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“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 229

30 Sunday Aug 2026

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Fantastic Four 229
“The Thing From The Black Hole”
Published January 1981
Writer: Doug Moench
Pencils: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Cover: Sienkiewicz and Sinnott

Synopsis

An ordinary day in New York for the Fantastic Four is interrupted by a monstrous space creature with incredible powers derived from a black hole. The FF battle the creature, called the Ebon Seeker, but are defeated and are left in a lightless region where they are met by Fire Frost, companion to the Ebon Seeker.


What’s going here?

Another Doug Moench issue, another retread of old ideas. In this case, the parallels to the first appearance of Galactus seem pretty obvious. What redeems this issue (sort of) is the amazing black-and-white rendering of the Ebon Seeker. I assume this is largely the work of Joe Sinnott, since Bill Sienkiewicz is only credited with layouts, but I’m only guessing. It’s a powerful effect and it’s more impressive in the context of its era, when coloring wasn’t as sophisticated as it is now, and virtually every comic was rendered in combinations of the same four colors. I think it looks more impressive on the original page than in the Marvel.com reproduction. Here is the Ebon Seeker’s first appearance from each:


Given that the Ebon Seeker is anchoring a multi-issue story, which is rare for Moench, I imagine he was hoping to introduce a major new FF villain but the character appears just more in subsequent decades.


What I liked

The comic is almost entirely a fight scene, and Sienkiewicz and Sinnott deliver some great action sequences and panels:


There was a fun detail in the credits, with Jim Salicrup “asking” Jim Shooter what he thinks of Alicia’s sculpture of him (I don’t know the backstory but I’m guessing Shooter’s grandiosity, which became more pronounced later in his Marvel tenure, was already an issue):


What I didn’t like

The narrative is boring and derivative, and for most of the issue we have no idea who the Ebon Seeker is or what is motivating him. When we find out — he wants to destroy Earth — it has no impact on the reader because we’ve seen this movie before. It’s more evidence that Moench really didn’t know what he was doing with this comic.

Further, the explanation of the Ebon Seeker’s powers — he is a living black hole — is nonsensical.


I’ve pointed out previously how Moench doesn’t miss an opportunity to plug the other comics he’s writing, but this might be his most blatant example:


New Yorkers turn against the Fantastic Four and riot! Why? Who knows? It’s never explained.


Overall

Impressive art. That’s about it.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 228

23 Sunday Aug 2026

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Fantastic Four 228
“Ego-Spawn”
Published December 1980
Writer: Doug Moench
Pencils: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Cover: Sienkiewicz and Sinnott


Synopsis

As the Human Torch prepares for a date with his new girlfriend Lorrie Melton, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman discuss how best to studying Franklin’s budding powers. With Lorrie, the team travels to Seaboard University, where Reed’s former college friend Abe Jankowitz begins testing Franklin. A biofeedback test generates a strange energy field from Franklin that travels to a nearby park where Lorrie and Johnny have decamped. The energy field transforms a local bully into a super villain who seems to embody Franklin’s darkest thoughts. After a scuffle, the FF subdue the villain and Sue unplugs the biofeedback device that triggered the reaction.


What’s going on here?

Another issue, another Doug Moench clunker. This comic begins with promise, with a lot of character development and the re-introduction of Lorrie, Johnny’s new squeeze. Reed and Sue’s commitment to investigating Franklin’s powers is also a nice narrative advancement, and builds on recent plot lines. But it all goes absurdly awry once Franklin is plugged into the biofeedback machine and somehow invents a ridiculously costumed villain. The villain is intended to embody Franklin’s anxieties, but they are never hinted at earlier in the comic (just the opposite — he is eager to be tested) and the storyline all seems so slapped together and nonsensical as to be dismissed out of hand. Further, the basic structure of the story — the FF visit an old colleague of Reed’s — seems identical to last issue.

The most interesting aspect of the story is the appearence of Lorrie, who first appeared in FF 222, and it seems Moench is positioning her to play a major role in Johnny’s life going forward (bringing a date to meet your relatives is a big step!). But as we shall see, she disappears pretty quickly and is ignored by future writers.


Joe Sinnott returned to ink this issue and it looks like he really took the reins from Bill Sienkiewicz (who in fact is only credited with layouts).


What I liked

Moench does a good job with Ben and Johnny’s banter.


And I liked how Bill Sienkiewicz drew this interaction between Reed and Sue (including the weird sculptures in the foreground):


What I didn’t like

As discussed, the transformation of the local tough-guy into a purple-clad supervillain makes no sense, was not established by any foreshadowing and he might go down as one of the most idiotic bad guys in FF history (joining Gaard and Warhead).


