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Rereading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. In issue #264, the Mole Man and the Fantastic Four are fighting side-by-side to defeat a Walt Disney wannabe. That’s a sentence I just typed.

To recap: Mega-billionaire theme park owner Alden Maas has kidnapped Johnny, with a plot to end overpopulation by using Johnny’s flame to increase the size of the Earth (it makes more sense when you read it in the comic). Ben interfered, and was thrown deep underground, where he was attacked by the Mole Man. Got all that? As this issue begins, Ben is unconscious, being carried by a bunch of Moloids (how strong are those little guys?) while the Mole Man does the villain monologue thing.

Ben stirs, and the Mole Man explains that he has been busy turning his underground kingdom into a haven for all ugly people not welcome on the surface. Alden Maas’ digging into the Earth destroyed the kingdom, killing everyone but the Mole Man. Mole Man thinks the Fantastic Four are behind this, and he doesn’t believe Ben when Ben says it was Maas. The Mole Man prepares a giant boulder to drop on the still-weak Ben, possibly killing him.

Back in New York, you might remember from last issue that Reed’s scanners went crazy. He flies to Central Park to search for strange energy fluctuations. Reed uses his “dio-etheric scanner” to give the park the once over, but he can’t find anything. This doesn’t stop him from wondering if this mystery might have terrible consequences for all the people of Earth. In Connecticut, Sue is at her and Reed’s suburban house where they’re living with secret identities. She’s experiencing painful muscle spasms, and doesn’t know if this is part of a normal pregnancy (her first pregnancy being far from normal, that is). The pains go away, and she soon feels as if it never happened. (Both of these subplots are setting up Secret Wars, which is right around the corner.)

Inside Maas’ test chamber, Johnny meets the woman who previously appeared as a hologram to Ben. She says it’s time for another nova blast to the center of the Earth. Before she can throw the switch, a bunch of Moloids grab her and pull her under the floor. Ben and the Mole Man rescue Johnny. (We’re never told exactly how Ben convinced the Mole Man they have a common enemy. Mole Man has one line where he says he’s still not convinced, but then he spends the rest of the issue wanting to defeat Maas alongside the FF.) Then they fight their way through a bunch of Maas’ robots, done up to look like the cartoon mascots from his theme park, in one of the weirdest fights we’ve had in a while.

A bunch of Maas’ suit-wearing executives watch the fight on their monitors. Maas, walking with a cane, shows up and says it’s time to prepare a thermonuclear device for the Earth’s core, as mankind’s last hope. Ben, Johnny, and the Mole Man come to a giant door inside Maas’ complex, so the Mole Man summons the giant monster from Fantastic Four #1 (the monster’s name isn’t given, but the Marvel Wiki informs me it’s “Giganto.”) The monster tears up the place, with our heroes following.

Maas says it’s time to unleash the nuclear device, but only he can throw the switch. He’s in a weakened state, and his executives have to help him across the room to get to it. Ben, Johnny, and the Mole Man burst into the room to find that Maas has died. What’s more, he died twenty years ago, except able to be revived for short amounts of time because his body was kept in an “extended animation chamber.” What’s more, the executives are robots, programmed to do whatever Maas said, no matter how crazy.

Later, all the executives march into the sea to kill themselves, Virginia Woolf-style. The Mole Man insists that he and the FF are not friends, and the next time the meet it will be as enemies. Ben and Johnny fly back to New York, with Ben saying, “I feel like bein’ depressed for a while.”

The Thing #10 is required reading, so I’ll cover it here real quick. Ben breaks up with Alicia (or does he? It’s ambiguous), saying he’s changed, and he suspects even bigger changes are on the way. Then, Reed, Ben, and Johnny return to Central Park to check out those strange energy readings. They find a giant machine there. When the approach it, they all disappear.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: That “dio-etheric scanner” Reed used? He invented it in the minutes between his alarm going off and his visit to Central Park. Not built it, mind you, but invented it.

