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Fantastic Four #60

The Peril and The Power!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: December 8, 1966
Cover: March 1967
12 cents
Dazzlingly depicted by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Inking by: Joe Sinnott
Lettering by: Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#635	Next
Fantastic Four #59	Reading order	X-Men #27
Fantastic Four #59	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #61

I… never felt… pain.. like this… before..! ..Never knew anything… could hurt… so much… But… can’t let go… can’t knuckle down…! All I got is… my strength..! If I let that fail me… there’s nothin’ left…! Nothin’..! Fight it, Ben… fight it!! Fight… ya ugly , good-fer-nothin’ orange-skinned meathead… fight..! What’s a little bit… of pain… to a big beautiful slob… like you..!

Black Bolt has spoken, and his voice had the power to destroy the Negative Zone surrounding the Great Refuge. And now he along with the Royal Family and Court of the Inhumans venture forth into the wider world. Meanwhile, Dr. Doom continues to wield the cosmic power of the Silver Surfer.

As noted, I’m here for Doom on a surfboard. That’s what this story is about to me. And this is the best image of that yet.

The Human Torch tries to take on Dr. Doom by himself. It won’t go well.

Fantastic Four #59

Doomsday

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: November 10, 1966
Cover: February 1967
12 cents
A Stan Lee * Jack Kirby modern day masterwork!
Delineation by: Joe Sinnott
Lettering by: Artie Simek
20 pages

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Fantastic Four #58	Reading order	Fantastic Four #60
Fantastic Four #58	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #60

But now– with an entire planet looming before us– what do we do? Where do we go? Is the human race yet ready for us–??

The title of this comic is Doomsday. That’s also the name of an upcoming superhero movie.

Dr. Doom has the powers of the Silver Surfer and may be unbeatable. However, Ben disagrees, at least out loud.

Like ol’ Stretcho would say– as long as a guy still has a brain– and some backbone– he aint never beaten ‘less he wants’a be!

Mr. Fantastic coordinates with all nations on Earth, suggesting differences must be put aside against the threat of Doom.

Fantastic Four #58

The Dismal Dregs of Defeat!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: January 1967
12 cents
A Stan Lee * Jack Kirby powerhouse production
Inked by: Joe Sinnott
Lettered by: Artie Simek
20 pages

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Fantastic Four #57	Reading order	Fantastic Four #59
Fantastic Four #57	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #59

“Hah! The once-mighty Silver Surfer! Now, barely able to move a muscle since your new master has stripped you of your power!”
“Master? Galactus had been– my master! You– are but– a flea!”

Dr. Doom’s head appears in the air. I appreciate that Reed just thinks it’s a random pattern from the electrical storm. Smartest man in the world.

But then the pattern randomly looks like Dr. Doom again, and Reed begins to do the math on the odds of that.

Fantastic Four #57

Enter… Dr. Doom!

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

Previous	#632	Next
Sgt. Fury #36	Reading order	Fantastic Four #58
Fantastic Four #56	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #58

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?

Fantastic Four Annual 4

The Torch that Was!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: August 2, 1966
Cover: November, 1966
25 cents
Conceived and created by: Stan Lee (scenarist) & Jack Kirby (illustrator)
Inked and lettered by: Joe Sinnott (Delineator) & Sam Rosen (Calligrapher)
Recited and ignited by: Irving Forbush (part-time non-entity)
19 pages

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Human Torch #38, Story D	PRELUDE
Fantastic Four #56	Reading order	X-Men #25
Fantastic Four Annual 3	Fantastic Four Annual	Fantastic Four Annual 5

The Original Human Torch! Reborn– only to die again!

We began our Marvel reading with Fantastic Four #1, released in August 1961. But Marvel had 22 years of history predating that comic. What is the relationship between those older comics and the modern 1960s ones? We’ve seen some impacts.

Fantastic Four #56

Klaw the Murderous Master of Sound!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: July 7, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Produced by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Delineated by: Joe Sinnot
Lettered by: Artie Simek
20 pages

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	PRELUDE	Marvel Mystery Comics #2
Fantastic Four #55	Reading order	Fantastic Four Annual 4
Fantastic Four #55	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #57

Our biggest problem seems to be keeping the somewhat disoriented Marvel Universe in some semblance of order! But, when you constantly mess around with space/time warps, and continuums, negatives zones, intra-cosmic deviationary fields, and universes beyond the reached of infinity, you’re apt to get a little bit confused! So bear with us, erudite one, for verily thou hast the seeming of a true believer!

Two notes about the credits. The first is that there are two Ts in Sinnott.

The second is that the credits will stop specifying Stan Lee as the writer, when Kirby is doing most of the writing. The compromise is the nebulous “produced by” credit. Ditko had fought for a similar credit in his comics before leaving.

