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Re-reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue number 13 is the most dated from this era, but in many ways, it’s also one of the most exciting. It’s all about evil soviets and their apes, the great space race, and some seriously great art.

The issue begins with an explosion in Reed’s lab and HOLY CRAP STEVE DITKO IS INKING JACK KIRBY’S PENCILS. Ditko is of course a comics legend for his work with Stan Lee on Amazing Spider-Man, which ran concurrent to these issues of Fantastic Four. How and why he filled with the inking on this issue I’ll never know, but the melding of the two artists’ styles is fascinating. Kirby drew big, larger than life action, while Ditko’s work was quirkier, sometimes more focused on character work and expressions. You’d think they’d be too different to work together, but in this case the results are impressive. Under Ditko’s inks, Ben looks more monstrous than usual, with black shadows around his eyes, and Sue looks especially gorgeous.

But why analyze art when there are communists? Wait… make that communist APES. The issue begins with Reed experimenting with a new type of rocket fuel, which he says will allow the U.S. to be the first to the moon, before those pesky Russians get there. Meanwhile, behind the iron curtain, the sinister Ivan Kragoff has trained a bunch of apes to be his cosmonaut crew. A gorilla is the pilot, a baboon has been trained to fire a machine gun, and an orangutan is the mechanic, able to “fix anything,” Kragoff says. (Why are these apes better than a human crew? That’s never explained.)

Both the FF and Kragoff take off in their spaceships at the same time, making the space race literal. While the FF’s ship has extra-special protection against the cosmic rays that gave them their powers, Kragoff and the apes are in a special see-through ship, allowing them added exposure to the cosmic rays. They get zapped, and Kragoff and the apes gain powers. The orangutan can manipulate magnetic waves, the baboon is a shape-changer, and the gorilla has superhuman, er, superape strength.

 Both ships land on the mysterious “blue area” of the moon, finding an abandoned city there, a remnant of a long-since-dead alien society. There’s breathable air in the blue area, and the alien machinery is still operable. The FF splits up, and Ben runs into the apes. They fight, and Kragoff reappears, revealing that the cosmic rays gave him the power to turn intangible and walk through walls. He now calls himself the Red Ghost.

The fight is interrupted by a huge, bald alien, who introduces himself as the Watcher. The Watcher is just that, one who watched the galaxy from afar, but never interfering. He says the conflict between the U.S. and Russia will soon explode into full-blown war that will destroy the Earth, and he refuses to let the conflict spill over onto his home on the moon. He intends to settle the matter right then and there by having the Fantastic Four and the soviets fight it out in the dead city. The apes easily defeat Reed, Johnny and Ben, and Sue is taken captive. The Red Ghost explains to Sue that the apes are under his mental control.

The Red Ghost none-two-wisely leaves Sue alone with the apes while he runs off to set up a trap for her teammates. She sets them free, both from their cage and from the Red Ghost’s mind control. Sue then rejoins the others, warning them of the Red Ghost’s trap, a deadly laser. Johnny and Sue take out the laser. The Red Ghost escapes, and comes across the Watcher’s house. He sneaks inside, hoping to use the Watcher’s advanced alien tech for his own uses. Instead, the interior of the Watcher’s home is so far-out and otherworldly that it nearly drives the Red Ghost mad. The Watcher threatens a series of time travel-based punishments, but instead just tosses the Red Ghost out of the house.

The Watcher declares the Fantastic Four the winners, and says that no matter how far humans travel in space, they will never be alone. Freed from the Red Ghost’s mind control, the apes turn on their former master and chase him off across the lunar surface. Reed and company leave him there and return to Earth, promising to turn the new fuel source over to the National Space Agency. (Why didn’t they just that to begin with?)

Unstable Molecule: Reed invents a new source of rocket fuel from a meteorite. He also debuts a stretchable asbestos suit for his work with dangerous materials in the lab.

Fade Out: At first, I cringed at the sight of Sue being taken captive again, but then she turned the table on her captor, freeing the apes from his mind control and rescuing her teammates from the Red Ghost’s deadly laser.

Clobberin’ Time: Ben is in a jovial mood in this issue, making comedic wisecracks the whole time. It’s interesting that the Watcher chooses to appear first before Ben, and not Reed.

Flame On: Johnny’s environmental suit also uses asbestos. (Lots of asbestos in this issue.) To catch up to the Red Ghost, Reed at one point puts Johnny inside a metal tube and has Johnny use his flame as a human jet engine. Nice.

Trivia Time: It’s the first appearance of the Watcher, who will go on to be a major part of Marvel lore. He has a habit of always showing up just before really, really bad things happen. This issue ends with him saying that he’ll leave for another galaxy, but it’s later established that he and his crazy home in the blue area aren’t going anywhere.

