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“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four Annual No. 11

01 Sunday Jun 2025

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Fantastic Four Annual 11
“And Now Then the Invaders!”
Published March 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Sam Grainger
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Editor’s note: As I mentioned a while back, I am tackling this annual out of order, since it appeared after issue 170 and the end of the Power Man story arc. It’s basically a standalone story so it’s

Synopsis

After a training exercise in the Baxter Building, the Fantastic Four discovers they accidentally triggered Dr. Doom’s time machine, and sent back a sample of vibranium to 1942 Germany. As a result, the Nazis were able to build more accurate rockets and conquer the world. The FF travel back in time and joins the WW II super hero team The Invaders to storm Baron Zemo’s castle and thwart his plan to launch the souped up missiles at London. After recovering the vibranium and restoring history, the team returns but the Thing realizes not all the vibranium made it back.


What’s going on here?

This is a fun but uneven comic with a lot to unpack. Notably, it’s the first FF annual with new content since the great Fantastic Four Annual 6 way back in 1968 (there were some Giant-Size FF’s that served the purpose of annuals, although they appeared quarterly).

It’s also the first time the FF encounters the Invaders, a team invented by Roy Thomas that ret-conned a number of World War II-era heroes into a super team. (He may have based his idea on the All-Winners Squad, a Golden-Age comic with some of the same members, but that was released in 1946, after the war). The Invaders debuted in its own comic in 1975 and given all the times the FF comic was used goose the sales of other Marvel titles, it’s probably not too surprising Thomas engineered a cross-over between the two titles.

Thomas had a decades-long fascination with World War II super heroes. Along with the Invaders, he created the Liberty Legion, a sort of B-team led by Bucky that appeared in Marvel Premier. Later, at DC in 1981, he created the All-Star Squadron, a massive team that spun out of the Justice Society and contained just about every Golden Age DC character. Also at DC he created Young All-Stars, a post-crisis version of the All-Star Squadron (which theoretically no longer existed).

In typical Thomas-ian form, Fantastic Four Annual 11 is more convoluted than it needs to be, with lots of exposition and obscure call backs. But it’s also a rollicking read, with clever nods to the paradoxes of time travel and to the novelty of the FF reuniting with characters like Namor and the original Human torch.

In a twist, the story ends on a bit of cliff-hanger, when Ben learns that he has to go back to World War II, a story which takes place in Marvel Two-In-One Annual 1 and features the Liberty Legion.


Fantastic Four Annual 11 is also the first and only work on the FF by inker Sam Grainger, over John Buscema’s pencils. Grainger, who had a two-decade career on titles from Charlton, Marvel, DC and First comics, does serviceable work here. The cover is by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott.

What I liked

As a concept, the story works well. While the details are a little hard to swallow — the FF just happens to knock a tube of vibranium onto the time machine and they just happen to accidentally trigger it and send the tube back to 1942 where it just happens tp fall into the hands of Nazi scientists— the premise is fun. The idea that all Germany needed was more precise rockets with which to defeat Britain, and that vibranium was the one missing ingredient, is an intriguing one and nuanced enough to make the story more effective. It’s another entry in the long line of “What if Hitler won?” future histories covered by authors ranging from Len Deighton to Phillip K. Dick. The panels of the swastikas hanging in New York and London are chilling:


The story also reunites Sue and Namor, leading to some uncomfortable moments for Reed:


I also liked this sequence of Namor going all-out against the Nazis:


There is a lot of banter in this comic, some better than others. I liked this exchange between Ben and Reed, and Ben’s comments are poignant, given what we know is to come (note how different Reed looks when he isn’t inked by Joe Sinnott). “Alley Oop” was a newspaper comic strip.


This climactic sequence was ridiculous but fun.


This is a nice series of panels from Big John Buscema:


What I didn’t like:

There is a lot of heavy-handed explanation in this comic. This sequence is an example:


This was weird and awkward:

As I mention, not all banter is successful. Does Reed really watch Chico and the Man?


Anything else?

There are a few instances where Thomas seems to be poking fun. Here, Ben expresses what we all think about the Watcher, who seems to break his vow of non-interference more often than he upholds it:


And here, alongside a totally inane comment from Sue, Namor seems to echo a line made famous by Tony Curtis, “Yondah lies the castle of my faddah” (although that appears to be an urban myth – Curtis never said that line).


