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Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four #9
Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four, Vol. 9
FIELD TRIP!
Thats Field Trip as defined in the Lee/Kirby Dictionary, which means youd better pack that bag lunch in unstable molecules and strap yourself in for a trip around the universe beyond your wildest imagination!
First stop: A little visit to the neighbors place, and hanging with the incomparable Inhumans and titanic team-up against Maximus the Mad!
Second stop: Europe. Paris is beautiful in the springtime, but thats nothing. According to the brochure, Latverias lovely year round. You might want to take that visitors guide with a grain of salt, though. The savvy traveler never trusts a Chamber of Commerce run by Doombots.
Third stop: Down under. Way down under for a big-time battle with the Mole Man!
Last stop: Now heres a trip thats far out. The ever lovin blue-eyed Thing gets whisked away on a galactic tour as a gladiator in the scurrilous Skrulls slave arena! If thats not enough outer-space exotica for ya, then welcome yourself to a world wrapped in the Roarin Twenties!
With tour guides like Stan and Jack, youd best make those travel plans today, True Believer. Tickets for this trip are guaranteed to sell out! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR (Vol. 1) #82-93
Thats Field Trip as defined in the Lee/Kirby Dictionary, which means youd better pack that bag lunch in unstable molecules and strap yourself in for a trip around the universe beyond your wildest imagination!
First stop: A little visit to the neighbors place, and hanging with the incomparable Inhumans and titanic team-up against Maximus the Mad!
Second stop: Europe. Paris is beautiful in the springtime, but thats nothing. According to the brochure, Latverias lovely year round. You might want to take that visitors guide with a grain of salt, though. The savvy traveler never trusts a Chamber of Commerce run by Doombots.
Third stop: Down under. Way down under for a big-time battle with the Mole Man!
Last stop: Now heres a trip thats far out. The ever lovin blue-eyed Thing gets whisked away on a galactic tour as a gladiator in the scurrilous Skrulls slave arena! If thats not enough outer-space exotica for ya, then welcome yourself to a world wrapped in the Roarin Twenties!
With tour guides like Stan and Jack, youd best make those travel plans today, True Believer. Tickets for this trip are guaranteed to sell out! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR (Vol. 1) #82-93
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
13 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,563 books2,347 followersStan 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 13, 2015
**Buddy Read with the Shallow Comic Readers Group -- theme for the 4th week: The Fantastic Four!!***
Well, this was a let down.
Covering issues #82 - 93, this penultimate volume of the Lee/Kirby run on Fantastic Four shows the two titans of the Marvel Universe were on a downward slide from their previous highs. The change in art was rather immediate: fewer panels, more single page illustrations, and a sketchiness that made me check to see if Vince Colletta was the inker here. It just didn't look like Kirby's work on previous issues of FF.
Then there are the plots and stories by Lee. Nothing really cosmic in this issue, just the FF coming up against their lamest villain, Mole Man, in a contrived scenario where Reed and Sue end up buying a "house" that sits on top of Mole Man's HQ and, of course, rigged by the Mole Man to be a trap for them.
Lamest of all, The Thing gets captured by a Skrull and taken to some planet and sold as a slave. The kicker is that this planet is populated by beings who, so enamored by 1920s/30s US gangster movies, completely adopt the dress, speech patterns, and architecture of that time period. They even talk like them, see?
Dr Doom shows up in a story that features the FF driving into Latveria, knowing full well they will be captured by Doom, in hopes of discovering the new secret weapon that has both sides of the Iron Curtain trembling with fear. Complete weak sauce.
The only meaningful story line involves newly minted FF member Crystal, who gets dragged back to the Inhuman city, where Black Bolt has been deposed by his mad brother Maximus.
The bad thing is that in three of these story lines, some sort of hypnotic device is used to cause the FF to lose their powers or at least render them helpless. Over the course of ten issues. I wonder if the readers of the day noticed?
The best part of the book is a reprint of a Marvel house bulletin which showed photographs of many of the people working at Marvel. It was nice to see Gil Kane, Roy Thomas, the Buscemas, Joe Sinnott, Neal Adams and many others, including letterers and colorists, get some recognition. Most amazing to me was a picture of a young Jim Steranko, one of the most visually interesting artists of his day. Even at age 76 in 2014, Steranko is a striking, very handsome fellow, but seeing him at age 29 or so, makes me wonder if he was the inspiration for Adams's Green Arrow, with the Van Dyke beard. Certainly the best looking guy of the bunch.
