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“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 198

23 Sunday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 198
“Invasion!”
Published June 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Rick Parker
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: John Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

Now in possession of his powers again, Mr. Fantastic flies to Latveria to free the rest of the team from Dr. Doom, who is planning to transfer all of their powers to his son. Reed battles Doom’s robots and is subdued, but he is rescued by the Latvian resistance, led by Zorba. Reed and Zorba’s men storm the castle, but are defeated and Reed is captured.


What’s going on here?

The Doom / Zorba story continues to plod along. This is a pretty lackluster comic and it’s clear this five-part arc could have been told in four or even three issues. This installment feels full of padding as Reed battles robots and Doom’s henchmen, but ultimately ends up captured. The only real development of note is the introduction of the unfortunately named Zorba, the leader of the Latverian freedom fighters. (It’s hard not to picture Anthony Quinn as Zorba the Greek whenever I read that name). This Zorba has a cool, Kirby-esque device on his face and seems to fulfill every stereotype of the noble rebel.

Zorba will reappear in a few more issues over the years and becomes a more complex figure when written by John Byrne.

The art team of Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott deliver solid, if unspectacular work. The rather confusing cover is by John Buscema and Sinnott.

What I liked

There were a few fun elements in this comic. Throughout, writer Marv Wolfman gives Doom’s soldiers bits of personality, such as this one discussing his daughter:

My sense is these vignettes are intended to illustrate their humanity, in order to highlight Doom’s cruelty when he later reveals he had these men killed. I also liked the appearance of the drone. Technology that seems wildly futuristic in 1978 is now commonplace.

And I liked Reed using his stretching powers to disguise his facial features, something he will do more frequently in years to come:


What I didn’t like

Overall, Wolfman’s writing feels lazy and cliché-laden. It’s not enough to have a mountain, it was to be an “unscalable mountain,” only for it to be scaled in the next panel.

Wolfman doesn’t really have a handle on Doom, who he writes as a thuggish tyrant, rather than an aloof monarch. Here, Doom mocks the people of Latveria, which feels very different from the protective, paternalistic view of his people that we’ve seen elsewhere:


And here, he takes of his mask in front of the Fantastic Four, which would seem a sharp departure from how he has viewed his disfigurement in the past (and which sort of defeats the purpose of the mask):


There are other, smaller mistakes throughout. It appears Wolfman doesn’t know the definition of “laconic:”

And here, Reed pilots a pogo plane that normally can fit four members of the FF plus guests, but now is a two-seater:


None of these little errors are that consequential (and I’m sure any Marvel fan could explain them away to earn a No-Prize) but cumulatively they’re distracting and make the story less engaging.

Anything else?

Guys, did you know the Bad News Bears are going to Japan?


Overall

Not much to recommend in this one

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 197

16 Sunday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 197
“The Riotous Return of the Red Ghost!”
Published May 1978
Writer: Marc Wolfman
Layouts: Keith Pollard
Finishes: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Barry Grossman
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: George Perez and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

Under the threat of harm coming to his teammates by a mysterious figure (later revealed in this issue to be the son of Dr. Doom), Mr. Fantastic is forced to board a rocket designed to expose him to cosmic rays, thus restoring his powers. But while his powers return, the cosmic rays also (somehow) reconstitute the Red Ghost, who has been dematerialized and floating in space. The two battle and the Ghost sabotages the space ship, which crashes into the ocean with Reed managing to escape. Meanwhile in Latveria, Doom holds the other FF members captive, while summoning Alicia Masters to sculpt his image.


What’s going on here?

This issue continues the Doom / Zorba story arc that will conclude in issue 200. But the big event here is Reed’s battle in space with the Red Ghost, which doesn’t really have anything to do with the main story or Doom’s machinations. The Red Ghost shows up in one of those only-in-comics coincidences, and his appearance feels like an unnecessary distraction from the main story arc. On the other hand, the other three FF members had their own solo stories that followed the team’s break up (well, sort of: Sue shared her’s with Namor) so maybe it’s only fair that Reed gets his own. The other big development is Reed gets his powers back; more on that later.

The introduction of Doom’s son is a bit of a head fake, as we shall see. He’s not to be confused with Kristoff, who will debut in a few years.

Joe Sinnott returns to inking, and the comic reverts to its familiar style in his hands. The Pollard / Sinnott team is solid, but I miss Pablo Marcos’s inks, which gave the book a refreshingly different look. George Perez and Sinnott deliver an excellent cover.