Overall

A surpisingly satisfying comic

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

26 Monday May 2025

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Fantastic Four 175
“When Giants Walk the Sky!”
Published July 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Buscema
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Jan Cohen
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

The High Evolutionary, with the help of the Fantastic Four, attempt to stop Galactus from devouring Counter Earth. At the last moment, the Invisible Girl seemingly appears and offers Galactus a new world, one she has just returned from. Galactus agrees, but after consuming it, becomes incapacitated and the High Evolutionary de-volves him to a state of pure energy. The Invisible Girl is revealed to the the Impossible Man, who offered his own planet Poppup to Galactus because his people’s shared consciousness means they had no need for a planet. The real Invisible Girl returns and lastly, Ben Grimm reverts to his Thing form, a result of Galactus zapping him with cosmic energy.


What’s going on here

This issue is very much a mixed bag. There’s some clever ideas here and the long-awaited confrontation between the High Evolutionary and Galactus begins on a strong note, but like many of Roy Thomas’s arcs, it fizzles out anti-climactically. The Impossible Man reveal feels too deus ex machina (although it’s totally in keeping with Thomas’s love of obscure call-backs) and the idea his people would sacrifice their planet makes little sense. Unlike the stories of the Lee / Kirby era, where Reed would whip up some solution to save the day, Thomas delivers another storyline where the FF are reduced to spectators as events swirl around them.

One note on the art: John Buscema handles both pencils and inks, filling in for Joe Sinnott. As a result, his characters look a bit more Busecma-esque (in fact, in some places they look as if they were drawn by Sal Buscema, John’s younger brother). Check out the close up of Reed below.


I was surprised to learn this was only the second appearance of the Impossible Man, a character so annoying it feels like he’s always showing up. Marvel’s version of Mr. Mxyptlk — another insufferable character — he first appeared way back in FF 11, and will hang around for the next several issues. I will try to keep an open mind but I am dreading these stories.

Kirby and Joe Sinnott return for the cover, which is stronger than their last few.


What I liked

Ben’s reversion back to his Thing form at the hands of Galactus was well done. Ben wasn’t going to remain in the exoskeleton forever, and if Thomas needed a mechanism to change him back, the wrath of Galactus feels like a good choice.


I also liked the posturing and pompous boasting between the High Evolutionary and Galactus. This was the clash this arc promised, but besides a few panels, didn’t really deliver.


What I didn’t like

I’ve detailed my bigger complaints with this issue above, but here are few other nits to pick:

As I’ve mentioned, I hate it when writers force Galactus into physical fights with lesser foes. He should be above such things.


The devolution of Galactus was also peculiar. It’s an interesting way to remove him from the board (although of course it won’t be permanent) but I’m not sure it’s very successful.


Anything else?

Here’s a Bullpen Bulletin notice that Archie Goodwin is taking over as editor, the fifth in four years in an era that led to lots of instability in the comics. This run of editors reminds me of late Rome, where emperors were crowned and deposed every few months.

Goodwin would last two years before he was replaced by Jim Shooter, who will hold the job for a decade and put his own stamp, for better or worse, on Marvel and comics in general.



Overall

A disappointing conclusion to a fun arc.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 171

20 Sunday Apr 2025

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Fantastic Four 171
“Death is a Golden Gorilla!”
Published March 1976
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils : Rich Buckler and George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Jack Kirby and Sinnott

Editor’s note: This issue came out a few weeks after Fantastic Four Annual 11, so these reviews are out of order, but I’ll get to the annual soon, I promise.

Synopsis

The story opens in the Baxter Building where a de-powered Ben is getting used to his new exoskeleton while the Invisible Girl expands her powers in a training session. Meanwhile, Johnny and his new girlfriend, Frankie, stroll through Central Park discussing his future away from the Fantastic Four when a spaceship lands and a glowing yellow gorilla emerges. The gorilla quickly growing in size and climbs the Baxter Building, where it grabs the Sue. The FF battle the monster and after it is defeated, it reveals it can speak, and that it came to Earth seeking help combating Galactus.


What’s going on here?

This issue isn’t as bad as I anticipated, given the cover and subject. It’s not great, but it could have been so much worse. As an FF story goes, it follows the formula laid down by Stan and Jack: hi-jinx in the Baxter Building are followed by the team battling some threat. Unfortunately, in this issue, the threat is pretty ridiculous, and despite all the King Kong jokes, still feels like a King Kong rip-off, right down to Sue playing Fay Wray.


The story is redeemed a bit by the twist at the end, and by the interpersonal dramas, between Ben and Reed, Ben and Sue, and Johnny and Frankie. George Perez does a solid job on art, although the first three pages are by Rich Buckler.

The cover is by Jack Kirby, although it’s pretty hard to tell.