An awful lot of this comic was devoted to explaining Dr. Jankowitz’s tests. Biofeedback therapy exploded in popularity in the 1970s and I wouldn’t be surprised if Moench took part.


Speaking of Jankowitz, doesn’t he seem too old to have been a college classmate of Reed and Ben’s?


Anything else?

A fun house ad for Dazzler by a very young John Romita Jr.:


Overall

Dreck

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 223

14 Tuesday Jul 2026

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Fantastic Four 223
“That A Child May Live …”
Writer: Doug Moench
Pencils: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Cover: Sienkiewicz and Sinnott


Synopsis

As the Fantastic Four — plus Agatha Harkness and Gabriel — race to New Salem to save Franklin from possession by Nicholas Scratch, Scratch works from the Dark Realm to free Salem’s Seven from captivity. When the FF arrive, they are defeated and captured by the Seven, and Scratch announces his intentions to use Franklin’s power to spread darkness over Earth. But Gabriel and Harkness harness the Fantastic Four’s love of Franklin into a psychic weapon that eventually drives out Scratch. The issue ends with Harkness rendering Scratch an ordinary human and pledging to remain in New Salem to keep an eye on him.


What’s going on here?

This is a pretty uninspiring issue. It resolves the immediate two-part Franklin / Scratch arc, and seems to finally end Scratch as an ongoing threat (he’ll make only a handful more appearances over the next 46 years). But as a story it’s pretty lackluster and a big chunk of the comic seems devoted to exposition. The fight with Salem’s Seven feels abbreviated and Gabriel, a potentially interesting wildcard, disappears for most of the comic. And the finale was just, well, lame. Even the art feels mailed-in, as if Joe Sinnott had to take over for a distracted Bill Sienkiewicz.

What I liked

There were a few nice moments of character development. This sequence between Sue and Johnny felt pretty authentic (and Johnny was totally right, Salem’s Seven again defeated the FF).


I also liked this interaction:


This wasn’t Sienkiewicz’s strongest effort, but a few panels stood out, like this action sequence of Brutacus:

And this one of Vertigo:


What I didn’t like

As mentioned, a lot of this comic felt overly didactic. Here’s an example of a lot of unnecessary explaining:


And this declaration of the power of love just felt cheesy, and a bit like Doug Moench discovering an easy way to wrap up his story:


Lastly, what kid talks like this?


Anything else?

Some notable ads in this issue. In honor of Norm MacDonald, I will never stop posting OJ ads when they appear. And the trademark house ad is weird: what counterfeit comics was Marvel worried about? Aside from DC, no one else was really publishing superhero comics by 1980, and the other publishers of horror, like Warren, and humor, like Harvey, were well established. Comics were just entering the direct-sales era, but was Marvel really worried about indy start-ups like Cerebus the Aardvark? Odd.


Overall

meh

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 222

05 Sunday Jul 2026

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Fantastic Four 222
“The Possession of Franklin Richards!”
Published June 1980
Writer: Doug Moench
Pencils: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Cover: Sienkiewicz and Sinnott


Synopsis

As the Fantastic Four relax in the city, Nicholas Scratch — previously exiled to another dimension by his mother, Agatha Harkness — discovers a portal to the Baxter Building. Scratch uses it possess Franklin and attack the Fantastic Four, who answer’s Sue’s flare-gun summons. After failing to find Dr. Strange, the team brings Franklin to Harkness’s home on Whisper Hill, where their seance is interrupted by a mystic called Gabriel, who summons Scratch. Scratch then tells the FF if they want to save Franklin, they must return to New Salem.


What’s going on here?

After two issues written and penciled by John Byrne, we’re now back to the previously scheduled Doug Moench / Bill Sienkiewicz run (Joe Sinnott continues to provide inks, of course). That’s a mixed blessing, as we shall see.