Fade out: This is the first indication that something has gone wrong with Sue’s pregnancy. It will lead to… well, if you know then you know.

Clobberin’ time: When fighting the cartoon mascot robots, Ben shows some remorse, thinking that beating up cute cartoon characters is like attacking “the flag or mom’s apple pie.”

Flame on: One panel reveals how Johnny survived the car crash last issue. His car was switched with a dummy car when it went through that tunnel.

Four and a half: Remember Katie, the neighbor girl from issue #259 who offered to babysit Franklin? She actually is babysitting him in this issue. She and Franklin are shown eating cookies and milk on the kitchen floor, which doesn’t seem to be good babysitting to me.

Commercial break: Uhhh…

Trivia time: According to the Marvel Wiki, the cartoon robots working for Maas are Maxie Mouse, Hopalong Hippo, Gerry Giraffe, Dingaling Duck, and my personal favorite, Murgatroid Mutt.

Fantastic or frightful? You wouldn’t have known it at the time, but this is the last issue before EVERYTHING CHANGES. Beyond that, though, it’s a fun Ben/Johnny romp, with a lot of Disney spoof weirdness.

Next week: Famously, a new green-skinned character joins the main cast. Subtly, a second new green-skinned character also joins the main cast.

****

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. We’ve got a new villain in issue #263, a combination of Walt Disney and Howard Hughes, with maybe a little bit of Lex Luthor thrown in there.

Several months have passed since the last issue. Reed and Sue are living in their suburban house under their secret identities, and Sue pregnancy belly (I don’t think that’s a medically accurate term) is coming along nicely. We get a little bit of excuse-for-the-characters-to-show-off-their-powers-in-the-first-few-pages thing when Sue catches some spilled paint in an invisible force field, and Reed shows he can stretch his face to like someone else to maintain his new secret identity. Reed heads to a bus stop to take him to “work,” which is really a rented garage where the Fantasticar is hidden. He takes it back to New York, to the Baxter Building. Reed calls the Vision, to check in on how the Vision’s injuries have come along since the fight with Annihilus. The Vision is feeling better, but still not mobile. His brain is hooked up to the Avengers Mansion computer, so he’s running the whole building. Their conversation is cut short when Reed’s automatic scanners start going off like crazy.

We cut to Los Angeles, at the “internationally renowned” amusement park Wonderworld. Johnny is driving a race car in the first Wonderworld invitational grand prix. Ben doesn’t like that all the racers, who are celebrities, won’t be revealed until after the race. Johnny, who’s wearing a super-cool black and silver racing suit by the way, runs into love interest Julie Angel, who happens to be there. Turns out she’s now the ex-girlfriend, having moved to L.A. with fellow actor Grey Landers, and now she has a modeling gig at the racetrack. She kisses Johnny as he leaves for the race, so maybe there’s still some romance there.

The race begins, and Johnny’s car takes an early lead. The car enters a tunnel (this is apparently a Speed Racer-style race track) and crashes as soon as it comes out of the tunnel. The car explodes in a big fireball. Ben, watching from the stands, doesn’t see Johnny fly from the fire, so he runs out to it. Ben dives into the fire and tears the car apart, finding a body inside that is burned beyond recognition.

Later, a doctor bandages Ben’s arms while a racetrack guy (He’s not identified, I assume he works there) insists that no one could have survived and that the Human Torch is dead. Ben refuses to believe it, saying he’s seen Johnny fly through exploding fighter jets without a scratch. Ben meets up Julie, further insisting that Johnny isn’t really dead. He says he wants to find who’s in charge of the place. Julie says that would be Alden Maas, a billionaire recluse who hasn’t been seen in public in years. She says Maas lives on the star-shaped island off the coast.

