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Marvel Pocket Books Novels
Fantastic Four: Doomgate
Deep beneath the Empire State University library, a frustrated student finds the lost legacy of ESU's most infamous alumnus. Victor Von Doom's lab notebooks -- instructions for how to build a machine that can pierce the veil between Earth and the netherworld -- have fallen into the wrong hands. A gate is opened where none should exist, and someone -- or something -- has invaded our world. The Fantastic Four would be the team to face such a threat...if they could reach one another. Force shields erected around Manhattan by the over-anxious agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. have trapped Reed Richards, Sue Richards, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm. All are in danger of succumbing to the pernicious effects of the energies emanating from the dark dimension, forcing the F.F. to seek aid from their greatest enemy, whose nefariously brilliant mind first conceived the Doomgate.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 25, 2008
14 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Lang
41 books25 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 18, 2022
This is one of the better prose novels in the Pocket Star series of Marvel heroes. The characters are well defined and true to their graphic origin, the banter is clever and copious, the action is fast and filled with thrills, and there are several nifty Easter eggs and cameos. There's just enough rumination about what it means to be a team and family to be touching without getting all touchy-feely. And with Doom in the title, you know it's clobberin' time... Make Mine Marvel!
May 16, 2022
Come for the Four, stay for the cameos!
All Hell breaks loose in Manhattan so it's up to the FF and a motley collection of NYC-based costumed heroes to save the proverbial day. The action takes place in the uneasy fallout of the famous Civil War comics event so it was a nice trip down memory lane in that regard.
This was a fast, fun audioread though I was taken a little out of it by the narrator's renditions of some of the characters.
All Hell breaks loose in Manhattan so it's up to the FF and a motley collection of NYC-based costumed heroes to save the proverbial day. The action takes place in the uneasy fallout of the famous Civil War comics event so it was a nice trip down memory lane in that regard.
This was a fast, fun audioread though I was taken a little out of it by the narrator's renditions of some of the characters.
May 6, 2021
Really liked this one. It was a refreshing departure from the last book, which wasn't horrible but wasn't great. Maybe it was because I miss the superhero genre. Or maybe it's because I'm a FF fan. Or maybe it was a good story. Or maybe all of the above. I'm leaning in that direction.
Nevertheless, you can find my full treatment here if you want to get the full skinny:
Fantastic Four - Doomgate Review .
For the short version, I recommend reading this. Fun times.
Nevertheless, you can find my full treatment here if you want to get the full skinny:
Fantastic Four - Doomgate Review .
For the short version, I recommend reading this. Fun times.
September 20, 2020
Having never read any of the Marvel novels before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Something fairly enjoyable and minorly diverting, I guess. So, I was pleasantly surprised when this book took all my expectations and shot them through the roof.
This is very much a comic book novel with quite a lot of action, (though not much of the extremely graphic kind - even if there is a reference to 'bunny-eating vampires') humor and not much detail to bog you down.
The basic story is along the lines of what you would find on the 'World Greatest Heroes' animated show (and explained well enough that I don't feel compelled to add anything to it). However, there was some added depth and inner turmoil for the characters that you don't usually find on an animated TV show.
As for the characters themselves, you could tell immediately that Mr. Lang is quite the fan of Reed, Susan, Ben, and Johnny - I felt that he did a wonderful job with them. And the collection of 'bad guys' was very well (and uniquely) written. Each one had their own distinctive personality. In varyingly minor roles were several of the other Marvel universe superheroes - which I thought was a nice addition to the story.
The book was very upbeat, and several times I found myself laughing so hard at some of the characters antics (or Mr. Lang's brilliant way of describing things) that I had to stop reading for a moment. The story changed perspective quite often, vacillating between the good guys, the bad guys, and a few of the guest stars - which worked unusually well to pull everything into a cohesive unit. Through most of the book the Fantastic Four were limited to only one or two together at a time and - while each member had their storyline to follow - I felt as though the story focused on Ben and Johnny a bit more than Reed and Susan.
This book is definitely a fast paced read, I think all the action in the book takes place on the same day. All in all, I found Doomgate to be a very nice way to revisit my favorite superheroes, and a entertaining way to spend two days.
This is very much a comic book novel with quite a lot of action, (though not much of the extremely graphic kind - even if there is a reference to 'bunny-eating vampires') humor and not much detail to bog you down.
The basic story is along the lines of what you would find on the 'World Greatest Heroes' animated show (and explained well enough that I don't feel compelled to add anything to it). However, there was some added depth and inner turmoil for the characters that you don't usually find on an animated TV show.
As for the characters themselves, you could tell immediately that Mr. Lang is quite the fan of Reed, Susan, Ben, and Johnny - I felt that he did a wonderful job with them. And the collection of 'bad guys' was very well (and uniquely) written. Each one had their own distinctive personality. In varyingly minor roles were several of the other Marvel universe superheroes - which I thought was a nice addition to the story.
The book was very upbeat, and several times I found myself laughing so hard at some of the characters antics (or Mr. Lang's brilliant way of describing things) that I had to stop reading for a moment. The story changed perspective quite often, vacillating between the good guys, the bad guys, and a few of the guest stars - which worked unusually well to pull everything into a cohesive unit. Through most of the book the Fantastic Four were limited to only one or two together at a time and - while each member had their storyline to follow - I felt as though the story focused on Ben and Johnny a bit more than Reed and Susan.
This book is definitely a fast paced read, I think all the action in the book takes place on the same day. All in all, I found Doomgate to be a very nice way to revisit my favorite superheroes, and a entertaining way to spend two days.
December 28, 2013
A book based in the Marvel universe. This book is what I want in a book based on a comic series. It contained battles by heroes and villians and the characters used plenty of banter which one expects in comics. I thought it was a good story and had cameos and references of other Marvel characters to keep any casual fan interested. If you are a fan of all the superhero movies, you would enjoy this one.
February 12, 2009
Good read if you like marvel novels
February 19, 2025
I actually really enjoyed this novel, but it cuts out with... zero plot threads tied up. I assume that there's continuation in the comics, but I don't want to have to read a whole run of F4. I also appreciated how much of regular New York was in this novel and how so much of the action was driven by non-superheroes.
January 20, 2022
A workmanlike novel of the Marvel Universe, splitting the Fantastic Four up and pitting them against an insidiously powerful if anticlimactic new threat. Lang’s focus on characterisation is welcome, as is the more gritty approach, albeit that the prose is merely functional.
March 28, 2022
I didn't enjoy this book. If you enjoy a mish mash of characters or really enjoy all things FF, then go ahead, but I'd pass.
November 21, 2023
I enjoyed learning that Hydro-Man is Episcopalian.
July 19, 2024
This was actually pretty enjoyable. It was a fast read and easy to get in to. I hate it took me so very long to finally read it, since I’ve owned it about 12-13 years.
November 15, 2025
One of the better Marvel Prose Novels. Didn’t care much for the audio narrator’s voice choices for Doom and Ben, but it didn’t take away from the story much. Enjoyed the storyline.
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May 5, 2009Fantastic Four: Doomgate by Jeffrey Lang (2008)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews