The Menace of the Miracle Man After the Miracle Man realizes his full potential during a tussle with The Thing, he declares war on mankind. To make matters worse, tempers flare between the Thing and the Human Torch. If the FF are going to defeat their latest foe, they'll need to come together.
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.
This issue was freaking hilarious for a few reasons:
-The Miracle Man is corny as hell. I don't think you can get more corny than a villain who performs magic tricks as his "power." -The Thing has this motivational speech only to turn back into the condescending asshole he was in the first two issues. -Mr. Fantastic literally turns himself in a rubber ball to avoid bullets (doesn't make any damn sense) and a tire for a car while they're on a high speed chase.
Ya'll I literally laughed out loud. It was freaking hilarious. Clearly this issue was written for kicks and giggles. The real point of this issue definitely seems to be the fact that The Fantastic 4 begin to truly consider themselves a family. They defend each other like family members and they fight like family members. I also think this issue was a way for Kirby to shine in terms of the artwork. This is the first time we're able to see the Fantastic 4 costumes and they look bad ass. He also does this complex drawing of the Fantastic 4 headquarters that is bomb and iconic.
I won't say that this is a throwaway issue because I'm sure that it fits into our overall understanding of the series as a whole, but it definitely has the worse villain of the series so far.
The Miracle Man calls out the Fantastic Four at his live show, gloating that he's stronger than the lot of them. They pretty much concede to that (aside from Thing) and when Miracle Man starts his life of crime the Four are worried they won't be able to answer him. He brings a wood and plaster movie monster prop to life to attack and distract Central City while he steals a new Atomic Tank. Johnny Storm flashes Miracle Man near blind to get the tank back, then Reed reveals he's no Miracle Man, if he were he'd be able to conjure his own wealth and wouldn't have to take over the world. Right now the Fantastic Four are mostly focused on squabbling with each other, to the point where The Human Torch quits the team at the end of the issue, now we've got that loose end to deal with. And a favourite Golden Age character of mine next issue!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Fantastic Four: This time with their iconic costumes. Somehow in the span of three issues, the Four have shifted from unknown anomalies to world-famous vigilantes who own a tower equipped with missiles, rockets, and a flying car. Together with the Fantastic Four, we ask the time old question: Is that Vincent Price type villain using sleight of hand, or does he truly have terrible powers to wield against mankind? This issue really starts to explore the group dynamic and lets the reader in on each character's personality a bit more. A twisty end really sets us up for a dynamic climax in the next issue.
More of a three star than four, but I know my child self would have loved this issue. I always loved these kind of diagrams of secret bases and the like, which is shown in this issue. We also get the iconic costumes that really still hold up today. The Fantasticar is actually kind of great, flying about and splitting into four mini flying vehicles. Again, I would have thought this the coolest thing ever if I’d read this as a kid.
The villain is a low point though. He lobs a brick at Reed at one point, in the most unceremonious attack I’ve seen in comic books. It was obviously going to be some kind of trick, and the ‘mass hypnotism” feels much like the “it was all a dream” trope, which is rubbish. We do get development for Ben, where we see his anger is fuelled by the knowledge of what’s happened to him, seeing his deformed face in a mirror and stoking that self loathing. Poor Ben.
Differently from the two first issues, this third one already feels like a complete story being tell. In the four acts that developed through this third issue, we have a good beginning, the first encounter between FF and the Miracle Man, the Four being defeated twice, and then the final battle where they finally defeat him. This issue ends in a good build up for the fourth issue, with the Torch fleeing the scene after an altercation with the Thing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The Fantastic Four are called out and embarrassed by a stage performer called the Miracle Man, but when he goes on a crime spree the team has to do their best against someone whose powers might be greater than their own!
OK, let’s be honest - the Miracle Man is a pretty lame villain, even for 1962. He is not what makes this issue interesting or entertaining. You can see that even Stan Lee knew this was the case when he featured the costumes and gadgets on the cover instead of that bad guy! I wouldn’t doubt if Lee developed the story secondarily simply as a way of introducing all the new coolness! The story has plot holes big enough to fly the Fantasti-Car through and most of the Miracle Man’s actions really make little sense. While the wrap-up does try to explain it all, it’s not just not great.
There are some truly silly moments in the issue as well, but they were silly enough to make me laugh and ultimately add to my enjoyment of the issue - cops with bazookas, classic race cars just stored in a junk yard, Miracle Man knocking Reed out with a brick, but mostly Mister Fantastic as a spare tire! Just some hysterical moments that you can’t help but enjoy.
The characters are really the center of the book and the action and storyline take a backseat. There are several fun moments introducing the costumes, flying around in the Fantasti-Car, and an awesome cut-away of the Baxter Building that just radiates 60′s science fiction! Amazingly enough Sue actually gets a pretty active role in the pursuit of the Miracle Man, but she does need the “boys” to come save her in the end.
