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“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Fantastic Four No. 203

11 Sunday Jan 2026

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Fantastic Four 203
“…And a Child Shall Slay Them!”
Published November 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Dave Cockrum and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

After Reed cleans up left-over radiation from the FF’s fight with Quasimodo last issue, he and Sue are summoned to a hospital to treat Willie Evans Jr., a young boy who is in a coma because his father was exposed to cosmic radiation as a soldier. In his coma, Willie, a mutant and Fantastic Four fan, manifests evil versions of the FF that rampage throughout New York. The FF struggle to contain them until Reed figures out their source and uses his radiation-absorbing device to neutralize them. Willie recovers and Reed suggests the family take him to Professor X for training.


What’s going on here

This is a perfectly fine one-and-done. Nothing of great consequence happens and while the premise is hard to swallow — why does the boy create evil versions of the FF if he’s a fan? — it’s resolved neatly and in classic FF fashion, with Reed saving the day with science. And at least in this issue, Marv Wolfman introduced the device Reed used at the beginning of the story, unlike in the Stan and Jack days, where it would just appear at the end, deus ex machina.

In his ability to create super-powered entities out of radiation, Willie Evans Jr. appears to be an enormously powerful mutant, on a par with the Scarlet Witch and adult Franklin Richards. Apparently there were plans for him to become part of an early version of the New Mutants (along with Kitty Pryde) but Jim Shooter killed that idea. He does reappear many years later, in Iron Man Annual 8, where a manifestation of his power — an evil frog called Grunt — pushes him to battle Iron Man and X-Factor. It’s a pretty good story and worth seeking out.

Iron Man Annual 8 (1986), Words by Bob Harras, art by Paul Neary, Ian Akin and Brian Garvey)


Also of note: the cover is by Dave Cockrum (with Joe Sinnott’s inks). One of the few Cockrum FF covers. I don’t think it’s a particularly good cover, but there it is.


What I liked

There was some fun kibbitzing among team members. Team dynamics is Wolfman’s strength, here and later in the Teen Titans.


There’s also time for some domesticity, and a glimpse into Franklin’s growth (although it seems like he stays this age for the next two decades):


And I liked this image of Reed and Sue arriving at the hospital, like benevolent deities granting mortals a favor:


What I didn’t like

As mentioned earlier, Wille’s creation of the evil FF didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Buy, hey, mutant powers. They cover up a lot of plot holes.


Anything else?

Some pretty good house ads in this issue, especially for Micronauts (Michael Golden!) and Master of Kung Fu (Mike Zeck!)


Overall

Inoffensive but forgettable

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 201

23 Tuesday Dec 2025

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Fantastic Four 201
“Home Deadly Home!”
Published Sept. 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Françoise Mouly
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Pollard and Sinnott

Synopsis

After accepting the thanks of Latveria’s new leader, Zorba, the Fantastic Four return to the Baxter Building, where they move back in to their former headquarters. But something is amiss, and the building’s automated systems go haywire, almost killing the FF before the Invisible Girl can overcome its defenses and shut it down.


What’s going on here?

Like most FF comics of this era, FF 201 is a mixed bag. It’s welcome palate cleanser after the high-stakes events of issues 196-200, and it contains some nice character interactions and development. But the plot fizzles and it feels a bit like Marv Wolfman is killing time waiting to start another big story.

Complicating things is that Fantastic Four Annual 13, discussed last week, ALSO was written as a palate cleanser after issues 196-200. Not surprisingly, there seems to have been no coordination between Wolfman and Annual 13 writer Bill Mantlo, so many of the issues this comic deals with — will the FF remain a team? Where will their headquarters be? — were also grappled with in the annual. A true continuity zealot could probably point to where Annual 13 could slip between two panels of FF 201 but even the Marvel Chronology Project, which exists for exactly these purposes, concedes defeat and has the annual following 201.

Also of note is the return of the “quad-cover,” which is a staple of FF cover design from the beginning. The idea is that instead of showing one fight scene on the cover, the four quadrants each depict a member of the FF fighting some menace solo, and thereby creating even more incentive for eager buyers to snap it up. Here are all the other quad-covers from the first volume of the FF (which ended in 1998):


What I liked

In some ways this issue serves to reset the team and provide a jumping-on point for new readers. To that end, it gives Reed an opportunity to restate the purpose of the FF: To use their powers for the betterment of humanity. It’s sort of a mission statement and it puts an end to Reed’s waffling about the future of the team.


Also of benefit to new readers: a neat-o rendering of the interior of the Baxter Building, something we saw a few times early in the Lee / Kirby run but we haven’t seen since. (I think the meditation chamber is a 1978 addition.)


