Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: June 9, 1966
Cover: September 1966
12 cents
Script: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Art: Jolly Jack Kirby
Inking: Jovial Joe Sinnott
Lettering: Snarlin’ Sam Rosen
20 pages
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|---|---|---|
| Sgt. Fury Annual 2 | Reading order | X-Men #24 |
| Fantastic Four #53 | Fantastic Four | Fantastic Four #55 |
My name is Prester John… and long have I travelled the world, seeking to unravel the mysteries of mankind! That is why men have ever called me… the Wanderer! And, the sights I beheld… the secrets upon which I stumbled… were far beyond description… yea, almost beyond belief itself… Can I ever forget those lonely mountain peaks from which I barely escaped with my life… after finding a savage race who thrived only in the land of endless snow…? And, I wonder if time has erased the glory of Cathay… where I witnessed the flight of giant projectiles… like roaring comets, soaring high into the heavens! Even madness did I encounter… such as the time I crossed the angry sea only to find a tribe who studied the stars… and who insanely proclaimed Earth to be round, like some great spinning egg shell! But, the greatest triump of my life was finding the fabled isle of Avalon! Avalon… hidden realm of miracles without end! Avalon… whose wizards created mighty machines which harnassed the natural forces of the universe!! Alas, that those same forces should have destroyed their own land… causing them to vanish forever from the sight of men!
Still in Wakanda, the Fantastic Four and Black Panther play a baseball game.
When Reed and Sue go off to “shmooze”, Ben exclaims, “What a revoltin’ development!” Not the first time he’s used the phrase in response to Reed and Sue going off to shmooze. We’d seen it before in Fantastic Four #35. Brian Cronin traces the evolution of the phrase from Life of Reily to Daffy Duck to Ben Grimm here.
Only Johnny can’t appreciate the magnificence of Wakanda, as he’s still moping about Crystal.
A world away, we see Crystal is moping about him. Her entire people have been trapped in this prison, but to listen to her tell it, the worst thing of it all is she can’t be with this guy she met once for 5 minutes.
Johnny and Wyatt have 3 more weeks of vacation. Presumably summer vacation, even though he just started school a couple issues ago. He wants to use the time to try again to help the Inhumans break the barrier.
The others are shocked he is not returning to the team, even though he’s already been on a leave of absence from the team, due to college.
Reed and Sue are long overdue for their honeymoon, and Thing is eager to see Alicia. This slow-paced and jovial setting fills half the issue.
Black Panther gifts Johnny and Wyatt a giant hamster ball for their travel. It’s an impressive device, but even the most impressive ground transport seems like it would take a while to get from somewhere in Africa to the Andes in South America. Assuming the Andes is where they are heading.
Their journey is side-tracked and we get to the main plot of the issue, where they find Prester John, with a great weapon called the Evil Eye gifted to him by the people of Avalon, who also set him to rest for centuries, that he may one day tell of Avalon’s glory.
I think Kirby excels at throwing out these one-panel story ideas. We see only flashes of Prester John’s past adventures, but what flashes they are…
The flying carpets John encounters in Arabia are floating ships transported by helium-filled cloth. That grounding of myth in science is something Kirby often likes to explore.
This is an interesting issue as it lack a villain. Prester John is entirely noble. In fact, if there is a villain, it’s Johnny Storm.
The love-crazed psycho tries to forcibly steal Prester’s mystic weapon, thinking it can help him reunite with Crystal, but instead accidentally causing it to explode with the force of an atom bomb.
Prester John is based on a legendary figure, about whom many stories were told over the centuries. Many once believed him to be a historical figure, but modern scholarship suggests he was always fictional. I don’t know enough to opine either way. The Prester John of legend ruled a lost Christian nation somewhere in the Middle East or deeper into Asia.
The legend of Avalon is not traditionally connected to Prester John, but Kirby likes to blend together all manner of myth and science fiction. See the connections to flying carpets and abominable snowmen. Avalon is related in the legends of Arthur, who ruled an English kingdom. It is a mystical land as this comic describes, often described as the place where Arthur’s sword Excalibur was forged.
The end of an era?
You’ll see below I give this comic a solid 65/100. That’s pretty good by my rating standards. I think it’s a great comic. But it’s not one of the greatest or most iconic or any other all-time superlative of comics.
Stan Lee’s superhero comics of the last 5 years stuck pretty closely to a formula they’re only now starting to break. The lack of a villain in this comic destroys that formula. It’s a distinctive tale compared with everything else we’ve read.