What I liked

This exchange between Ben and Sue was interesting. Here, she explains how her powers are more than just invisibility and force fields, and that it’s closer to telekinesis, a long-overdue expansion of her abilities. There’s also a poignant suggestion about Ben and Alicia one day having kids, something that takes almost 50 more years.

Sue’s line about taking a shower is a bit oddly timed.

I also liked the exploration of Johnny’s relationship with Frankie (the line about the old Central Park zoo being smelly was dead on):

And here we get a peek at Johnny’s inner turmoil, and a hint about Frankie’s background:


Here, Sue uses her expanded powers while making a crack about all the times she was held hostage in the early days of the FF (more than a dozen times, by my count):


What I didn’t like

Besides the giant gold glowing gorilla?

I also didn’t like Ben grousing about his loss of powers. With the exoskeleton, he’s got the best of both worlds. He should be happy while it lasts (because of course it won’t):


Overall

Meh.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 166

16 Sunday Mar 2025

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Fantastic Four 166
“If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be The Hulk!”
Published October 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Rich Buckler and Dan Adkins

Synopsis

At the behest of the military, the Fantastic Four are flying west to find the Hulk, whom Mr. Fantastic thinks he can prevent from transforming from Bruce Banner with a device of his invention. Their plane is damaged by the Hulk, and after the FF help with an emergency landing, the team eventually captures the Hulk and helps the military secure him. But when it’s clear the authorities aren’t releasing Banner to the FF as agreed, the Thing frees him and joins the Hulk to fight the military.


What’s going on here?

This a bit of an odd issue. The mission to end Banner’s transformations into the Hulk seems to come out of nowhere, and it feels more like an opportunity to get the Hulk on the cover than to tell a good story. The story is padded out with a long sequence of the FF rescuing the plane (and with two pages for letters) but it picks up toward the end.

What’s most alarming about this comic are the inks of Vince Colletta, who is filling in for the Joe Sinnott. Colletta is infamous among comic book fans for butchering Jack Kirby’s work on Thor (it’s well documented here), and he’s accused of taking shortcuts and even erasing details that would take too long to ink. I always felt the criticism was probably over the top, given the passions Kirby evokes in his fans, and that Colletta was a journeyman professional who was doing a job as best he knew how (he is credited with working on more than 1,600 comics over the length of his 40+ year career).

But he does George Perez no favors in this comic. There is a distinct lack of Perez’s signature detail, and his faces look frozen and static. Here’s a good example:

It’s almost unrecognizable as Perez, and even though this is early in Perez’s career, we saw in the last two issues (inked by Sinnott) that many of his characteristics were apparent even at this stage.

In last month’s letters page there was an explanation that regular FF penciler Rich Buckler was unavailable for some reason, and that Perez was pressed into service. It’s possible he had to rush to complete this issue, and was only able to do layouts, leaving emergency inker Colletta the task of finishes. (The padded story and the double letter page would support that theory). In any event, the art in this comic is an unfortunate disappointment after the brilliant FF debut of Perez in the last two issues.

And one footnote: the cover by Buckler was inked by Dan Adkins, a longtime comics inker doing his first work on the Fantastic Four.

What I liked

Despite the shaky premise, the story becomes a good one as the plot develops and Ben’s outrage over the treatment of the Hulk — in his eyes, a fellow monster — at the hands of the military builds from a simmer to boil. His decision to free Banner is genuinely surprising. This is a pretty dramatic sequence, enhanced by Perez’s layouts, which build from an 11-panel page (!) to a great splash:


I also liked how matter-of-factly the FF defeated the Hulk. Granted, the Hulk in this comics isn’t the absurdly over-powered creature he has since become, but it was fun to see them work together as a smooth and efficient team, and where Sue plays a leading role.


And speaking of Sue, this was a fun exchange (this panel follows the “Fkoom!” panel higher up in this post):


What I didn’t like

As mentioned earlier, this story feels padded and contrived, never more so than in the opening sequence, where the FF are flying in a commercial airline — it’s not explained why they’re not in one of their own planes — which just happens to be accidentally clipped by the Hulk. It’s all a set up for the FF to land the plane, but it really serves no narrative purpose. Also, there are some really ungainly poses in this panel (and whose kid is that?).


When the FF scramble to rescue the crashing plane, Reed directs Johnny to burn a hole in he fuselage so they can exit the plane. But why not just open a door?