The comic, once again, concerns the possession of Franklin Richards by Nicholas Scratch, picking up a story that began in FF 184 and continued through FF Annual 14. In a vacuum, there’s nothing wrong with these stories, and as we shall see next issue, they all include Salem’s Seven, a fun and underused group of super villains. But these stories are part of a long line of comics where Franklin is in Danger, which basically started with his birth in FF Annual 6 (arguably the single greatest Stan and Jack issue) and really becomes a theme in FF 141, where the extent of Franklin’s powers are revealed. Byrne devotes a number of issues to Franklin’s powers and their risk to himself and others, and he’s put in harm’s way in various ways in comics ranging from Power Pack to the Fantastic Four Vs. X-Men limited series. Together, all these stories featuring a young child in danger inevitably send the message that Reed and Sue are bad parents. I don’t want to think that; I like these characters and what they represent, but it’s very hard not to draw that conclusion given how often Franklin is put in harms way by their careers and lifestyle. The solution is not that Reed and Sue should not have had children, nor is that Franklin should be sent away to be raised by Agatha or put in a foster home. It’s that writers should just leave him alone. Unfortunately, as we will discover over the next several hundred issues, they can’t resist the temptation.

This story also features the Fantastic Four (and maybe Marvel universe) debut of Gabriel, aka Devil Hunter, who Moench created in a monster magazine, Haunt of Horror. He fits in a long tradition of FF writers importing various random characters from their other books, from Roy Thomas’s Arkon to Marv Wolfman’s Dr. Sun et al., but doesn’t stick around for long. He will go on to appear in a 1990s Hellstorm comic. There, he is called Gabriel Rosetti, a clear reference to Dante Gabriel Rosetti, a name that will be familiar to fans of mid-19th century British painting.


What I liked

We are starting to see more of Sienkiewicz’s individual style emerge from beneath Sinnott’s inks, particularly in his character poses. Here are some fun examples:


Sienkiewicz also does this fun thing where he breaks the panel boundaries to emphasize the action, as with Johnny’s foot above, and with the taxi door, below:


There was some panels devoted to character development, some better done that others. But I liked this bit, and particularly the lure of a jacuzzi.


And this sequence was genuinely menacing:


What I didn’t like

I don’t think Moench has a handle on how to write Franklin. Maybe he never spent much time with a 3 or 4 year old, but they don’t talk like this:

There’s also this weird panel of Franklin cheering on his parents making out. It’s there to set up another panel after he’s possessed, but it’s pretty creepy:


For all of Sienkiewicz’a abilities, he struggles at times with layout designs, resulting in panels that are way too small for what they are trying to depict:


Lastly, are Ben and Reed the last two men in New York to wear hats? And Ben is wearing a tie to the movies? And what is with Reed’s pipe? Is he the one scientist that doesn’t know about lung cancer?


Anything else?

Some house ads, including one for the $2500 contest that mars the cover. It looks like Marvel was using the contest to do some market research.



Overall

A mixed bag

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 221

25 Thursday Jun 2026

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Fantastic Four 221
“Tower of Crystal … Dreams of Glass!”
Published: May 1980
Writer: John Byrne
Pencils: Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Jim Novak
Colors: Carl Gafford
Editor: Jim Salicrup
Cover: Bill Sienkiewicz and Joe Sinnott


Synopsis

Last issue, the FF rushed to the North Pole to examine an alien ship that threatened the Earth by reversing its magnetic polarity. As the Invisible Girl investigates, the rest of the team is attacked by strange alien robots that can change form. Sue reaches the aliens and discovers they simply want to return to their home planet. The aliens call off their robots and Reed fixes their ship so they can leave.


What’s going on here?

Thanks to reader and comic blogger Ben Herman (you can check out his comics reviews here), I’ve learned I was basically correct in my hypothesis that issues 220 and 221 were one story split in two. As John Byrne wrote on his Byrne Robotics forum, the story was written as a single issue to be a giveaway as a part of a promotion for Coca-Cola. According to Byrne (who should always be taken with a grain of salt), after approving the story’s plot, Coke rejected it as “too violent.” Marvel decided to salvage it by turning it into these two issues, which required Byrne adding a few pages, likely last issues’ flashback. And as predicted, all the fighting takes place in this issue.

Overall, it’s a solid and satisfying story that feels a bit like a throwback to the golden age of science fiction. If I had to guess, Byrne read somewhere about the earth’s magnetic polarity reversing half a million years ago and saw the kernel of a fun story. The issue does re-introduce to the Fantastic Four the trope of misunderstand aliens that first appeared in FF 24 and reoccurs several times over Byrne’s later FF run.

The ho-hum cover is by Bill Sienkiewicz and Joe Sinnott, leading to this fun signature:


What I liked

As we shall see, empowering Sue becomes one of Byrne’s projects during his run (picking up on the work begun by Len Wein and Marv Wolfman) and we get the first glimpses of it here. There is still too much hand-wringing from Sue for my tastes but in this issue she is the level-headed driver of the narrative and the one who resolves the conflict.