Ben takes his Fantasicar (different from Reed’s) to the island, where he’s met by a bunch of executives in suits. They escort him into a big gold building. Inside, a hologram appears before Ben, explaining something called “Project Worldcore,” in a cartoony style. The gist of it is that the Earth’s surface has cooled and all the continents are overpopulated. The Earth then needs a massive amount of heat to expand the planet’s core and create more space for everyone. The hologram then drops the bomb, revealing that the heat source used to accomplish this is… Johnny! He’s hooked up to a big machine that’s forcing him to generate fire and blast it deep down into the Earth. This causes him a lot of pain for some reason.

Ben is about to rescue Johnny, when Alden Maas shows up. He says that Johnny’s life must be sacrificed in order to save all of humanity. Maas takes great pride in his work, calling himself the Messiah. Ben won’t have it, and tries to rescue Johnny. Johnny’s appearance was just another hologram, though, and Ben finds himself falling down a huge shaft, deep into the Earth. At the bottom, while he catches his breath, he’s shocked by a weapon. It belongs to the Mole Man, who says it’s time for the surface world to pay for its crimes.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: Reed using his powers to disguise his face was also used in the 2015 Fantastic Four movie. See, they did read the comics.

Fade out: This issue’s letters page makes a big fuss about “Sue’s Coiffure Contest,” in which readers could submit designs for Sue’s new hairstyle. John Byrne got into the act by drawing this:

Clobberin’ time: The bandages on Ben’s arms look kind of cool, but it’s ambiguous as to how badly he was burned in the fire. He himself says that he’s been through a lot worse.

Flame on: We’re told that Johnny can only burn his super-hot nova flame a few seconds at a time or it will kill him. This would appear to contradict issue #249, which told us he has greater control of his nova flame.

Four and a half: Franklin is back, and we see he’s fully recovered from his injuries during the Negative Zone story.

Commercial break: I want one!

Trivia time: Alden Maas’ plan is based on the expanded Earth theory, which is one heck of a well to fall into on the internet. Comic book legend Neal Adams is allegedly a believer in this theory, so the character Alden Maas is allegedly named after him. (I’m throwing around the word “allegedly” again, because this is all based on iffy internet info.)

Fantastic or frightful? After all those cosmic/space stories, it’s fun to see our face a more earthbound menace. The car race is an exciting scene, and the Disney/hologram weirdness makes this issue a lot of fun.

Next week: Way down in the underground.

****

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. Here we have the landmark issue #262, “The Trial of Reed Richards.” It’s a tale of cosmic significance with the fate of the entire universe on the line, yet it also takes place during the silliest, goofiest crossover in Marvel history.

To recap: In outer space, survivors of worlds destroyed by Galactus have abducted Reed and want to execute him. This is because Reed saved the life of Galactus, and Galactus went on to destroy the Skrull homeworld. Lilandra of the Shi’ar Empire showed up to further the “kill Reed” cause. This issue, however, doesn’t begin in space, but on Earth, with writer-artist John Byrne on the phone with Fantastic Four assistant editor Mike Higgins. Byrne reminds Higgins (and the audience) that Marvel Comics in the Marvel Universe are based on the real exploits of the superheroes. The FF, however, have been out of touch, so Byrne says he might be forced to make up a story.

Okay, we just have to take a moment here to talk about Assistant Editors’ Month. Here in the real world, the official story is that for one month, all of Marvel’s editors were away at conventions, leaving the assistant editors running all the comics by themselves. The assistants took advantage of the opportunity to publish all kinds of crazy comics that their bosses would otherwise never let them get away with. This story was bogus, obviously, and was just a crossover stunt, with a lot break-the-fourth-wall comics. This FF issue is one of the more normal Assistant Editors’ Month entries, and it’s still pretty insane.

