Fantastic Four #35

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: November 10, 1964
Cover: February 1965
12 cents
Adequate script: Stan Lee
Satisfactory art: Jack Kirby
Passable inking: Chic Stone
Sufficient lettering: Artie Simek
20 pages

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The page count in these books had been gradually dwindling. At first it was to make room for more letters pages or announcements, or the occasional pin-up. This is the third FF story in a row to clock in at 20 pages. Before that, they’d been 21 or 22; 23 pages even earlier. It doesn’t seem to be a fixed quantity. We still have the occasional 21-pager coming up, but 20 pages seems to be the new rule. Other titles have followed this pattern.

Comics have not gotten much more expensive over time. There were a dime in 1939 and a dime in 1961. In 1964, they’ve only increased to 12 cents. What’s changed is how many story pages you get for those pennies, often 70-80 pages for that dime in 1939. (These days Marvel comics tend to go for $3.99)

The comic returns us to State U, the alma mater of Reed and Ben. Reed is giving a guest lecture.

Where is State U? I assume it’s in New York somewhere. They seem to have brought a lot of luggage. They go galavanting all over the world and into space and into the depths of the ocean with far less.

The campus girls are enamored with Reed, the boys with Sue. Johnny feels ignored, because college students don’t think high school kids are cool.

The Fantastic Four run into Professor X and Cyclops, though they don’t realize it. They were testing students who might be mutants, but turned out not to be. It’s interesting to note that Xavier is still recruiting students, but apparently having little luck. He currently runs a school without students since the original team of X-Men graduated.

Professor Gilbert is a biologist who has created a model super-creature. I anticipate no problems there.

Diablo returns, having escaped the Transylvania prison the FF left him in. As is not uncommon in these stories, now he wants revenge.

Everybody is at State U today, it seems. There’s Peter Parker, who recently befriended Johnny’s girlfriend Dorrie, which has created tension between the two kids. Peter is considering State U for his university. It’s hard to imagine an aspirational young scientist could do better than the university that produced Reed Richards. Johnny suggests he is planning to attend, though that will seem less certain later in the issue. The two trade insults and move on.

Invisible Girl is almost hit by a car. Occupational hazard of being invisible.

Diablo’s shtick in the previous adventure was that he was something of a charlatan. He created impressive potions that appeared to do miraculous things, but the buyers eventually learned that the potions did not deliver as advertised. As that idea has limited story potential, they now establish that Diablo got better at potion-making during his imprisonment.

He is actually able to bring Gilbert’s artificial creature (sometimes referred to as a model or a robot) to life as Dragon Man.

After a battle with Dragon Man, Sue has a plan to tame him. She thinks she can reach him because she’s a woman, citing King Kong for evidence. Nobody points out that is a fictional movie she is basing her plan on. Nonetheless, it seems to work. She has charms to soothe the savage beast.

After Diablo and Dragon Man are defeated, Reed and Sue take a walk down Memory Lane, also called Lover’s Lane, and they head to the Sweetheart Tree. Campus tradition tells us that people who kiss in front of the tree will be married within a year. They both finally seem to understand that they each want the same thing. I guess this counts as a proposal.

If they do get married, it will be the wedding of the century.

Rating: ★★★☆☆, 57/100
Significance: ★★★★☆

I read this story in Fantastic Four Epic Collection vol. 3: The Coming of Galactus. You can also find it on Kindle.

Characters:

• Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards
• Invisible Girl/Sue Storm
• Human Torch/Johnny Storm
• Thing/Ben Grimm
• Professor Xavier
• Cyclops
• Dean Mencken
• Professor Gilbert
• Diablo
• Peter Parker
• Dragon Man

Minor characters:

• Hans (Transylvanian lumberjack)
• Wolfgang (Transylvanian lumberjack)

Story notes:

• Dean Menckin was also faculty at the school when Reed attended (presumably over 20 years ago).
• Reed knows Xavier by reputation, but notes that Xavier never publishes.
• Gilbert a biologist specializing in super-powered humans; creating a creature more powerful than any super-human.
• Reference to Amazing Spider-Man #21.
• Johnny implied to be planning to attend State U; Pete considering it.
• Dragon Man has a mighty tail and built-in heat reactors which emit flame.
• Diablo’s potions had previously been imperfect, but he has improved them.
• Sue’s plan to soothe Dragon Man is based on the story of Romulus and Remus, as well as King Kong.
• Diablo and Dragon Man fall into Dead Man’s Lake.
• Jayne Mansfield reference. Second after FF29. She had given a philosophy lecture at school.
• Dean suggests Johnny apply to State U. Johnny’s previous comments made me think he already was.
• Reed (sort of) proposes marriage to Sue.

Previous	#301	Next
Strange Tales #129, Story B	Reading order	Daredevil #6
Fantastic Four #34	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #36