Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: May 9, 1963
Cover: August 1963
12 cents
Story: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
Inking: Dick Ayers
22 pages
I read this story in Fantastic Four Omnibus vol. 1.
We see the first of an effect that will be used again on Fantastic Four covers. Four panels on the cover. One for each member of the team. Perhaps with a centerpiece for the villain.
Alicia gets herself kidnapped by Dr. Doom. The girlfriend being held hostage is an old superhero trope going back to Lois Lane. We’ve seen it in the Marvel Universe already with Jane Foster.
We get a little insight into Doom’s mindset. He relates to the Thing, as both are grotesque. Yet, Thing has found love. Rather than causing him to reflect that maybe it’s okay to remove his mask, Doom still believes nobody can love him and vows revenge on all humanity. Notice that the art is going out of its way to not show us Doom’s face.
We finally meet the President of the US, but don’t get a good look at his face. And we don’t get a name. At the time, JFK was the actual president of the US. All we know about this president is what his forehead looks like and that he has a daugther named Caroline. The implication seems to be that JFK is the Marvel president as well.
We also meet the “Dictator” of the Soviet Union, Comrade K. Him we know more about. We learned he was named “Nikita” in Journey Into Mystery #88. We saw him once before in Tales of Suspense #41. We saw the Actor impersonate him in Tales of Suspense #42. There, as in this issue, he is referred to only as “Comrade K”. The implication seems clear that he is Khrushchev.
To search for Doom, Johnny sends out “sonar heat waves”. I’m pretty sure sonar is sound-based by definition, so I’m not sure what that means exactly.
Dr. Doom describes his base as his “sanctum sanctorum”. That stood out to me as a phrase I usually associate with how Dr. Strange describes his home. It’s actually a Latin biblical phrase–albeit a poor translation–for “Holy of Holies”.
Phase one of Doom’s plan is to have weird robots follow the FF and get their DNA scanned. He then has the disintegrator rays around his floating fortress tuned to destroy the FF. Apparently anybody else can get past them fine. So Reed turns Ben human again, because then the ray won’t recognize him. It’s dangerous because if Ben turns back into the Thing too soon, the ray will destroy him. Sending literally anybody else seems like a better option to me. Ant-Man was hanging out with you earlier in the issue. Why not call him back?
There’s a bit of a script oddity here. When speaking to himself privately, Doom claims the robots were only to embarrass and confuse the FF. But we learn they did have a purpose as part of a larger plan. So why would Doom claim otherwise when talking to himself? It’s one of many examples of it seeming like the scripter hadn’t finished reading the story he’s scripting.
There’s a decent amount of humor in this issue. Thing falls into a manhole, mistakes an advertiser for Dr. Doom, and Sue mistakes a toy gun for a real one.
Rating: ★★★☆☆, 54/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Characters:
- Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
- Susan Storm/Invisible Girl
- Ben Grimm/Thing
- Johnny Storm/Human Torch
- Ant-Man
- Alicia
Minor characters:
- Mr. Spade
- Helen (Johnny’s date)
Story notes:
- Picks up where issue 16 left off, with Ant-Man departing.
- Thing reads an Ant-Man comic.
- Bob Hope reference.
- Recap of last issue.
- Johnny knighted by Princess Pearla of the Micro-Kingdom.
- Pearla misspelled as Perla.
- Mr. Fantastic developed radar set that can detect human flesh covered by steel.
- Dr. Doom’s armor is made of steel
- Johnny sends out sonar heat waves
- Advertiser advertising “When Knights Were Bold” at Bijou theater.
- Disguised as janitor, Doom places “idento-discs” on the FF.
- Doom creates lighter-than-air robots; robots are intangible.
- Helen and Johnny on first date; ruined by Doom’s robot.
- Sue being photographed for US Savings Bond poster.
- Reed referred to as Dr. Richards.
- Reed given honorary degree.
- Doom wants revenge against entire human race.
- Alicia floats up to Dr. Doom’s floating laboratory.
- Doom has illusion ray.
- Doom has spores which can cover the entire city in vines.
- Doom craves power.
- Doom demands cabinet position in US government.
- Doom makes all machines in America go haywire.
- A Colonel visits the FF to ask for help against Doom.
- Reed has electro-scanner which finds Doom’s floating lab.
- Human Torch can make flame images of anybody, including rest of FF and Dr. Doom; that’s new.
- Doom’s power spheres can hurtle the FF into another dimension.
- Sue taught Judo by Reed; Reed one of world’s greatest Judo experts
- Doom falls from ship.
- Letters page notes many petitions to bring back Hulk.
#85 story in reading order
Next: Tales of Suspense #44
Previous: Fantastic Four #16
