Fantastic Four #11

A Visit with the Fantastic Four
Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: November 1, 1962
Cover: February 1963
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
Inking: Dick Ayers
11 pages

I read this comic in Fantastic Four Omnibus vol. 1.

I find this story interesting for all the biographical details we get filled in, even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff.

We learned last issue that Stan and Jack are characters in the Marvel Universe, publishing Fantastic Four comics. On the opening splash page, we see a new issue has come out. One child is excited to get his letter published. This is the second time we’ve seen the fan letters addressed in story. I’ll repeat what I said then: this is where Stan shines, interacting directly with young readers.

We then get a cute scene where they come across kids playing “Fantastic Four” and introduce themselves. Reed suggests the boy playing him ought to give flowers to the girl playing Invisible Girl. They offer a message to kids: don’t play with fire at home.

We then meet an important new character, the famous mailman to the Fantastic Four! His name is Mr. Lumpkin, but they mostly call him “Lumpy”. He asks to join the team on account of his ability to wiggle his ears.

The rest of the story is dedicated to the letters they get. Thing gets a practical joke package from the Yancy Street Gang. Human Torch gets a love note from a girl in Fresno.

They directly address the actual hate mail Sue has received… but do it very poorly. They do note times she helped out on adventures, at least. You can read Brian Cronin’s take on the “Lincoln’s mother defense” here.

Stan and Jack are trying to be progressive; they just don’t know how to write women, or how to write about them.

This story has an unusual format. Essentially, the FF themselves are responding directly to the real letters they get. It’s a good idea, and mostly works. We’re taking a break from having an adventure and just getting to know the characters a little. It’s what this era of Marvel comics is famous for, but not something we’ve actually seen much of: Ant-Man has received no characterization; Thor’s characterization just gets repeated each issue– he is afraid to ask Jane out, while she wishes he would, though also fantasizes about Thor; what character development we see in Hulk is related to the psychological relationship between Bruce and his monstrous other half.

I appreciate the background details we learn. I want to learn the ages of these characters and see this all grounded in time.

They have previously explicitly noted the year is 1962. Mr. Fantastic describes when they got their powers as “the early days”, a phrase which usually suggests a noticeable passage of time, more than the year it has been in publishing time. There was definitely a gap of time between the FF rocket flight and the fight against the Moleman, both depicted in Fantastic Four #1. There was a large gap of time between Fantastic Four #1 and #2, in which they went from being unknown and regarded as possibly dangerous to celebrity heroes in the eyes of the public. As I said in the notes for the first issue, I think the story makes more sense if it takes place before Gagarin’s flight in April 1961.

Through World War II, we get a sense that Reed and Ben are actually pretty old. It notes Ben finished college before going to war and that he fought at Guadalcanal. That gets him on the battlefield with a college degree in late 1942, suggesting he was born around 1920. Which puts him at about 42 years old.

Reed and Ben were college roommates. That often suggests they are in the same class. Reed certainly seems the type to be able to finish high school and college early, so he may be a bit younger than Ben. Perhaps around 40 years old.

I am a little surprised by how old it’s suggested they are; superheroing is often seen as a young person’s game. Now, I’m sure Stan worked out the math much much less carefully than I did, but he knows World War II was 20 years earlier. It occurs to me the ages might be quite intentional. Stan Lee is around 40 when he wrote this comic and Jack Kirby around 45. Maybe it’s not surprising that they’re writing about characters in their early ’40s.

Finally, we get some clarity on the Reed/Sue relationship. He’s had a crush on her since they were children, and his feelings had always been reciprocated, until recently. She hasn’t made a decision between him and Namor yet. If Reed and Sue were children together and young lovebirds, then they should be close in age, though he may be a few years older. It suggests Reed went off to WWII already committed to Sue, so I’d hope she was at least 17 by then. Perhaps he was around 19 or 20 if he graduated college early. Then she would be at least 37 years old now. That’s a long time for people to remain intended but not married in those days. At least 20 years since Reed went off to war. It really is surprising that Stan would claim in a 1962 story that Reed and Sue had been dating since World War II.

Johnny is in high school. So he must be at most 17. That would make Sue 20 years older than him, which is a large gap for a brother/sister, but it’s possible.

Then there’s this odd line. Ben was a college football star and Johnny remembers cheering for him on the field. Ben went to college before World War II, and Johnny must have been born after WWII. Also, if Johnny remembers watching Ben, he must have been at least 3 or so. This suggests Ben was playing football around 1948. Did he play professional or minor league football after the war? Or is Johnny just talking about seeing Ben play with his friends on the field? Johnny cannot be old enough to have seen Ben in his All-American days.

Rating: ★★★☆☆, 50/100
Significance: ★★★★☆

Significant for introducing Mr. Lumpkin. And I like the tone and idea of the story. I appreciate the biographical details, though some of them stretch credibility. It’s just that the bit about Sue is cringeworthy.

Characters:

• Mr. Fantastic
• Invisible Girl
• Human Torch
• Thing
• Mr. Lumpkin/Lumpy

Story notes:

• Johnny has new TR-4 in garage
• Reed and Ben were roommates at State U.; presumably the same college Dr. Doom went to
• Reed son of a millionaire
• Ben made All-American on football team
• Reed describes college as a long time ago
• Reed and Ben fought in WWII after college
• Ben was Marine fighter ace over Okinawa and Guadalcancal; the major fighting in Guadalcanal was August 1942 – February 1943; Battle of Okinawa was in 1945
• Ben and Reed are college roommates.
• Reed part of OSS in WWII
• If Reed and Sue were kids together, they must close in age, though he could be a bit older.
• If Reed went off to war in 1942 and was already committed to Sue, I’d hope she was at least 17 or so, even if he was over 20.
• Reed refers to gaining of powers as “early days”, suggesting a gap of time between issue 1 and 10. It’s not a phrase you use to describe last year, normally.
• Last issue, Sue was voted to stay in 639-8; this issue, they have the characters respond to the negative letters
• Ben seems to be already established as a football star when they become roommates. So perhaps they are not freshmen.
• The FF kept the saucer from Planet X as a memento.
• Surprise party for Sue’s birthday

#38 story in reading order
Next: Fantastic Four #11, Story B
Previous: Strange Tales #104