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“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 235

12 Monday Oct 2026

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Fantastic Four 235
“Four Against Ego!”
Published July 1981
Writer: John Byrne
Pencils: Byrne
Inks: Byrne
Lettering: Jean Simek
Colors: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Cover: Byrne and Terry Austin


Editor’s Note: Before we dig into FF 235, first I want to offer Doug Moench a conditional apology. I attended New York Comic Con last week and was able to talk to Bill Sienkiewicz about his and Moench’s run, which I have generally disparaged. I picked up a few tidbits:

1, Sienkiewicz referred it as “our fill-in run,” and he suspected that they were keeping the seat warm for John Byrne the whole time. As a result, he was under the impression Moench was prohibited from using the FF’s main villains, saving them for later Byrne plots (although he didn’t know for sure). I’ve criticized Moench’s stories for lacking the sweep and scope the FF demands, but if he was operating under those constraints, the narrowness of his plots are more understandable. So, sorry Doug!

2, Byrne offered to keep him on as inker on the FF, Sienkiewicz said, which he (obviously) declined. He sensed Byrne really wanted to have complete control, and Sienkiewicz was itching to do something ambitious on his own. Editor Louise Jones (now Simonson) offered him the X-Men, he said, but he was afraid his new, experimental style would alienate fans and he would be blamed for tanking Marvel’s best-selling book. Chris Claremont then suggested he take on the New Mutants for his three-part Demon Bear story, which Sienkiewicz thought would be a good fit for his style, and then he stayed on.

3, Sienkiewicz was incredibly generous with his time and, for everything he has done in the business, seems to have no ego. I really appreciate his sharing his thoughts with me.



Synopsis

Fantastic Four 235 picks up immediately after the previous issue, with the FF confronting Ego the Living Planet, who seems intent on destroying Earth. The FF land on Ego and after battling “antibodies,” remove a power-pack from giant rockets previously attached by Galactus. The team then travels to Ego’s interior to find his brain, but one by one they succumb to the heat and pressure until only the Thing remains. He attempts to blow up the brain using the power pack as a bomb, but misses. However, Ego is destroyed when his rockets misfire and he travels to close to the sun, breaking up. Ben is then rescued by the rest of the FF.


What’s going on here?

This is a fun science-fiction adventure that, after getting his feet wet with smaller stories, feels like the first true FF story by Byrne. Despite plot holes big enough to drive the Fantasticar through, the comic succeeds through its propulsive action, amazing art and basically insane premise.

Ego is a great Jack Kirby creation who first appeared in Thor, and Kirby’s designs clearly inspired what Byrne is doing in this issue. Check out this incredible Kirby double-page splash:

and compare it to this Byrne panel:


The swiping / homaging gets even more explicit later:


In some ways, Ego feels a bit like Galactus-lite, ie., a cosmic-scale, Earth-threatening foe without the baggage of Galactus. Given that, it’s a bit surprising the FF haven’t confronted him (it?) before. Of note, Reed seems to have no compunctions about throwing a bomb into Ego’s brain, whereas in about a dozen issues he will agonize over saving the life of Galactus.


What I liked

As mentioned, Byrne delivers some knockout art that really emphasizes the alien (and somewhat disgusting) nature of Ego, like here:


And here:


I liked that it was Reed who faltered first, leaving Sue to venture on with Ben and Johnny:

And I liked the continued evolution of Sue’s powers under Byrne. Three issues ago, she just began to use her force field to propel her, here she’s carrying the whole team:


Lastly, I appreciated this tribute to Ben’s heroism:


What I didn’t like

I suppose if you can accept the premise of a living planet, you shouldn’t be bothered by gaps in logic, but it’s hard not to wonder why Ego speaks English, or why his atmosphere seems perfectly breathable, or how a power pack the size of a refrigerator is sufficient for a rocket “hundreds of miles tall.”

Or how, in all the detritus of an exploded planet, the FF can find Ben:

(I’m not saying I couldn’t concoct No-Prize-worthy explanations for all these inconsistencies, just that Byrne doesn’t bother to provide them).

I also thought it was odd that Johnny, encountering this bizarre alien landscape, first thinks of a newspaper comic strip as a point of comparison.


This is what he’s referring to:



I’m not sure this was intended as a joke or not, but every time Ego appears, he introduces himself, making me think he has a really big, ahem, ego.


Lastly, this digression with Frankie Raye seems weirdly voyeuristic (although no doubt exciting to the comic’s 13-year-old readers). It seems to suggest she’s never seen herself naked before. Also, who says “swain?”


Anything else?


Here’s a great letter:


You get ’em Cindy! I searched for Cindy to see what became of her and sadly it appears she passed away in 2017 at age 57. She was just 13 or 14 when she wrote this letter.


Overall

Fun comic!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Fantastic Four No. 200

10 Wednesday Dec 2025

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Fantastic Four 200
“When Titans Clash!
Published August 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Francoise Mouly
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Jack Kirby and Sinnott

Synopsis

Reeling after the death of his son/clone, Dr. Doom traps the Fantastic Four in his Latverian castle and flies to New York to realize his plan of world domination. The FF escape, rescue Alicia and follow Doom, with Mr. Fantastic confronting Doom at his stronghold in the Adirondacks while the rest of the team flies to the United Nations to thwart Doom’s scheme. While Reed and Doom battle, Doom’s statue — sculpted by Alicia and intended as a gift to the UN — hypnotizes the delegates, who then attack Ben, Sue and Johnny. Reed eventually gets the better of Doom, and rips off his mask, where the image of his disfigured face reflected back at him hundreds of times in the facets of a giant crystal drive him into a catatonic state. Reed shuts down the UN device and with Doom in a mental institution, Zorba is installed as the leader of Latveria.


What’s going on here?

This is a big milestone issue and almost in spite of itself, the comic lives up to the occasion. It’s the conclusion of a five-part act that meandered unnecessarily — particularly with the clone-of-Doom subplot which fizzled out anti-climatically — but Marv Wolfman manages to stick the landing. He correctly recognizes the conflict between Reed and Doom is the central tension in the book and he gives the two the battle they deserve. Because it’s a double-sized anniversary issue, he has room to stretch out the confrontation, and includes a flashback to their time at university together that reminds us (and informs new readers) of the origin of Doom’s enmity toward Reed. The climax, where Doom goes mad at the sight of his own face reflected back at him, is clever story telling, and centers Doom’s defeat in his own vanity and insecurity. It feels like less of a triumph for Reed than a tragic downfall for Doom. (Although I would have preferred Doom not telling us he was going mad as he was going mad).


A lot of credit for this issue’s success goes to Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott. Pollard, particularly, uses the extra pages in this issue to stretch out, particularly in the fight scenes, where there are often just four panels per page. There are also three full-page splashes (not including the opening one), a rarity in this era.

This is the most successful of the Fantastic Four’s big milestone issues to date. Issue 50, which included the conclusion of the Galactus saga, didn’t make note of it being a meaningful issue. Issue 100 was a dud, and came at the end of the Lee / Kirby partnership. Issue 150, featuring the marriage of Crystal and Quicksilver, felt more like an Avengers comic (and not a very good one, either). Looking into the future, issues 300 and 400 aren’t that impressive either. Issue 200 manages to deliver story that both feels big, satisfying and consequential.

Fantastic Four 200 also features one of the best covers in the history of the comic, by none other than Jack Kirby. Kirby’s FF covers over the last few years have been hit or miss, but this one has all the hallmarks of classic Kirby (although it’s is unfortunately cluttered with too many blurbs hyping the comic). Sadly, this is Kirby’s last original work on the Fantastic Four and one of his last at Marvel.