Back in the Marvel Universe, John Byrne hangs up just in time for the Watcher to appear inside his house, and whisk him off to space. Byrne’s wife Andrea shows up just in time to see them vanish. Committing to the bit, the Watcher says Byrne must accompany him because Byrne is the official chronicler of the Fantastic Four and their heroic exploits. (Just keep telling yourself, it’s Assistant Editors’ Month…) They arrive at a giant alien arena of sorts, where the Watcher announces that this is the trial of Reed Richards. Byrne meets up with Sue, Ben and Johnny, who catches up him up to speed.

The trial begins. An alien explains to Ben that the “jury” is a cluster of globes called the M’Ndavian Procedures, which somehow render a guilty or innocent verdict based on the emotions of everyone present. When all the globes turn white, Reed will be found innocent. The first witness is Karan Karr, a Skrull politician, who recounts the story of Galactus devouring his homeworld. Lilandra further argues that Reed knew what he was doing — that Galactus would kill again. She calls a bunch of other witnesses, who tell their Galactus stories. While this is happening, the Watcher takes Johnny aside and teleports him to deep space, saying he must run an errand for the defense. The Watcher then takes center stage as Reed’s makeshift defense attorney, asking Reed how he pleads. Reed says he has no choice but to plead guilty.

While some of aliens call for immediate execution, Reed further says that the charge is saving Galactus’ life, and that is exactly what he did. He then says the real question is whether that can be considered a crime. Reed argues that Galactus is neither good nor evil, but an act of nature, like a storm. Johnny then returns with the Watcher’s next witness, Odin the king of Asgard. (Hilariously, Odin shows up holding a goblet. I guess he just came from Ye Olde Viking Tavern.) Odin retells the origin of Galactus (as a card-carrying god, Odin knows this stuff). He says Galactus is a test, and planets that pass his test are strengthened for it. Just before returning to Asgard, Odin says Reed’s actions were not criminal, punctuating this with, “So speaks Odin!”

The FF think they’ve won, but Lilandra points out that the M’Ndavian Procedures are still not all white. They are then destroyed by a blast of fire. It’s Nova, the new herald of Galactus, with Galactus right behind her. The aliens all freak out at seeing Galactus. Xxan Xxar, the survivors’ leader, uses his jetpack to fly right up to Galactus and aim his gun at the big guy. Xxar chickens out at the last minute, though, and flies away not having pulling the trigger.

Galactus says Reed an honorable mortal, and one that he considers a friend. Lilandra rejects Galactus’ testimony, so the Watcher steps in. He and Galactus combine their powers to summon yet another witness. It’s Eternity, a single living being who represents the sum total of all things in existence. Galactus calls Eternity “father,” and says Eternity’s knowledge is needed. Eternity says he will, just this once, let the unknowable become knowable. Then, for an instant, everyone present learns the cosmic truth — the one purpose and destiny of the universe itself.

We cut to hours later, with Byrne back on the phone with Higgins. Byrne says that although the specifics of the cosmic truth have faded from memory, the acceptance of that truth have stayed with everyone. The Watcher brought Byrne and the FF back to Earth, and all the aliens went on their way. (X-Men readers will remember that Lilandra was also living on Earth at this time, but that’s not mentioned in this issue.) The Watcher says Galactus will go on destroying planets, and the inhabitants of those planets have the right to fight back. This is because they have free will, but Galactus’ hunger means he does not. The Watcher then adds that someday Galactus will find a planet that will truly satisfy his hunger. “On that day, Galactus shall perish,” the Watcher says. “On that day, let the universe mourn.”

Unstable molecule: Reed is bound in futuristic-looking manacles throughout this story, and never once tries to use his stretching powers to escape. I guess he really had faith that he’d get a fair trial.

Fade out: Sue says that although she’s met Thor several times, she never put it together that the ancient gods of Asgard actually exist in this universe.

Clobberin’ time: Ben does not like John Byrne, accusing him of not getting the FF’s stories right. This is likely a reference to The Thing #7, which celebrated Assistant Editors’ Month by having Ben barge into the Marvel offices and complain about how Marvel misrepresents him.