Kirby’s art has some ups and downs this issue. There are continuity issues from one page to the next and some general inconsistencies, but mostly it’s classic Kirby stuff!
Turns out this was a fun read, but maybe not for the right reasons!
The villain in this is nothing of note, a sort of hypnotist called "The Miracle Man". he tries to put his illusions up against the FFs actual powers. I have a ton of questions that I won't get into here about how exactly things work. Also the debut of the Fantasti-Car!
And Ben Grimm decides the best way to try and disguise himself in the public his to dress like this.
Enter Miracle Man! Yeah not a strong vilain here, some fun dialogue and intro to silly vehicles, costumes and a ton of other things that start with fantasti-blank. This is where Johnny starts to get annoying his teenage tantrums that would be a staple for the foreseeable future.
This story sets up future stories, but on its own, it's only an okay story. The Miracle Man is only a passable villain, but the comic is gaining steam. The best is ahead for this series, and it will definitely get better.
The main conflict of this issue was pretty basic and burning in my opinion, as the fantastic four go up against the miracle man and his seemingly miraculous feats of crime. But what really engages me about this issue is not the big introduction of the fantasti-car, F4 costumes, and their skyscraper HQ…but the relationships between the four and their continually behavior. This should have been clear to me from the start, but they aren’t superheroes, not really, they are trying to put on a public persona because they happen to have powers. But really they are scientists and a lot of the super hero business side of things continues to seem a bit distant to them. And that’s honestly what makes this team so great. They continually make mistakes and think outside the box even if it seems crazy at times. And at the end of the day they still have real human conflict with each other about their situation and how they handle things.
As I mentioned the main plot of this issue is the fantastic four vs the miracle man. The issue starts with the four attending a magic show, then immediately being blown away at the feats the miracle man can do. The miracle man actually called out the four in the crowd and challenged them, leading to an interaction with the thing to show off their strength. They had two large logs on stage and the miracle man challenged the thing to shatter it. The thing was able to use his brute force to do it, and then the miracle man proceeded to slice his in half with the tip of his finger. I really don’t know what the four expected when they came to a magic show, as immediately the thing started calling what he did a trick and fully wanted to punch the miracle man. Like guys…duh, it’s a magic show, of course it’s a trick. The miracle man actually challenged the thing to punch him in the face with all his might, and when the thing tried…his fist stopped just short of the man’s face in an impossible way. Reed takes them home on the fantasti-car and can’t help but think how as things would be if the miracle man were a criminal.
WHELP, be careful what you wish for as the miracle man is in fact a criminal as well! The four see it on the news later that night as a monster movie premiere has its giant monster statue commandeered by the miracle man, and then used to wreak havoc until going after the militaries new atomic tank! The four split up their fantasti-car and dawned the suits Sue made for them and attempted to take it down, and Johnny even successfully burned down the wood and plaster monster…but the atomic man was one step ahead of them the entire time and was able to sneak in, blast Johnny with foam to put him out, force the thing to sink into the ground, and get away with a full blown atomic tank! Sue decided to go invisible and sneak on board for their one chance to take him down.
Back at the four’s HQ, they all immediately start getting into a fight. Those terrible ol’ 60’s values of not thinking Sue can fend for herself, as she is just “one lone girl,” start to rear up and the the conversation immediately dwindles back down to the same concerns with Ben hating the way he looks now. The miracle man took the atomic tank to a junkyard and used junk cars stacked on top of it to hide it. Unfortunately Sue was detected by the guard dog of the junkyard and the miracle man used his powers to force her to show herself and call the rest of the four with her flare gun so he can defeat all of them. The four rushed into action, Johnny a bit later than the rest because he took off from the argument earlier after almost getting into a full brawl with Ben, and very quickly they can face to face with the miracle man. After trying to shoot the four, and that being completely ineffective, the miracle man took the hypnotized Sue and tried to take off in the atomic tank. As the human torch showed up he was able to join Reed and Ben in a chase with one of the old racing cars in the junkyard. And hilariously as they are chasing after him, one of their tires is blown and Reed shifts to become the tire, hahahaha. The fight is finally ended when Johnny flies ahead of the tank and ignited his flames to blind the miracle man. The thing is ready to finish what they started earlier at the show, but Reed stops him, the miracle man is powerless now because he is blinded. He hasn’t had powers the entire time, simply the power of hypnotism to make everyone believe what was happening was real. Reed forced the miracle man to release Sue, and the day wouldn’t have been saved without Johnny’s blinding flash. But then the issue ends with Ben immediately starting an argument for Johnny getting the credit. Johnny refuses to stand around and argue anymore and decide to fully quit the team! Reed knows they can’t stop him, but remains worried about what will happen if Johnny turns against them. Isn’t that just wild.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
In this issue, we meet a new villain: Miracle Man. The story unfolds in a rather straightforward way, without major twists or surprises. The ending, in particular, feels predictable and is probably the weakest part of the plot. It almost seems as though the story was wrapped up quickly, without much attention to whether the conclusion made sense with the events that came before—and it ends up feeling both predictable and dull.
