From the Monster from the Lost Lagoon to the Overmind from beyond the stars, menaces from across time and space converge on Earth's most fabulous foursome! A space angel of death! Future warrior women! The horrors of the 1950s! Plus: Doctor Doom, Diablo and Dragon Man! Guest-starring the Inhumans! COLLECTING: FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) 111-137
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stan Lee ends his run on "The Fantastic Four" with help from John Buscema,
By Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (COMMUNITY FORUM 04) (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)
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This review is from: Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 6 (Marvel Essentials) (Paperback)
You might be surprised at how many times you can take one away from four and get three, but that is a common thread in the comic book issues collected in "Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 6" (which would be issues #111-37 of "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine"). Sue Storm has temporarily left the FF to take care of baby Franklin, with help from Agatha Harkness. The Invisible Woman had been replaced in the lineup by Crystal, but Johnny Storm's girlfriend has gone back to the Inhumans. By the time you read the first half-dozen stories in this volume first the Thing and then Mr. Fantastic will turn against the group, and then the Human Torch flies off to let off some steam. In these issues Stan Lee turns over the scripting chores to Roy Thomas and Archie Goodwin, while most of the art is by John Buscema, doing an admirable job of replacing the legendary Jack Kirby (when you consider Buscema also had to follow Barry Windsor-Smith on "Conan the Barbarian" you have to give him major props as the best replacement artist Marvel had in those days).
When last we left our heroes, Reed had once again invented a machine that would help the Thing turn back into Ben Grimm. However it affected the Thing's mind and he has run amok, leaving the FF and spoiling for fight (#111). That is exactly what he finds when he runs into the Hulk and the two slug it out (#112). The FF are dealing with the city turning against them when the Watcher pops up and warns them to "Beware the Over-Mind" (#113). But it is hard for the FF to fight somebody when they are being evicted from the Baxter Building (#114). Things get even worse when, after the Watcher tells the story of the Over-Mind, the bad guy takes over Reed's mind and turns him bad (#115). This explains what you see on the cover of this collection as Sue Storm turns to Dr. Doom to help the FF defeat the Over-Mind and save Reed, at which point the Human Torch flies off mad (#116) and discovers his girlfriend Crystal has been captured by Diablo (#117) and it is her turn to turn against the FF in a big fight (#118). Things get political in #119, when the Thing and Torch rescue the Blank Panther, who feels compelled to call himself the Black Leopard all of the sudden, from the nation of Rudyarda, one of the last remaining strongholds of white supremacy on the African continent. Then we get to Stan Lee's final run of stories on this title, beginning with the arrival of Gabriel, an air-walker who blows his horn and declares the end of the world is at hand (#120). Gabriel defeats the FF but then has to deal with the Silver Surfer (#121), which is a big that the newcomer is the Surfer's replacement as the herald of Galactus (#122). Similar to how things went in the first go round with Galactus, Mr. Fantastic gets aboard Galactus' ship to find a way to turn the tide (#123). The issue is also notable for an appearance by President Nixon who wants the FF to just turn over the Surfer to Galactus, although to be fair it is Reed Richards who is the tricky one in this story. Unfortunately Lee did not leave the book on this high note, finishing instead with a two-part battle between the FF and a monster doing a take off on "The Creature of the Black Lagoon" that is fairly pedestrian. You really expected Lee to go out with more of a bang. Roy Thomas takes over as scripter on issue #126 with a retelling of the Fantastic Four's origin, which leads to a rematch with the Mole Man (#127) who, in keeping with the common theme in so many of these stories, manages to turn the rest of the FF against the Thing (#128). The walk down memory lane continues with the FF taking on the Frightful Four (#129-30), and the Human Torch losing his cool in the land of the Inhumans (#131), before somebody new pops up in the form of Omega, the ultimate assassin (#132). Medusa becomes Crystal's replacement as Sue's replacement in the FF as Gerry Conway starts writing the book and the Thing had a big fight with a girl, namely