And in a nice touch, the comic is dedicated to Stan and Jack:


What I liked

Despite its bombast, the issue also deliver some nice moments of character development. There is this testy exchange between Ben and Reed:


And this romantic interlude:


After restoring Reed’s powers, Wolfman seems serious about powering him up, and in two separate sequences Reed stretches himself into tiny apertures to escape confinement. This one is the most impressive:


Pollard has a real knack for interesting action shots. Here are a few I liked:


What I didn’t like

The plot device — the McGuffin, if you will —of this story never makes much sense. Doom somehow thinks he’s going to take over the world by hypnotizing United Nation’s delegates? If he spent more than a minute paying attention to the UN’s long history of ineptitude, he would realize how ridiculous an idea this was.


We also have the same problem of Doom’s lackeys as in last issue. Are they humans? Or robots? or both? Here one of them has a wife and child, further confusing things.


Anything else?

A letter to the editor from future writer/editor/comic historian Peter Sanderson, who appears to be writing from his Columbia University dorm room:


Overall

Good stuff!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 180

20 Sunday Jul 2025

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Fantastic Four 180
“Bedlam in the Baxter Building!” (reprinting FF 101)
Published December 1976
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Script: Lee
Pencils: Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Artie Simek
Cover: Kirby and Sinnott

What’s going on here?

This issue is a reprint of Fantastic Four 101 (previously discussed here), with the only modification as far as I can tell an editor’s note claiming deadline trouble prevented Marvel from publishing a new comic. Unfortunately, the cover, by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott, is new and appears to continue the story begun a few issues ago, so any reader who bought this issue of the stands probably felt like the victim of a bait and switch. I’m including the comic here because of the Kirby cover, and because I hate the idea of not accounting for every issue. Hopefully readers of this blog won’t also feel ripped off. The recap of issue 181 will follow shortly.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 176

08 Sunday Jun 2025

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Fantastic Four 176
“Improbable As It May Seem — The Impossible Man Is Back In Town!”
Published Aug. 1974
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Michele Wolfman
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After their confrontation with Galactus, the Fantastic Four return to Earth with the Impossible Man in tow. The alien causes trouble on the streets of New York, then in the offices of Marvel Comics, where he and the FF interact with members of the staff. The team then discovers the Frightful Four have taken over the Baxter Building while the Fantastic Four was off planet, setting up a confrontation in the coming issues.


What’s going on here?

It’s hard for me to write about this issue without sounding like a grump. At this point, my thoughts on the Impossible Man are pretty well documented, so this comic was always going to be a tough sell for me. It’s obviously a light-hearted romp, and it should be read that way. The depiction of the Bullpen — which here includes Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Thomas, Perez, Archie Goodwin, Marv Wolfman, Sal Buscema, Marie Serevin, John Verpoorten and Gerry Conway — was a novelty in 1976, and for die-hard Marvel fans of the era, it must have been a thrill to see their favorite creators. The issue also continues a tradition of fourth wall-breaking stories taking place at Marvel that began with Fantastic Four 10.

And yet … reading it almost 50 years later, it falls flat. Most of the jokes are obvious and ponderous, the Impossible Man’s hijinks are predictably tedious and it all feels like an extended goof that mostly served to amuse its creators. Thomas wrote a lengthy editor’s note that explained the genesis of the issue, which was that he didn’t have a better idea. It shows.


Two art notes: Jack Kirby once again did the cover (inked by Joe Sinnott) and Michele Wolfman colored the issue, her first and only FF credit.


What I liked

This issue marks the return of George Perez, and he delivers great work, even when hampered by a inane storyline. Here’s a great action sequence:


And I loved his crowd scenes in Central Park:

Here’s his version of the Marvel offices, including a very slimming self portrait:

While most of the inside jokes were duds, this one amused me:


What I didn’t like

The story had a lot of filler, like this gag:

FWIW, hailing and riding in a taxi took the FF two full pages.

This exchange between Ben and Reed seemed off. Reed is really comparing Ben’s appearance to Joe DiMaggio’s???


This panel would make no sense unless you read Thomas’s note (it’s Marv Wolfman and Sal Buscema).


