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Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. How will they follow up the galaxies-spanning cosmic epic of the Galactus trilogy? With a more low-key, stand-alone character-based tale in issue #51, “This Man, This Monster.”

  We begin with Ben walking around New York in the rain, an obvious but still appropriate metaphor for how he’s feeling. He’s giving himself crap about how he’s a monster and says he’ll never be human again. (It’s not mentioned how, in the last issue, Ben felt rejected when Alicia gave so much attention to the Silver Surfer, but that event certainly led to his current mood.) Ben meets a mysterious bald man out on the street, who says he knows what it’s like to be alone. The man invites Ben into his apartment, and they chat over coffee (no, really). The coffee is drugged, and Ben passes out, allowing the man to monologue about how he is a scientist and how he wants to destroy the Fantastic Four.

 Using a “duplication apparatus,” the man transforms himself into the Thing, which also turns Ben back to human. Leaving the still-unconscious Ben behind, the man leaves with the intent of infiltrating FF headquarters.

 At Reed’s lab, we once again get a scene of Sue complaining that Reed is spending too much time instead of with her. Reed says he has to be ready in case Galactus returns. The man disguised as Ben enters, talking like Ben. He starts helping out around the lab when the real Ben Grimm shows up, in his human form, declaring this new Thing to be an imposter. Reed doesn’t buy it, and thinks that human Ben is the fake. Ben is outraged and leaves, saying, “Reed Richards, boy genius! Haw! Wotta laugh!”

 This incident is immediately forgotten, as Reed tells the fake Ben that there is a dangerous piece of equipment in the lab, and if something goes wrong, only the Thing will be able to save Reed. Reed says that there are beings in the universe who have broken the space-time barrier, and now it’s time for humans to do the same. Reed has created a “radical cube” which is a “dimensional entrance to subspace.” While inside the cube, Reed will be tethered to Earth with a “super-tensile strength cable.” He wants the fake Ben to hold the cable and pull Reed out if anything goes wrong. (Got all that?)

 While the technobabble sinks in, we cut to Metro College, where Johnny is enjoying life as big man on campus, although the literal big man is his musclebound Native American friend Wyatt Wingfoot. The two of them run afoul of jerkass star quarterback Whitey Mullins, who wants to pick a fight with Johnny. Before Johnny can flame on, the world-weary Coach Thorpe breaks them up. Thorne then recognizes Wyatt, expositing that Wyatt’s father is the greatest Olympic decathlon runner in U.S. history. Thorpe then tells his wife that he’ll stop at nothing to get Wyatt to join football team, looking kind of evil as he says it.

 Back at HQ, Sue begs Reed not to enter the cube. “I have a premonition of disaster!” she says. (Since when does she have this power?) Reed argues that subspace must be investigated, for the good of all mankind. The imposter Thing is impressed, realizing that Reed isn’t just all talk. We get two pages of gorgeous Jack Kirby artwork as Reed finds himself in what he calls “the crossroads of infinity.” (So much for this being a smaller, non-cosmic tale.) Then it gets dangerous, as these things so often do, as Reed discovers that matter in subspace is negative, and cannot come in contact with the positive matter on Earth.

 At the other end of the line, the cable snaps, and the fake Ben changes his mind about the FF, deciding that, yes, he will rescue Reed. Fake Ben jumps into the cube, and now he and Reed are both trapped there. Reed gets all dramatic, willing to face his own death, but wracked with guilt over drawing Ben to his death as well. Such nobility really speaks to the fake Ben, so he uses the Thing’s strength to hurl Reed back to Earth. All alone, the fake Ben floats away into subspace, thinking, “I finally learned what it means to have… a friend.”

Checking in with the real Ben, he’s about to knock on Alicia’s door, impressing her with his new human self. Just as he knocks, he transforms back into the monster. He runs off before she comes to the door. (Apparently, they’re considered broken up/separated by this point.) He returns to headquarters, the truth is sorted out, and the imposter gets his due when Reed says he died as a hero.

 Unstable molecule/Fade out/Clobberin’ time/Flame on: This is interesting; throughout the entire issue, the characters do not once use their super powers!

 Trivia time: Although not called “the Negative Zone,” this is indeed the Negative Zone’s first appearance. It’s always been one of my favorite aspects of FF lore, that there’s this doorway to a mysterious, dangerous universe right there inside their home.

 The villain’s name is not revealed in this issue. I’ve searched and searched to see if he ever returned in later stories, but I haven’t come across any. Anybody know if he ever came back?

 Discussion of Wyatt Wingfoot’s father is abruptly cut off, reestablishing that there might be something mysterious about Wyatt.

 Fantastic or Frightful: What a great issue. Our mystery villain’s change of heart makes for some nice drama, as does Ben’s depression. The Negative Zone stuff is really exciting as well – gotta love the Kirby dots!

 Next week: Wakanda is lovely in the springtime.

  ****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. This is the big one, people: Galactus!

At the end of the previous issue, the FF had made peace with the Inhumans, and Johnny had reunited with his new romantic interest, Crystal. At the last minute, though, the evil Maximus unleashed his secret weapon. Issue #48 opens with human and Inhuman alike being flung through the air thanks to powerful vibrational waves. Maximus’s device creates these vibrations that fling humans off the surface of the planet, without severely affecting the Inhumans. (Wasn’t this a Pinky and the Brain plot?) Black Bolt takes out Maximus with a single bitch-slap (nice!) while Medusa explains that the weapon didn’t work on humans, thus proving that humans and Inhumans are, in fact, the same.

Just as it seems all is well again, Maximus whips out yet another secret weapon (I guess his super power is having lots of backup plans). This one puts up an impenetrable dome around the Great Refuge (the first person to accuse Stephen King of plagiarism does not get a prize). It all happens so fast that Johnny and Crystal are separated again, on opposite sides of the dome. He’s absolutely distraught at the thought of being cut off from her, possibly forever.

We go from that scene to outer space, where a mysterious figure is zipping through the cosmos. The caption reads, “A being we shall call the Silver Surfer, for want of a better name.” The Surfer flies by a Skrull warship, who react to him in fear, knowing that wherever the Surfer goes, Galactus is to follow.