The blue area of the moon is another fun Marvel oddity, allowing Marvel characters to visit the moon anytime they want without the need for spacesuits. It later becomes a permanent home to the Inhumans, but we’ll get to them in this re-read soon enough.

Fantastic or Frightful: All the references to communism and the space race date the issue and make it unintentionally hilarious. Add apes into the mix, and you’ve got a wonderfully weird tale. The “space opera” aspects of the story are great fun, though, with a sense of exploration and wonder with the Watcher and the alien city. Let’s not forget that the Kirby/Ditko combo art is to die for. This issue is why we love Silver Age Marvel.

Next week: More mind control, and another super-villain team-up.

Like to read? 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 12 gives us the series’ first big guest star, and I do mean big.

Right on the first page, we’re dropped into some silver age silliness. Ben and Alicia are on a date, to the symphony. It’s not Ben’s style, and he’s his typical grumpy self. Then, out of nowhere, a company of U.S. army soldiers just happen to marching by, in the middle of New York, and they start a fight with Ben. They just happen to have a specially-prepared bazooka with them. It fires steel cables at Ben, temporarily trapping him. They then knock out Ben with some powerful sleeping gas.

An army captain calls off the fight, explaining that his men mistook Ben for the Hulk. Ben heads back to headquarters, and here, for the first time, we learn it’s named “The Baxter Building.” Yay! Ben is a grump because he doesn’t like being compared to the Hulk. Reed says this is good timing, because the FF have just received a call about the Hulk. General “Thunderbolt” Ross arrives, and says he wants the team’s help… to find and destroy the Hulk.

Debuting a sleek new design for the Fantasti-Car, the Fantastic Four and Ross fly to Ross’s base in the southwest, where Ross says the Hulk has destroyed a valuable new anti-missile system. Reed conferences with a wimpy scientist, Bruce Banner, troublemaking teen Rick Jones, and some guy named Karl Kort. Banner argues that the Hulk did not destroy the machine, but that it was a saboteur known only as the Wrecker. Kort leaves, drops his wallet, which Johnny picks up. Foreshadowing! Another fight breaks out between Ben and the army guys, for pretty much no reason whatsoever, after which Johnny gives Rick Jones Kort’s wallet.

Out in the desert, Rick meets with Banner, who’s upset because he can’t convince anyone that the Hulk is not the saboteur. From there, Rick goes to return Kort’s wallet. Peeking inside, he sees a card for a “subversive communist-front organization.” Kort is literally a card-carrying communist. Kort reveals he is really the Wrecker, and he takes Rick hostage.

Meanwhile, again for no reason, the Thing is testing out the army’s new rocket sled. Part of the track has been destroyed, and once again everyone suspects the Hulk. Banner tries to convince them that the Hulk is innocent, but, again, no one will believe him. So Banner has no choice but to retreat to the desert, to his secret lab, where he reluctantly douses himself with gamma rays and transforms into the Hulk.

The Fantastic Four explore the underground caves beneath the rocket sled, and the Hulk is in those same caves. The Hulk and the Thing meet face-to-face, in what the caption describes as “one of the most dramatic moments in the history of adventure-fantasy.” Of course they fight, up through the caves, and to an abandoned Old West ghost town outside. The Hulk easily takes out Reed, Sue and Johnny, only to have the Thing slow him down with a “piledriver punch.” Only it wasn’t all Ben, but a beam from underground that also struck the Hulk. There, our heroes discover a giant robot, which the Wrecker used to frame the Hulk. Ben destroys the robot, and Sue, while invisible, disarms Kort and saves Rick. The Hulk flees, to go change back into Banner.

It’s a big happy ending as Reed and Banner shake hands and the soldiers salute the FF. Then, a day later, the Hulk is out in the desert swearing that this is not the last time they’ll meet.

Unstable Molecule: Reed’s role in this issue is mostly as an authority figure, as his smarts and reputation are what inspire the army to ask for his help.

Fade Out: She can’t fight the Hulk, but Sue makes quick work of the armed saboteur.

Clobberin’ Time: This episode is a showcase for Ben, as he first talks big about defeating the Hulk, and (with a little help) actually defeats the big green guy.

Flame On: In this issue, Johnny’s flames have a telekinetic quality, as they’re able to lift Kort’s wallet without burning it. He and fellow teen Rick Jones don’t quite along.

Trivia Time: This is the first time another Marvel hero guest stars in the Fantastic Four, although the FF made appearances in other comics, most famously Amazing Spider-Man #1.

This is also the first time the Hulk and the Thing fought each other. For many years, Thing/Hulk fights were always a major event whenever they’d happen in the comics. This is because the two were often depicted as equals in terms of physical strength. In recent times, though, Ben has been depowered somewhat, while the Hulk has been ridiculously strong, which is too bad. I miss getting excited about a Thing/Hulk slugfest.

