Fantastic Four #57

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: September 8, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Panoramically produced by: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Inking: Joe Sinnott
Lettering: Artie Simek
20 pages

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It is you I wish to learn about! For power has ever been my god– And, in all the universe, there can be no greater truth than– knowledge is power!

One thing we’ve seen going back to issue 36 is a tighter continuity amongst a larger cast. These aren’t isolated adventures anymore, but part of a larger whole. I mention issue 36 because it introduced the Frightful Four. The character of Medusa led us to the Inhumans, who have essentially become supporting characters on this title, as we check in with them often. The FF have had three battles against the Frightful Four, but now Sandman and Wizard are attempting a prison break.

After the Inhumans saga, we met the Silver Surfer, who has also become a supporting cast member in essence.

Sandman is an interesting character, as he was created to be a Spider-Man villain but at this point seems to have been adopted by the Fantastic Four. Which leads me to a question. Is Sandman a Jack Kirby creation?

Sandman was introduced in Amazing Spider-Man by Steve Ditko. But I believe Ditko has been quoted that he got occasional help on Spider-Man’s villains from Jack. And I wonder if that refers to the Sandman.

Ditko’s first Spider-Man super-villains were: Chameleon, Vulture, Dr. Octopus, Lizard… and Sandman. Who stands out in the group. Spider-Man has an excellent rogues gallery, and Stan and the other artists have brought many of them around to threaten other heroes… but Kirby has shown no interest in using any of them in his comics… except for Sandman, who is essentially a regular Fantastic Four character at this point.

I don’t know any of this. I’m just speculating out loud. But at this point, Sandman has been adopted by the FF as a villain… and I wonder if Jack Kirby created him?

“How many times do I have to beat you?” asks Reed.

You’ve only beaten him once, Reed. FF #43. They kicked your tail in #38.

Sue recaps some of the outstanding plot threads for us. Johnny and Wyatt are off trying to free the Inhumans from the Negative Zone. Silver Surfer remains trapped on Earth. The mysteries of sub-space still need exploring.

Recall last issue we saw Silver Surfer being spied by a mysterious person in a castle in a small mountain nation. Turns out Silver Surfer is in Latveria and the watcher was Dr. Doom. Doom invites Silver Surfer to his palace, and regales him with tales of his own humility and righteousness.

Silver Surfer has been studying mankind and reached the conclusion that mankind is mad.

That checks out.

The narrator describes the Surfer as an “alien castaway from endless space”. This is important. This is why he doesn’t understand humanity. He’s not any form of human himself. He’s not from a world at all. He’s a child of the cosmos itself, created of cosmic energy, and only now starting to learn what it means to be human.

This naiveté is important here. Silver Surfer’s instincts tell him Doom is bad. He sees plenty of evidence Doom is bad. But he remains confused and uncertain. And that uncertainty will be his downfall.

Hint, hint. The guy’s name is Doom. He’s probably bad.

That was a great splash page, and here’s another. This one very famous. Doom now has stolen the Surfer’s powers and brags about how powerful he is now.

This is the beginning of a 4-part arc. The brunt of it is about Dr. Doom stealing the Surfer’s powers. But as we noted above, a lot is going on. Most of the FF spend much of this issue in battle with the Sandman. Meanwhile, Wyatt and Johnny find themselves transported by Lockjaw into a strange alternate dimension.

And Black Bolt is weak from his recent attempts to destroy the Negative Zone.

There is some mystery about Black Bolt’s silence. Why doesn’t he speak? At first, it seemed like he couldn’t. We learned in issue 47 something had happened to make him speechless. Maximus claimed this was an accident. Medusa implied Maximus was responsible. But then in issue 54, he screamed. (Note the editor claims this happened in issue 55. These mistakes are more common than getting the references right at this point.)

He had been trying to power a bomb to destroy the Negative Zone, but it got out of control so he screamed to defuse it, and now seems comatose.

Gorgon now notes surprise that Black Bolt was able to scream. There is some secret here which only Medusa and Maximus know. Maximus claims Black Bolt can speak, but chooses not to, and that when he speaks, they will all be free.

So, there’s a lot going on here. But let’s not let it distract us from Doom on a surfboard. That’s the most important thing going on.

This issue is all set-up, but what set-up it is.