On the flight back to New York, our heroes are alarmed to see two suns in the sky. One of them grows larger, into a wall of flame covering the entire sky. The city panics as Johnny flies over head. People attack him, thinking he’s to blame. The action slows down just enough for some comedy shtick as Ben takes out Johnny’s attackers with just his finger. The sky goes back to normal, and our heroes return to headquarters, with Reed concerned that this incident means a greater threat than any they’ve ever faced. Back out in space, the Silver Surfer flies through an exploding supernova without being harmed (!) and then discovers Earth.

Back at HQ, life is settling down to reasonably normal. Johnny pines for Crystal, and Ben keeps trying to get a hold of Alicia on the phone. Sue is upset because Reed hasn’t left his lab in days. He’s barely eaten or slept and he’s looking all haggard and unshaven. Then there’s another strange phenomenon, as the sky is now covered with giant rocks, which have surrounded the entire Earth, like a giant shell. Sue can’t take it any more and barges into the lab. She discovers Reed is in there with the Watcher, who has put up the fire and rocks with his “matter mobilizer.” He’s broken his vow to never interfere because the Earth is in that much danger.

The rocks provide no challenge for the Silver Surfer, who surfs right through them. He conveniently lands right on top of the Baxter Building. One punch from Ben sends him flying over the side, but not before he sent a signal out to space. The Watcher explains that the Surfer is the advance scout for Galactus, who drains entire planets of their elements. “Of all those who inhabit the known universe, only Galactus has power enough to match my own!” he says. The Watcher says to ignore the Surfer, because Galactus is the real threat.

Galactus’s ship, a giant dome, appears in the sky. It opens to reveal a bunch of other ships, just so artist Jack Kirby can do another one of those funky full-page photo panels. All those ships go back inside the dome, which then lands on the roof of the Baxter Building. Out steps Galactus. Yes, he’s dressed all in purple. Yes, he has a huge hat with two big ol’ antennae looking things on it. Yes, he was what looks suspiciously like the letter “G” on his chest. Nonetheless, the staging of this scene is dramatic and ominous, thanks to Kirby’s staging and posing of the character. Now, that’s how you do a cliffhanger!

That takes us to issue #49. The splash page is not Galactus, but our heroes reacting to Galactus with looks of shock and wonder on their faces. We turn the page for another splash, in which the Watcher tries to reason with Galactus. Galactus is normally portrayed as the silent, mopey type, but here we get a sense of his philosophy. The Watcher argues that Earth has intelligent life, but this doesn’t sway Galactus. “It is not my intention to harm any living being, but I must replenish my energy,” Galactus says. He adds that the Earth has the energy to sustain him. “I am supreme unto myself,” he says. Many writers and artists over the years, most notably John Byrne, have argued that Galactus is neither good nor evil, but a force of nature, like a hurricane. We see the first seeds of that here.

While Galactus and the Watcher talk, there’s some more comedy shtick with Ben, where he keeps trying to get Galactus’s attention, only to be ignored. He finally punches Galactus in the foot (remember, Galactus is a giant, towering over humans). Galactus dismisses this attack by dropping a small gas capsule which burns Ben’s eyes. Johnny tries attacking next, only to have Galactus use eye beams to smother his flames (just go with it). In both cases, our heroes remark that Galactus is merely swatting them away, as casually as one might swat at a bothersome insect. The Watcher says, “There is nothing more you can do here,” and with that, our heroes head back downstairs. This leads to another humorous bit where Johnny finds Reed shaving and Ben taking a bath, and scolds them for both being so casual about all this. Ben says they’re really taking time out to come up with a plan.

Elsewhere, out in the city, the Silver Surfer is unconscious after having landed on a rooftop skylight. It opens, and wouldn’t you know it, this is Alicia’s apartment. (How many of the FF’s adventures head through the city straight to her place? People say Spider-Man’s Mary Jane is a danger magnet, but I wonder if Alicia has her beat.) The Surfer comes to, and dismisses Alicia’s questions. Alicia, however, can sense a nobility and loneliness to this alien stranger. She nurses him back to health, of a sort. She serves him what appears to be pancakes (wheatcakes?) and he says, “The mysteries of the universe are truly without limit!”

At the Baxter Building, Galatcus has been busy, constructing a gigantic machine on the roof. “This guy makes Dr. Doom seem like a Piker!” Ben says. Reed starts to lead the charge to battle, but the Watcher stops them for some exposition. He shows our heroes a vision of what will happen once Galactus fires up the machine. It will drain the Earth of all living energy, leaving it nothing but a big rock. Galactus has a great hunger for this energy, and the Earth is what will finally sustain him. We see oceans drained, cities overturned, and even the planet’s core sucked lifeless. “What we need is power!” Reed says. The Watcher says he knows of a device of great power that might defeat Galactus, but only the Human Torch can get it.

Back at Alicia’s place, the Silver Surfer turns the meal into energy, drawing it into himself. He says that Galactus will do the same for the entire planet. Alicia makes her case on behalf of humanity. She says the humans aren’t as powerful as Galactus, but we have hearts and souls, and that should count for something. Her words start to reach him, and he says he’s never encountered such courage or such beauty. Yet, he insists that he must serve Galactus.

We get a glimpse of onlookers on the street outside the Baxter Building, and news crews trying to make sense of what’s happening. Up top, Galactus announces that the machine is finished. But, when he tries to ignite it, nothing happens. That’s because Ben is around back, smashing up the device. While Galactus is distracted by this, Reed stretches into a huge ball and bounces Galactus over the side of the building. This is not a problem for the big G., who of course comes with his own anti-gravity device. He’s not about to lower himself to fighting the FF himself, so he sends for the Punisher. No, not the guy with the skull t-shirt and all the guns. This Punisher is a big cybernetic frog monster. It leaps out from Galactus’s sphere ship and jumps down over the city, heading straight for our heroes.

Cut to inside, where the Watcher chats with Johnny. The Watcher again says there is a device that may stop Galactus, but it is located on a distant world. Now things get crazy psychedelic as the Watcher opens a space-time distortion and sends Johnny all the way back to the center of infinity. Johnny appears to be screaming in pain as this happens. Now out in space, Johnny is guided by the Watcher’s voice, which is still with him. “The distance you are traveling is so great that your language holds no words which can describe it!” the Watcher says. Johnny passes through something called “the celestial barriers of un-life,” after which he reaches Galactus’s homeworld, depicted as a metallic figure-8 planet.