Flame on: Johnny’s trip to Asgard and back recalls the galactic journey the Watcher sent him on back in issues #49-51, when the team first encountered Galactus.

Fantastic fifth wheel: Johnny goes ga-ga when he sees Nova, exclaiming, “It’s Frankie!” Sue holds him back, reminding him that the woman who was once Frankie Raye has now fully given herself over to the power cosmic.

Commercial break: Lots of us had an Atari or Nintento growing up, but who the heck ever owned a Probe 2000?

Trivia time: The same month as this comic, Galactus made it to Earth in Marvel Team-up #137, where he temporarily turned Spider-Man’s Aunt May into his new herald. Again, it was Assistant Editors’ Month. (EDIT: I just went and checked that issue, and the whole thing was a dream, so May was never really a herald.)

Other notable Assistant Editors’ Month stunts include the Avengers teaming up with David Letterman, the all-words-no-pictures issue of Alpha Flight, the Fred Hembeck-drawn issue of Spectacular Spider-Man, and everyone from Dazzler to the Hulk to the X-Men joining the Thing in visiting the Marvel editors in person. Marvel’s licensed comics, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Micronauts, Rom: Spaceknight, and Crystar also had Assistant Editor Month stunts.

The best of the bunch, though, was “The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man” in Amazing Spider-Man #248, one of the best (and most heartbreaking) Spider-Man stories ever written.

Fantastic or frightful? This issue more or less created what we think of when we think of the “cosmic” part of the Marvel Universe. Characters like Eternity existed before this, but bringing them together and emphasizing the shared universe nature of Marvel made it feel like a bigger, more expansive place than it ever was. The assistant editor wackiness is just gravy.

Next week: Days of thunder, sort of.

****

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. Reed Richards disappeared five issues ago, and in issue #261, we get some answers.

Open up the comic and the first page is Sue and Namor kissing! Wha-hey! Turn the page, though, and we see that this is just a friendly goodbye kiss. Namor is dropping off Sue at home after they helped Alpha Flight defeat a baddie known only as the Master. Namor and AF member Marrina take off for Atlantis, and Sue heads inside. She finds the Baxter Building empty, and wonders where Reed is. She calls Avengers Mansion, where Jarvis the butler tells her the Avengers are on board the S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite, investigating a strange beam that struck the mansion earlier. The Silver Surfer, who was resting in the Baxter Building infirmary, wakes up and compares notes with Sue. He reminds her (and the reader) that he came to New York investigating that same beam.

The Silver summons his surfboard from where it was buried in the wreckage of the Terrax/Tyros fight. He and Sue travel to Avengers mansion. The Scarlet Witch is there, watching over the still-comatose Vision. She tells Sue what she saw when Reed was abducted (in issue #257). The Silver Surfer uses the power cosmic to do the “psychic investigator” thing to confirm that Reed is no longer on Earth, but was transported somewhere way out in the cosmos.

Sue meets with Reed and Johnny, insisting that the three of them leave for space. Johnny and Ben remind her (and the reader) that she’s pregnant. Sue shuts them up, saying that when Reed isn’t there, she becomes the official leader of the FF. With that, everyone boards the FF’s rocket ship, with Sue saying she knows someone in space who can help them. (The Silver Surfer is still exiled on Earth and cannot follow.) The story pauses at this point, so writer-artist John Byrne can take a few pages to depict his own version of the FF’s origin story. The flashback ends as our heroes arrive at the blue area of the moon, home of the Watcher.

Not only does the Watcher know the FF were coming, he has already consulted with people and been given permission to get involved. (Let’s take a second here to notice that the Watcher has been completely redesigned. Instead of looking like a big bald guy, he’s now a lot more alien, with a huge head on top of a spindly thin arms and legs.) The Watcher teleports the FF across the galaxy, to a massive fleet of spaceships. He says these are the survivors of Galactus — aliens who’ve had their homeworlds devoured by the big G and who have now banded together in their space-homelessness.

