Fantastic Four 192
“He Who Soweth the Wind…!”
Published December 1977
Plot: Len Wein
Script: Roger Slifer
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Marv Wolfman
Cover: Perez and Frank Giacoia


Synopsis

After the breakup of the Fantastic Four, the Human Torch travels to the southwest for a car race, where he is reunited with his old roommate, Wyatt Wingfoot, whose friend, Rebecca Rainbow, is also in the race. The race is interrupted by an attack by the mercenary Texas Twister, who is being paid to deliver Johnny to his employers. They fight to a draw and the Twister escapes.

What’s going on here?

This is a fun, albeit pretty lightweight, Torch solo story that works well in the context of the FF’s purported dissolution. If you’re going to tell solo stories, this is the time to do it. It’s a pretty conventional one-and-done set-up, with the Torch ambushed in some random locale, but at least we have a guest appearance from Wyatt Wingfoot, a great and underutilized member of the FF’s supporting cast.

As discussed in my last post, Len Wein is being phased out as the FF’s writer, and here he is only given credited for the plot. The script is by Roger Slifer, a relatively new writer who would spent about a decade mostly writing Marvel’s B- and C-list books before going on to DC’s Omega Men. He later worked in animation before he was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident and was institutionalized until his premature death.

The villian, the Texas Twister, is a mostly fun, occasionally annoying character who first appeared in Fantastic Four 177 as one of the potential new members to audition for the Frightful Four. He eventually becomes a hero and a member of the Rangers, a regional team that would show up from time to time. Here is his origin, from FF 177 (story by Roy Thomas, art by Perez and Sinnott) (I blogged about the comic here):

I’m not sure I like the character as much as I like the idea of the character, or his later incarnation as a hero. As a kid, I loved minor-league super teams, like the Rangers and Great Lakes Avengers. It meant the Marvel universe was populated by more that the characters we saw every month, and it made sense that other parts of the country besides New York had heroes.

One other note: Has Johnny Storm ever successfully completed a race? Or is he always interrupted or abducted by a villain before he gets to the finish line? I can think of least two other instances of this trope. One is in the recently blogged-about Fantastic Four Annual 12, where Crystal and Lockjaw somehow fit into his race car and teleport him away:

And in Fantastic Four 263, he is abducted mid-race by a villain that wants his powers for nefarious purposes (story and art by John Byrne):

What I liked

There’s a breezy, easy-going quality to the story, despite the over-wrought cover and title. It’s hard to take the Texas Twister too seriously, and nothing much of consequence happens. I liked the banter between Johnny and Wyatt, which gets very close to a sexual innuendo:

Rebecca Rainbow, Wyatt’s friend, is a fun character and I wish she stuck around. She was introduced in a Marvel Two-in-One issue, which is further proof I really should be including MTIO in this blog:

And this was a nice quiet moment for Johnny:

The art in this issue is very by-the-numbers and one Perez’s less inspired efforts in his FF run, The cover in particular is one of his weakest. But I liked this panel design showing Rebecca overtaking Johnny in the race:

What I didn’t like

One of my persistent gripes about the Fantastic Four over the years is the inability of writers to understand how Reed Richards would fit into the real world. The world’s smartest man—one who invented interstellar space travel, unstable molecules and no end of amazing gizmos—would never be wanting for money or opportunities. Think of a benevolent Elon Musk, but one who’s an actual genius. At the very least he would be at a university with his own lab. Every time we get a story about how the FF are broke or need jobs it reads like the writers don’t have a clue how the world works. Here, Reed is (absurdly) looking at help wanted ads in the paper:

The Texas Twister’s accent and idiomatic speech is laid on very thick. I wonder of Slifer ever met an actual Texan?

Anything else?

Some interesting ads. I’m not sure who this Pizzaz ad is supposed to appeal to … I can’t imagine it would entice a super hero fan. And this is the first reference to Star Wars I think we’ve seen in an FF comic. The movie opened a few months earlier.

Overall

A perfectly acceptable comic book

Fantastic Four 191
“Four No More!”
Published November 1977
Writer: Len Wein
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors Glynis Wein
Editor: Len Wein
Cover: Perez and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four are breaking up after a de-powered Mr. Fantastic decides to disband the team. After they say their good-byes and depart, Reed stays behind to oversee his equipment being boxed up to be shipped to SHIELD. But it’s soon revealed that the movers aren’t SHIELD agents but henchmen of the Plunderer, who is attempting to steal he equipment. Reed summons the rest of the FF and after a quick fight defeat the Plunderer and his men, only to break up once again.

What’s going on here?