Back on Earth, it’s time for some action. The Punisher takes on Ben and Reed. Despite its comical appearance, little froggy is incredibly fast and powerful, beating Ben and Reed senseless. They retreat behind one of Sue’s invisible force fields. Back to square one, our heroes have no idea how to get close to Galactus, let alone defeat him.

At Alicia’s place, she’s had the radio on and been caught up on what’s happening. She thinks the Surfer might be the one to stop Galactus, but he still thinks defying his master is unthinkable. She then gives him the ol’ reverse psychology, saying, “I thought you possessed compassion!” This works, as the Surfer says she’s not totally wrong. He hops on his magic flying surfboard (he has a magic flying surfboard, did I not establish that?) and he takes off in hopes of fighting and defeating Galactus. “Perhaps for the first time in memory, I have found something worth protecting!” he says. The issue’s cliffhanger happens as Watcher is (what else?) watching all this, and fretting that the Surfer’s action might disrupt his own plan and thereby lead to the destruction of the Earth.

Issue #50 kicks off right in the middle of the action, as the Surfer flies up and calls for Galactus to stop. “For the first time I realize the dreadful enormity of what you plan to do!” he says. Galactus is as dismissive to him as he is to anyone else, so Surfer attacks, proclaiming, “I too am a creature of the cosmos!” Energy blasts go flying between then, and then the Surfer seals up Galactus in an solidified cocoon. It appears to work for a few moments, but then Galactus breaks free. They fight some more, throwing around a lot of wonderfully crazy sci-fi terms like “absorba shield” and “solar destructogen.” It’s also a battle of ideologies, as they talk while zapping. Galactus says the Surfer is nothing compared to all infinity, while the Surfer says he’s not betraying Galactus so much as he’s betraying himself for not making this choice sooner.

We check in with the FF and the Watcher, who urges them not to attack until Johnny returns. We then follow Johnny as returns through sub-space and returns to his own time continuum. (I’m going to assume this all flawlessly accurate science) He’s back, and completely worn out, dazed as to the enormity of what he’s seen. He’s also brought the mysterious device with him. Reed, ever the scientist, takes a look at it while the Watcher cautions him not to turn it up to full power, because doing so will destroy the entire galaxy.

The Silver Surfer and the watcher continue to battle, with the Surfer, er, surfing around a bunch of obstacles Galactus placed on nearby rooftops. Galactus is about the deliver the killing blow when Reed interrupts, aiming the strange device at him. Galactus immediately recognizes it as the Ultimate Nullifier. Reed demands that Galactus leave Earth or else he’ll destroy the galaxy, Galactus along with it. Galactus doesn’t dare take the bluff. The Watcher tells Galactus that the seed of grandeur exists within humanity, and there are other planets for Galactus to absorb. Galactus agrees to surrender, and Reed gives him the Ultimate Nullifier. Galactus then removes the Surfer’s space-going powers, stranding him on Earth permanently.

Before departing, Galactus gives humans their due with a big, dramatic speech: “At last I perceive the glint of glory within the race of man! Be ever worthy of that glory, humans. Be ever mindful of your promise of greatness, for it shall one day lift you beyond the stars or bury you within the ruins of war! The choice is yours!”

Galactus then disappears in a dimensional displacement (more impressive than just flying away, I guess), and the FF are alone on the rooftop. Alicia shows up, showing more concern for the Surfer than for Ben, and this has him playing the jealously and “poor me” games again. The Surfer then leaves, saying that if he cannot explore the stars, then he will explore the skies.

With this, the story should be over, but there’s another seven pages of subplots for us get through. I’ll try to keep this part short. First, a mysterious bald man swears that he’ll be destruction of the Fantastic Four, and they’ll never see him coming. Next, Reed has returned to working in the lab all day instead of spending time with Sue, and Sue declares she’s had enough of it. Then we get a page and a half at Metro College, where arrogant football star Whitey Mullins clashes with weary, verge-of-retirement Coach Thorne. (I’ll assume this sets up future stories.) Ben then accidentally frightens a woman out on the street, and he again mopes about he’ll always be a monster.

The issue ends with an important story point, as Johnny shows up at Metro College, where we learn he’s just enrolled. He meets the dean and a fellow new student, a tall, musclebound Native American named Wyatt Wingfoot. In the dean’s office, the dean does a big speech about why the two of them are so unique. While the dean talks about who Wyatt is, Johnny daydreams about everything he’s seen, from falling in love with Crystal to traveling the whole of the cosmos to defeat Galactus. He wonders just how he can just sit in an ordinary classroom after all that. He comes out of the daydream and realizes he didn’t hear what it is about Wyatt that’s so unusual. The issue ends as they learn they’ll be roommates in the dorm.

Unstable molecule: Reed spending more time in the lab than with his wife continues to be a distressing theme in these issues. Seeing him unshaven and haggard trying to find out what’s threatening the Earth is a big shock, though.

Fade out: When her teammates are beaten back Galactus and the Punisher, Sue is right there to rescue them with her force fields.

Clobberin’ time: The Thing won’t stand for any of this talk about cosmic beings. He punches Galactus, smashes up his machine, and gives it his all against the Punisher. To matter how beaten he gets, he keeps coming back for more. His jealousy over Alicia and the Silver Surfer will be the basis of a future issue.

Flame on: It’s really Johnny, more than his teammates, who is at the center of this story. He matures considerably. Yes, it’s kind of a stretch that he’s this in love with Crystal after barely meeting her, but she gives him something to fight for. Seeing the whole of infinity gives him a new outlook on life.

Trivia time: Issue #48 has the first appearances of the Silver Surfer and Galactus, and issue #50 is the first appearance of Wyatt Wingfoot, who becomes a fixture in FF lore from here on.

