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Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #53 begins with the Fantastic Four and their pal Wyatt Wingfoot as honored guests in Wakanda, where they are guests of the country’s leader, the Black Panther. Hidden away in the jungles of Africa, Wakanda is a nation of high-tech wonders.

After a ceremonial dinner, the Panther takes the FF and Wyatt to his private residence, where he explains his origin story. He explains that he is the son of T’Chaka, a great hunter. T’Chaka discovered Wakanda’s famed vibranium mound. What’s vibrainium? The Panther, with help from Reed, explains that vibrainium absorbs vibrations around it, making it a useful and highly valuable metal. Wakanda is the only source of it in the world. T’Chaka’s reign came to end when the evil Klaw, master of sound, arrived in Wakanda to claim the vibranium for his own. Klaw killed T’Chaka, and T’Chaka’s young son vowed revenge. It’s then several pages of high drama as Klaw tries to burn the Wakandans out of their homes, and the little boy takes one of their sonic weapons and goes wild with it, injuring Klaw’s hand. Now, it’s years later, and the Panther fears Klaw will soon return.

Then we get a rundown of the Panther’s skills and abilities. In addition to his vast wealth, Panther has been educated in the world’s finest universities. His fighting skills and speed, and his ability to see in the dark, come from herbs and rituals known only to him and a select few. The Panther says he attacked the FF last issue not to test them, but to test himself, so that he knows he’ll be ready for Klaw’s return.

Meanwhile, two Wakandans out on patrol come across a torn-up patch of jungle, where they are attacked by two giant crimson-colored monsters. More monsters attack, and the Wakandans believe this means Klaw is back. The Black Panther and the FF head off to join the battle. Then, more fighting! At one point, the monster grabs Johnny, and Ben risks it all in the midst of the intense flames to save his teammate.

The Black Panther deduces that the monsters are made of pure sound. He follows them to their source and finds Klaw, who has now replaced his injured hand with a sonic weapon. With his sound converter, Klaw can transform sound into solid objects, which he can animate to his will. He creates a panther out of sound and has it fight the Black Panther. (I guess he was going for the ol’ ironic punishment thing.)

The Black Panther flips a power switch on Klaw’s device, causing it to overload. “You did not realize I am a scientist, too!” he says. (Homer: “Batman’s a scientist.”) Klaw’s hideout is destroyed in a huge explosion, and the battle is over.

The Black Panther wonders if he should retire now that the threat of Klaw is no more, but the FF cheer him up, saying Wakanda, if not the world, will always need the Black Panther. Good thing, too, because at the end, we see Klaw has survived. He steps into the remains of his sound machine and is transformed. But into… what? We’ll have to wait to see.

Unstable molecule: While marveling at the Black Panther’s many technological advances, Reed is impressed with the elaborate “stereo music system – complete with tape recorder!”

Fade out: Sue is right there to catch her teammates in a force field after Klaw’s monsters throw them around.

Clobberin’ time: Ben is a paragon of cultural insensitivity in this issue, comparing the Panther to Tarzan and something called “Bomba the Jungle Boy.” (Bonus trivia time: I looked it up, and Bomba the Jungle Boy was a real thing – a series of mid-1960s children’s books, matinee serials, and comics published by Marvel’s rival, DC Comics.)

Flame on: To escape Klaw’s monsters, Johnny burns so hot he nearly burns the Thing. There’s also one obligatory reference to him still being miserable about being separated from Crystal.

Trivia time: The story goes that around this time, Marvel was preparing a secondary line of all-new superhero comics. Supporting characters from this era were allegedly created to headline their own series, which never happened. These characters include the Inhumans, the Black Panther, and even Wyatt Wingfoot. While the Inhumans and Black Panther have had series of their own in the past, they’re usually supporting characters.

The Black Panther’s real name, T’Challa, isn’t used in this issue. When not called “The Black Panther,” he’s instead referred to as merely, “the son of T’Chaka.” The character was allegedly going to be called “The Coal Tiger,” and would have worn a red cape with yellow striped gloves and boots. Call me crazy, but the all-black look is way better.