Anything else?

Uncanny X-Men Annual 7, a very silly issue featuring (guess who?) the Impossible Man, paid tribute to this comic with an extended scene in the Marvel bullpen.


Overall

If you don’t have something nice to say, better to say nothing at all.

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

26 Monday May 2025

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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

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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. 172

27 Sunday Apr 2025

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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. 167

23 Sunday Mar 2025

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Fantastic Four 167
“Titans Two!”
Published November 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After the Thing frees the Hulk from the military’s device, the two escape in an aircraft, heading toward St. Louis. The Hulk demands they alight at the Gateway Arch, where they are eventually attacked by the rest of the Fantastic Four. When he sees his teammates in danger, Ben sides with them agains the Hulk but suddenly begins to change into his human form, a result of exposure to the Hulk’s gamma radiation. He is easily defeated by the Hulk, who escapes.

What’s going on here?

This is a pretty unsatisfying end to a two-part story that had a lot of promise toward the end of last issue, where Ben realizes he and the Hulk are both monsters. The Thing alludes to that solidarity at a few places in the issue, but Roy Thomas doesn’t do much with it and it doesn’t take much for Ben to switch sides again. Thomas instead inserts a subplot of the Thing growing weak and dizzy in the Hulk’s presence, which eventually leads to him becoming human again. None of it makes much sense, and the two-issue arc feels very gimmicky, as it reads mostly as an excuse to shoehorn the Hulk into an FF comic (more guest stars will appear next issue, further evidence that Marvel was trying to goose the FF’s sales).

Joe Sinnott returns to ink George Perez, and it’s a big improvement over Vince Colletta, last month’s inker, although Sinnott can still overpower Perez at times (most times, really).

And speaking of over-powered, Jack Kirby’s pencils are unrecognizable on the cover under Sinnott’s inks. On closer examination I can see touches of Kirby — Reed’s legs, Sue’s posture, the faces of the spectators — but it’s certainly not obvious.

There’s also more inside-baseball in the issue, this time in the form of back-and-forth editor’s notes between Roy and Stan. I’m not sure what they are referencing — Branch Ecch was always code for DC, but who is the Torrid Titan (circa 1965)? — but this sort of thing always endeared me to Marvel when I was a young reader.

What I liked

There are some fun Perez sequences in this comic, like this one:

And this amazing page, with 13 — count ’em, 13! — panels:

Now that Sue’s powers are beefed up, she is shown using them in more interesting ways, like so (and note the footnote):


What I didn’t like

Ben changing into his human form is hard to understand since A, Ben’s powers didn’t come from gamma rays and B, he’s been exposed to the Hulk before. I don’t know if this comes up again, but it sure seems like it would be an easy way to cure Ben of his monstrous form. It’s yet another unexpected curveball thrown at Ben that doesn’t seem based in much from a story or scientific standpoint.


Anything else?

I don’t even know where to begin with this house ad:


Overall

Meh

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 108

26 Sunday Nov 2023

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Fantastic Four 108
“The Monstrous Mystery of the Nega-Man!”
Published: Dec. 1970
Story: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby, John Buscema and John Romita
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Sam Rosen
Cover: Buscema and John Verpoorten

Synopsis

In a lengthy flashback, Reed reveals the origin of Janus, the Nega-Man, a former colleague who tapped the power of the Negative Zone to heal an injury only to divide into good and evil versions of himself.


What’s going on here?

Jack’s back! Well, sort of. The comic’s pencils are credited to Jack Kirby, and quite a bit of the comic is drawn by him. But there’s a lot of John Buscema in here, too. It’s pretty clear from reading the story that Marvel decided to salvage some unpublished artwork by Kirby, using it in a flashback device to explain the origin of the new villain, Janus. In his blog, longtime Marvel editor Tom Brevoort confirms as much, explaining the Kirby sequences were intended for FF 102, but Stan Lee, unsatisfied with the story, set them aside. This was taking place in the weeks prior to Jack’s departure for DC, so there may have been some bad blood involved as well. It makes sense the ever-parsimonious Stan would find a way to reuse those Kirby pages, even if they are shoe-horned into a story that makes little sense.