The story goes that in an attempt to dream up more and more powerful villains for the FF to take on, Stan Lee decided to go one further and create a super god for them to battle, someone whose powers far exceeded their own, on a cosmic scale. The more pragmatic Jack Kirby was allegedly quoted as saying Galactus’s creation was merely to keep selling comics.

In the books’ original printings, there were all kinds of problems with Galactus’s outfit, with a green/red one, a yellow/brown one, and then finally the purple one we all know, which is consistent for the rest of the story. These errors are usually corrected in reprints.

Fantastic or frightful? It’s easy to nitpick. I could wonder about the many impossible conveniences in the plot, or how the heroes spend most of the story merely reacting to what happening instead of taking action, but none of that really matters in comparison as to how much fun all this is. The buildup to Galactus’s arrival is great, with a ton of apocalyptic imagery. Thanks to Kirby’s art and Lee’s wordplay, there is a real sense of power to Galactus, so you really believe he’s this all-powerful, godlike threat. Add to that Johnny’s intergalactic journey, some humorous bits with Ben, and talk of humanity’s potential for greatness, and you’ve got one of the greatest stories in comics history.

Next week: This man, this monster

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #47 continues all this craziness with the Inhumans.

As we left our heroes last time, the Inhumans had taken off for their secret refuge, but not before villainous Inhuman unleashed Dragon Man into the wilds of New York. Before the FF can pursue him, they first have to deal with the Inhuman Triton, also left behind, who can’t survive outside of water. Sue creates a force field around Triton, which Reed fills with water. The Seeker, who’s still hanging around for some reason, announces that he’s working for someone named Maximus the Magnificent.

We cut from there to Alicia’s apartment, where Alicia is melancholy over not having seen Ben in so long. Purely by coincidence, Ben and Johnny come crashing through the wall while fighting Dragon Man. Alicia flees to safety, while Ben and Johnny continue to duke it out with the monster. Johnny uses his flame to give Dragon Man a sunburn (!) which succeeds in knocking the beast unconscious (!!!).

Back at headquarters, the Seeker’s henchmen transfer Triton into a water tank, and they prepare to leave. Reed places a homing device outside their ship. We then catch up with the rest of the Inhumans as they arrive at their home the Great Refuge. Because Black Bolt doesn’t speak, the other Inhumans have to exposit about how great and powerful he is, to catch readers up to speed. It’s established that although Black Bolt was introduced as leader of the Inhumans, it’s actually Maximus who wears the crown, and is currently ruling the Great Refuge. We then finally meet Maximus for another shocking revelation – he’s Black Bolt’s brother! Not only that, but he has some kind of superweapon he’s keeping secret. Instead of using it, he sends the caveman-like Alpha Primitives out to destroy Black Bolt and his group. These mindless thugs are no match for the awesome Black Bolt, who takes them out with some help from Medusa and Karnak. (Gorgon, who singlehandedly defeated the FF back in issue #44, stand in the background and does nothing during all this.)

Maximus arrives and puts a stop to the fight. He proclaims that as the new king of the Inhumans, he gets to marry Medusa. Medusa seems somewhat indifferent to this, with an attitude of, “Whatever the king wants.” Black Bolt isn’t having it, though. Then, it’s the simplest coup of all time, when Black Bolt becomes king again by merely taking the crown off of Maximus’s head. All of Maximus’s henchmen see this and take off, making him essentially defeated. I guess Black Bolt can do all this because he’s just that awesome. Maximus, however, still has his secret weapon hidden away.

We finally go back to the FF, remembering that it’s their book. They’re aboard a “conventional jet liner” to avoid attracting attention. Sure. They’re flying over the Andes, which Reed says is the perfect locale for a hidden civilization. “This must be what the TV ads mean by ‘fringe area,’” he says. (I tried Googling “TV ad fringe area” to see what on Earth this commercial could be, but all I got was promos for the TV show Fringe. Oh, well.) There’s a three-page comedy bit where Sue, feeling ignored, goes off by herself and changes her hairstyle, just so the three guys will notice her. “I’m your wife, not a piece of extra baggage,” she says. With that done, the FF find the Great Refuge and land the plane.

Back with the Inhumans, it’s more exposition as Crystal (remember her? She’s why the FF are coming all this way, because Johnny is totally in love with even though they’ve barely met) explains that Maximus doesn’t just want to hide from humans like the rest of the Inhumans. Instead, he’s power-mad and wants to rule the humans. The FF arrive, and the Inhumans freak out, now that their secret home has been discovered. Johnny and Crystal are elated to see each other again, but Black Bolt separates them. Reed has a big heroic speech where he says that the humans are not the enemy and that human and Inhuman can live in peace. While this is happening, Maximus runs off to another part of the city, where he brings out his secret weapon, something called an “Atmo-gun.” He pulls the trigger, and…

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Despite everyone going on about powerful and unstoppable Black Bolt is, Reed has no problem telling him off.

Fade out: Three whole pages devoted to Sue changing her hair? On the plus side, she does save Triton’s life.

Clobberin’ time: Ben helps defeat Dragon Man in an all-or-nothing hero moment, by focusing all of his strength into a single punch.

Flame on: There’s one moment where Johnny is pining for Crystal, and Reed says, “When a man thinks he’s in love, nobody can tell him he’s not.” Johnny then remarks that this is the first time Reed has ever called him a man. Male bonding!

Trivia time: This issue features a ton of exposition about the Inhumans, and yet what’s noticeable is how much isn’t explained. We’re not told why Black Bolt doesn’t speak, and we’re still not given a definitive look at what powers Crystal has.

The Inhuman seen flying around in the sky as the FF land is named Aireo. He’s popped up on occasion throughout Marvel history, sometimes as a good guy, sometimes as a bad guy. He also goes by the name “Skybreaker.” The Marvel Wiki lists Oregon as his base of operations.

The Great Refuge will continue to be located in the Andes, until the entire city will be moved to a new location (!) during John Byrne’s run on the series.

Fantastic or Frightful: It’s more like an Inhumans story guest-starring the Fantastic Four. Still, Jack Kirby’s artwork really shines in the alien environment of the Great Refuge. A solid issue, but it’s in the next one that the action really takes off.

Next week: The story we’ve all been waiting for.