What stands out instead are the family dynamics and Sue’s much more active, superhero-like role. She’s still not on the same level as the other members, of course, but at least she gets her own moment to shine. The constant bickering between Ben and Johnny gives a sense of continuity between issues and highlights the rivalry and even envy that exist between them. The Thing continues to be the most complex character, and his anger is easily understood through his own words. It’s also interesting to note that he seems to have feelings for Sue, and her rejection only deepens his frustration about his condition. The cliffhanger at the end looks promising—i hope it will actually lead somewhere and be handled well.
Enter: The Invisible Girl, visible and groovy-dance-modelling her brand new onesie. "Nevermind those monsters, boys! Look what I'VE got!" "SUSAN! You designed a COSTUME for yourself!" "And for YOU, too! It's time we ALL had some colorful costumes!" How colourful, you ask? Blue. Blue, blue, blue and blue. And not even a variety, such as sky blue for the dude in the sky, navy for the thinker, aquamarine for the blonde bombshell, or baby blue for the giant muscle-bound baby in puppy love for his bestie's gal. Just cyan across the board. Kudos to Kirby depicting Thing ripping off his shirt and bringing more orange to the 4-colour palette than just Torch's ketchup and mustard flames. Speaking of puppy love and overt expressions of desire, is that what all the in-fighting is about? Nope, just ill-temperament and general childishness between the rock and the kid. Hubby was distant, perhaps clueless, as a depiction ASD before ASD was cool.
Fantastic Four #3, "The Menace of the Miracle Man"
This issue sports the tagline "The Greatest Comic Magazine in the World!!" on its front cover, with the proper nickname not actually being settled on until the following issue. The story here, told in five chapters, introduces the villain known as the Miracle Man (not to be confused with the Mick Anglo creation that would eventually become Marvel property as well) who uses his hypnotic powers for evil. A pretty generic "supervillain of the week" type storytelling here. But the standout for this issue is the first of a few times Kirby draws the Baxter Building interiors:
I think it was a good comic to read I just have to lower my ranking on this as I wish The thing would have more confidence, it's tiring of how hard he is on himself (Yes rock pun intended) I did not see the human torch leaving as soon as he did, Compared to the first two issues I did not really like the villain in this one I prefer the Skrulls and Mole man better than Miracle Man maybe if he pops up again I will like him better I just don't think his motivation to become a bad guy was fleshed out while Mole Man and The Skrulls had some sort of reason for Villainy
The Fantastic Four meet the Miracle Man, a sinister performer who seems to be able to do miracles and he challenges the Four and manages to defeat them all in battle. The Thing still can’t get his head wrapped around his change after being in the cosmic storm and it leads to an argument with The Human Torch. Will this drive a wedge between the Fantastic Four team? And does that mean the Miracle Man will conquer them?
This issue introduces the Fantasticar and the lair / control center of the Fantastic Four (later the Baxter Building?)
Apparently no one knew what a magician was in the 60's. As the whole world fell for the Wish version of David Blain. What a bunch of marks. Also, where did the cop get a bazooka? Also Sue Storm is unfortunately the stereotype of bad women heroes. Never actually does what she sets out to do and always needs rescued.
• Miracle Man looks a bit like Doctor Strange; • I fully understand what the Thing is going through but come on! • and Johnny leaving 😱 Did not expect THAT! (and all probably because of the Thing’s constant whining)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I think in the end the Fantastic Four might not have been the stronger fighters even if they did end up winning the fight. Too bad the Thing is so down on himself and has to fight with Torch. Wish he didn't have such low self-esteem.
El tercer número más que antagonista de relevancia, lo que aporta es el debut de los trajes, la guarida y algunos de los transportes característicos como el fantasticar. El tal hombre milagroso al menos que yo sepa no tuvo importancia alguna en el futuro.
Pretty fun and light hearted read. The villian is kinda meh but the growth of the Fantastic Four more than makes up for it. Mr. Fantastic is especially cool with his rubber ball and tyre transformations. A glimpse into their HQ is also very appreciated.
Maybe Ben would feel less shitty if Reed LITERALLY EVER CALLED HIM BY HIS REAL NAME LIKE WITH SUE AND JOHNNY, INSTEAD OF ALWAYS THE THING. Reed’s lowkey always been an asshole. Didn’t take The Maker to highlight that. Love you Benny Boi.