The FF and the watcher are greeted by the survivors’ leader, Xxan Xxar. He takes them to… Reed! Reed is being tortured on this big wheel-looking thing, and it looks really painful. Xxan Xxar says Reed is to blame for the destruction of the Skrull homeworld. (Reed saved Galactus’ life in issue #244, only for Galactus to kill the Skrulls in issue #257. So much continuity!) A fight breaks out when Ben tries to free Reed, but the Watcher breaks it up, sealing everyone in some sort of energy spheres.

We cut to later, where the survivors’ council is meeting. Reed says human compassion has him mourning the deaths of the Skrulls, and it was that same compassion that drove him to save Galactus. The Watcher says Galactus has a purpose in the universe, even if such purpose is beyond mortal comprehension. Just as the council members are about to reconsider, they’re interrupted by Lilandra, head of the Shi’ar Empire. She demands that Reed must die.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: When reunited with Sue, Reed says she shouldn’t be there, showing that he is resigned to his fate. Later, though, he argues for his freedom while standing with his arm around her, showing that her presence has changed his mind.

Fade out: Sue is now fully in her “she has become totally awesome” phase of her character development. Her first act as leader of the FF is to take on the Watcher. Sue’s ponytail is of note, because it’s the first of several tweaks her hairstyle will go through in issues to come. (Changing Sue’s hair is always good for causing some minor controversy among fans.)

Clobberin’ time: The flashback to the FF’s origin comes from/is narrated by Ben as the ship flies through the cosmic ray belt that gave them their powers. (This time they’re prepared for it.) Ben thinks, “Life’s been one big pain in th’ butt ever since.”

Flame on: There’s a bit where Johnny flies off by himself inside the Watcher’s house, only to get lost among all the reality-defying spaces inside there. The same thing happened to the Red Ghost back in issue #10 and to Wolverine during the death of Jean Grey saga in Uncanny X-Men.

Commercial break: This ad is for a puzzle book, but oh wow are they trying to convince kids that it’s a video game:

Trivia time: OK, so the story goes that this whole story is the product of infighting between John Byrne/FF editorial versus Chris Claremont/X-Men editorial. Remember when Lilandra made her dire warning to the FF in the pages of Uncanny X-Men? That was allegedly done without Byrne’s knowledge. Byrne was allegedly pissed off, and wrote this story arc as a response. I’m throwing the word “allegedly” around a lot, because the truth of what happened totally depends on who you talk to.

Fantastic or frightful? Although this is mostly set up for the next issue, there’s a lot of great stuff here. I like the survivors of Galactus, and I always wished Marvel would do more with those characters. I really like Sue stepping up and finally becoming ultra-heroic.

Next week: The cosmic grandeur of… it’s WHAT month?!?

****

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 Doom/Tyros story arc ends in appropriately explosive fashion, in a way that may or may not shake up the whole Marvel universe, in issue #260.

To recap, Dr. Doom gave the power cosmic to Tyros (formerly Terrax) and sent him off to fight the FF, weakening the heroes so Doom himself can deliver the killing blow. What Tyros doesn’t know is that the power cosmic is slowly killing him. What nobody knows is that Reed has mysteriously disappeared, leaving only Sue, Ben, and Johnny to fight back. This issue begins with none of that, as we’re instead treated to Namor the Sub-Mariner, flying around arctic waters. In a flashback, we learn a bunch of undersea barbarians came to Atlantis seeking refuge, claiming a great evil was threating their home. Namor is now investigating when his metal wrist bands dissolve and all the strength leaves his body. He sinks to the ocean floor.