It’s got a lot of heart, spending half the comic seeing our heroes relax and “shmooze”. Playing baseball, planning a honeymoon, marveling at Wakanda’s wonders, pining over loves lost.
It’s got some cool depictions of assorted legendary tales by Kirby.
It’s a great comic. But it ends the streak of masterpieces.
Prester John is not as famous a character as Black Panther, Silver Surfer, or the Inhumans, introduced across the last 4 arcs.
The Galactus Saga in Fantastic Four #48-50 and “This Man This Monster” in Fantastic Four #51 are widely regarded as two of Marvel’s best stories of all time. It’s insane that they are back to back, and bookended by the introductions of the Inhumans and Black Panther respectively. There is nothing in Marvel’s history to match the creativity of Fantastic Four #44-53.
Some people might extend that to include Fantastic Four #38-43, including iconic battles with Dr. Doom and the Frightful Four. But it doesn’t extend to here.
This is the forgettable issue that follows the masterpieces. It had to come. We get two more such issues, both great, but not as great as the last ten. But then, starting in #57, we do reach the heights of greatness again. But first we have to power through three merely great stories.
Native Americans in Marvel Comics
Because I’ve been so busy talking about Galactus and the Black Panther and stuff, there hasn’t been enough space to note that Wyatt Wingfoot is the first Native American character we’ve come across in our reading. Let’s reflect on that now.
His backstory is that he is the son of sports legend Will Wingfoot. His father was likely inspired by legendary athlete Jim Thorpe.
We reviewed Marvel’s history with Black characters previously. There had only been so many to report on. In contrast, Marvel has lots and lots of American Indians in comics because they published so many westerns. This blog has focused on Marvel’s superhero comics to the neglect of their western cousins, and so we’ve missed them.
While Native American characters had been common in Marvel, Wyatt stands out for being a modern character. Most Native characters are set in the 19th Century and the western genre. We’ll look at Marvel’s history of Native characters below, and find only two other major characters set in modern times. Wyatt will be contrasted from those two characters by not being portrayed as a cartoonishly offensive stereotype.
I’m no expert on the history of Native Americans in comics, so will point you to this overview from Mark Carlson.
We’ll look back to 1940 and some of the earliest Native American heroes in comics, and then examine in more depth Marvel’s history with such characters.
Mantoka was created by Jack Cole, credited in the comic as Richard Bruce. Jack Cole would go on to be a very celebrated comic creator with his character Plastic Man the following year.
A fairly progressive prelude opens the comic.
Our American Indians, during the early days of the United States, were robbed of land, possessions and homes by white man’s treachery. — Little wonder they revolted.– Driven westward, they were finally granted govt. protected reservations where they settled, resigned to their fate. It is on one of these reservations that we find a small tribe living much as their ancestors did before the white invasion.
As it’s public domain, his first appearance in Funny Pages #1 can be found legally on Comic Book Plus.
Doc Hermes talks about Mantoka on his blog. He claims Mantoka had only two appearances, but the GCD notes three, including Funny Comics #36 and 37. (Issue 35 followed issue 1 because comic numbering is weird.)
The Bird Man from Fox Comics. Created by Arnold Mazos, likely a pseudonym, true name unknown.
Another public domain character, you can read his first adventure in Weird Comics #1 on Comic Book Plus.
Johnny Fox, published by a precursor to Harvey Comics. Created by Paul Porter.
Also in the public domain, his first adventure in Champion Comics #6 can also be found on Comic Book Plus. A very hand site, as you can see.
Johnny Fox and the Bird Man stories are both set in the 20th century, but we will see that is rare.
Interestingly, as this Fantastic Four comic we just read was set in Wakanda, in The Texan #6, a 1949 comic from publisher St. Johns, we meet an Indian named Wakanda.
The earliest example I could find of Native Americans in Marvel Comics concerns the Black Marvel from Mystic Comics #5 in 1941. The Black Marvel himself is a white man, but he becomes the champion of the Blackfoot Tribe, after the death of Chief Man-To.
Read more about the Black Marvel on Comics Archaeology.
The first proper Native American hero then is Eagle, part of the Tough Kid Squad, debuting in 1942. Eagle is also a modern Native American character. Eagle is the one with the headband and feather.
A similar character named Feathers was a member of Bob Brant’s Troubleshooters team, which debuted in Man Comics #26, 1953. Again, you can spot him as the one with the headband and feather.
Eagle and Feathers are the two modern-day major Native Marvel heroes I know of prior to Wyatt Wingfoot.
Here are some other major Marvel characters up to this point. You will notice they are all 19th century characters from the Western genre.