In another 10 issues, Jack Kirby would be finished with the FF, and soon find himself at DC, where he created the Fourth World/New Gods saga. I have to wonder if the dissatisfaction Kirby was having with Marvel and Lee affected his creative output. Although the famous Kirby dynamism is still in these pages, it lacks the oomph of his earlier work. I'd like to find a good biography of Kirby at this time to see what exactly was going on.
Well, this was a let down.
Covering issues #82 - 93, this penultimate volume of the Lee/Kirby run on Fantastic Four shows the two titans of the Marvel Universe were on a downward slide from their previous highs. The change in art was rather immediate: fewer panels, more single page illustrations, and a sketchiness that made me check to see if Vince Colletta was the inker here. It just didn't look like Kirby's work on previous issues of FF.
Then there are the plots and stories by Lee. Nothing really cosmic in this issue, just the FF coming up against their lamest villain, Mole Man, in a contrived scenario where Reed and Sue end up buying a "house" that sits on top of Mole Man's HQ and, of course, rigged by the Mole Man to be a trap for them.
Lamest of all, The Thing gets captured by a Skrull and taken to some planet and sold as a slave. The kicker is that this planet is populated by beings who, so enamored by 1920s/30s US gangster movies, completely adopt the dress, speech patterns, and architecture of that time period. They even talk like them, see?
Dr Doom shows up in a story that features the FF driving into Latveria, knowing full well they will be captured by Doom, in hopes of discovering the new secret weapon that has both sides of the Iron Curtain trembling with fear. Complete weak sauce.
The only meaningful story line involves newly minted FF member Crystal, who gets dragged back to the Inhuman city, where Black Bolt has been deposed by his mad brother Maximus.
The bad thing is that in three of these story lines, some sort of hypnotic device is used to cause the FF to lose their powers or at least render them helpless. Over the course of ten issues. I wonder if the readers of the day noticed?
The best part of the book is a reprint of a Marvel house bulletin which showed photographs of many of the people working at Marvel. It was nice to see Gil Kane, Roy Thomas, the Buscemas, Joe Sinnott, Neal Adams and many others, including letterers and colorists, get some recognition. Most amazing to me was a picture of a young Jim Steranko, one of the most visually interesting artists of his day. Even at age 76 in 2014, Steranko is a striking, very handsome fellow, but seeing him at age 29 or so, makes me wonder if he was the inspiration for Adams's Green Arrow, with the Van Dyke beard. Certainly the best looking guy of the bunch.
In another 10 issues, Jack Kirby would be finished with the FF, and soon find himself at DC, where he created the Fourth World/New Gods saga. I have to wonder if the dissatisfaction Kirby was having with Marvel and Lee affected his creative output. Although the famous Kirby dynamism is still in these pages, it lacks the oomph of his earlier work. I'd like to find a good biography of Kirby at this time to see what exactly was going on.
February 9, 2016
The Marvel Masterworks volumes are fantastic reprints of the early years of Marvel comics. A fantastic resource to allow these hard to find issues to be read by everyone. Very recommended to everyone and Highly recommended to any comic fan.
August 27, 2021
I believe the Thing magically appeared in 89 to save the plot.
July 30, 2014
Okay, so there's this alien world where the shape-shifting inhabitants dress and behave like stereotypical 1930s gangsters ... I mean, this story HAS to be the basis for a Fantastic Four movie, right?!
June 28, 2023
Collects FANTASTIC FOUR (Vol. 1) #82-93.
Fantastic Four #82
Crystal is missing her friends the inhumans, luckily Lockjaw transports into the Baxter Building. But he brings the inhuman's drone race the Alpha Primitives who abduct Crystal. Maximus is back to being ruler of the Inhumans and has Black Bolt and crew imprisoned. FF come in but get attacked.
Fantastic Four #83
The FF gets caught from Maximus. Black Bolt escapes and fights the Alpha Primitives. FF also escape. Crystal destroys the large cannon Maximus was going to use to destroy all humans. Maximus flies into space in a rocket.
Fantastic Four #84
FF go to visit Doctor Doom at the bequest of Sgt Fury. Fury has had agents disappear and has a metal arm from a Doom drone that attacks people. Doom quickly captures the FF, but they awake and are treated as guests! But there's something sinister beneath the surface.