There are some nice touches throughout the comic. I liked this bit of comedy with Ben and the alien robots:


This was a very cool panel from Byrne and Sinnott which reminded me of the cover of Atlas Shrugged:


I always like it when we get fun credits (and note Jim Shooter is now appearing regularly in them, the first editor-in-chief to do so):


What I didn’t like

The aliens’ “oopsie” seems a bit too pat an answer to explain their actions. Over 500,000 years transpire and they didn’t think a civilization might have evolved in that time?


And unfortunately another Byrne-ism makes its FF debut here: really pretentious titles for his stories.

Anything else?

The letters pages of these two issues included a lively discussion of Sue and her direction as a character. The letters page of issue 220 consisted of five letters in response to a longer letter by Carol Strickland published in issue 216. Issue 221 had another long letter from Strickland and a response from Roger Stern (for some reason). It’s a reminder of how central letters pages were to comic book fandom. Back then every letter had the writer’s full name and complete address so they could correspond with each other. Today we have anonymous message boards and fans trading insults on social media. Also of note, a message from Jim Shooter about a Stan Lee appearance at a comic con. He advises fans to write the organizer for more info. Life before the internet, kids! (OK, I’ll now stop yelling at clouds).


Overall

Another solid proto-Byrne issue

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 219

07 Sunday Jun 2026

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Fantastic Four 219
“Leviathans!”
Published March 1980
Writer: Doug Moench
Pencils: Bill Sienkiewicz
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters; Jim Novak
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Jim Salicrup


Synopsis

As the Fantastic Four squabble in the Baxter Building, the Sub-Mariner is attacked in Atlantis by Barracuda, a flamboyant pirate who steals the horn Namor uses to command sea creatures. Back on the surface, Barracuda summons sea monsters to attack Manhattan so he can rob a bank. The Fantastic Four battle them while Namor and Johnny take the fight to Barracuda’s submarine. Eventually Sue uses her force field to separate the horn from Barracuda, who is knocked out by Namor and spared from worse by Sue’s entreaties.


What’s going on here?

Fantastic Four 219 marks the debut of the new creative team of Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz, with Joe Sinnott remaining on board as inker. Fittingly for a new start, this comic is very much a back-to-the-basics story, with deliberate echoes of the first FF issues and a relatively simple premise. These days, this issue would probably start another volume as a new No. 1, and be billed as a starting point for new readers.

Moench is probably best known for his runs on Batman and Master of Kung Fu, but by 1980 he had almost a decade of writing experience with dozens of credits on various horror comics. Moench and Sienkiewicz has previously worked together, mostly on Moon Knight stories that appeared in The Hulk magazine, but Moench had far more experience. Astonishingly, FF 219 was just Sienkiewicz’s 10th comic credit, and by far the most high-profile assignment for the then 22-year old. It was clear the powers that be at Marvel recognized his talent, and they would be richly rewarded in the years to come by some of the most innovative and ambitious comic art ever published in mainstream comics.

My first exposure to Sienkiewicz — and to be clear, it’s pronounced sin-kev-itch —was his groundbreaking New Mutants 18 from 1984, which shattered what I knew about comics. He quickly became one of my favorite artists, and many times I was crushed to find that a comic he provided the cover for was penciled by some lesser artist. In retrospect, it’s remarkable that in just four years Sienkiewicz went from this:


To this:


I had the pleasure of talking to Sienkiewicz at New York Comic Con a few years ago and I asked him if he felt hemmed in or cramped by Joe Sinnott’s inks on his FF run. I had assumed Sinnott was somehow holding him back, but he surprised be my saying that as a rookie artist, it was a great comfort in being inked by a legend like Sinnott, and he viewed his time on the FF as a valuable learning experience. Here’s a photo of the two of us (I’ll let you guess who is who):



To be clear, Sienkiewicz’s skills with his pencils and layouts are still embryonic, and on many pages, it looks like he’s trying to stuff to much on the page, making everything look small and cramped. Here’s an eight-panel page, which, to be fair, few artists besides George Perez can pull off:

But Sienkiewicz’s considerable abilities are also on display, such as in this quasi-comedic sequence:

Or in these dramatic panels:

What I liked

This issue featured a fun call-back to Fantastic Four 4, in which Namor summoned Giganto (a monstrous whale with arms and legs) to attack New York. The FF was able to defeat it when Ben carried a nuclear bomb into its gullet (art below by Jack Kirby and Sol Brodsky).