What I liked

The Kirby art! Duh. This may not be peak Kirby, but it’s a reminder of what we lost when Jack decamped for DC. Check out this awesome panel:


Also, after years of cataloging all the times Sue is slighted by Reed, here’s a rare example of Reed actually taking her on a mission (not that she gets to do much, but baby steps):


What I didn’t like

The story is unfortunately incoherent. The flashback structure doesn’t help, adding a layer of complexity to an convoluted story, but the way the ploy unfolds is just a mess to begin with. The story does end with a tease of an appearance of Annihilus in the next issue, so here’s hoping things get back on track.

Anything else?

Here’s some more Kirby art:


Overall

A melancholy reminder of what was

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” My 10 Favorite Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four Stories

03 Saturday Jun 2023

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Yes, I know I said I was taking a break from Fantastic Four blogging for a while. And I am. Really. But before I do, I thought I’d be remiss if I didn’t try to do a bit more to commemorate the 107 issues by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the greatest sustained run of creativity in the history of comics.

What follows is a run down of some of my favorite stories from Stan and Jack. It’s not a list of the best issues (whatever that means) and certainly not the most famous. But these are the stories I think of first when I think of their run, and the ones I most enjoyed reading. Could this list change? Yes! Do I feel strongly about the order? No! Are there great issues I left off? Of course! Do I hope you read some of these comics? Absolutely!

10) Fantastic Four 94

Fantastic Four 94 is a delightful comic. It comes very near the end of the Lee / Kirby run, and an indication there despite whatever disagreements the two had, there was still plenty of creative juice in the partnership.

In FF 94, the team travels to Whisper Hill to meet Agatha Harkness, a potential nanny for baby Franklin. Harkness appears to be a witch and her house seems haunted. But rather than tell a typical horror story, however, Stan and Jack upend our expectations by having Harkness become the hero, single-handedly defeating the Frightful Four and leaving the FF baffled. It’s a great story, told with lots of wit and humor.


9) Fantastic Four 13

Fantastic Four 13 is a classic Silver Age story, full of Cold War symbolism, as the FF travel to the moon where they encounter the Russian Red Ghost and his Super Apes. Significantly, the story introduces the Watcher, and expands the horizons for this comic and, eventually, the whole Marvel universe. It’s fair to say that FF 13 initiated the Marvel cosmic tradition that eventually leads to not just Galactus and the Silver Surfer, but the Kree, the Shi’Ar, Adam Warlock, Mar-Vell, infinity stones, Thanos, Guardians of the Galaxy and so on. It’s also just a fun comic.


8) Fantastic Four 28

There was a roughly two year period when the FF teamed up with most of the nascent Marvel universe—the Hulk, the Avengers, Nick Fury, Ant-Man, Dr. Strange, Daredevil—but this story featuring the X-Men was the best. If the plot, featuring mind control and the team’s eventually joining forces to defeat the bad guys, feels familiar, it’s because it’s the template for hundreds of subsequent super-hero team ups. It’s also a great cover that has been referenced many, many times over the years.

7, Fantastic Four 91-93

Another story from late in the Lee / Kirby run. Ben is abducted by Skrulls to fight as a gladiator on a planet where the natives have adopted the appearances and mannerisms of 1920’s gangsters. It’s a great adventure that lets Kirby draw both cool alien stuff AND cool urban New York scenes in the same story. And it has one of the most touching endings of any comic (see above).


6) Fantastic Four 54

Fantastic Four 54 falls in the heart of the Lee / Kirby peak period (issues 44-60) so it’s understandable if it gets overlooked amid stories introducing Galactus, the Black Panther and the Inhumans. But it hold its own. Not only is there a fun and interesting adventure involving Johnny, Wyatt Wingfoot and the medeival knight Prester John, but there are loads of other subplots and supplemental story lines involving Wakanda and the Inhumans. This issue helps establish Wyatt as a major supporting character, and features some of Jack’s strongest work during this middle period (and that’s saying something).