Jim Shooter is now credited as “editor-in-chief.” He’s the first Marvel EIC to be so credited, as far as I can recall, and it’s somewhat revealing about how he viewed himself.

What I liked

Despite his implausible return, the Red Ghost is an entertaining bad guy and in his fight with Reed, shows he’s no joke (despite what the new Fantastic Four movie would have you believe).


I also liked this sequence of Reed’s power returning:


And I liked the sequence with Alicia and Doom, which serves to add more depth to his character:


What I didn’t like

There’s a lot in this comic that doesn’t make much sense. Reed is being forced to take a space flight but just takes it on this guy’s word that Sue and the others are his captives.


Further, Reed apparently designed and built the space ship, yet has no ability to control it:


Then there”s the matter of his lost powers. Reed’s powers faded over the course of many issues before disappearing altogether, which led him to disband the Fantastic Four. It was never explained why his powers ebbed (or why the other’s did not) but the assumption was we would eventually learn the cause. In this issue, however, they are returned to him by renewed exposure to cosmic rays. No further explanation is offered. Did they simply wear out? It’s a frustrating failure of story telling, probably due to the book having three writers over the length of the story arc.

Now that his powers have returned, Reed is apparently more powerful. Here, he squeezes through a tiny crack:


A get the impression that Wolfman was eager to return the team to the status quo ante as soon as practical, and didn’t feel the need to get bogged down with the particulars.

Overall

A mixed bag

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 196

13 Thursday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 196
“Who In The World Is The Invincible Man?”
Published April 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Layouts: Keith Pollard
Finishes: Pablo Marcos
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editors: Marv Wolfman and Jim Shooter
Cover: George Perez and Pablo Marcos

Synopsis

The Thing and the Human Torch join the Invisible Girl, Franklin and Agatha Harkness in Los Angeles, where they are confronted by what appears to be the Invincible Man, and are overcome by his mental powers. They are imprisoned by the same mysterious evil-doers who have captured Mr. Fantastic, who was in fact the man in the Invincible Man’s disguise. The team, reunited in a prison cell, manages to escape, only to discover their captor is Dr. Doom.


What’s going on here?

One drawback to this exercise of retroactively reviewing comics published 50 years ago is it’s hard to gauge the impact of certain plot developments. In this issue, we learn on the last page that Dr. Doom is the mysterious villain behind Reed’s abduction. Unfortunately, I knew this was coming, so there wasn’t much suspense of me. But I imagine it was a big surprise for at least some readers at the time. If so, it would ratchet up a very good comic into an excellent one.

This is the first appearance of Doom in the FF since issue 157, an eternity by the standards of today, when he appears about every dozen or so issues. His intentions at this point are still pretty murky and the plot is confusing but I think it’s safe to assume it will all build up to a big conclusion in issue 200.

The Invincible Man is a bit of an oddity, since there never really was an Invincible Man. It started off as an identity created by the Super-Skrull who was masquerading as Sue and Johnny’s father, back in issue 32. Then we have this appropriation of the Invincible Man identity by a hypnotized Reed. And in issue 287, Doom — in the body of Norman McArthur — again uses the Invincible Man identity.

Like last issue, the art is by Keith Pollard, who seems to be just doing layouts, and Pablo Marcos, whose finishes are dynamic and fun. This issue also has an interesting credit: Jim Shooter, as “consulting editor.” Shooter had recently taken over as Marvel editor-in-chief, ending a half decade of dysfunction and ushering in a period of growth and stability. Shooter, who passed away this year, wasn’t universally beloved but it’s hard to argue with his success.


What I liked

Sue and Franklin’s reunion with Ben and Johnny is touching and well written by Marv Wolfman.


I liked this sequence of a phantom Alicia beating the snot out of Ben.


Wolfman seems to be continuing Len Wein’s project of powering up Sue, expanding the use of her powers and making her more of an asset. It’s a welcome change.


As mentioned, the Pollard/ Marcos combination is very successful. Here’s an example:

and another:


What I didn’t like

Wolfman seems obsessed with all thing Hollywood, and as in the previous issue, is eager to beat this horse to death. What starts of as mildly amusing quickly becomes tedious, especially his running gag of the FF being mistaken for other celebrities.