Klaw in this issue is a human with a metal hand. The next time we’ll meet him, he’ll be a lot different.

Fantastic or frightful? This is basically a Black Panther story guest-starring the Fantastic Four. But that’s all right, because Stan and Jack have done a great job making the Panther cool. He’s got a great look and all kinds of slick fighting skills. He’s pretty much a Kirby Batman, and that’s awesome. All in all, this is a fun read, making up for the previous all-they-do-is-fight issue.

Next week: Don’t be givin’ me the stink-eye!

****

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

Rereading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The folks at Marvel started bringing diversity into the comics in a big way in the mid-60s, illustrated by issue #52’s introduction of a black superhero, the noble Black Panther.

We begin with the FF in a futuristic flying car, zipping over NYC. Only this isn’t the Fantasticar, it’s a high-tech gift from the Black Panther, king of the African nation of Wakanda. Interesting that instead of being a mystery for the FF to solve, the Panther is already a public figure, and everyone (except the reader) already knows who he is. On the roof of the Baxter Building, the Panther’s ambassador greets the FF. Using “cosmic channel waves,” the ambassador sends a message to Wakanda, saying the FF will soon visit. The Black Panther appears, and there’s ominous talk about a hunt.

We check in with Johnny, who’s living in the dorms at Metro College, still pining away for his one-time love, Crystal. His team members pay him a surprise visit and they head to Wakanda. Johnny’s roommate, the musclebound Wyatt Wingfoot, sleeps the whole time. We then check in with Crystal and her people, the Inhumans, with their hidden refuge still trapped inside a giant dome, cut away from the rest of civilization. They still can’t escape, and Crystal longs for Johnny just as much he longs for her.

In Wakanda, the FF’s ship arrives to find high-tech paradise hidden away in the African jungle. We’re told that the entire jungle is man-made and that it hums with the power of computer dynamos. Then, for apparently no reason, the Black Panther attacks. As fast an agile as his namesake, the FF can’t get ahold of him, and he leads them into a trap, sealing them up in a big cage. Wyatt’s still with the group, and he figures that the entire cage is booby trapped. He knows this, he says, because the blood of the world’s greatest trackers flows in his veins.

Our heroes don’t have time to even try to escape, because the Wakandans attack with polarity guns, separating the FF. Then it’s several pages of the FF getting chased around. The Panther is so sharp he’s able to listen closely and tell where Sue is even though she’s invisible. Then he takes on Ben, using a freezing machine to stop him. The Panther attacks Reed next, only to have Reed fall into another trap, getting tangled up in the Panther’s machines. Johnny rescues Reed, explaining that Wyatt freed him from his cage. (During all the action, there was a bit where Wyatt snuck around and caught the Wakandans secretly recording the fight.) Although the Panther prepared for the FF, he hadn’t considered what an ordinary human could do.

The Black Panther unmasks, saying the mask is not to conceal his identity, but it instead acts as a symbol. The whole fight, he says, was merely a game. He promises to explain more and…

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed fails to capture the Black Panther by doing that thing where he turns his arm into a lasso. Has that ever worked?

Fade out: Sue’s limitations are revealed, when she can’t be perfectly silent while invisible, and she can’t create a force field fast enough, trapping the Black Panther inside it with her. That’s never happened before.

Clobberin’ time: Ben’s short temper is in full effect in this one. His response to every problem is punch the crap out of everything.

Flame on: Johnny is the first one taken out of the fight, but then, with Wyatt’s help, he puts an end to the fight.

Trivia time: Yes, it’s the first appearance of the Black Panther, often credited as the first black superhero. According to most reports I’ve read, this issue predates the real-life Black Panther movement of the 1960s by just a few months. It appears that one is not named after the other.

Fantastic or frightful: For what’s often described as a historic issue, not a lot happens. They go to Wakanda, everybody fights, and the cliffhanger is the promise as to why they were fighting. Kirby’s action-packed artwork is a delight, but the plot is surprisingly thin.

Next: Chillin’ with T’Challa.

****

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. 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.

****

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