Lobo, by Bill Walsh and Chu Hing, Tex Morgan #1, 1948. Partner to Tex Morgan.
Apache Kid, by John Buscema, Two Gun Western #5, 1950.
Charlie Feather, by Gene Colan, Kid Colt Outlaw #9, 1950.
Red Warrior, by Tom Gill, Red Warrior #1, 1951.
Red Wolf, by Dick Rockwell, Western Outlaws & Sheriffs #69, 1951.
The second Red Wolf was a villain, an enemy of Rawhide Kid from Rawhide Kid #27 (1962). There will be more characters by that name.
Jack Cloud, by Mike Becker, Two Gun Western #6, 1951 .
Arrowhead, by Joe Sinnott, Arrowhead #1, 1954.
Growling Bear, by Jack Kirby, Quick Trigger Western #16, 1957.
Rating: ★★★½, 65/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Fantastic Four Epic Collection vol. 4: The Mystery of the Black Panther.
A top 100 for the Best We’ve Read is proving to limiting, as this comic displaces from the list the introduction of Kang in Avengers #8.
Thanks to Richard for the cover!
Characters:
- Black Panther
- Thing
- Mr. Fantastic
- Wyatt Wingfoot
- Invisible Girl
- Human Torch
- Black Bolt
- Triton
- Karnak
- Crystal
- Gorgon
- Medusa
- Maximus
- Prester John
Minor characters:
- M’Wabu (T’Challa’s servant)
Story notes:
- Black Panther lent a titanium bat to the game.
- Thing throws underhand to Wyatt; hit makes a sonic boom; Mr. Fantastic stretches to catch. He gets knocked down as Wyatt goes for first. Turns out Sue tripped him.
- T’Challa hereditary chieftan of the Wakandas, with wealth beyond calculation.
- Black Panther has flown a renowned pianist to Wakanda. Pianist plays Grieg’s Piano Concerto in a minor– Opus 16.
- Black Bolt still finds no weak spot in the dome.
- Only Maximus can reverse the negative charge of his atmos gun, but he is quite mad.
- Black Panther bestows gifts; Sue gets clothes, the latest fashions from Paris and Rome. Wingfoot gets a book of athletic records, including a section devoted to his father; Johnny gets a sonic fishing pole; Reed gets a safari outfit; Thing gets an exerciser that can handle up to 10 tons of force.
- Wingfoot compares himself to an oversized Tonto.
- Gyro-Cruiser. The ball can move but the seats remain upright. Contains magnetic-tension element powered by friction.
- Unable to see through storm, but ball remains a smooth ride. Until suddenly they plunge through shaft deep into the Earth.
- Buried in sand, the Magna-Force keeps the sand out when the hatch is open.
- A giant dragon statue seems to guard door in underground crypt.
- Man in medieval garb is motionless, but the Torch senses he’s alive.
- Johnny claims the year is 1966.
- It has been 700 years since the men of Avalon placed Prester John in the Chair of Survival.
- Wingfoot knows of Avalon from the legends of King Richard.
- Prester John has seen Avalon, a land of wizards and kindly and wondrous men. He was to tell of their glory after the Day of Doom had slain them all.
- Evil Eye came from Avalon.
- After his service to Good King Richard, Prester John wandered the world to places such as Egypt.
- In the Middle East, he sees ancient blimps, cloth filled with helios so that it can rise in the air like a magic carpet.
- He also saw Abominable Snowmen, and the firing of rockets in Cathay.
- Across the sea, a tribe claimed Earth was round.
- Wizards of Avalon created machines which harnessed the natural forces of the universe. Forces which eventually destroyed their own land.
- Evil Eye powerful, can disintegrate matter or create an unbreakable shield.
- Maximus creates circulators which will allow Triton to live outside his tank.
- Gorgon insists Maximus free them from the Negative Zone barrier.
- Human Torch wants the Evil Eye because it may have the power to free Crystal.
- Human Torch flees with Evil Eye, not realizing the safety is off and it will blow in minutes.
- Black Bolt’s life-force can power the cyclo-electronic chamber, which may break the barrier, and may kill him.
- Black Bolt screams, his first sound since the catastrophe.
- Wyatt shoots Evil Eye out of Johnny’s hand just before it explodes.
- Prester John expects Johnny to be grateful for saving him. Not quite.
| Previous | #550 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Sgt. Fury Annual 2 | Reading order | X-Men #24 |
| Fantastic Four #53 | Fantastic Four | Fantastic Four #55 |