Thundra (#133). After that point the Dragon Man captures Sue and the baby (#134) at the behest of Gideon (#135), and the Shaper of Worlds decides to turn reality into a sci-fi biker world (#136) and a rumble against War-Head (there is a definite 50's vibe to this two-parter). There is some bonus art at the bank of this volume, including earlier versions of the covers of "Fantastic Four" #130 and #131, which were penciled by Jim Steranko and inked by Joe Sinnott. Nothing in this collection manages to get to the level of a true classic: having Dr. Doom lead the group had the potential, but it becomes a one shot deal rather than something that gets developed for several issues (which is what they should have done). You can make the argument that Sue Storm is a key stabilizing influence on the group, because when she is not around the boys take their bickering to a new level. The idea that the public turns on the FF was getting interesting, but then it got abandoned in the wake of the group saving the world again (twice actually). It is interesting to read these stories again with Medusa replacing Crystal replacing Sue because over the years the make-up of the FF has been juggled from time to time, which is the case today with the Black Panther and Storm having replaced Reed and Sue as they work out their marital problems in the wake of the Civil War. This stories do not reflect the glory days, but "The Fantastic Four" is still a solid comic book at the start of its second decade in the early 1970s.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to Go Wrong,
By G. YEO "gyeo" (Singapore) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 6 (Marvel Essentials) (Paperback)
The FF marches on in this collection of vintage Marvel from the early 70s. After King Kirby left the chores, one would have expected the FF to suffer. Nonetheless, the FF remained the stand out comic of its day, among its Marvel peers.
With amazing artwork from John Buscema (also at his superheroic peak); impeccable inking by Joe Sinnott and of course Stan Lee and Roy Thomas at the helm - the Fab Four makes for classic and essential reading. While the villains aren't always up to par, the Thing, Reed Richards, the Human Torch and Invisible Girl are such well defined characters that they have a life of their own. Why get this collection? There is an epic face off with Galactus, and as the cover indicates, a brief alliance with Dr Doom, and the ongoing soap drama love affairs between our male alpha heroes and their female counterparts. While all this happens, the FF literally destroy half of New York City and the Baxter Building issue after issue - but remain untouchable. These guys earned their title of the World's Greatest Comic Magazine. Something the movie series has yet to live up to. 'Nuff said.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Four stars for the Fantastic Four,
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This review is from: Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 6 (Marvel Essentials) (Paperback)
By the time of the issues found in Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 6, the World's Greatest Comic Magazine was undergoing a bit of a transition. In particular, the original artist Jack Kirby was already gone and soon long-time writer Stan Lee would be passing the torch to Roy Thomas. It may not have seamless, but generally, issues 111 to 137 are good reads.
As these stories begin, an unresolved plot from the previous Essential Volume is concluded. The Thing has gained the ability to turn into Ben Grimm willingly, but the cost is that he is turning meaner and meaner. This is resolved with an assist from the Hulk, but other villains are waiting in the wings, starting with The Overmind who presents a threat big enough to involve the Watcher and force an alliance with Dr. Doom; sadly this story is concluded with a deus ex machina that dims its enjoyment. From there, Diablo gets in the mix, followed by the appearance of Galactus and his new herald Gabriel the Air Walker. Other foes include the Mole Man, the Frightful Four, Thundra and The Shaper. In addition, the Human Torch/Crystal romance is wrapped up with the appearance of Quicksilver and Reed's overprotectiveness will lead to a separation from Sue, with Medusa taking the Invisible Girl's place; sadly, Medusa is one of the sillier superheroes, which makes Sue's presence appreciated all the more. The one big villain who's missing is Dr. Doom; despite his appearance in the Overmind story, he does not get a chance to unleash any schemes of his own. While not the quite the work it was back in the Lee/Kirby days, these issues of the Fantastic Four do hold their own and shouldn't disappoint most FF fans.
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