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The last time we saw our heroes, they were under attack by the mysterious Inhumans, whose masked leader Black Bolt made his first appearance. Now, in issue #46, we get a little more about who these Inhumans are and what their deal is.

In an abandoned neighborhood, which is somehow in the middle of Manhattan, Black Bolt wastes no time duking it out with the FF. No matter how hard Ben fights back, Black Bolt has him overpowered. Meanwhile, Johnny’s flame is snuffed by the hooded, robed Triton. Reed deduces that the robes are actually moisture bags filled with water. Triton is an aquatic, fishman-type, who need to be in water to survive. Triton runs to the nearby docks (where is this?) and dives into the water. Karnak and Gorgon attack Reed and Sue, with a few ominous words about someone called “the Seeker.”

Conveniently, we then cut to the Seeker, a mustachioed large-hatted villain who is in the process of breaking into Fantastic Four headquarters. He says his life has been dedicated to tracking down the Inhumans. Inside, they come across a sedated Dragon Man, whom you’ll remember recently moved in with the FF. The Seeker and his lackeys capture Dragon Man and take him into the Seeker’s blimp-like ship.

We then get several pages of Ben fighting Black Bolt, again showcasing Black Bolt’s awesome strength, with Ben noting that the Inhuman doesn’t speak a single word during the entire fight. Black Bolt uses his “Master Punch” to stun Ben, but this also uses up the last of Black Bolt’s electron energy, weakening him. The giant dog Lockjaw appears out of nowhere to fight Ben and Johnny, while Karnak and Gorgon continue to pummel away at Sue and Reed.

Finally, Crystal shows up and insists that everyone stop fighting. She says Triton has gone missing, and that could only mean the Seeker has taken him. The Inhumans, who now have Medusa back with them, announce they want to leave the FF behind and pursue the Seeker instead. Crystal wants to stay, worrying about Johnny, but the other Inhumans insist that the FF are still the enemy. Lockjaw, who can teleport, teleports the Inhumans away, leaving the FF behind to sort out what’s happened. Reed describes the Inhumans as a different form of life, adding that they’ve combined use of their powers to live in secret. Johnny doesn’t care so much, he just wants to see Crystal again.

Back at headquarters, the FF discover Dragon Man is gone and security cameras show the Seeker is responsible. Reed says he can use heat particles to follow the Seeker. Meanwhile, we learn that the Seeker has indeed captured Triton, keeping him in a water-filled cage. The Seeker discovers that Dragon Man is not an Inhuman and therefore wants to destroy the big lizard (harsh). The FF arrive at the Seeker’s hideout, which isn’t hidden at all, but a huge futuristic structure in the middle of the city. They confront the Seeker, who goes back on his earlier threat and says he will return Dragon Man to the FF. The Seeker then gets talkative, filling us in on the history of the Inhumans. Back in prehistoric times, when humans were mere cavemen, the Inhumans already developed advanced society, including genetic engineering. Outnumbered by the savage humans, the Inhumans decided to live in secret in the Great Refuge, which is still their home today. Medusa left the Great Refuge to explore the outside world, and all this craziness has been about finding her and bringing her back. (The Seeker lights up a cigarette as he says all this. Some advanced civilization!)

With all that exposition out of the way, now’s the perfect time for Dragon Man to wake up. He smashes up the place real good and escapes. In the chaos, Triton’s cage is broken, and without water, he’s on the verge of dying. The FF watch, seemingly helpless, as Dragon Man flies out over New York, about to destroy it all.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed spends most of the issue sitting back and theorizing about stuff the reader already knows. His security camera, called an “automatic TV recorder” comes in handy.

Fade out: After Karnak brags on and on about being able find a weakness in anything, Sue shuts him after he can’t find a weakness in her invisible force fields.

Clobberin’ time: Ben survives for several pages duking it out with the seemingly unstoppable Black Bolt. He also gets the best line of the issue, describing his encounter with the Inhumans as, “like the kinda dream ya have after eatin’ pickles n’ gooseberries!”

Fade out: Johnny continually pines for Crystal, even though they’ve just met. He insists that she’s as human as anyone, despite what anyone else calls her.

Trivia time: We’ll get a lot more about the Inhumans and their background in the next issue, especially with regards to Black Bolt. We’re shown how mega-powerful he is, but nothing about who is or why he’s important.

Aside from an appearance in the next issue, the Seeker pretty much disappears into Marvel continuity limbo. As far as I know, his super powers have never been revealed.

Fantastic or frightful: This issue is basically a bunch of dominos that get set up to be knocked over in the next issue. There’s a lot of action in the classic Jack Kirby style, which alone makes this one worth reading. (Don’t forget: Galactus is coming!)

Next week: Circus Maximus!

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. At the end of the last issue, the FF were getting their butts kicked by Gorgon as they tried to protect Medusa, who had come to them for help. We left things off after Dragon Man showed up randomly and flew off with Sue, while Gorgon destroyed the building our heroes were in. That brings us to issue #45, the first appearances of a whole bunch of characters.

It should come to no surprise that Reed, Ben and Johnny survive the collapsing building. Their doing so gives us this issue’s excuse-for-the-characters-to-show-off-their-powers-for-a-few-pages thing. Johnny catches up to the escaping Dragon Man and blasts the big monster with a “near-nova” attack. This doesn’t hurt Dragon Man, but blinds him, like staring into the sun. Sue urges Johnny not to attack again, saying she can handle Dragon Man herself.

From there we get one page of Medusa’s former partners in the Frightful Four, Sandman and Paste-Pot-Pete, um, I mean the Trapster. They’re cellmates in a high-tech jail they can’t get out of, and they wonder why Medusa hasn’t shown up to spring them. (No idea why this scene is here. Spoiler: This is the last time we’ll see these two guys during this arc.)

Back at FF headquarters, Sue and Johnny return and are reunited with Reed and Ben, along with a now tame and docile Dragon Man. Sue says Dragon Man has the mentality of a child, and doesn’t actually want to hurt anyone. With that, the adventure appears to be over. I had to go back to the first page and re-read the caption to learn that Gorgon succeeded in capturing Medusa and making his escape with her. Odd that we didn’t get to see that.