In FF 219, Ben wonders if the new monster is Giganto’s son.

Moench does a nice job drawing an arc from the FF squabbling in the Baxter Building (a classic Lee / Kirby opening), with first-rate Reed as Jerk material …

… to a warm, feel-good resolution.


I also liked this quip from Johnny:


And this reminder of the never quite resolved Namor-Sue dynamic:


What I didn’t like

Not much. I was prepared to be annoyed at Reed’s behavior but Moench played it off skillfully.

Barracuda’s pirate lingo is a bit much:


Overall


A promising start

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

25 Monday May 2026

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


Synopsis

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



What’s going on here?

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

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


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


What I liked

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


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


And this one of the Thing being electrocuted:


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


Lastly, this was a fun sequence:


What I didn’t like

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

Anything else?

Some more house ads



Overall

A gentleman’s C

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 214

11 Saturday Apr 2026

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Fantastic Four 214
“…and then there was — ONE!”
Published October 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Carl Gafford
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Byrne and Sinnott


Synopsis

The Human Torch, distraught that the rest of his team is approaching death after succumbing to the effects of the Skrull aging ray, goes on a desperate hunt to find a cure— first seeking out Tony Stark, then the Xandarians — but to no avail. Back at the Baxter Building, Johnny is attacked by Skrull X, who, like the Super-Skrull, can mimic the powers of the FF. Johnny defeats him (and reveals he was a robot) but realizes the skrull’s aging ray can be reverse engineered to revive his teammates. He wakes Reed from his “cryonics tube” and helps the very elderly Mr. Fantastic alter the device. Johnny is initially devastated when there is no result but is soon reunited with the rest of the team, now stronger than ever.

What’s going on here?

A good chunk of this issue wallows in the Torch’s self-pity, which is pretty tedious. But despite that, it’s a very good comic, and a solid ending to the Xandar/Sphinx/Galactus arc. There is real dramatic tension as the Torch tries to find a cure, and the fight with Skrull X feels almost desperate (particularly after Johnny incinerates the skull before learning it was a robot). Waking Reed from his death bed also felt like a grim, last-chance gambit. And while there wasn’t much doubt the FF would be saved — the comic does continue after this issue — it’s a sign of successful story telling that there is suspense at all.

This issue concludes what is the FF’s longest story arc to date, one that kicked off in issue 204, 10 issues ago. It suffered from a meandering beginning, and a confusing and unnecessary cast of characters imported from Marv Wolfman’s canceled Nova book. It picked up steam when the Sphinx grew in power and the FF sought out Galactus, which introduced Terrax. But that story element landed with a thud last issue, and while issue 214 resolves the aging-skull-ray storyline more gracefully, it doesn’t exactly salvage the whole arc.

What I liked

Johnny’s fight with Skrull X is probably the highlight of the book. It’s really everything you want in a comic fight: dynamic action, equally matched opponents, high stakes and not overly long. John Byrne really nails this one.

I also enjoyed Johnny’s search for Tony Stark, which takes him to Avengers Mansion (with an amusing cameo from Jarvis) and then the SHIELD Helicarrrier. I’m a fan of these brief interactions with the rest of the Marvel universe. All these characters know each other; they shouldn’t only get together for a major team up or cross over.


And while it was predictable, I liked the reunion of the Torch and the newly revived FF.


Lastly, Byrne and Joe Sinnott delivered some great sequences, like this one (dig that Kirby Krackle):

And this one:


What I didn’t like

As mentioned, Johnny’s moping around is maudlin and unbecoming. Unfortunately, Wolfman seems to love this sort of pathos, because we got a lot of it the Teen Titans

It starts on the first page:


And gets worse from there:

I’ll spare you the rest.

Anything else?

A variety of fun ads. I distinctly remember learning the word “akimbo” from the gum ad when I first encountered it as a kid. Also, why does Superman need an airplane (much less a van).



Overall

Solidly above average.

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

15 Sunday Mar 2026

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Fantastic Four 211
“If This Be Terrax!”
Published July 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joseph Rosen
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Byrne and Sinnott

Synopsis

As part of their bargain with Galactus, the Fantastic Four are transported to an alien world, where they are to locate a new herald. They are captured by stone-based robots and summoned to the throne room of the local warlord, Tyros the Terrible, and after besting him in battle, it is revealed he is to be the new herald. Galactus transforms him in Terrax the Tamer, imbuing with potent earth-based powers, and, with the FF, departs for Earth to battle the Sphinx.

What’s going on here?