Overall

A bit of a mess

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 165

09 Sunday Mar 2025

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Fantastic Four 165
“The Light of Other Worlds!”
Published September 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: George Perez
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Ron Wilson and Joe Sinnott

Synopsis

Mr. Fantastic begins investigating the Crusader, who defeated the Human Torch last issue and has been on a rampage, destroying banks across New York City. When he attacks a branch in the Bronx, the FF confront him and he reveals he was once the golden age hero Marvel Boy and is now enacted revenge on the banks that prevented him from saving the people of his home world, Uranus (really). Reed deduces his powers are light-generated, and by blotting out the sun the FF are able to defeat him.


What’s going on here

While not quite as tightly paced as the last issue, this comic is a satisfying conclusion to the Crusader story. In the letters page, it is revealed this two-part story was originally intended to be a a single-issue story in Giant-Size Fantastic Four 6, but when that series was canceled, the story was split into two with a few pages added (interestingly, they chose not to simply make it an annual). The note apologies for any dropped plot points — I didn’t detect any— but this issue does feel padded, with a climactic fight scene that lasts longer than it really needs to.

Roy Thomas provides a lengthy and convoluted origin of the Crusader, whose campaign against the banks makes him sound like a super-powered Luigi Mangione. It’s all pretty ridiculous, and it’s clear the Crusader is only in this comics because of Thomas’s affection for obscure characters from the golden and silver ages.

(This origin would eventually be retconned away, and the Crusader is now an Eternal named Thelius who believed himself to be Marvel Boy).

George Perez is back on art duty, and like last issue, he adds his characteristic attention to detail and masterful use of panels. The cover is by Ron Wilson, with Joe Snnott’s inks. At this point Wilson had been around for a few years but this is his first work on the FF. He would go on to draw dozens of issues of Marvel Two-in-One and its successor book, The Thing, becoming one of the definitive pencilers of Benjamin J. Grimm. As far as I can tell, he is the first Black artist to work on an issue of the FF and he would later go on to draw some fill-in issues. The cover is unfortunately marred by some very silly dialogue (and what exactly is the North Bronx? Riverdale? Co-Op City? Van Cortland Park?)


What I liked

Perez again does some great work. I particularly enjoyed this sequence:


And this one, which is a great example of how he uses tiny panels to amazing effect:


Thomas again pokes some fun at the Distinguished Competition in this sequence:


What I didn’t like

As seen above, the Crusader speaks in absurdly grandiloquent phrases (to the extent that Johnny actually makes fun of him at one point). Nothing about his character suggests he’s a former hero from Earth, or that he was any doubts or hesitation about what he’s doing. He’s unfortunately paper-thin as a villain, and Thomas squanders the opportunity to delve into his background to create an interesting resolution to the story. He really could have been any of a number of anonymous bad guys.

Also, this page is just weird, both for Johnny’s off-hand disregard of the Bronx, a borough where 2 million people live, and for Ben’s bizarre recollection that he went to Giants baseball games there. As virtually anyone who lived in New York at that point would know, the Polo Grounds were in upper Manhattan. Thomas’s Missouri origins were never more apparent. Perez does draw a snazzy Fantasticar, though.


Anything else?

There’s another letter from longtime comics creator Peter B. Gillis in this issue, just three years before he has his first credit as a Captain America writer. Also on the page is the editor’s note about why the story was was split in two, and the explanation of why Rich Buckler didn’t draw it. The anonymous author of the response to Gillis — probably Thomas — was wrong about one thing: Buckler wasn’t around for a long time to come. He would go on to draw just two more issues before Perez took over more or less full-time.


There is also a fun ad for Marvel’s Treasury Editions. Just in case anyone is worried I dropped the ball, the FF’s Treasury Edition contains only reprints.



Overall

Solid comic book storytelling

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 163

23 Sunday Feb 2025

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Fantastic Four 163
“Finale!”
Published July 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Don Warfield
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Bucker and Sinnott

Synopsis

In hyperspace, the Thing battles Arkon’s champion Gaard, who is trying to prevent Ben from closing a window that would allow a nuclear war on three realities to power Arkon’s world. Meanwhile, Johnny and Reed Richards from an alternative Earth, whom in that world became the Thing, battle and defeat Arkon. With the help of Mr. Fantastic, Ben defeats Gaard, who is revealed to be a mind-controlled Johnny Storm of that world.


What’s going on here?

When I first began this blog, I was eager to read through the legendary Lee / Kirby run, and to revisit the Byrne run, my first introduction to the Fantastic Four. But I was apprehensive about the issues in between, from FF 103 to 231, which — despite the work of stellar artists like John Buscema and George Perez — seemed like a repository of a lot of mediocre dreck. And symbolic of that mediocrity to me was Gaard, a villain I knew only from the cover but that seemed utterly ridiculous and unworthy of the grandeur of the Fantastic Four. The team that battled Dr. Doom and Galactus is now fighting an outer-space hockey goalie? Seriously?