As discussed in previous posts, Wolfman had made it his mission to give Sue more bite, both as a character and a team member. Here, she puts Reed in his place:

And here, she saves the day, shutting down Ben’s objections, then rescuing Johnny.



This was also a fun sequence (although I wonder if Wolfman knows the translation of fromage):


What I didn’t like

After the team spends most of the issue battling the Baxter Building run amok, Reed’s explanation is basically, “I dunno.” It’s deeply unsatisfying and suggests Wolfman really didn’t the story much thought. Maybe it will be explained in a future issue but for now, it’s painfully anti-climactic.


For years I have cringed whenever the FF’s writers try to make commercial real estate a plot point. Here it’s thankfully disposed of quickly but it’s never not clumsy and silly.


Anything else?

A house ad for the FF’s new TV show, the one that replaces Johnny with H.E.R.B.I.E. (blech) for reasons to do with intellectual property rights and giving rise to all sorts of urban myths.


Overall

Good enough, I guess

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine! Fantastic Four Annual No. 13

14 Sunday Dec 2025

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Fantastic Four Annual 13
Published July 1978
Writer: Bill Mantlo
Pencils: Sal Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Irving Watanabe
Colors: Françoise Mouly
Editor: Marv Wolfman
Cover: Keith Pollard and Steve Leialoha


Synopsis

In the aftermath of their big confrontation with Dr. Doom, the re-formed Fantastic Four is taking stock of their new situation (since they moved out of the Baxter Building) while a mysterious figure is kidnapping homely and blind New Yorkers, while also stealing statues. At Alicia master’s studio, they discover the Mole Man is behind the abductions. He subdues the FF and captures Alicia, and the FF pursue him to Subterrenea. There, he explains he is capturing outcasts who might prefer a life underground and providing them with statues to enjoy (really). He then lets free anyone who wants to return to the surface while Alicia presents the Mole Man with a statue of himself.


What’s going on here?

This is a lackluster comic, and feels like a regular issue that was padded out into an annual. Nothing of much consequence happens, and after the big events of the last few issues, it makes sense for the FF to chill for a bit. Still, I think annuals should bring something extra, either in terms of story or the creative team, to justify the additional length and cost. This story mostly felt tedious. If it’s notable for anything, it’s the presentation of the Mole Man as a sympathetic figure who’s trying to help the misfortunate. I’m not sure it’s convincing but it’s an interesting evolution of a character that’s been around as long as the FF. And you can draw a through line from how he’s treated in this comic to his depiction in the new Fantastic Four movie.

Oddly, this is the second story in a row Alicia has been kidnapped for her sculpting skills..

Bill Mantlo is the writer, and given his history as a last-minute fill-in specialist, I wonder if he was pressed into service because Marv Wolfman couldn’t get it done in time. Sal Buscema delivers his usual workmanlike pencils which are enhanced by some dramatic inking by Joe Sinnott.

The cover is by Keith Pollard and inked by Steve Leialoha making his FF debut. Leieloha’s inks add a supple, fluid quality to the already strong Pollard and the cover is probably the best thing about this comic.

What I liked

Beginning with Len Wein, continuing with Wolfman and now with Mantlo, there’s been a real effort to upgrade Sue’s powers and role with the team. Here, in a well-told sequence, she pursues the Mole Man by herself, then casually insults the rest of the team and puts Reed in his place (although has anyone outside of comics ever referred to someone as “husband-mine?”).


The padded-out story does give Mantlo room for a few running gags, like having Ben encounter obnoxious Yancy Streeters are every turn (incidentally, I’m pretty sure there aren’t any newsboys in NYC in 1978).

I also enjoyed this cameo of Daredevil. It’s completely incidental to the story, but reinforces the idea of all of Marvel’s heroes living in the same world. These little surprises were one of the things I liked most about reading comics as a kid.

What I didn’t like

Whatever Mantlo’s intentions, the central premise of the story felt clunky and forced. The Mole Man is kidnapping ugly people AND blind people? As if they are the same thing? And giving them statues to enjoy? None of it makes much sense and feels half-baked.


And while we have been trained to believe the Mole Man is a formidable opponent, it’s hard to accept he can take down the entire FF by himself. Here, he knocks out Ben with one zap of his staff.


There’s also some sloppiness that speaks to a lack of communication between Mantlo, Wolfman and Buscema. Here, Reed explains the pogo plane is in storage, except the FF just used it to fly to Latveria and back.

And here, Reed claims the flare gun can now fit in the FF’s belts on a shot that shows Sue holding a bulky gun and wearing a skin-tight uniform.


Lastly, Sal Buscema has some strengths as an artist but drawing faces isn’t one of them. Otherwise why would this fireman look so much like Peter Parker?