For the last 20 issues, this title has been introducing enduring concepts like the Inhumans, Silver Surfer, or Black Panther, or just telling all-time great and iconic stories. This is one of those all-time great stories beginning. It’s just hit after hit.

Dr. Doom has long been my favorite villain. But the reasons for that aren’t found in his first appearance. Or his second or third… It’s Fantastic Four Annual 2 that finally sells me on Dr. Doom, followed by the excellent Battle of the Baxter Building. This is the third great Dr. Doom story in my mind. And between the three I think he’s earned the title of Marvel’s greatest villain forever.

Tangentially relevant, I have a new kitten named Kirby. He helps me organize comics.

Rating: ★★★★½, 83/100
Significance: ★★★★☆

The Best We’ve Read is growing tight. One of my favorite Spider-Man stories ever is the three-part arc where he gives up being Spider-Man. The conclusion in Amazing Spider-Man #19 isn’t my favorite part of that arc, so it unfortunately falls off the list. At some point, a hundred entries may not be enough.

I read this story in Fantastic Four Epic Collection vol. 4: The Mystery of the Black Panther.

Thanks to Richard for the cover!

Characters:

• Sandman
• Mr. Fantastic
• Invisble Girl
• Thing
• Wizard
• Doctor Doom
• Silver Surfer
• Lockjaw
• Human Torch
• Wyatt Wingfoot
• Black Bolt
• Triton
• Karnak
• Gorgon
• Medusa
• Crystal
• Maximus

Story notes:

• FF lured to state prison because Sandman and Wizard are ready to “sing” in exchange for parole. It was a trap.
• Sandman can soften himself to the consistency of wet, soggy sand, and can also make himself rock hard, hard enough to hurt the Thing.
• We learn Sandman can’t separate his body, and Sue just needs to trap some of his sand particles to prevent his escape.
• Wizard captures Sue, but police charge in. Wizard buys Sandman enough time to escape.
• Wizard had chloroform capsules on his wrist to knock out the guards.
• Message-bearing cylinder reaches Surfer from castle. Doom Rex invites Silver Surfer to be his guest.
• Surfer asks what qualities give Doom the right to rule others. Doom suggests he is but a humble servant.
• Surfer’s board is composed of cosmic energy, which can never be destroyed.
• Silver Surfer notes cosmic energy can destroy and create; Doom has him demonstrate by creating a weapon. The weapon is weightless but sends a tower wall crumbling with a tap. Surfer made the weapon disappear with a gesture; it was too dangerous for an earthman.
• Surfer believes mankind to be mad.
• Surfer offers to restore the destroyed chamber, but Doom says his servants will see to it.
• Thing on jet cycle searching for Sandman.
• Sandman attacks Reed and Sue at Baxter Building. He plans to steal equipment to free the Wizard.
• Reed uses electro-gun; even sand is susceptible to high-powered electric charges.
• Sandman shoots sand into gun’s rays, making it electrically charged. Sandman is smarter than Reed thought.
• Sandman slides into advanced equipment storage unit and activates the impregno-lock. It takes 5 minutes for Reed to get in, enough time for Sandman to leave with some equipment.
• Dr. Doom shows Silver Surfer his lab. Silver Surfer recognizes the experiments have destructive purpose. Dr. Doom assures him he fights for peace and justice.
• Dr. Doom shows mobile, all-powerful Pacifier.
• Dr. Doom almost kills servant who bumps into him, but remembers his nice guy act.
• Dr. Doom distracts Surfer with temporal photo of the universe from his orbiting satellite.
• Doom’s inductors draw Surfer’s cosmic energy into his equipment.
• Dr. Doom has the Surfer’s powers.
• Lockjaw has transported Johnny and Wyatt to a far dimension. A young world with prehistoric monsters and no apparent plant life.
• Negative Zone also called Negative Barrier.
• Black Bolt remains unconscious.
• Gorgon thought Black Bolt had been incapable of making a sound, yet he screamed. Maximus claims Black Bolt can speak, but chooses not to. He further claims that when Black Bolt speaks, it will free them all.
• Latverians look upon the glow of Castle Doom
• Thing enjoys the new Marvel Superheroes show.
• Reed invites Sue to dinner so she’ll stop worrying.

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Sgt. Fury #36	Reading order	Fantastic Four #58
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