“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 141

10 Saturday Aug 2024

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1973, Annhilus, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 141, Franklin Richards, Gerry Conway, John Buscema, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 141
“The End of the Fantastic Four!”
Published Sept. 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: John Romita

Synopsis

After capturing the now helpless Fantastic Four — plus Sue, Franklin, Agatha Harkness and Wyatt Wingfoot — in his Negative Zone stronghold, Annihilus taps Franklin’s comic powers in order to drain them. The FF escape, free Franklin and returns to the Baxter Building, where Reed, fearing Franklin’s powers will destroy the solar system, zaps him with a device that renders him a vegetable. Horrified, Ben declares this is the end of the Fantastic Four.

What’s going on here?

This is a heavy issue. I’m not particularly sure it’s a well-written story, but it has big themes and consequences. The big revelation is that Franklin possesses enormous power that threaten all of existence. His powers had been teased at for years now, but this is the first indication of their scope, and it’s a development that has major ramifications for not just the Fantastic Four but the Marvel universe for decades to come. As but one example, the mid-90s Onslaught storyline, which resulted in the cancellation and reboot of most of Marvel’s mainstream comics, was facilitated by Franklin creating a pocket universe. At some point he is identified as a mutant, although he’s not labeled one here.

It’s not clear who came up with the idea of giving Franklin these god-like powers. In an interview, Stan Lee said after they decided for Reed and Sue to have a child, he and Jack Kirby envisioned him having powers, and liked the idea of keeping readers guessing what they might be. It seems like Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway took that idea and ran with it. His powers have resulted in a lot of interesting stories, but also some petty tedious ones as well.

From my perspective, a super-powered Franklin is a mixed blessing. There is something compelling about the idea of a child with these immense powers, and when they are unleashed in the hands of a great writer, it can be a lot of fun. Hickman’s future Franklin battling Celestials and summoning Galactus might be as good as it gets (from FF 604, art by Steve Epting and Rick Magyar).

But for every fun story, there’s a lot of uneven ones about Franklin’s powers run amok, or Franklin in danger. And when taken together, they tend to reflect poorly and Reed and Sue as parents who are constantly exposing their child to danger.

The other big development is Reed’s panicked decision to depower Franklin, and — it appears — effectively lobotomize him. It’s not the first, and certainly not the last, example of Reed prioritizing the good of humanity or the universe of over personal needs or desires, but it’s a poignant one. Of course, we know know that Franklin eventually recovers but for readers at the time, this must have felt like a pretty significant episode in the marriage of Reed and Sue and the future of the FF.

What I liked

I did appreciate how the stakes were ratcheted up in this story, and how Conway finally resolved long-hanging plot points, such as the disappearance of Agatha Harkness’s house way back in issue 134. Unlike Lee and Kirby, who rarely seemed to plot more than an issue or two in advance, Thomas and Conway unspool their subplots over months, creating bread crumbs for readers to follow. Even in this issue, which wraps up a long arc, Conway teases another story featuring Alicia Masters.

This form of story development isn’t always successful, but it suggests a respect for their readers’ ability to handle complicated ongoing stories. Chris Claremont would of course take this style of storytelling to absurd lengths, letting plots tangle for years, some never to be resolved.

I also enjoyed this splash from Buscema and Sinnott, which has a Kirby-ersque flair.

What I didn’t like

Despite the major themes introduced in this comic, the story itself wasn’t very interesting or well constructed. Basically, Annihilus captures the FF, they escape and defeat him. There’s not a lot of nuance, and it all feels pretty rote until we get to the climax.

One of my gripes about the Conway era has been how underutilized Medusa has been. Here, he rectifies that in the most obvious and silly way possible (Annihilus has imprisoned the FF in a room with an open window???).

We also get this unfortunate exchange between Wyatt — even more under-utilized in this issue than Medusa — and Johnny.