Fantastic Four #85
FF are free to roam Latvia but can't leave. It's clear all the "happy" citizens are just slaves and actors for Doom. Doom takes the FF and puts them in a hypnotizing machine to take away their powers.
Fantastic Four #86
Doom's robots attack but the citizens fight back this time. For some reason the FF are able to fight as the hypnotism wears off. Doom blows up his own town, but the invisible girl Sue was there all along! She uses a force field to save FF and the citizens. It's the first time we've seen Sue in action since her pregnancy.
Fantastic Four #87
So Latvia is mostly destroyed, just the Royal Castle remains. The FF try to break in with some difficulty. Doom welcomes Crystal and Sue as guests to dinner. He's still fighting the men but ends up just letting the FF leave.
Fantastic Four #88
We get to see the baby, still unnamed. Reed and Sue want to find a place to live and find a weird Sci-fi building in the middle of nowhere. The whole team is checking out the place, but there's some sinister force within the building. It turns out the building is owned by The Mole Man who blinds the FF.
Fantastic Four #89
Now blind, the Mole Man presents himself to fight the FF. His new plan is the blind all of humanity. Of course, the FF are able to defeat him in the end.
The Supreme Skrull is in space observing. Skrulls promised not to attack Earth, but there's someone he wants to abduct.
Fantastic Four #90
That Skrull abducts The Thing without anyone else seeing.
Fantastic Four #91
The Thing is abducted and taken to a weird planet that all dress up as 1920s gangsters. (This is a theme Kirby revisits in Kamandi). The Thing is sold as a slave to be put in the gladiatorial games. Meanwhile Reed has come to the conclusion that The Thing must have been abducted by Skrulls... because who else has the power to change their appearance at will!? (Besides for numerous other times in the FF stories that this has happened of course!)
Fantastic Four #92
So The Thing is forced into combat and Reed has rebuilt a Skrull ship and heads out to save The Thing.
Fantastic Four #93
The Thing is getting battered by a cyborg and is about to face a killing blow when the FF show up and save the day. They quickly grab The Thing and fly back to Earth.
Fantastic Four #82
Crystal is missing her friends the inhumans, luckily Lockjaw transports into the Baxter Building. But he brings the inhuman's drone race the Alpha Primitives who abduct Crystal. Maximus is back to being ruler of the Inhumans and has Black Bolt and crew imprisoned. FF come in but get attacked.
Fantastic Four #83
The FF gets caught from Maximus. Black Bolt escapes and fights the Alpha Primitives. FF also escape. Crystal destroys the large cannon Maximus was going to use to destroy all humans. Maximus flies into space in a rocket.
Fantastic Four #84
FF go to visit Doctor Doom at the bequest of Sgt Fury. Fury has had agents disappear and has a metal arm from a Doom drone that attacks people. Doom quickly captures the FF, but they awake and are treated as guests! But there's something sinister beneath the surface.
Fantastic Four #85
FF are free to roam Latvia but can't leave. It's clear all the "happy" citizens are just slaves and actors for Doom. Doom takes the FF and puts them in a hypnotizing machine to take away their powers.
Fantastic Four #86
Doom's robots attack but the citizens fight back this time. For some reason the FF are able to fight as the hypnotism wears off. Doom blows up his own town, but the invisible girl Sue was there all along! She uses a force field to save FF and the citizens. It's the first time we've seen Sue in action since her pregnancy.
Fantastic Four #87
So Latvia is mostly destroyed, just the Royal Castle remains. The FF try to break in with some difficulty. Doom welcomes Crystal and Sue as guests to dinner. He's still fighting the men but ends up just letting the FF leave.
Fantastic Four #88
We get to see the baby, still unnamed. Reed and Sue want to find a place to live and find a weird Sci-fi building in the middle of nowhere. The whole team is checking out the place, but there's some sinister force within the building. It turns out the building is owned by The Mole Man who blinds the FF.
Fantastic Four #89
Now blind, the Mole Man presents himself to fight the FF. His new plan is the blind all of humanity. Of course, the FF are able to defeat him in the end.
The Supreme Skrull is in space observing. Skrulls promised not to attack Earth, but there's someone he wants to abduct.
Fantastic Four #90
That Skrull abducts The Thing without anyone else seeing.