Then, we rejoin the battle with Tyros. Fighting! Tryos is able to use his earthbender-style powers to counter any attack that Ben, Johnny, and Sue throw at him. Sue fires her FF signal flare into the sky, in the hopes that Reed will see it and help. Dr. Doom, watching all this from his spaceship high above New York, also sees the flare. As the minutes tick by, Doom realizes Reed isn’t coming. Doom doesn’t want Reed to miss the deaths of his loved ones, so Doom transports down to the surface and joins the fight in person.

Doom attacks Tyros, again insisting that FF can’t be defeated with Reed not there. Tyros says he must have his revenge against the FF for the last time they fought. He and Doom then duke it out, with Tyros finally fusing Doom’s armor so Doom cannot move. Tyros faces the FF, but before he can strike, the Silver Surfer flies down from the sky and kicks his butt. (Remember that the last issue ended with the Surfer going to New York to investigate a matter transportation beam from space.)

While the Silver Surfer fights with Tyros, we focus on Doom. In his thoughts, he says there is one way out of his statue-like predicament, something he hasn’t tried in years. Then we cut to the crowd watching all this, which includes Peter Parker’s Aunt May. She wonders why it’s taking the FF so long to defeat Dr. Doom, and the man next to her tells her, “Be quiet, old woman!” and wanders off. Aunt May is an especially feisty mood, because then then tells the ‘80s punk rocker on the other side of her, “I’m not your granny!”

The Silver Surfer grabs Tyros and flies him way up into the atmosphere. They both turn into a giant fireball flying back down to Earth. (It’s the whole “burning up in the atmosphere” thing.) They crash land right on top of Doom, causing a massive explosion. Sue contains the blast in a force field, which pushes her back. This is this issue’s opportunity to remind us that she’s pregnant, when she insists that neither she nor the baby were hurt. The Silver Surfer rises from the wreckage, saying he’s won. Tyros’ body has completely melted away, and Doom’s burned-up mask is found in the wreckage. Sue calls it, saying “the greatest evil the world has ever faced is… dead!”

(Because this is a re-read and not a first time read, I’ll spoil it: Dr. Doom isn’t really dead. He switched minds with the guy standing next to Aunt May, using the same mystical mind-switch technique he used on Reed way back in issue #10. For readers at the time, however, we were meant to think that Dr. Doom was well and truly dead and that this was his final appearance ever.)

In one text panel, we’re told that FF doesn’t just leave the scene of the battle, but that it takes some time to deal with its “economic and emotional” consequences. Hours later, Sue arrives at the Baxter Building with the Silver Surfer, who is weakened from the fight. He rests in the infirmary, while Sue checks out the building, to find it empty. She considers calling the Avengers (Reed was last seen at Avengers Mansion) when Namor shows up, looking beaten up and saying he needs her help. We end with, “To be continued in Alpha Flight #4.”

Unstable molecule: The characters finally start to wise up and realize Reed is missing. This won’t become a crisis until next issue, though.

Fade out: Sue’s first move against Tyros is use a force field to cut off his air. She’s become so hardcore that she goes for the lethal attack right off the bat.

Clobberin’ time: Ben’s nickname for the Silver Surfer in this issue is “Glinty.”

Flame on: Johnny confirms that he doesn’t need to say “Flame on” to activate his powers. During the battle he shouts “Flame on!” while already flamed on, just to get himself pumped up.

Commercial break: Is there any possibility that Solar Fox the game was as great as the comic in this ad? Because I want 200 issues of this Solar Fox comic:

Trivia time: Here’s what happens in Alpha Flight #4: Sue and Namor help Alpha Flight defeat an alien known only as the Master, who is sucking nutrients out of the ocean to power his spaceship. The heroes destroy the Master’s ship and the Master disappears. AF’s amphibious hero Marrina agrees to live in Atlantis with Namor. There, all caught up.

Fantastic or frightful? The Silver Surfer saving the day is a total deus ex machina, but other than that, this issue is terrific. It has big action, a real sense of danger for our heroes, and the nifty twist of Dr. Doom’s “death.” Simply a classic.

Next week: To the stars!

****

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