during the Kirby years well before Marvel began crediting colorists. You can read more about him here.


Within just a few issues, the creative team behind the Fantastic Four has now almost completely turned over, with inker Joe Sinnott the only constant. John Buscema will return, but we’ve entered a period of relative instability in FF writers and artists. Recall, that until issue 114 the FF had only ONE writer (or two, depending on how you divide the labor between Jack and Stan) and through issue 130, there had been only three pencilers. We’ve now had four (or five) writers and five pencilers, and there will be many more over the next decade. It really isn’t until the start of the John Byrne era with FF 232 in 1981 that the creative team remains stable for more than a dozen issues at a time. How does all this flux affect the story telling? We’ll find out.

What I liked

As a story, FF 133 is pretty much standard fare, although there was some healthy character development as Reed processes Sue leaving the team and Johnny mourns his breakup with Crystal.

Fradon’s pencils are a refreshing change. I enjoyed her extensive crowd shots, and I can only assume they are populated with people she knows. Is anyone recognizable?

I also liked the cameo appearances from other heroes. As mentioned recently, after lots of crossovers with other Marvel characters in the mid-60s, the FF began to feel isolated from the rest of the Marvel universe. It makes sense that Conway, who was by now writing half of Marvel’s comics, and Thomas, who writing the other half, would be the ones to integrate them back into the mainstream.

What I didn’t like

Reed’s use of the ray gun to return Ben to human form feels very deus ex machina. It’s not previewed nor hinted at, and given all the drama over the years surrounding Reed’s inability to reverse Ben’s transformation, this device comes and goes without much discussion.


Medusa barely appears in this issue. It’s an odd choice, given that it’s an opportunity to introduce her as the newest member of the FF, and probably related to Conway taking the reins. I’m also wondering why Medusa is wearing her mask when she is out enjoying New Year’s Eve festivities with the rest of the team. I guess it’s an Inhuman thing?

Anything else?

Pinning this comic’s date to New Year’s Eve 1972 is unusually specific. Comic writers generally like to keep dates vague, to give themselves more flexibility. And it presents a problem for advocates of the Marvel sliding timescale theory, which basically means everything in Marvel’s history slides forward in time, which is why Peter Parker is in his 30s in 2024, and not his 70s. Byrne suggested the events of Fantastic Four 1 took place seven years before his run (which was 20 years after FF 1), and the current FF issues by Ryan North feels like they take place about 20 years after FF 1. When an issue is clearly taking place in 1972, that’s harder to reconcile with the sliding timeline.

Overall

A fun comic, with plenty for comic book historians to chew on.