After reading this comic, my worst fears were confirmed. This is, in fact, a pretty lame issue and Gaard is silly concept, an apparent ripoff of the Silver Surfer and Black Racer, two Jack Kirby-designed characters that travel through space with sports-like apparatus. As Gaard fights Ben, there are sports-adjacent references aplenty, from Ben having to wear skate-like devices to move through hyperspace to the puck-like gizmo he needs to hurtle through Gaard’s “goal.” The sportsball nature of it all is summed up here:

I couldn’t find any documentation about the creation of Gaard, just a comment in a blog that Roy Thomas intended him as a parody of Black Racer and that he later regretted using such a silly concept in a story with a heavier tone. Which make sense, but it’s unfortunate because up until this comic, the four-issue arc was actually pretty fun, with a zillion of Thomas’s ideas colliding and heading toward what could have been a satisfying ending. But the result is an anti-climactic finish that feels slapped together, with both Reed and Sue on the sidelines, Johnny and Earth-2 Reed defeating Arkon without too much trouble and, as seen above, the nexus closing with a whimper.

My only hope is that this comic is the low point of the stretch between Lee / Kirby and Byrne, and everything from here is an improvement.

One more note: Don Warfield is credited as colorist, his first and as far as I can tell, last Fantastic Four credit.

What I liked

Gaard’s dialogue is just completely over the top and bombastic. Not sure where he learned to talk like this, particularly if he’s that Earth’s version of Johnny.


This reunion between Ben and Alicia was sweet and fun.


What I didn’t like

Alongside the aforementioned Gaard nonsense is the question of his identity, which is hinted at by both Ben and Gaard as they battle, but ultimately plays no role in the outcome, and is instead a meaningless footnote. (Gaard would later remerge as the super-powered villain Vangaard in Fantastic Force, a 1990s FF spinoff that I know virtually nothing about.)


The defeat of Arkon is also perfunctory and unsatisfying. As a character, Arkon never seems fully developed and in this story appears to be like a King knockoff dressed as a barbarian.

Anything else?

A lengthy note in Bullpen Bulletins announced the return of Jack Kirby to Marvel. It says nothing about where he went or why he returned, which is perhaps to be expected, but hints at the creation of the Eternals and notes Kirby will be taking over Captain America.


Overall

Disappointing on multiple levels

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 162

15 Saturday Feb 2025

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Fantastic Four 162
“The Shape Of Things To Come!”
Published: June 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Phil Rachelson
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Buckler and Sinnott

Synopsis

The conflict between three dimensions, which began last issue, escalates and it is revealed that Arkon, the barbarian ruler of yet another dimension, used the apparent businessman Mr. Devoor to goad the three into a nuclear war that will power his planet. The Fantastic Four averts a major inter-dimensional conflict and, following a plan devised by Mr. Fantastic, prepare to thwart Arkon’s plans.


What’s going on here?

After introducing a bewildering number of plot elements over the last two issues, Roy Thomas finally allows things to gel. The story is still convoluted and relies on a lot of coincidences and unlikely occurrences (such as when the Human Torch leads an invading army across dimension, it just happens to arrive on the same Manhattan block as the two Things) but the basic outlines are at least clear. Thomas recognized the mess he created and provides a pair of diagrams to explain the story, something I don’t think I’ve seeing a comic before:

(and as someone who has read both, this is more complicated than War and Peace)

The comic concludes with a preview of the next issue’s villain, the one and only Gaard. I’ll have a lot more to say about Gaard next week, but here’s a peek:

Yes, he’s dressed like a hockey goalie. And yes, Ben makes a reference to Sonja Henie, the Norwegian ice skating Olympian and movie actress.

New credit alert: “Phil Rache” is credited as the colorist on this issue, his first on the Fantastic Four. His full name is Phil Rachelson — I assume it was trimmed for space—and he worked for both Marvel and DC from 1974 to 1981.


What I liked

Thomas does a lot of work in the comic to explain his intricate plot. Not all of it makes much sense, but I did like this detail, that on three dimensions Mr. Devoor used three companies with different names but the same initials (although Reed actually goofs on the name of one, which should be Interlocking Technologies):


I also liked the concept of a meeting of the two Things, one Reed Richards and the other Ben Grimm:


And this was an amusing interaction between Ben and Johnny, who has assumed the mantle of leader of the Fifth Dimension’s army:


What I didn’t like

There is a lot of exposition in the comic, including over this double-paged spread:


Reed acts surprisingly thuggish here:


Anything else?