Cut to later, as Johnny hangs out around headquarters, bored. He calls his love interest Dorrie Evans, only to have her tell him she’s got a date with some other guy (“I always thought there was something very strange about that chick!” Johnny says.) Dressed in civilian clothes, Johnny goes for a walk through Midtown Manhattan. In a deserted neighborhood (in Midtown?!?), Johnny comes across a beautiful girl, the most beautiful girl he says he’s ever seen, and she looks terrified. He tries to talk to her, but a gust of wind appears out of nowhere, and she disappears with it.

The next day, everybody’s in Reed’s lab, clearing out a space for Dragon Man, who I guess is moving in. Johnny is distracted, and he and Ben bicker for a bit (as they are known to do), so Johnny heads back out into the city to try to find his mysterious dream girl. In the “desolate neighborhood,” (which is located in Midtown Manhattan, let’s not forget) he finds her. She runs from him, and piles of wood catch on fire as she steps on them. This is no big deal for Johnny, as he shows her he can control the flame. “You’re one of us!” the girl says. She introduces herself – her name is Crystal.

Just as Crystal and Johnny start to get to know one another, a gigantic, ugly-ass dog appears behind Johnny. It’s about the size of a car. This is Lockjaw, Crystal’s friend and companion. Lockjaw uses his antennae (he also has antennae) to open a secret underground passage. Crystal leads Johnny down it, making numerous references to someone named Black Bolt, a person of great power and authority. Crystal announces that she is an Inhuman. Johnny immediately deduces that “Inhuman” means something completely different than “mutant,” dispelling any fanboy hopes that the X-Men will show up.

At headquarters, Dragon Man is acting up, and he and Ben start to fight. Reed breaks them up and Sue knocks out Dragon Man with a tranquilizer. Sue insists that Dragon Man is innocent and shouldn’t be treated like a monster. Ben then does the self-pity thing, thinking that’s how Alicia must feel about him.

Back the secret underground, Crystal introduces Johnny to another Inhuman, Karnak, an expert hand-to-hand fighter who can find the weakness in any structure, and a mysterious cloaked fellow named Triton, whose face we don’t see. But look who else is here – it’s Gorgon and Medusa. “It all makes sense now!” Johnny says. (It does?) The gist of it is that Medusa is an Inhuman who fled, and now the rest of them want her back, or something. Triton, still keeping his face hidden, traps Johnny in a glass cage and starts filling it with water. Mere glass can’t hold the Human Torch, and Johnny escapes both the trap and the underground lair with ease. He signals his teammates.

Reed, Sue and Johnny rush to the scene in Reed’s newest invention, an airjet-cycle. We get a great full-page splash of the cycle flying through the air, with a hilarious riff on the classic “It’s a bird/It’s a plane,” thing:

Bystander #1: “Look, it’s a stripped-down whirlybird!”

Bystander #2: “It’s a turbo-powered racing car!”

Bystander #3:  “It’s a flying bicycle!”

Literary gold.

Johnny leads his teammates back to the entrance to the Inhumans’ lair, where the Inhumans have set up a trap for them. Karnak and Gorgon attack, knocking our heroes around a little. Ben brags that there’s nothing the Inhumans have that can stop the FF, at which point Karnak says “The time has come!” and he calls for Black Bolt. The last panel is the first appearance of the mysterious Black Bolt, smashing through a wall.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed blocks one of Dragon Man’s blows by stretching himself into a cube shape. He says this evenly distributed the impact of Dragon Man’s punch. Any physicists out there want to take a crack at nitpicking this one?

Fade out: Sue, ever the heart of the group, decides that Dragon Man should stay at the Baxter Building, and all the big fella really needs is a good home.

Clobberin’ time: Ben thinks some dark, dark thoughts. In his mind, he says he’s going to give up trying to be human again. “Ben Grimm is dead!! Long live the Thing!” he thinks. Dang.

Flame on: This whole is issue a showcase for the Torch, first with him using flame to blind rather than burn Dragon Man. Then, we get his determination to find and help Crystal, and his refreshingly easy escape from the Inhumans. I like this because it shows that despite his being the young kid of the team, he’s no slouch.

Trivia time: Lots of first appearances, most notably Crystal, who’s going to be a major player in the series from here on. Karnak, Triton (sort of) and Black Bolt all debut, as does the concept of “Inhuman,” something Stan Lee and the other Marvel writers will have a lot of fun with following this. As we’ll see, the Inhumans have a crazy background and mythology that’s all their own.

The name “Karnak” comes from a series of ruins in Egypt, dating back to the Middle Period, during the reign of Sesostris I (but you knew that already, didn’t you?). The name was also used for Ozymandias’s arctic hideout in Watchmen, and, of course, for a long-running Johnny Carson sketch:

“Sis Boom Bah.” (opens envelope) “Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes.”

Fantastic or frightful: Goofy comic-book logic aside, this is a fun issue. It has a ton of interesting character moments, and it sets up a lot of mystery surrounding the Inhumans, so much that you can’t wait to read the next issue. Good stuff all around. (Also, don’t forget: Galactus is coming.)

Next week: Inhumane!

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #44 is interesting, in that a typically C-list character gets his one and only shot on the A-list.

The issue begins with numerous references to Reed and Sue’s recent wedding (I’m assuming the annual was on sale at the same time as this ish). Domestic bliss in the FF means Reed invents an elaborate “full-automated dish-washer mechanism” to help around the kitchen. This leads to wisecracks from Ben and Johnny, and some fighting among them, for this issue’s excuse-for-the-characters-to-show-off-their-powers-for-a-few-pages thing.

Johnny leaves, taking a ride in his cool car du jour, only to have it attacked. It’s none other than Madame Medusa, who was last seen fleeing her former partners in the Frightful Four. Aiming a vacuum gun at Johnny, preventing him from using his flame, Medusa says she has to get out of the city as quick as possible before “he” finds her. When Johnny asks who “he” is, Medusa ominously responds, “Gorgon!”