Overall

A pivotal issue the history of the Fantastic Four

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 140

04 Sunday Aug 2024

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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1973, Annhilus, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 140, John Buscema, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 140
“Annihilus Revealed!”
Published August 1973
Writer: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: George Roussos
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Rich Buckler and Frank Giacoia

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four receive a distress call from Sue about Franklin’s manifesting powers, and while they race to find her in Pennsylvania, she is summoned elsewhere by Agatha Harkness. Meanwhile, Annihilus invades the Baxter Building, defeating the returning Fantastic Four and sending them to the Negative Zone before disclosing his origin to Wyatt Wingfoot.

What’s going on here?

There’s a lot packed into this issue, which appears to be Gerry Conway’s first as full writer (up to this point he was credited only as a scripter, with Roy Thomas handling the plots). The highlight is the return of Annihilus, one of the FF’s best villains. and one who has been absent for a few years. The Annhilus plot was cooking in the background last issue, while the Franklin storyline has been developing for a few issues now, and it’s still not clear how (or if) they are related. We also get Annhilus’s complicated backstory, and a lot of inter-team bickering between Ben, Reed and Medusa.

Oddly, the story is interrupted by the events of another comic, Sub-Mariner 67, which doesn’t really effect the flow of this comic, but is blamed by the Thing for the FF not being able to find Sue.

In Sub-Mariner 67, Namor is stricken by a nerve gas, and Triton the Inhuman brings him to the Baxter Building so Reed can save him. Naturally, a fight breaks out. (Story by Steve Gerber, art by Don Heck and Frank Bolle).

Also of note, the cover of FF 140 is drawn by Rich Buckler (with inks by Frank Giacoia), who will go on to replace John Buscema as the lead artist in a few issues. The cover, with its panels, is unusual, but seems perfectly engineered to appeal to 12 year-old comic buyers.

What I liked

The back-and-forth between Ben and Reed was nicely handled by Conway, who seems to understand a friendship that’s both turbulent but build on longstanding respect and mutual history. Here, Ben tells off Reed:

Then, after Reed goes ballistic when Sue calls for help, Ben is reassuring:

I also liked this near-splash page of Agatha Harkness by Buscema and Sinnott:

What I didn’t like

The last third or so of the comic is devoted to Annhilus telling his origin to Wyatt. It’s impossibly convoluted, since it involves his putting on a helmet left by a long-dead alien race in the Negative Zone, and then relating the narration of that species. So we are reading a story told by Annihilus to Wyatt that was told to Annihilus by this other race. And none of it seems particularly relevant to the story.

Anything else?

These look cool

Overall

The return of Annihilus lifts its grade to a solid B.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 139

20 Saturday Jul 2024

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1973, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 139, John Buscema, Marvel, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 139
“Target: Tomorrow!”
Published July 1973
Script: Gerry Conway
Layouts: John Buscema
Finishes: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Stan Goldberg
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Frank Giacoia

Synopsis

The Fantastic Four escape the chasm they plunged into last issue and eventually defeat the Miracle Man, with the help of the ghosts of the Native American elders that granted him his powers. Meanwhile, Franklin’s powers continue to manifest, and a nuclear catastrophe, perhaps caused by Mr. Fantastic’s experiment, looms.

What’s going on here

This is a more-or-less satisfying conclusion to a two-issue story that began with the re-introduction of the Miracle Man as a vastly more powerful character. Here, he displays almost Beyonder-level power, creating a new city and willing into existence quasi-living people and creatures. Given his potential impact on the Marvel universe, it’s probably just as well he’s faded away into obscurity.

This is otherwise an unremarkable issue. It’s not helped by Gerry Conway’s hyperbolic writing (see panel above), which seems even more over-the-top than Stan or Roy’s, maybe because he’s clearly imitating both. There’s a lot of questionable physics and odd plot holes in this story, but it’s basically inoffensive. More interesting are the subplots: Reed’s tinkering with something that seems very dangerous, and more clues about Franklin’s powers. Also, it’s nice to see Sue again after a few issues of her being left out.

What I liked

Speaking of left out, Medusa finally gets a bit more of a role. Her presence on the team still feels incidental, but at least he get a glimpse of her personality in this sequence.