Fantastic Four #91
The Thing is abducted and taken to a weird planet that all dress up as 1920s gangsters. (This is a theme Kirby revisits in Kamandi). The Thing is sold as a slave to be put in the gladiatorial games. Meanwhile Reed has come to the conclusion that The Thing must have been abducted by Skrulls... because who else has the power to change their appearance at will!? (Besides for numerous other times in the FF stories that this has happened of course!)
Fantastic Four #92
So The Thing is forced into combat and Reed has rebuilt a Skrull ship and heads out to save The Thing.
Fantastic Four #93
The Thing is getting battered by a cyborg and is about to face a killing blow when the FF show up and save the day. They quickly grab The Thing and fly back to Earth.
April 5, 2021
While the quality of this title is still leaps and bounds, in many ways, above some of the other books coming out in 1969, you can tell that the strain Kirby is feeling is taking its toll. (And I don't mean to be coy. By "strain" I mean his undoubted frustration and annoyance at working at Marvel, with Stan Lee, the lack of credit, etc.) The flash of creativity that enlivened so many past issues is just not there. I don't believe there were any major new characters introduced in these issues, with the stories going back to the villain well with tried and true baddies like Dr. Doom, Mole Man and the Skrulls. Even the most interesting storyline featured - a bloated and meandering four-parter that sees the Thing abducted to a Skrull battleword modeled after 1930s gangster-inflected Americana - turns out, upon further research, to have been a pastiche (to put it charitably) of several then-recent episodes of Star Trek. (The one unique bright spot to that story is Torgo, the alien robot (?) lined up to battle Benjy to the death in the Skrull arena, who nevertheless evinces a great deal of regret over the whole situation.) Another several-issue arc finds Sue attempting to locate a quiet suburban home for her, Reed and the still inexplicably unnamed baby to get away from the hustle and bustle; she zeroes in on a truly bizarre little number that would scream "alien menace" even to one *not* steeped in interstellar adventure and super-heroing. How neither she, nor eventually the rest of the team, spots the danger is as odd as the days/weeks/months that future-Franklin has gone without a name. The Doom story in this volume is decent, offering the first good glimpse of Latveria and the uneasy relationship its people have with its mad ruler, but again, it's fluffed up beyond all reason (wasn't Stan dictating no more multi-issue arcs around this period?) and full of more logical inconsistencies than even I'm willing to put up with.
February 27, 2022
A fun, high-energy collection of late classic Fantastic Four tales. The storytelling here certainly isn't restrained. The Inhumans bust loose. Doctor Doom is vaporizing lackeys in full megalomaniac mode. Reed and Sue decide to move their new family into a mysterious half-subterranean home full of strange, often-hostile technology (which does not align with what I know of babyproofing). And the volume wraps up with Thing enslaved by the Skrulls, forced to fight in an alien world that resembles gangster-era Chicago.
But crazy as the plotting is, it has plenty of energy, heart and dynamic artwork from Jack Kirby. The creative team seems reinvigorated during this stretch, avoiding cookie-cutter stories and seeing how far they can take the far-out plotting. And I for one enjoyed seeing Doctor Doom sit at his murderous King Kirby organ to play a tune fit to kill a Nazi with a flamethrower. That last bit almost could have been something out of Hellboy, but Jack and Stan did it first!
But crazy as the plotting is, it has plenty of energy, heart and dynamic artwork from Jack Kirby. The creative team seems reinvigorated during this stretch, avoiding cookie-cutter stories and seeing how far they can take the far-out plotting. And I for one enjoyed seeing Doctor Doom sit at his murderous King Kirby organ to play a tune fit to kill a Nazi with a flamethrower. That last bit almost could have been something out of Hellboy, but Jack and Stan did it first!
June 2, 2020
Fantastic book (no pun intended). I really enjoyed this and I’m not even a huge Fantastic Four fan. This book felt like a string of episodes of Lost in Space but with superheroes. If you like sci Fi and superheroes and can accept that this was written 50+ years ago you should enjoy it.