Sue is upset that Reed is always working, and not spending enough time with his wife. Not the first time we’ve seen this complaint.

Reed has all kinds of fancy technology, including a visi-phone which connects to his lab. Wow. A visi-phone. Imagine being able to talk to someone remotely and see them at the same time!

Eh. I’d rather just send a text.

Fantastic Four #55

When Strikes the Silver Surfer!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: July 7, 1966
Cover: October 1966
12 cents
Scripted with a smile by: Stan (The Man) Lee
Pencilled with a passion by: Jack (King) Kirby
Delineated with a dignity by: Jovial Joe Sinnott
Lettered with a lilt by: Swingin’ Sammy Rosen
Applauded with Aplomb by: Honest Irving Forbush
20 pages

Previous	#609	Next
Sgt. Fury #35	Reading order	Fantastic Four #56
Fantastic Four #54	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #56

I have seen men build… and destroy! I have seen this world, which could be paradise, reduced to a planet of greed, and fear, and hatred! I have seen humanity with its heritage betrayed!

When Galactus came to devour Earth, Silver Surfer was his herald. But Silver Surfer met Alicia Masters, and she convinced him that humanity was worth saving. So Silver Surfer betrayed his master. As punishment, Galactus took Silver Surfer’s space-time powers from him. This presumably means he cannot fly faster than light speed, so is practically confined to within a lightyear or so of Earth.

Thing hadn’t been happy that Alicia seemed so impressed by the Silver Surfer, and spent some time moping in the rain about it.

Johnny and Wyatt have been on their way to the Great Refuge of the Inhumans since they left Wakanda. Along the way, they came across Prester John and the Evil Eye, which Johnny thought might break the Negative Zone barrier around the Great Refuge. But that didn’t work out.

Shouldn’t Johnny and Wyatt be in school?

Reed still owes Sue a proper honeymoon. Though he has taken her to the Great Refuge and Wakanda. But I guess she wants somewhere just the two of them where they don’t battle evil. Women, eh.

Fantastic Four #54

Whosoever Finds the Evil Eye–!

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

Previous	#550	Next
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.

Fantastic Four #53

The Way It Began..!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: May 10, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Script: Stan Lee
Art: Jack Kirby
Inks: Joe Sinnott
Lettering: Artie Simek
Native Dances: The Ballet Forbush Terpsichorean Troupe
20 pages

Previous	#532	Next
Fantastic Four #52	Reading order	Amazing Spider-Man #39
Fantastic Four #52	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #54

From this moment forth– I live with but one thought– one aim– one goal!! This deed must be avenged! Klaw shall pay– in full measure! I shall be as strong– and as fearless– as the sacred Black Panther!! This do I swear to T’Chaka– my father who is no more!

I’m sure my highly literate readers don’t need me to tell that that terpsichorean means “referring to dancing”. It’s obviously not a new word to me either, as I’ve read this comic plenty of times before. But this was the first time I bothered to look it up.

Thing is perplexed by the contrast between the advanced scientific gizmos and the primitive customs. Perhaps he should reflect on what it means to be primitive. Maybe he is the primitive one?

Fantastic Four #52

The Black Panther!

Featuring: Fantastic Four
Release: April 12, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Script by: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Art by: Jolly Jackie Kirby
Inking by: Gentleman Joe Sinnott
Lettering by: Hammy Sammy Rosen
20 pages

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Daredevil #18	Reading order	Fantastic Four #53
Fantastic Four #51	Fantastic Four	Fantastic Four #53

The time has come for the Black Panther to stalk once more!

I’m going to repeat something I’ve been saying for the last year’s worth of Fantastic Four stories: just how impressive this moment in time is. What they accomplish in four consecutive stories arcs is unparalleled in comics history. Unprecedented and unequalled. To introduce the Inhumans, then have that story bleed into introducing Galactus and the Silver Surfer, then have that story bleed into the seminal “This Man This Monster”, to then immediately follow that up with the introduction of the Black Panther. Next issue will introduce the villainous Klaw and tell the origin of the Black Panther.

That’s a run of 10 incredibles issues. This run was preceded by the famous wedding, which was preceded by an epic three-part battle with the Frightful Four, which was preceded by one of their most iconic battles against Dr. Doom over the previous two issues…

The comic has been on fire with a sustained level of quality no other comic series has ever reached.

It can’t last forever. Fantastic Four #54 is a solid but ultimately forgettable comic. Though the stretch of stories that follow is also excellent, on par with anything except this incredible 10-issue stretch.

Let’s dive into the story without further hyperbolic build-up, and then we’ll take some time at the end to reflect on this new character we’ve just met, the Black Panther.