I thought the appearance of the Cheemuzwa spirits at the end was well handled. Yes, mystic Natives are a tired trope, but this was a graceful way to remove the Miracle Man from the board (he apparently shows up just once more, in Marvel Two-in-One 8)

And this sequence with Miracle man being rejected by a woman he just created out of nothing was weird and creepy.

Then there’s this sequence of the FF building a raft. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or hated it, but it’s so ridiculous I think I like it. It reminds me of the montages in the A-Team TV shows, where the the team would assemble some sort of contraption as music played.

What I didn’t like

About halfway through the comic, the action cuts away and we learn of an imminent nuclear threat. It seemed like this was related to the Miracle Man, so I waited in vain to learn how, only for it to be revealed, lamely, that it’s a subplot connected to Reed’s tinkering. I have no problem with setting up next issue’s story, but this was poorly executed.

Anything else?

In previous posts I have written about Stan and Jack created very human androids (or very android-like humans), as if the distinction between alive and machine didn’t much matter. Here, the Miracle Man creates what appear to be living creatures, yet Medusa calls them “androids.” Not sure what Conway was thinking.

This survey seems specifically designed for advertisers. Still sort of interesting. (They seem to want auto advertising).

Overall

Just OK

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 138

13 Saturday Jul 2024

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1973, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 138, John Buscema, Marvel comics, Roy Thomas

Fantastic Four 138
“Madness is … the Miracle Man!”
Published June 1973
Plot: Roy Thomas
Script: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Letters: John Costanza
Colors: Petra Goldberg
Editor: Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Sinnott

NB: This issue came out after Fantastic Four Annual 10 (technically “King-Size Fantastic Four 10”) but since it consists of reprints of annuals 3 and 4, it didn’t seem worth posting about.

Synopsis

Wyatt Wingfoot reappears and asks the Fantastic Four to help with an emergency on his Oklahoma reservation. There, the team — minus Mr. Fantastic, who remained in New York — is attacked by the Miracle Man, who has discovered new powers.

What’s going on here?

This story is very similar to the Gregory Gideon arc of a few issues ago. Basically, Roy Thomas unearths an obscure villain from the early Lee/ Kirby run (in this case, the Miracle Man debuted all the way back in FF 3), gives him new powers and sets him on world domination. It’s not really clear why Thomas needs to dredge up an old character vs. create a new one – he spends so much time explaining how the Miracle Man got his powers he might as well gave invented a similar villain from scratch. Plus, there’s something odd about this former stage magician cavorting about the mesas of Oklahoma.

The positive side of Thomas’s dredging up the past is the return of Wingfoot, last seen in issue 80. Wingfoot is a fun sidekick who, despite his many appearances over the years, has never suffered the fate of so many supporting characters and been given super powers. I hope I didnt jinx him.

Otherwise the story is unremarkable. There’s some classic comic book treatment of Native Americans as noble, spiritual primitives, and a few bits of nice character moments for Ben, Johnny, Reed and Alicia. Medusa is again basically sidelined into uselessness and Sue and Franklin don’t appear at all. The story does resolve one odd subplot introduced back in issue 134 and then dropped (and surely forgotten by most readers): the mysterious muscular figure entering the Baxter Building was Wingfoot.

What I liked

I’ve been critical of Thomas and Conway for stories that have been either absurd (the last two issues) or pedestrian, but to give credit where credit is due, this issue is well plotted and paced. It has a classic slow opening, with the FF in the Baxter Building, includes a nice scene at Metro University (last seen in issue 62), and builds to an action-filled climax without rushing to the end like so many Lee/Kirby stories. And as mentioned above, we get some character-focused scenes like this one:

There’s also some slam-bang Buscema art in this issue, like these panels:

And this one:

What I didn’t like

I will admit upfront this is picking nits, and maybe I only care because I am fascinated by geography, but the travel times in this issue don’t add up.