This is the best FF issue in quite some time, and not coincidentally, it’s the one that most feels like a John Byrne comic. Despite Marv Wolfman being credited with the writing, it would not have felt out of place during Byrne’s later run when he wrote and plotted the stories. I have no way of knowing how much of this story was Byrne’s vs. Wolfman’s but if I were to bet, I’d say it was mostly Byrne.

Much of the story involves Galactus’s transformation of Tyros into Terrax, and Byrne takes his time demonstrating both the power of Galactus and then Terrax.

I’ve always liked Terrax as a villain, in part because he featured prominently in Fantastic Four 260, my first FF issue and (I still maintain) one of the best single FF issues ever. It makes sense that he is a Byrne creation, since he contains so many traits Byrne loves in his bad guys: pomposity, arrogance and cosmic power.


What I liked

This issue spells out why Galactus chose Tyros to make into his herald: His powers are earth based, following a roster of heralds with similar, element based powers, which I’m guessing was a coincidence up to this point: the Silver Surfer (water), Airwalker (air, duh) and Firelord (also duh). And since the morality of other heralds got in the way of their service, this time Galactus deliberately chose an amoral asshole.


I’ve groused about how the effects of the Skrull’s aging ray, which is suppossed to rapidly age and kill Reed, Sue and Ben, have been more or less ignored by Wolfman since they were zapped in issue 206. But here, Byrne visibly ages Reed and Sue without calling attention to it. In fact, the only reference to their altered appearance comes from Tyros, who objects to Sue’s wrinkles (although he will still ad her to his harem):

I also liked how Ben points out that a life of servitude to Galactus is what Tyros deserves after subjugating his own people.

And lastly, there are some just great Byrne panels and sequences throughout, like this

and this:

and this:

What I didn’t like

Not much. As I said, this is a really good comic and I’m just picking nits here. I thought this was an oddly formal turn of phrase from Johnny:


I also thought is was strange that the aliens on this planet initially communicate telepathically — which makes sense because they don’t speak English! —then just start speaking English after a few page:


Anything else?

Some fun new ads. Did anyone have a banana walkie-talkie?


Overall

An excellent comic

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 210

08 Sunday Mar 2026

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Fantastic Four 210
“In Search of Galactus!”
Published June 1979
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: John Byrne
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Ben Sean
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Keith Pollard and Frank Giacoia


Synopsis

The Fantastic Four battle a meteor shower before reaching Galactus’s spaceship. After overcoming a few obstacles, they negotiate a deal whereby Galactus will travel to Earth to defeat the Sphinx and in exchange, Mr. Fantastic releases Galactus from his promise not to devour the Earth. But first, Galactus sends the FF on a quest to find him a new herald.


What’s going on here?

This is a fun issue, and much more engaging than the two that preceded it. The story is straightforward, there are some modest twists and turns, and we get some nice moments between members of the FF. It’s not a coincidence that in this issue Marv Wolfman finally jettisoned Nova, Xandar and those random characters that were weighing down the story.

The art is again strong, and although only the layouts are credited to John Byrne, with Joe Sinnott handing finishes, it’s easy to see Byrne’s style all over this comic, such as in the panel above.

The cover, by Keith Pollard and Frank Giacoia, is less successful, and proves not everyone is great at drawing Galactus.

What I liked

In an early scene, Ben refuses to come inside the spaceship because he’s needed to swat away meteors. Johnny somehow thinks he can save him. None of it makes much sense but the sequence looks amazing. Credit to Ben Sean, the colorist.


This is followed by a touching scene were Ben performs mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Johnny.


There’s also a poignant scene where Sue realizes she’s going to die before her teammates, the result of a punishment meted out by the Skrulls a few issues ago.


This may be Byrne’s first attempt at drawing Galactus, a character he goes on to depict many, many times over his career. I would argue his version is perhaps the best ever.


Byrne also likes drawing weird aliens, and he goes to town with the inhabitants of Galactus’s zoo (the question of why Galactus has a zoo goes unanswered).


What I didn’t like

Not much, to be honest. I do think Reed (and thus Wolfman) is being way to lackadaisical about the team’s imminent demise from old age. Perhaps Reed figures he’ll whip a cure when he gets a chance, but he’s cutting it close. Maybe he should have asked Galactus to throw in a cure as part of their bargain?

I also thought the flashback explains why Galactus wasn’t dead was convoluted and totally unnecessary. Did anyone think Galactus was really dead?


Anything else?

A cool house ad by Gene Colan:


Overall

A vast improvement over recent issues