A somber note in the Bullpen Bulletins about the passing of Artie Simek, who lettered dozens of issues of the FF:


This house ad for subscriptions reveals just how many books Marvel was publishing at the time. No wonder these comics feel like barely controlled chaos. It’s also interesting how many horror, war, western and romance comics were being published (also, can you imagine waiting 10 weeks for the delivery of your first comic?):


These are interesting choices for baseball players, especially since there are 150 in the set. Was Joe Rudi that big a star in 1975?


Overall

A bit of a mess, but fun

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 161

09 Sunday Feb 2025

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Fantastic Four 161
“All The World Wars At Once!”
Published May 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joe Rosen
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Buckler and Sinnott

Synopsis

The comic opens with Mr. Fantastic testing his powers, and concluding they are fading, thus limiting his value to the team. The Human Torch, frustrated with Reed’s decision to sell the FF’s company, journeys to the Fifth Dimension to reunite with Valeria, only to be sucked into a battle with giant robots, apparently created by Reed Richards. Meanwhile, the Thing, on an Earth in another dimension, battles dinosaurs before he is subdued by the Ben Grimm of that Earth. Back on the primary earth (or Earth 1 or Earth 616 if you prefer) Reed and Sue prepare for an invasion from the Fifth Dimension, seemingly led by Johnny.


What’s going on here?

Just when I thought the last issue was peak Roy Thomas, he goes even further. Instead of a story spanning two dimensions, he has now added a third (confusingly called the Fifth Dimension), and each seems to be in conflict with another. Arkon, whom we might have expected to be the primary villain of this arc, has disappeared and the bad guy now seems to be the Reed Richards of the alternate Earth, who is that Earth’s Thing and has apparently sent giant robots to conquer the Fifth Dimension.

The comic is at times confusing — particularly since it backs into the story after a lengthy, seemingly unrelated opening sequence concerning Reed and his powers — but its complexity gives it a welcome richness and it’s crammed with ideas that will reappear in comics again and again. The scene of dinosaurs and vikings running amok, for example, feels like something directly out of Crisis on Infinite Earths, a comic which won’t come out for another 10 years. And the extra-dimensional, evil doppelgänger of a hero is now a recurring device, from Dark Beast to The Maker.


Thomas being Thomas, he can’t help but show off his erudition by dropping a reference to the Elder Edda. He also drops in some snide references to the Distinguished Competition, certainly not knowing he would be working for DC in seven years.


What I liked

Along with the aforementioned depth of storytelling from Thomas, it seems Rich Buckler has upped his game. After a few uninspiring issues, his layouts in this comic are more dynamic, and show an imaginative use of perspective and angles. Here’s a simple sequence with four panels, all with different perspectives that help tell the story:

Here’s another one (also, note how different the dinosaur’s teeth look from the cover):


As mentioned last issue, Thomas has been pulling the FF closer to the rest of the Marvel universe. Here’s another example, where he references Professor X (and frankly, the whole opening sequence, with Mr. Fantastic testing himself in his version of the Danger Room, would have felt at home in an X-Men comic):


There’s some interesting political commentary too, with Nelson Rockefeller president of Earth 2 (I’m just going to call it that). Rockefeller was vice president when this comic was published in 1975, having been appointed to the position by President Gerald Ford after he assumed the presidency when Nixon resigned. Ben’s comment about not voting for Rockefeller or Ford for president of Earth 2 is a bit odd, since no one voted for them on Earth 1 either (or maybe that’s his point).


What I didn’t like

Sue is back on the team, but her role now, as in years past, mostly seems to be fretting. And Reed is again lying to her to protect her.


When Johnny is attacked in the Fifth Dimension, the guards there just happen to have rifles that shoot … ice. Pretty convenient.


Anything else?

The story’s title was borrowed from a short science-fiction story by George Alec Effinger, which is credited by Thomas. I’m not familiar with Effinger’s work, but he was active and prolific from the 70s through the 90s, and wrote some stories for Marvel’s horror magazines in 1972.


Overall

More Thomasian fun

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 160

02 Sunday Feb 2025

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Fantastic Four 160
“In One World and Out the Other!”
Published April 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Chic Stone
Letters: Raymond Holloway
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Gil Kane and Al Milgrom

Synopsis

The issue opens with Arkon, a barbarian warrior from another dimension, and the Thing battling in midtown Manhattan, but Alicia Masters discovers that this Thing is not the man she knows. Back at the Baxter Building, the Ben Grimm of this Earth summons Lockjaw to teleport him to the dimension where the other Thing originated. There, after battling robot monsters and encountering a human version of himself, he discovers he is on the alternate Earth he visited in FF 118, one where Reed Richards became the Thing. Meanwhile, on our Earth, Mr. Fantastic announces plans to sell the Fantastic Four’s holding company over the objections of his teammates, a move that is somehow connected to the alternate Earth.


