Category Archives: Ultimately Nullified
Issue #3 – – The Menace of the Miracle Man
Welcome to “Ultimately Nullified” – where I embark upon the insane endeavor of reading and writing about every issue of the Fantastic Four. Issue #1, #2
Issue #3 – The Menace of the Miracle Man
The opening sequence of this adventure kicks off with the Fantastic Four attending the magic show of the Miracle Man and establishes the Four are now considered celebrities among society. The Miracle Man treats the crowd to a test between his magic abilities and the brute physical strength of The Thing. Predictably, The Thing is humiliated in this display after losing multiple contests of strength against an opponent who is anything but physically imposing. After the show, the Miracle Man hatches his master plan – to animate a towering monster statue being used to promote the movie “The Monster from Mars”. After using the animated monster to wreak havoc in the streets, the city officials receive an ominous note: “I, the Miracle Man declare war on the whole human race! I intend to conquer the Earth!” No ransom or demands made – simply a statement of intent to rule over us all. After the Four confront the Miracle Man, all but Sue are bested by the villain, leaving the Invisible Girl to tail him unseen. Sue is soon detected and put under a spell until the others arrive to save the day. Ultimately Reed deduces the true nature of the Miracle Man’s powers: Hypnotism. The tale ends with the Human Torch quitting the team after relentless bickering with The Thing, leaving Reed to ponder the dangers of Johnny’s powers should he ever turn against them.
Although the logistics of the Miracle Man’s crimes and powers being the result of mass hypnotism is questionable at best, there’s a lot to like about this issue in spite of a less than impressive villain. The cover itself makes no mention of the Miracle Man but instead focuses on the introduction of both the Fantasti-car and new costumes for our heroes. Sue is portrayed as a self-confessed “nursemaid” to the boys, and she whipped up their new costumes so they can “look like a team”. The team would continue to wear these exact costumes for years to come, with one exception. Not only is The Thing featured throughout the issue wearing a full-body jumpsuit like the rest of the team (sometimes with a shirt, sometimes not) but he’s also seen for a brief time wearing a blue mask covering his entire head. In a first-ever cutaway shot, we get a glimpse into the Fantastic Four’s secret headquarters, revealing hangars for the Fantasti-Car, Fantasti-Copter, Pogo Orbit Plane, and the Long-Range Passenger Missile which can “reach any part of the world in minutes”.
Other details include Reed’s first mention of his stretching powers having a limit, another retelling of the origin of the Fantastic Four, and of course more arguing between The Thing and the Human Torch. The Thing does behave like an angry child throughout most of the issue, but it isn’t hard to see why. Ben Grimm has been transformed into a ruddy orange monster! Adding insult to injury is the fact that while standing alongside the likes of “Mr. Fantastic”, his moniker is simply the “Thing”. Reed, arguably his closest friend, calls him “Ben” and “Thing” interchangeably in personal conversation, and Ben is starting to come to grips with the reality that his chances of a physical relationship with a woman are nil. Ben will later evolve into the “rocky” form he’s now known for, but in these initial issues, he truly is a thing to evoke shock and horror among the common man. Ben Grimm’s ongoing struggle to hold onto his inner humanity in spite of his outward appearance is part of what makes the “first family of Marvel” so unique. With Sue’s challenge to develop a unique identity of her own, Johnny’s inability to mature, Reed’s duality of scientific detachment and guilt over Ben’s condition, and Ben’s lashing out in anger at those who care about him the most, this issue is in many ways the nucleus for the Fantastic Four dynamic.
Issue #2 – Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space
Welcome to “Ultimately Nullified” – where I embark upon the insane endeavor of reading and writing about every issue of the Fantastic Four. Issue #1
Issue #2 – Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space
Man entered outer space for the first time in 1961, so it’s no stretch to assume that mind-boggling feat was very much swimming through the fertile imagination of Jack Kirby when he sent Reed Richards and his extended family into space in issue #1 and unleashed the Skrulls on humankind in issue #2.