At the Baxter Building, the entire structure is rocked by a series of shock waves. Someone incredibly strong is climbing up the side of the building. Reed, Sue and Ben recover, but not in time enough to find the culprit, who escapes in a helicopter. Cut from there to the woods, where Medusa has taken Johnny, as Johnny notes that it’s near the spot where the FF visited State U. a while back. Medusa proclaims she doesn’t need the FF’s help, and knocks Johnny out with a vacuum pellet. The ground erupts under her, and out comes Dragon Man, from where we was last seen in issue #35. (Yes, it’s a total coincidence that he shows up, nothing more.) Dragon Man attacks, but at the last minute, he stops, because Medusa reminds him of Sue.

The helicopter from earlier lands nearby, and out steps Gorgon. We’re not told much about who he is, except that he’s a huge guy with what might be hooves for feet. Said feet can kick and stomp with amazing power, destroying boulders and creating massive shock waves. He’s still after Medusa, but the now-smitten Dragon Man defends her, and there are a couple of pages of Dragon Man and Gorgon fighting it out. Dragon Man flies off with Medusa, and Gorgon pursues in the helicopter. Johnny wakes up, and goes after them.

Reed, whose arm was injured in the shock waves, goes off in search of the attacker, with Ben and Sue right behind him. They encounter Medusa and Dragon Man on a nearby rooftop, and more fighting breaks out, with Ben bringing the pain to Dragon Man. Gorgon shows up, and demonstrates his raw power, leveling most of the rooftop with a single stomp, and sending Dragon Man down into the building. Gorgon ominously states that he’s there to take Medusa back to where she belongs, and that Medusa is forbidden to mingle with outsiders.

Medusa finally caves, asking the Fantastic Four for help. The FF fight back, but Gorgon easily beats them back. He then stomps a super shock wave which rocks all of New York City. (The caption handily tells us that all the destroyed buildings are conveniently deserted, so no one’s dead. I’m not sure how NYC has a whole section of deserted high-rises, but, hey, the ’60s were a different time.) Gorgon says he can destroy the entire city if he wishes it. Dragon Man then comes climbing up out of the building, grabs Sue, and flies off. Before our heroes can react, Gorgon grabs Medusa and stomps another shockwave, bringing down the building everyone’s standing on. And…

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: The sight of the bendy-stretchy Reed with his arm in a cast and sling should be shocking, but it only lasts for a few panels, and then his injury isn’t mentioned again.

Fade out: Sue once again tames the savage beast (sort of), as Dragon Man only has eyes for her.

Clobberin’ time: At one point, Ben proclaims, “Getting’ big bad villains away from of screamin’ females is my specialty!”

Flame on: Johnny’s car in this issue is a 1965 Chevrolet Stingray Coupe.

Trivia time: In old-timey Greek mythology, a Gorgon was a monstrous woman with snakes for hair. Medusa and her two sisters were, in fact, Gorgons. As we’ll see in the next few issues, the Marvel Medusa and Gorgon are not the ones from the myths.

Fantastic or frightful: Here we have Gorgon, who, in his first appearance, defeats the combined powers of the FF and Dragon Man without breaking a sweat, and goes on to demonstrate power levels that can destroy a city. After this issue, though, he’s demoted to background supporting player. I keep waiting for that day when everyone remembers he’s one of the most powerful dudes in the Marvel universe, but it hasn’t happened yet. Beyond that, this issue is all setting up what’s to come. (Galactus!)

Next issue: The (not-so-dark) Crystal.

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Although annual #3 is a historic issue which more or less permanently changed the course of the entire series, not a lot happens in this one. There’s a ton of fighting, then a wedding. It’s a quick read.

As you can tell from the cover, the goal here is to get as many Marvel characters into one book as possible. We begin with Dr. Doom reading the newspaper, irate over a story about Reed and Sue’s upcoming wedding. Doom, still irate over his being beaten silly in his last encounter with the FF, whips up a new invention, an “emotion charger.” This thingie magically stirs the entire supervillain community into frenzy, causing every masked baddie to decide to attack the FF at once.

Nick Fury and a bunch of SHIELD agents are at the Baxter Building, providing security for the wedding. (How many the country’s secrets are being sold to foreign enemies while all these spies are at a wedding?) A guy shows up and tries to poison the Thing, and it’s revealed this guy is under the control of the Puppet Master. Before we can process this, the Mole Man and his subterranean servants attack, and it’s on.

The whole rest of the comic is basically one fight scene after another. Did Stan Lee think that the typically all-male comics readership might not be interested in a wedding issue, so he overcompensated with a nonstop onslaught of superhero battles? Or maybe he and Kirby just decided it would be fun to have all their characters in one story. Who knows?

Here are the matchups:

• The X-Men versus the Mole Man and his henchmen.
• Dr. Strange versus Red Ghost and the Super Apes.
• Thor versus the Super Skrull.
• Daredevil versus Hydra Agents.
• The Avengers (current lineup: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, and Quicksilver) and Spider-Man versus the Mandarin, Black Knight, Kang, the Mad Thinker, the Awesome Android, the Grey Gargoyle, Cobra, the Executioner, and the Enchantress.
• Daredevil versus the Black Knight.
• The X-Men versus the Mandarin, Electro, the Unicorn, the Beetle, and the Melter (I think they’re running out of bad guys by this point).
• Quicksilver versus the Human Top (now they’ve run out of bad guys).

If all this wasn’t enough, then undersea warlord Attuma comes out of the sea with an army of ticked off Atlantis soldiers. I guess this is enough of a problem for the Watcher to interfere. He takes Reed on a tour of the fourth dimension (?!?), and he gives Reed a wondrous device that will allow Reed to remove memories from Doom and the other villains, giving them no recollection of these events. It works (I guess none of this was on the news), and everything goes back to normal.

Time for the wedding. Sue is decked out in a nice white dress, but the other three FFers are just in their costumes. Break out the tux, Reed! Alicia is Sue’s maid of honor, and The X-Men and a couple of the Avengers are also in attendance, with Nick Fury and the SHIELD guys still working security. At the end, we see the SHIELD agents turn away two “party crashers” who insist they belong at the wedding. In the final twist, these two are, in fact, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. “Let’s get back to the bullpen and start writing the next ish!” Stan says.

 Unstable molecule: Reed saves the say with a memory-erasing device, very similar to the one he used to outwit Dr. Doom in annual #2.