This was Kort’s only appearance as the Wrecker. He’s not related to the guy of the same name from the Wrecking Crew.

The new Fantasti-Car debuts, as Reed explains that fans kept calling the previous one a “flying bathtub.” Sure enough, “flying bathtub” would go on to be the unofficial name for the original Fantasti-Car, as it still gets used many times in future comics.

Fantastic or Frightful: There are some silly parts here and there, but overall this is a really great issue. The mystery of the Wrecker is pretty obvious, but the long buildup to the fight against the Hulk works great. The threat and menace of ol’ Greenskin makes the issue an exciting read.

Like to read? 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. Superman has Mr. Mxyzptlk, Batman has Bat-Mite, and, in issue Fantastic Four #11, the FF meet their version, the Impossible Man.

Our story begins in the “hobo jungles” where an alien appears out of nowhere, saying he’s from the planet Poppup. He wants their food, but the hobos will only give him food in exchange for money. (“We’re legitimate hobos,” one of them says.)

With a “pop” sound effect, the alien transforms himself into a jet, and flies to the nearest bank, where he turns into a tiny insect to crawl under the vault door. He helps himself to the cash, and then turns himself hard as steel to deflect the guards’ bullets.

The Fantastic Four are called in to investigate. They find the alien stuffing his face at a fancy restaurant, much to the annoyance of the other customers. (“He’s pretty durn hungry,” Ben says.) Reed nicknames the alien Impossible Man, and I will now nickname him Impy. Impy says there are so many natural disasters on his homeworld that evolution has allowed his people to change form at will to protect themselves. (Have fun with that one, creationists.) Why did Impy come to Earth? What is his master plan? He doesn’t have one – he’s on vacation!

A fight breaks out. Impy grows spikes to puncture the Thing’s rocklike hide, he turns into a bag full of water to douse Johnny’s flame, and he transforms into a dart to escape Reed’s stretching hands. Impy causes more trouble out in the street, where he turns into a monster to steal a car. He takes to the sky and is chased by Johnny, and when the National Guard shows up, he turns into a bomb and threatens to blow up the city, only to have Reed throw him up into the sky at the last minute. Back on the ground, Impy recovers and says Earth is like one big party, and he plans to stay forever. That’s when Reed comes up with a plan – ignore Impy, and he’ll go away. Word spreads around the world quickly, and, in true silver age comics fashion, it actually works. People everywhere ignore Impy’s antics, and Impy leaves the Earth due to pure boredom.

This issue also features a backup story, in which beleaguered mailman Willy Lumpkin shows up with a bag full of fan mail. Willy wants to join the group, hoping his ability to wiggle his ears can grant him membership. Sorry, Willy, but maybe you can try Prof. Xavier’s school. They accept all kinds of weirdoes. As the FF reads all the letters, we get what is basically a FAQ for the series so far. The origin story is retold, and one-panel recreations of fights against the Skrulls in issue 2 and Dr. Doom in issue 4. We learn a little more about Ben and Reed’s friendship, establishing that they served together in World War II. Some of the letters say Sue contributes nothing to the group, and the others disagree, reminding her (and readers) of all the times she’s rescued them. They then surprise her with a birthday cake. And here she thought they’d forgotten.

Unstable Molecule: Reed saves the day by his using his brains, again. When there’s a baddie too powerful to fight, Reed instead finds another way.

Fade Out: Impy refuses to fight Sue, on the grounds that she’s a girl. He even turns himself into a bunch of flowers so he accidentally hurt her. In the backup story, several pages are spent making the argument that she’s a valuable member of the group.

Clobberin’ Time: In the backup story, Ben gets another prank gift from the Yancy Street Gang (a boxing glove on a spring right into his face). He temporarily turns human again for a few minutes, as another of Reed’s temporary cures kicks in.

Flame On: Johnny is the only one who puts up a real fight against Impy, forcing him to the ground by creating a hypnotic pattern of flame in the sky. Unless, of course, Impy was just faking…

Trivia Time: Although generally considered one of the biggies in the FF’s rogue’s gallery, the Impossible Man won’t be seen again until issue #176. Even after his return, he’s normally depicted in comedic stories, as a mischief-maker as opposed to a full-on villain.

This is also the first appearance of mailman Willy Lumpkin, a favorite comic relief character. He’s gone on to have a long history in Marvel Comics, meeting a wide range of Marvel heroes and villains. He even dated Spider-Man’s Aunt May for a while.

Fantastic or Frightful: According to oh-so-reliable internet rumors, this was not a high-selling issue. The kiddie-friendly tale with the Impossible Man is probably to blame. It’s OK to have a mostly comedic issue, it’s just that this one is too thin, lacking the “high adventure” feel of the best Fantastic Four tales.

Next week: Hulk smash!

Like to read? Check out my book, CINE HIGH, now available for the Kindle and the free Kindle app.