April 10, 2021
Read with my almost-five-year-olds, who have been my partners on our quest to read the entire Lee/Kirby FF run. They enjoyed the latest set of stories and liked seeing Doom again and having Crystal involved with the team. I, however, found this to easily be the weakest set of issues in the Lee/Kirby run. The Inhumans story that started things off was fun, but things went off the rails once the Doom story began. The Doom story had a ton of potential, but the ending fell completely flat (I'm just going to let you go because I'm upset that my lackey was going to destroy my art collection and I'm tired of fighting? What?). The Mole Man/House That Was story had some high points (Johnny's speech to Mole Man, especially), but there were some serious logic gaps in the FF's actions leading up to the big fight. (That said, the Mole Man's plan was pretty cool.) The four-parter with the Skrulls and Torgo, like the other storylines, had a few interesting elements, but there was no logical reason whatsoever for the Skrulls to appear as gangsters other than--I might infer--Jack Kirby wanting to draw gangsters. It was hard to keep track of which gangster was which, as they all looked alike, and they didn't get named on the page fast enough. The ending of the storyline, in which the enslaved aliens are freed and start to fight back against their former masters, could have been extremely cool--but the FF just ran away from the situation, which felt very out of character.
And then I must address the treatment of Sue in this set of issues, which was TERRIBLE. She is shuffled off to the side most of the time, Reed is AWFUL to her, and she is portrayed as not very smart at all ("I don't know what to name you...I wish Reed were here...he's better at that sort of thing than I am." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?) It actually made me angry while I was reading.
I can only hope that the next set of issues are an improvement.
**Read as part of the third FF omnibus, but I'm tracking them as Masterworks to note when I've finished each set of issues.
And then I must address the treatment of Sue in this set of issues, which was TERRIBLE. She is shuffled off to the side most of the time, Reed is AWFUL to her, and she is portrayed as not very smart at all ("I don't know what to name you...I wish Reed were here...he's better at that sort of thing than I am." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?) It actually made me angry while I was reading.
I can only hope that the next set of issues are an improvement.
**Read as part of the third FF omnibus, but I'm tracking them as Masterworks to note when I've finished each set of issues.
August 23, 2020
The volume description of "field trip" is certainly accurate, lots of fun adventures in this volume even if they're a bit repetitive. The first story with the Inhumans is a repeat of their first appearance, but watching King Maximus is a joy with how much ego he has. The next story with a trip to Latveria (stop Doctor Doom's growing robot army) is a blast and much worth checking out. The next story of the Fantastic Four trying to find a new home and stumbling upon a criminal plot is fun, and leads into the final story of the volume where The Thing is abducted by Skrulls to a planet of 1920s mobster wannabes that settle gang wars by way of gladiator matches using alien slaves from across the universe. The stand-out of this volume is actually Sue, for once. She's not present in all the stories, unfortunately she's still the "mother" who has to stay home and protect the kid... but when she does show up she steals the scene. Surprise appearances to save the day, and some surprisingly aggressive fights, make this volume the best for Sue content compared to all the other Lee/Kirby collections so far.
June 28, 2023
This had probably been happening for several issues before, but the series is at least feeling a lot less episodic. Well maybe it's still episodic, but the stories now go on for a few issues at a time. First a rematch with Mole Man and then a rematch with Doctor Doom. Then a journey to a strange planet where everyone acts like a gangster from the 1930s.
And Sue needs to stay at home. It's not that she is my wife, it's that she is the mother of my child. And that's that.
And Sue needs to stay at home. It's not that she is my wife, it's that she is the mother of my child. And that's that.
August 16, 2025
The story where The Thing gets kidnapped by Skrulls and is forced to fight a in a gladiator arena is the standout story. At this point in the Lee/Kirby run they’ve really hit their stride.
Lee’s dialogue is wonderfully melodramatic (but not as corny) and Kirby draws big action and quiet scenes like no one else (that’s why he’s the King).
The Doom story and Mole Man story was good too but surprisingly no my favorite or best IMO.
I recommend.
Lee’s dialogue is wonderfully melodramatic (but not as corny) and Kirby draws big action and quiet scenes like no one else (that’s why he’s the King).
The Doom story and Mole Man story was good too but surprisingly no my favorite or best IMO.
I recommend.
February 9, 2019
I'm certainly ready for this era of the Fantastic Four to come to an end. Stan Lee's scripts are simply getting too repetitive (as they do on all of his early Marvel work) and I think fresh blood is needed.
January 20, 2020
Gems include the return of the Inhumans, FF relive *The Prisoner* in Latveria, & the debut of Slave-Master & the Skrull gangster planet
January 1, 2021
Stan and Jack not at their best in this one. The saga of the new house was particularly silly. The Thing as a gladiator on a gangster planet was also fairly daft.
March 21, 2022
Yes, the stories on this volume are silly, unnecessary stretched to multiple issues and there is an abuse of full page panels. But I love Kirby's art!