Overall

A satisfying read

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 195

02 Sunday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 195
“Beware the Ravaging Retrievers!”
Published March 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Layouts: Keith Pollard
Finishes: Pablo Marcos
Letters: Denise Wohl
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: George Perez and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

The Invisible Girl, in Hollywood filming a movie after the breakup of the Fantastic Four, discovers the figure behind the movie studio is the Sub-Mariner, who confesses he has fled Atlantis in frustration over being worshipped as a god. The filming is interrupted by Atlantean androids summoned to retrieve Namor back to Atlantis. Sue and Namor defeat the robots but the Sub-Mariner realizes he must nonetheless return home.


What’s going on here?

The premise of this comic is truly ridiculous —Namor objects to being worshipped as a god? Atlantis sends robots to capture him? He still owns the movie studio he had way back in FF 9? — but I still found it a fun read. Partially because the stakes of the conflict are so low that the silliness doesn’t really matter. Partially because it’s fun to see Sue and Namor resuming their will-they-or-won’t-they relationship. But mostly it was because I really enjoyed the art.

Keith Pollard is credited with the layouts, but it’s pretty clear that this is Pablo Marcos’s comic. Marcos, a Peruvian probably best known for his work on Conan, has a fluid, expressive style that reminds me of a cross between Gene Colan and Michael Golden. Significantly, his work looks nothing like Joe Sinnott’s, and as a result it’s a refreshing change from the FF house style that established by Kirby and enforced by Sinnott for the last decade. Not that we don’t love Joe Sinnott here, but variety is good.

Sinnott did ink George Perez on the cover, and from the looks of it, I would say it’s 90 percent Sinnott and 10 percent Perez (compare it to the cover of FF 194, which is entirely by Perez).


What I liked

Here’s a nice flashback sequence by Marcos:


Sue gets to stretch herself in battle (although she’s still dependent on Reed, even in her own head):


Sue and Namor are getting pretty cozy here:


Here, Sue finally expresses how we all feel about the Impossible Man:


Lastly, there were some curious sound effects in this comic. Baskong!


What I didn’t like

Following the (obviously temporary) break up of the FF, the powers-that-be decided to give them each solo stories. A fun idea, and yet despite that, Sue is stuck sharing her story with Namor. Worse, she’s either thinking about Reed or Namor during the entire issue. If comics had a Bechdel test, this one would fail utterly.

Here, in the middle of battle, she’s again wishing Reed was present:


And here, she’s so distracted thinking about her marriage she’s almost killed:


And the resolution, in which Namor does the robots’ bidding after all, is all about Namor, not Sue. For shame, Marv Wolfman, for shame.


Anything else?

There’s a somber note in the Bullpen Bulletins about the sudden passing of John Verpoorten, who was an occasional FF inker, among his many other roles at Marvel.


Overall

Goofy fun

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four Annual No. 12

28 Sunday Sep 2025

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Fantastic Four Annual 12
“The End of the Inhumans … and the Fantastic Four!”
Published October 1976
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Bob Hall and Keith Pollard
Inks: Bob Wiacek
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: John Buscema and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four are summoned from their leisure activities — Johnny is racing a car, the rest are in Hollywood supervising a movie — by Crystal and Lockjaw, who report the rest of the Inhuman royal family have been captured and the Atillan has become a fortress. The FF eventually overcome the would-be ruler, Thraxon the Schemer (yes, that’s what he calls himself), only to discover he is a pawn of a much greater power, the Sphinx. The Sphinx, an ancient Egyptian wizard who is now immortal, requires Black Bolt’s powers to conquer Earth, and is holding the Inhumans aboard a spaceship. The FF travel to space and are helpless against the Sphinx, but in the melee, Lockjaw frees the Inhumans and Black Bolt defeats the villain in one-on-one combat.


What’s going on here?

This annual is very much a mixed bag. It contains some fun moments and characterizations, and the art is interesting, but the story is padded out with unnecessary fights and flashbacks and some truly painful attempts at topical humor. The story, written and edited by Marv Wolfman, comes in at 48 pages, yet somehow feels much longer. It’s a good example of why writers shouldn’t be their own editors.

The story falls out of the FF’s current continuity, and since Reed can stretch without apparent issue, it probably takes place a good deal earlier than the events in the main title, where the FF have broken up due to Reed’s loss of his powers. The villain, the Sphinx, is an attempt at a new big bad guy but he’s not very convincing, in part because his name and costume are both pretty silly. He debuted in Nova 6, also written by Wolfman, and will pop up every once in a while. He never becomes a top tier FF villain, and frankly, his ancient Egyptian evil schtick was handled much better by Louie Simonson a decade later with Apocalypse.