Anything else?

Fun house ad for Ms. Marvel (later Binary, later Warbird, later Captain Marvel) by Dave Cockrum.


Overall

Meh

“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. 199

30 Sunday Nov 2025

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Fantastic Four 199
“The Son of Doctor Doom!”
Published July 1978
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Pencils: Keith Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Wolfman
Cover: Pollard and Sinnott

Editor’s note: Fantastic Four Annual 13 came out between FF 198 and 199, but it’s a stand alone story so I’m going to finish the Doom / Zorba story arc first and pick up the annual after issue 200.

Synopsis

Dr. Doom advances his scheme to transfer the powers of the Fantastic Four to his son — actually his clone — as part of a scheme to keep Latveria in the United Nations, but faces unrest from the rebels of Latveria. Meanwhile the FF escape captivity but are thwarted by Doom, who has taken Alicia hostage. Doom’s clone then battles Doom, who kills him, setting up a showdown between Doom and Reed in issue 200.


What’s going on here?

This is another uneven story. The basic outlines of the plot are interesting: There’s political intrigue, Doom’s Machiavellian plotting, the FF reunited and the ersatz son of Doom gaining the powers of the FF (although the concept was done better with the Super-Skrull). But it’s all jumbled and incoherent, with Doom’s stated motivation for setting all this in motion — a desire to keep Latveria in the U.N. — absurd on its face. And we never quite learn why he’s transferring his powers to the clone.

What salvages the comics are some excellent action sequences delivered by the steady team of Keith Pollard and Joe Sinnott. There’s nothing flashy about their art but it packs a punch (sometimes literally). And I believe this is the first issue of the FF were Pollard signs the cover with his distinct lower-case signature, one of the best in comics.


What I liked

Here are a handful of the fun action panels in this comic:


I also liked the keyboard- control device Doom uses to power up his clone.


What I didn’t like

Most of the flaws in this comic seem to stem from Wolfman’s lack of understanding of Doom and his character. The Dr. Doom I’m familiar with could care less if Latveria was kicked out of the U.N. (hell, most of the U.S. would feel the same way) and would probably wear it as a badge of honor. I assume the hollow sculpture will house a bomb or some device but would Doom really offer a gift to the U.N.?


Nor would Doom feel the need to explain himself to his subjects, or rationalize his decision to abdicate the throne.


Doom’s clone also had odd moments. Here, he goes out of his way to explain he’s like the Fantastic Four but slightly less so. Then he says he forgot Doom had force shields, one panel before he claims to have all of Doom’s knowledge. Which is it, dude?


And the climax, where Doom’s clone faces Doom to acknowledge his self loathing should have been a powerful moment, but instead feels clumsy.


Lastly, longtime readers of this blog will recall that I was puzzled by how Stan Lee and Jack Kirby wrote and drew may of the robots and androids that populated the book. In their hands, they were often muscled like humans and seemed to speak like humans. We have the same problem here. In the last issue, Doom’s henchmen were discussing their children. But now they seem to have been turned into “servo-robots,” even if they still look pretty human.



Overall

Hit and miss

“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. 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 No. 194

26 Sunday Oct 2025

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Fantastic Four 194
“Vengeance Is Mine!”
Published February 1978
Plot: Len Wein & Keith Pollard
Script: Bill Mantlo
Pencils: Pollard
Inks: Dave Hunt
Letters: Annette Kawecki
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Marv Wolfman
Cover: George Perez

Synopsis

After surviving the crash of the Solar Shuttle, the Thing confronts Darkoth, who eventually overcomes a spell by Diablo and reveals to Ben he is his old friend Desmond Pitts. Ben then battles Diablo and is about to be killed by a solar cannon when Darkoth turns against Diablo, sacrificing himself to save Ben.


What’s going on here?

This comic efficiently wrap up the two-part Ben solo story while resolving the Darkoth storyline. If you didn’t think Darkoth was going to die in some noble fashion, then I guess you haven’t read many comic books. But despite its predictability, it’s a solid story and enhanced by the attractive Keith Pollard/ Dave Hunt artwork.

The next solo story, featuring Sue and the Sub-Mariner, is teased in a short cutaway, but other than that, the story is all Ben’s. No Reed or Johnny.

This the rare FF of this era not inked by Joe Sinnott but Hunt’s inks look great over Pollard’s pencils. Hunt is an interesting case; he seems like a true comic’s journeyman who has hundreds of credits as inker, letterer and colorist, and who spent a big chunk of his career on second- and third-tier titles like The Little Mermaid and Scooby-Doo. This is his second and last issue of the Fantastic Four.