September 27, 2022
The multipart Doom story is peak Lee/Kirby FF
Read
February 4, 2023KSKS
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2023
The back half of the book features an incredible Ben Grimm/The Thing 3 part story. Highly recommend for any Fantastic Four fan!
January 8, 2024
First of all, the Inhumans summon Crystal back to their hidden refuge in the Himalayas, against her will. The rest of the FF follow and they discover that Maximus the Mad has deposed Black Bolt and imprisoned the royal family. Together they return Black Bolt to the thrown and then Nick Fury drafts the FF to infiltrate the kingdom of Latveria, in what seems to be a Kirby homage of the cult classic TV series The Prisoner. Thus begins an epic spanning 4-issues that is nothing short than a classic confrontation with Doctor Doom. Next up the new parents have decided to move out of the Baxter Building for the safety of their new born son. But the house they’ve chosen is not all what it seems. One oddly out of character mistake for Kirby is the sudden inclusion of Ben Grimm at the house, when he had not been there at the end of the previous issue’s cliffhanger. Obviously, he must have just returned between issues, but it’s still odd. And this leads right into another 4-part story that has the Thing kidnapped by a Skrull slaver to be sold off as a gladiator in an arena inspired by 1920s gangster films (which seems very reminiscent of, and perhaps even inspired by, the Star Trek episode A Piece of the Action). It’s a weird, other-worldly epic that only Jack Kirby could pull off. Although there are some weird jump cuts that quickly press the narrative forward without fulling explains how the FF got from B to E, skipping over C & D. Perhaps we’re seeing the effect of Kirby’s growing disappointment with working with Lee, who was taking so much more of the credit than he deserved.
November 8, 2015
Lee & Kirby are definitely past their FF peak here, but there are still many pleasures to be had. Most of them are in Kirby’s designs, as the plots range from totally flat to totally bonkers.
The Inhumans story in issues 82-83 is lifeless and rote, but Kirby has some amazing designs. The Dr. Doom story in 84-87 is much better, even though it doesn’t entirely make sense. Still, it’s nice to see Lee & Kirby flesh out Doom’s character. You also get some great layouts from Kirby as he starts changing his stay to increase the use of splash pages and decrease the panels per page. Interestingly, both of these stories involved a hypnosis weapon. I wonder if that's a deep seated fear of Stan Lee.
Issues 88-90 are like a weird episode of House Hunters that ends with a lame battle with the Mole Man. There’s some nice design work, and a particularly great splash page that introduces the Slave Skrull (who is almost immediately dropped, of course). Also, Kirby brings in a collage!
Issues 91-93 see the Thing as a slave gladiator on a planet of Skrulls who are playing at being 1930s gangesters. It is exactly as goofy and fun as you’d expect. Kirby brings some amazing design for the other gladiators (especially Torgo the melancholy robot), with one noticeable exception: the disastrously dumb Magna Man. However, all of Kirby’s dialogue for the gangsters is from a Scriptomatic 5000 and the ending is lame and rushed.
The Inhumans story in issues 82-83 is lifeless and rote, but Kirby has some amazing designs. The Dr. Doom story in 84-87 is much better, even though it doesn’t entirely make sense. Still, it’s nice to see Lee & Kirby flesh out Doom’s character. You also get some great layouts from Kirby as he starts changing his stay to increase the use of splash pages and decrease the panels per page. Interestingly, both of these stories involved a hypnosis weapon. I wonder if that's a deep seated fear of Stan Lee.
Issues 88-90 are like a weird episode of House Hunters that ends with a lame battle with the Mole Man. There’s some nice design work, and a particularly great splash page that introduces the Slave Skrull (who is almost immediately dropped, of course). Also, Kirby brings in a collage!
Issues 91-93 see the Thing as a slave gladiator on a planet of Skrulls who are playing at being 1930s gangesters. It is exactly as goofy and fun as you’d expect. Kirby brings some amazing design for the other gladiators (especially Torgo the melancholy robot), with one noticeable exception: the disastrously dumb Magna Man. However, all of Kirby’s dialogue for the gangsters is from a Scriptomatic 5000 and the ending is lame and rushed.
April 30, 2015
Reprinting issues 82 to 93, this collection features The Inhumans, SHIELD and Doctor Doom as the FF travel to Latveira to take on the demonic despot. Plus The Thinmg ios kidnapped by The Skrulls! Some great stories as the FF edge ever closer to their one hundredth issue.
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