Fade out: Sue sits out most of the issue, as she’s preparing for the wedding, leaving it up to the men to run around and punch criminals. How much fun would it have been for her to be in the full-on wedding dress battling the Beetle or the Melter?

Clobberin’ time: Ben can be seen crying at the wedding, the big softie.

Flame on: Johnny can be seen flying around during some of the fighting, but he kind of gets lost among all the guest stars.

Trivia time: Spider-Man isn’t drawn by Jack Kirby in this issue! Steve Ditko stepped in and drew Spidey. It’s pretty obvious when you look at it.

A line of dialogue states that neither the Hulk nor Namor are available to appear in this issue. Sure enough, this month in their own titles, the Hulk was locked in battle with the Leader, and Namor was once again battling for the crown of Atlantis, this time against a bad guy named Krang (not the TMNT Krang, but a different one).

If there weren’t enough cameos in this issue, one panel features a character named Patsy Walker, and references another character named Minnie the Model. These two were stars of an Archie-style girls’ comic Marvel produced in the ‘50s. This was Patsy’s first appearance in the Marvel Universe, and she’ll later go on to get her own superhero makeover as Hellcat.

Fantastic or Frightful: There are very few changes to characters in comics that last. Every time there’s a big change, such as a death, costume change, power change, or, in this case, a wedding, it’s usually retconned after a year or two, to return the characters to their “classic” forms. Reed and Sue’s marriage, on the other hand, has mostly lasted since this issue. (There have been a few separations here and there, but they always get back together, those two.) That makes this one worth reading, not to mention the fun of having so many Marvel characters in one comic.

Next week: A C-lister gets his shot at the A-list.

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.

Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #43 is the conclusion to this long-winded multi-part tale, in which the FF are in danger of splitting up, and the Frightful Four take advantage. When we last left our heroes, both Ben and Johnny had been exposed to the Frightful Four’s “id machine,” and turned evil. Now, Reed and Sue are on the run from both the bad guys and their former teammates. The issue is titled, “Lo, there shall be an ending.” Why don’t people start sentences with “Lo” anymore?

On the run from the Frightful Four – the Wizard, Medusa, Sandman, and the Trapster a.k.a. Paste-Pot Pete – Reed uses the Wizard’s anti-grav tech against them. Reed and Sue escape with Ben, who can’t fight back while weightless. The Frightful Four bicker amongst each other, with them blaming Johnny for letting the heroes escape.

Reed and Sue return to the Baxter Building with Ben, who starts smashing up the place in his anger. There’s a page of him fighting Reed and Sue until Reed traps Ben in an experimental, escape-proof lab. To undo the damage of the id machine, Reed says he must tamper with Ben’s brain.

Back at the Frightful Four’s mansion, Medusa deduces that Johnny has been faking his loyalty to the Wizard, and, sure enough, the Wizard discovers the id machine damaged. Another fight breaks out, and it looks like Johnny might escape, but the Trapster knocks him out with a “miniature resonance cap,” which has the power of dynamite. (Sure, why not?)

From there, we get a couple of pages of Reed doing the mad scientist thing, devising some seriously cool-looking Jack Kirby tech. He hooks it up to the unconscious Ben. Reed’s new invention starts to work, but Ben wakes up and starts to destroy it. Ben is bathed in dangerous radiation, and Reed nearly dies absorbing some of it from him, before Sue pulls the main power switch, shutting everything down. Ben is out cold again, and only time will tell if he’s healed.

Subplot! Abruptly, we’re next taken to Latveria, where Dr. Doom is still fretting over his hands being injured in issue #40. He swears revenge (of course), and he mentions his new invention, an emotion changer. Just like that, the scene ends and we go back to the story proper. What’s this all about? The emotion changer bit is a reference to FF annual #3, on sale the same month as this issue. We’ll get to that one soon enough.

At the Baxter Building, the Frightful Four arrive in their personal flying saucer. (Again, why not?) The Frightful Four sneak inside, and reveal to Reed and Sue that they have Johnny held hostage on a giant anti-grav disc floating outside the building. Instead of surrendering, Reed calls for “Plan R,” which is apparently code for “Hit Medusa with a force field, Sue.”  She does, but it doesn’t slow down the enemies. Just as it looks like Reed and Sue are outnumbered, Ben comes out of his slumber and crushes the Wizard’s high-tech armor. This frees Johnny, who flames on and rejoins the battle. This turns the tide, as Sandman and the Trapster immediately surrender.

Medusa flees the building, and Johnny pursues. Just as he’s about to apprehend her, he hesitates. This gives her enough time to get back into the flying saucer and take off with it. Johnny says he can’t explain why he let her go, but Reed figures it’s because Medusa is so beautiful and Johnny is, well, Johnny. Then there’s a humorous bit where Reed calls the police and tells them he’s captured the Frightful Four, but the cops don’t believe him.

Finally free from the Wizard’s id machine, Ben wonders if Reed and Sue hate him now. They don’t, and apologies are spoken. There’s a reminder that Reed and Sue are engaged and Ben is best man. Ben wonders if he might get married someday, if he’s ever free from being… a thing.

Unstable molecule: Reed whips up a huge, crazy-looking, brain-unwashing machine in his lab in no time.

Fade out: Sue and Medusa are evenly matched. Every time Sue deals a blow, Medusa fights back.

Clobberin’ time: Ben takes out the Wizard, which pretty takes down the entire Frightful Four. The resolution is interesting. Apologies are spoken, but the status quo is the same. The frustrations that led Ben to quit the team to begin with are still there, so there can be further stories down the line as Reed searches, and often fails, for Ben’s cure.

Flame on: Johnny was only faking joining the Frightful Four, but he doesn’t do much while undercover, and the baddies see through the ruse pretty quick.

Trivia time: With Medusa’s departure, this is the last time we get a story with the original Frightful Four. Their membership will feature a variety of Marvel B-list villains following this.

Fantastic or frightful? The big multi-part tale ends without any big brawls or cosmic wonders. It’s kind of low-key, considering all the craziness that led up to it. Maybe that’s intentional, though, as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were always looking for ways to keep readers off guard. (Also, Galactus is coming!)

Next week: Wedding bells.

****

Want more? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.