The pencils are credited to both Bob Hall and Keith Pollard, and it’s hard to tease out who did what (Incidentally, I’ve met Bob Hall at a few conventions and had him draw sketches for me. A very gracious man). Bob Wiacek handled the inks and they look much different — thicker and rougher —than the more refined lines I associate him with from his X-Men run. Still, the art has its moments and between the three artists I see echoes of Kirby and Gil Kane:


What I liked

Like his close friend Len Wein, Wolfman seems determined to elevate Sue’s usage as a member of the Fantastic Four. This page is a pretty good demonstration of how she’s been upgraded, both in her attitude toward her teammates and in her powers:


As I’ll get to later, the FF’s Hollywood sequence, where they fight a robot version of the Thing designed for a movie, is beyond tedious. But using the Gong Show’s gong as a weapon is a fun idea.


As anyone how follows this account on Twitter knows, I am perturbed by artists who draw the Thing as a giant. Here, Ben makes the same point:


There were a few good sequences that featured a maturing Johnny reconciling with Crystal being married to Quicksilver. Here, he combines some introspection with commentary about his powers:


And here, we see three adults acting like adults (it won’t last):


I did like the sequence of Black Bolt wailing on the Sphinx. It really establishes him as a true heavy weight, given that the four members of the FF could barely touch the Sphinx:


What I didn’t like

As mentioned, the Hollywood sequence is long, silly and feels engineered to pad the page count. The conceit is a heavily accented Italian producer — I assume a Dino DiLaurentis parody — is making a movie about the FF, which they agree to for “tax money.”


Sue’s comment about never wearing “anything like that” is sadly ironic, given what was to come.

(FF 374, by Tom DeFalco, Paul Ryan and Danny Bulanadi)


As if if couldn’t get more inane, the Thing’s fight with the robot Thing crashes into the set of the Gong Show, producing lots of unfunny jokes about a show that wasn’t particularly funny. The effect is a bit like an unsuccessful MAD magazine parody.


There are several instances in this comic of holes being blown through the walls of a space ship and people being sucked outside, and everyone surviving just fine. I’m sure Wolfman knew better, but didn’t want to take the effort to make it plausible.


Lastly, the FF’s pogo plane is nuclear powered? In midtown Manhattan?


Anything else?

House ads. I’ve never heard of The UFO Connection.


Overall

Would have been just fine as a 22 page story.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four Nos. 189 and 190

21 Sunday Sep 2025

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Fantastic Four 189
“The Torch That Was!”
Published Sept. 1977
Story: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Pencils: Kirby
Script: Lee
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Rosen
Cover: Keith Pollard and Frank Giacoia

What’s going on here?

Fantastic Four 189 is a reprint of FF Annual 4 from 1966. It’s a fine comic book, featuring the original Human Torch, which I discussed at length here. It’s notable here for two reasons: It’s yet another sign of the chaos and lack of organization at Marvel as they cycled through editors in the late 1970s. And the cover is by Keith Pollard (in an homage to Kirby), making his Fantastic Four debut. He would go on to draw many more issues .


Fantastic Four 190
“The Way it Was”
Published Oct. 1977
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Sal Buscema
Inks: Tony Dezuniga
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Kirby and Giacoia

Synopsis

A dejected Thing, sorrowful over the latest break-up of the Fantastic Four, reminisces about the team’s history with Alicia Masters.


What’s going on here?

This is another anomalous issue which also can be best explained by the lack of leadership at Marvel. Len Wein, after delaying his start on the FF for several months, is now missing for two issues. The last was addressed with a reprint and this one is an odd type of fill-in issue, basically one long flashback. It’s not exactly an inventory story, since it fits into the FF’s continuity, but it doesn’t advance the story and it probably was hammered out quickly by writer/editor Marv Wolfman with a stack of back issues. (This is also Wolfman’s first work on the FF; he’ll go on to have a run of his own in a year or two). It feels a bit like Uncanny X-Men 138, a long long flashback as Cyclops says farewell after the death of Jean Grey, but that one was at least written and drawn by Chris Claremont and John Byrne.

Here, Sal Buscema jumps into deliver perfectly adequate work, befitting his status as Marvel’s ultimate journeyman, and Jack Kirby draws the cover (a pretty lack-luster one, if I’m being honest). In a side note that surely only interests me, this may be the first FF issue without an exclamation point in the title.

This comic probably had some value for new readers but it didn’t do much for me.


Anything else?

There were some fun ads, including the first for Sea-Monkeys, a stable of comics for years (iirc, they are actually brine shrimp).

Overall

A pretty disappointing two months for FF fans