What’s going on here?

This issue is jam packed, and there’s a lot to discuss. The bottom line, however, is that it’s a really good comic — fun, interesting and suspenseful, the way Fantastic Four comics should be. It’s also irrefutably a Roy Thomas creation, and bears lots of his signatures: an intricate plot, dimension hopping, call-backs to older comics and his insufferable narration. For me, the ultimate validation of this comic is that I was eager to read the next one.

The length of my synopsis above signals the story’s complexity. While a Gerry Conway plot could be summarized in a sentence or two, Thomas’s takes four. The story begin abruptly, and confusingly, with the Thing (so far as we know) battling Arkon, an Avengers villain created by Thomas, and another indication of how Thomas is drawing the FF closer to the rest of the Marvel universe. In another call-back, he then takes Ben to an alternate universe created during Archie Goodwin’s brief run running the comic in one of the most imaginative (and shortest) FF stories, one in which only Ben and Reed took the ill-fated rocket trip, and where Reed becomes the Thing.


All of it is complicated by Reed’s surprising decision to sell the FF’s holding company. The move takes the comic into the world of business and finance, a category of subplot which rarely works out but here seems to hold together. Also, Reed giving himself controlling interest seems on brand for his depictions from this era.

Also of note is the return of John Buscema, here inked by Chic Stone, as artist. It’s only a one-issue fill in, and since Buscema’s work here looks rushed, I’m guessing it was a last-minute thing. Another new credit: Raymond Holloway as letterer, his first and last time lettering the FF, although he worked at Marvel for two decades. As far as I am aware, Holloway is the first Black creator to have a Fantastic Four credit, and you can read a bit more about him here.

Lastly, the cover is by Gil Kane and Al Milgrom. The Hank Aaron reference is an interesting one; by the spring of 1975 Aaron had passed Babe Ruth as baseball’s all-time hime run hitter, and was a big enough star that he could be mentioned on the cover of comic book. While some racist fans mourned the dethroning of the Babe, Ben Grimm clearly wasn’t one of them (and it’s maybe worth noting the Thing on this cover is definitely Ben, not Reed, a bit of misdirection).


What I liked

Thomas has a lot of fun writing Ben, and he imbues him with an intelligence that some other writers ignore in favor of his wise cracking or woe-is-me pathos. This is the version of Ben that is on display in Marvel Two-in-One, the comic he starred in with a guest for 100 issues.

Here, Ben goofs around with Lockjaw:


For some reason, Lockjaw first teleports them to a Ditko-esque dimension, which looks cool but has little to do the story:


Another fun Thomasian flourish was Alicia’s interaction with a cabbie who is spooked to go near the Baxter Building:


The cabbie, of course, is referring to this sequence all the way back in Fantastic Four 1, and the introduction of the Invisible Girl (he dressed a little better in 1961):


What I didn’t like

As always, Thomas is in love with the sound of his own voice (figuratively speaking) and his self-referential narration can get very annoying. Here, for whatever reason, he seems to be making some commentary about the evening TV news:


And here, more unnecessary patter:


Thomas’s intricate, science fiction plots require a lot of explanation, which often means lots of expository dialogue. In some cases, it just about crowds out the art, as in these panels:


Anything else?

In perhaps another sign that Thomas wanted a break from the Conway era, this issue debuts a new Fantastic Four cover logo, just the third in the book’s history.

The first, of course, is the classic 60s logo, designed by Sal Brodsky:



According to longtime comic scholar Mark Evanier, via Todd Klein’s blog, it was inspired by the 1959 Twilight Zone TV show logo and which captured the spirit Stan Lee wanted in the comic.


That FF logo was modified slightly, in part to accommodate the iconic Marvel corner box, which first appeared on the cover of FF 14. By the early 70s, it’s blockier and with shadow, and the letters don’t have the same zany flair, but it’s still recognizably the same.


But that logo was dropped altogether in issue 119, in favor of a blockier logo that perhaps was a better fit for the new cover style which fit the art into a box (and which, for the record, I hated).


The new logo, which will last until issue 218, when it will revert back to the 60s logo, is an improvement over the previous one and has a zingy, sci-fi quality to it. It’s biggest departure, however, is dropping the corer box in far of four portraits of the FF (and maybe Marvel waited for Medusa to leave the team so it could include the original four on the logo).