This is a very satisfying issue, a sturdy one-and-done comic that nonetheless advances the bigger narrative of the breakup of the Fantastic Four. A lot of credit goes to Len Wein, who has a real handle on the family dynamics and personalities of the team. He’s particularly deft at writing Ben as more than a wisenheimer or sad sack, but as a stand-up guy (a mensch, even) and big brother to Johnny. Wein’s writing does get overly maudlin about the team’s dissolution, since everyone except the team members know they will get back together, but it gives him opportunity for more character development. Sadly, this is his last issue as full writer, as he goes on to be credited as just the plotter before dropping off the book for good after issue 194 (and leaving Marvel for DC).

The Perez / Sinnott team do another solid job, especially with the cover, which is one of the best and most creative we’ve seen of this era. (Issue 187, with the team framed by the Molecule Man’s legs, is also excellent but most of the rest during this period are mostly just fight scenes, even if drawn by Jack Kirby). Perez also gets to stretch his machinery-drawing abilities here.

What I liked

The reveal of the villain was well crafted. I confess I wasn’t familiar with The Plunderer, who, as Parnival Plunder, is the villainous brother of Kevin Plunder, a.k.a. Ka-Zar. He featured in a lot of Ka-Zar stories throughout the seventies, and would have been familiar to many readers. Using “Agent Parnival” as his assumed name is a clever hint some readers certainly would have picked up on. The Plunderer is just the right sort of villain for this kind of story; sinister enough to cause some trouble but not big enough of a threat to be a real menace and therefore take the focus off the main narrative of the team breaking up.

As discussed, the reaction to the team’s breakup could get a bit sappy, but I liked this sequence:

And this was genuinely moving, where Ben thinks they are getting back together only for Reed and Sue to let him down:

The action sequences were fun, too. Even without his powers, Reed holds his own against Plunder’s stooges:

And Johnny demonstrates his growing maturity as a teammate and tactician:

Lastly, I liked this cutaway to a scheming Thundra. Thundra’s crush on Ben is an underrated subplot.

What I didn’t like

This was too lachrymose for my tastes. Sometimes less is more.

For some reason Perez drew the walls of the Baxter Building like they’re in a crumbling tenement. I’m pretty sure the skyscraper is not made of brick. And as longtime readers of this blog know, I have little patience in the landlord hijinks.

And somehow the FF went from renting the top floors to owning them. Never count on comic books when it comes to New York real estate.

Overall

An excellent comic book

Fantastic Four 184
“Aftermath: The Eliminator!”
Published April 1977
Writer: Len Wein
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Len Wein
Cover: Perez and Sinnott

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four regroup in the Baxter Building after last issue’s battle, and Sue explains to Reed that Agatha Harkness abducted their son, and then both of them disappeared from her home of Whisper Hill. The Fantastic Four go to investigate, when they are attacked by an armored creature called the Eliminator, which calls itself an enemy of Harkness. The FF trick it into destroying itself, but they are no closer to finding Franklin.

What’s going on here?

For the last handful of issues, we’ve been promised Len Wein would take over as writer. And now that he finally has … it was worth the wait. I don’t know what his future issues promise, but this one, at least, is one of the best written and enjoyable Fantastic Four comics in quite a while. There’s no real magic to it, and Wein sticks to the tried-and-true Lee / Kirby formula: some Baxter Building hijinx, some interpersonal dynamics among the team and their loved one, followed by a slow build-up toward an action-packed finish. But while it’s a familiar structure, Wein breathes new life into it, scripting a fun love-triangle between Ben, Tigra and Thundra; introducing new introspection to a now-powerless Reed; and crafting a genuinely suspenseful plot that culminates in a fun fight.

Of course, none of it would be half as interesting without the pencils of George Perez, who returns from a five-issue absence and delivers his best work on the Fantastic Four to date. The steadying presence of Joe Sinnott’s inks are still evident, but this issue feels like the first where we can really see Perez’s mature style and his signature combination of exquisite detail and powerful panel designs. It’s a treat to read.

Most notable in this issue is this incredible, 12-panel design spread over two pages, something rare at the time:

Also worth mentioning are the colors turned in Glynis Wein, then married to Len. The Whisper Hill sequences are particularly eerie because of her colors, and I wonder if sharing a home with the writer helped her better understand the story and what Len hoped to convey.

What I liked

There’s just a ton of great Perez art, like on these pages:

And this is an amazing panel (The Eliminator is a great looking villain, and his speech bubbles are a fun effect):

I liked this by-play between Ben, Tigra and Thundra:

And this scene with Reed and Sue:

What I didn’t like:

The big reveal of how the team fooled the Eliminator wasn’t all that revealing, and didn’t add much to the story.

Also, vacuum vent boots are very convenient way to defeat the Human Torch:

Overall

One of the best since the Kirby / Lee era.