Annette Kawecki is credited as the letterer, her first and only Fantastic Four credit. And George Perez returns to deliver an amazing cover.


What I liked

Even though we could see it coming from a mile away, there was a poignancy to Darkoth reclaiming his humanity by turning on Diablo, knowing it meant his death. Also note the great, over-the-top dialogue by Bill Mantlo, a master of purple prose.


And then, of course, comes his classically melodramatic death scene.


What I didn’t like

Even for a comic book, Diablo’s explanation of how he survived his seeming death and discovered Darkoth is hard to swallow.


Also, these “firehorns” are dumb.


Anything else?

More Star Wars-related ads this month:


Plus some other interesting ads, including another odd one for Pizzaz. Again, I can’t imagine buying this magazine based on these ads.


Overall

A perfectly fine comic book

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 193

19 Sunday Oct 2025

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Fantastic Four 193
“Day of the Death-Demon!”
Published January 1978
Plot: Len Wein and Keith Pollard
Script: Bill Mantlo
Pencils: Pollard
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Françoise Mouly and Janice Cohen
Editor: Marv Wolfman
Cover: Pollard and Sinnott

Synopsis

After the breakup of the Fantastic Four, the Thing is lending his services to NASA as a test pilot. As he prepares for a space shuttle flight, the NASA facility is attacked by Darkoth, the cyborg demon created by Dr. Doom who was supposedly killed with Doom in issue 144. It’s later revealed that Darkoth was once Desmond Pitt, a former test pilot and friend of Ben’s who was accused of selling secrets to Latveria. Darkoth is now under the sway of Diablo, who picks up the pieces of a plot begun by Dr. Doom, who had sabotaged the plans of the space shuttle so it could be controlled by an outside agent. Diablo then attacks the shuttle while Ben is orbiting Earth, and Ben tries to land the craft before it explodes into flame upon crash landing.


What’s going on here?

The recent death of guitarist Ace Frehley (RIP) reminded me of an odd marketing stunt by Kiss. In 1978, the four members simultaneously released four solo albums, before reforming and releasing albums as a band again.

That feels a little like what’s going on during this period of the Fantastic Four. Ostensibly broken up (but, like Kiss, destined to regroup), the team members went off in four separate directions and are having four separate solo adventures. Last issue featured Johnny’s adventures in the wild west, and in that issue and this one, we are teased with glimpses into the current activities of Reed and Sue, which promise to blossom into their own solo stories before the team presumably gets back together before issue 200.

This issue features the return of Darkoth and a noir-ish mystery involving disgraced old friends and sinister plots. It doesn’t always work, but it’s an ambitious attempt and I give the writing troika of Len Wein, Keith Pollard and Bill Mantlo credit for trying it.

This issue marks the first of Pollard’s run on the Fantastic Four, and closes the door on George Perez’s all-too-short stint. Perez will return for two FF annuals, and will continue to draw the Avengers and Marvel Two-in-One before departing permanently for DC in 1980. Perez ultimately drew 17 issues of the FF over three years, and while their quality was uneven, they mark some of the best pencil work on the FF between the Kirby and Byrne runs.

Pollard is a solid artist, but rarely spectacular. I would slot him in a tier with Rich Buckler, Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema: reliable but not terribly exciting. He will work on the FF until issue 206, then have a second run in the late 1980s.


What I liked

As mentioned, the Darkoth / Desmond Pitt storyline gives the story some depth, while also giving us some glimpses into Ben’s previous life as a test pilot. I enjoyed about the mystery unfolds, first with a mysterious phone call:


Then an investigation into Pitt’s disappearance:


And then a flashback:


It’s of course one of those only-in-comic books coincidences that the man Doom turned into Darkoth happened to be an old friend of Ben’s, but it’s still a satisfying development.

I also liked seeing Ben in his element as a pilot, first kibitzing with ground control as Alicia proudly listens in …


… then trying to land a powerless space shuttle …


… a sequence which ends with this dramatic and alarming end to the comic:


What I didn’t like

Darkoth is revealed to be normal-sounding Desmond Pitt, and it’s clear he made the call to Ben, sounding like a normal guy. So then why does he spend the rest of the comic sounding like an Asgardian?


The comic opened in media res, with Darkoth bursting through a wall at NASA. I found it confusing, and I struggled to remember if I missed some issue or scene that had Ben at NASA. And the explanation of how Diablo was taking over Doom’s scene was hard to follow as well.


This sequence with Sue was a bit tedious. It didn’t really advance her story, but offered another lame joke about Hollywood. It also reintroduced the Impossible Man, with whom I thought we were finally done.


Anything else?

More Star Wars merch advertising


Overall

An entertaining comic, mostly