Also, some fun ads in this comic.

Electroman wants to get you a job! (I wonder if any artist will admit to drawing this)


And is there anything more ’70s than custom van-interior upholstering?


Overall

Comics like they should be!

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 159

26 Sunday Jan 2025

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Fantastic Four 159
“Havoc in the Hidden Land!”
Published March 1975
Writer: Roy Thomas
Pencils: Rich Buckler
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: Joseph Rosen
Colors: Janice Cohen
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Buckler and Sinnott

Synopsis

With Quicksilver, the Fantastic Four — minus the Invisible Girl, who was forbidden to come — travel to the Hidden Land in the Himalayas to rescue the Inhumans, where they are immediately captured by Xemu, the tyrant from the Fifth Dimension. In captivity, Johnny is reunited with Valeria, a princess from the Fifth Dimension he last encountered years ago. To force Black Bolt to power his sonic cannon, Xemu both threatens Medusa and tries to provoke an air strike by China. His plan is foiled by the Invisible Girl, who stowed aboard and used her powers to disguise the Hidden Land from the Chinese air force. The rest of the team and the Inhumans, freed by Triton, subdue Xemu and return him to the Fifth Dimension.


What’s going on here?

With this issue, Roy Thomas really puts his stamp on the Fantastic Four, undoing a slew of changes that had been introduced over Gerry Conway’s tenure as writer. Most notable is the return of the Invisible Girl as a member of the team. But Thomas also gives Johnny back his old blue uniform and dismisses Medusa from the team — both on the same page — reversing two changes to the FF that added little and distracted from their unified, familial nature that makes the team unique.

Readers of this blog know I have been very critical of the treatment of Medusa, who never found her place on the team, and especially of Sue, who spent the last two-plus years shunted aside, figuratively and sometimes literally. Sue’s diminished status is nothing new, of course, and was a fixture of the Lee / Kirby era. Her treatment surely reflected the sexism of the time, but her more recent exclusion from the team was perhaps also the result of an inability by Conway (who, remember, was in his early 20s) to imagine a role for a young mother on a superhero team. In the comics, her exclusion was justified by Reed being over-protective, and in some revealing dialogue early in FF 159, Ben makes the case she should join them, perhaps another case of Thomas using the characters to argue with other FF writers.


At this point in the comics I was resigned to yet another issue without Sue, and was genuinely surprised when she not only appeared, but saved the day with new and expanded powers. Thomas, it seems, was as frustrated with Sue’s marginalization as this fan.


And like a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, all is wrapped up and forgiven in the last few panels.


What I liked

I loved Sue’s dramatic re-emergence, but Thomas also managed to surprise me with the sequence where the FF are imprisoned. This is a pretty familiar situation, and they usually use some aspect of their powers to escape, but here they are rescued by Triton, whose absence was explained last issue. This was another twist I didn’t see coming.


Thomas leans into soap opera by reintroducing Valeria, the alien princess Johnny had a dalliance with years ago and — as is his wont — jilted. I like how she reminded him that he ghosted her.


I’m not sure Valeria is the right woman for Johnny and history will prove she is not, but I like that Thomas is trying to make a clean break with Crystal and that mopey storyline.


What I didn’t like

Despite the many positive aspects of this comic, it’s plot was pretty lackluster and by-the-numbers. The FF are captured by an evil-doer, it all looks hopeless, they escape and save the day. This story was at times incoherent, in part because of Xemu’s dimension-hopping, but it was mostly forgettable.

Rich Buckler’s art looks rushed and unimaginative in this issue, which doesn’t help matters.

Also, what is a “lethargizer?”


About that name

“Valeria” is a familiar name to Fantastic Four fans, and the character in FF 159 is one of three to share it. She’s also the first, since her first appearance in 1962’s Strange Tales 103 predates the appearance of Victor Von Doom’s first true love, a Latverian woman named Valeria, who is first mentioned in 1969’s Marvel Super-Heroes 20. It is that Valeria who is the namesake of Valeria Richards, the daughter of Reed and Sue who was delivered by Doom and who claimed the right to name her.

Marvel Super-Heroes 20 was written by Larry Leiber (Stan’s brother) and I don’t know whether he was aware of the previous Valeria, who seemed like a throwaway character until she was resuscitated by Thomas. It is possible both characters were named after Valerie Barclay, a comic book inker who worked at Marvel (then Timely) in the 1950 who was described by artist Allen Bellman as “an exquisitely beautiful young lady.”


Overall

A very welcome return makes up for a dull story.