On the first part of the journey, the FF travel by Pogo Plane from New York to Metro University, which is established as somewhere in New Jersey (it’s an odd name for a NJ college but no matter). Ben says the trip will take half an hour.

Then, on the second part to Oklahoma, the trip takes 57 minutes.

I will accept there is some time lost in taking off and landing, and maybe there is congestion in the New York New Jersey airspace, but even the farthest corner of New Jersey is just 124 miles from Manhattan. From there it’s 1,100 miles to the nearest corner of Oklahoma! It shouldn’t take just twice as long to travel 10 times as far!

Ok, geography rant over.

Anything else?

There is a nice tribute to Bill Everett, creator of the Sub-Mariner, in the Bullpen Bulletins. Oddly, this issue appeared in June, five months after he died.

Some excellent ads in this issue. I love how the karate ad warns that, after completing the course, you may have to register your hands with the local police department. “May” is doing a lot of work there.

As per usual with comic ads, they seem designed to appeal to the (apparently low) self-esteem of the comic reader.

Overall

Nice rebound from the last two issues.

“The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” Fantastic Four No. 134

15 Saturday Jun 2024

Posted by percivalhenry in The World's Greatest Comic Magazine

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Dragon Man, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four 134, Gerry Conway, John Buscema, Marvel comics

Fantastic Four 134
“A Dragon Stalks The Skies!”
Published: Feb. 1973
Script: Gerry Conway
Pencils: John Buscema
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Colors: Dave Hunt
Letters: Artie Simek
Editor: Roy Thomas
Cover: Buscema and Sinnott

Synopsis

While the new-look Fantastic Four investigates Agatha Harkness’s missing home, the Invisible Girl and Franklin are abducted by Dragon Man, who is under the control of Gregory Gideon, the world’s richest man. When the rest of the FF attempt to rescue Sue and Franklin, Gideon subdues them and takes them prisoner.

What’s going on here?

Gerry Conway is credited as the sole writer of this issue—albeit as “scripter— although a previous letters page says he is working from a Roy Thomas plot. Thomas’s influence seems obvious, since the villain is a minor figure summoned from obscurity, a very Thomasian trope. In this case, the bad guy is Gregory Gideon, who last appeared 100 issues ago in FF 34, and was then called the richest man in the world (and who, in passing, was said to have owned the Baxter Building). In FF 34, after attempting to defeat the FF to win a bet, Gideon is remorseful and the issue concludes with him renouncing his fortune and vowing to spend time with his wife and son.

It’s fair to say that his redemption didn’t take, because in FF 134 he is a raving megalomaniac. (The relationship with the son doesn’t seem much improved, either).

By the end of the issue he’s gone full-blown Lex Luthor, complete with a battle suit. But despite his transformation into a standard super villain, he never appears after the conclusion of this arc.

What I liked

This is another place-setting issue and as such, there are some fun interludes and bits of character development. For example, Sue and Franklin are shown visiting Sue’s childhood friend Carol Landers, and her husband, Bob, on a farm in Pennsylvania. I’d never encountered the characters before but apparently they hang around for about a dozen issues before fading away. (If they appeared today, there is a 100% chance that one of them would have developed powers within 10 issues).

Note the reminder about Franklin’s powers, a plot point which will only become more prominent from here. Also note the horse is named Zelda, which happens to be the name of my dog.

Another odd appearance is of Dorrie Evans, the Human Torch’s girlfriend in the early days of the FF, and now a rebound target after his breakup with Crystal. If they had Facebook in 1973 he might have avoided this awkwardness.

I’m also a sucker for building diagrams and cutaways. Not sure why John Buscema felt one was necessary here; maybe he was just a sucker for them too.

What I didn’t like

On an otherwise great cover, Franklin’s hair is red. Oops.

The issue opens en media res, with the FF examining a crater where Agatha Harkness’s home used to sit. The disappearance of your witch-nanny’s home seems like a big deal! But by the third page it’s basically forgotten and never referenced again. I assume Conway will back to it, but the sequence felt very abrupt and odd.