5) Fantastic Four 38-43

This is the first real multi-part Fantastic Four story (aside from issues 25-26, where they team up with the Avengers) and as if to make up for lost time, it’s a sprawling six-parter. It begins with the FF battling, and very clearly losing, to the Frightful Four (featuring the first appearance of Medusa), who render them powerless. Then, an un-powered FF teams with Daredevil to battle Dr. Doom, who has captured the Baxter Building. The team’s powers are returned and in the aftermath of that fight, Ben, who is now in his rocky form again, quits the team in disgust, and falls party to the Frightful Four (they’re back!), who hypnotize him and set him against his team. The Frightful Four captures the Fantastic Four, who then escape and reverse Ben’s mind control, freeing him to defeat the bad guys.

Whew!

It’s a lot, and arguably not one unified story, but I think of it as one epic with many twists and turns. It works in part because the FF keep getting beat, but they pick themselves up and keep fighting.


4) Fantastic Four 78-79

Another story that hinges on the transformation of the Thing back to his human form. Ben is the heart of the Fantastic Four, and his constant struggle with his monstrous appearance lies at the heart of his character. Here, he has to choose between his personal happiness and his duty to his adopted family in a story that is particularly well-crafted and poignant. When human-looking Ben and Alicia are having dinner at a restaurant, it’s so painfully awkward we’re almost relieved when the villain bursts into interrupt them.


3) Fantastic Four Annual 6

This comic is, simultaneously, a ripping Negative Zone adventure, a high-stakes quest to save the life of Sue and her unborn baby, the introduction of a top-tier villain in Annihilus and, arguably, Jack Kirby’s single best issue of the Fantastic Four. With the birth of Franklin at risk, the stakes are high and Stan and Jack rise to the occasion in one of the best Marvel annuals ever.


2, Fantastic Four 48-50

This is probably the most well-known and beloved story from the Lee / Kirby run (and maybe from the entire Silver Age), but its fame and popularity is no reason to exclude it. There are many, many reasons to love this story, from the introduction of Galactus and the Silver Surfer to the Torch’s journey across the universe, but ultimately what sets it apart is its ambition. Stan and Jack gave the FF a threat to the world that not just theoretical, but immediate and seemingly unsolvable. That they needed the help of both Watcher and the Silver Surfer doesn’t diminish the Fantastic Four, but raises the consequences of the threat and hence the story

1) Fantastic Four 57-60

This story concludes the peak Lee / Kirby period and in my considered opinion, it’s the best of their entire run. It’s a gripping story, with Dr. Doom stealing the power of the Silver Surfer and using it to subdue the entire planet, and one that really cements Doom as a bad guy without equal. No one else in comics combines his genius, his ruthlessness and his arrogance with his twisted sense of nobility and purpose. He is a compelling villain and he’s at his best here.

Like all great FF stories, this one also features the Fantastic Four getting their asses kicked. It’s only when they are beaten do we understand how big a challenge they have to overcome. It’s well-paced as well, with the story building over four issues.

But what really sets this story apart is how it combines so many threads of the Fantastic Four up to this point. It’s as if Stan and Jack had been mixing ingredients for five years and they finally pulled the finished cake from the oven. Doom stealing the Surfer’s power, the appearance of Wyatt Wingfoot, the Inhumans sub-plot; they all adds up to be more than the sum of their parts.

That said, they story isn’t without its flaws, particularly the anti-climactic ending, which I have discussed previously. But there is no perfect FF story, even from Stan and Jack (and rushed ending are endemic in their run), and this one comes closer than most.



That’s it! That’s the list! Agree? Disagree? Let me know! And stay tuned for more installments of So Random!, where I analyze a comic picked from my collection at random.