The Skrulls are an alien race possessing the ability to shape-change at will. A Skrull can shift his form at will, but does not assume the abilities inherent to the species they disguise themselves. With the assistance of their alien technology to help duplicate their powers, the Skrulls begin committing a series of crimes while disguised as the Fantastic Four. Their master plan is to remove the super-powered players from the field, making way for the Skrull invasion fleet orbiting Earth. The authorities are fooled into hunting down and arresting the super heroes, understandable considering that, at this point, The Fantastic Four were the only super-powered heroes in the Marvel Universe running around in the public eye. No one had seen a Human Torch, Sub-Mariner or Captain America since World War II, so short of pointing the finger at the Mole Man from last issue, any super-powered shenanigans would draw some finger pointing in the direction of a certain family of super-powered humans. Of course, the Four manage to out the Skrulls, convincing the authorities that they themselves had been framed. Once cleared by Earth-bound authorities, the Four rocket to the orbiting invasion fleet to convince the Skrull leader that Earth is too far dangerous for invasion. In a brilliant bit of meta-marketing on Marvel’s part, they use panels cut out from issues of “Journey into Mystery” and “Strange Tales” (both still featuring giant-monster stories at this point) as proof that Earth is filled with mighty warriors capable of repelling any invasion force.
A few things happen in this issue that would repeat themselves often throughout the long history of the Fantastic Four. For starters, this is the first time we see beginnings of the ongoing family feud between The Thing and the Human Torch. Also, The Thing momentarily shifts back into his human form – a plot device used for decades to torment the poor man with brief glimpses of physical humanity. And finally, we are introduced to the concept that Marvel Comics exist in the Marvel Universe reality as well as our own. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby would be appearing more than once as themselves over the next 100 issues.
In one of the more surreal endings to a comic, Reed Richards must decide the fate of the four Skrull now stranded on Earth once their invasion fleet departs. His solution? Force the Skrulls into taking the shape of Cows, then hypnotizing them into forgetting their former identities and live out their remaining days grazing in the pasture as bovine. At least until 1995 when Grant Morrison sent them to the slaughterhouse in his Skull Kill Krew limited series.
For the Skrull race as a whole, this would be far, far from the last time the Marvel Universe would be subject to their plans for invasion. And though over time they would be repelled by most of the Marvel Universe in one form or another, the Fantastic Four and Reed Richards would forever be known as the most hated enemies of the alien race.
Fantastic Four #1
Welcome to “Ultimately Nullified” – where I embark upon the insane endeavor of reading and writing about every issue of the Fantastic Four.
Issue #1 – Here They Are…The Fantastic Four/The Fantastic Four Meet the Mole Man
Published in 1961, The Fantastic Four would be the launch pad for Marvel’s transition away from giant monster and romance comics and firmly into the world of super heroes. The title would go on to enjoy 588 issues of monthly publication (not counting Annuals and the Heroes Reborn diversion) and spawn an incredible number of heroes and villains that have since attained near-mythological status in the collective consciousness. Dr Doom, Galactus, The Silver Surfer, Wyatt Wingfoot, Black Bolt and the Inhumans, Skrulls, Super Skrulls, the return of Prince Namor – the Sub Mariner, and the first family of comics themselves all came from this rich publication. It is arguable as to whether or not The Fantastic Four served as the center of action in the Marvel Universe, but you’ll not find another comic that has served as the generator for so many incredible characters. But, as mind-blowing as the ride ahead will be for all involved, it all had its humble beginnings here, in issue #1.
The first issue is actually two stories in one. The primary story involves the Fantastic Four being assembled for what appears to be their first mission against a super villain. I’m being cautious in that claim as I fully expect that somewhere within the next 587 issues someone has likely written a story that retroactively inserts itself into continuity somewhere between their fateful launch into space, and their first encounter with the Mole Man. But, from a publication standpoint, the Mole Man holds that honor. The secondary, yet just as important, storyline tells of the origin of the Four. It boils down to this:
• Reed Richards built a rocket • In order to beat “the commies” into space, Reed decides to steal his own rocket
• His girlfriend (Sue Storm) humiliates Reed’s oldest friend (Ben Grimm) into flying the rocket
• Sue gets to go because, well, she’s his girlfriend, and her brother Johnny gets to go too because, well, he’s her brother.
• The four fly into space, are bombarded by Cosmic Rays, and the rocket crash-lands back on Earth.
• The effects of the Cosmic Rays manifest themselves differently among each of the four. Ben becomes “The Thing”, Sue becomes “The Invisible Girl”, Johnny becomes the modern-age “Human Torch”, and Reed becomes “Mr. Fantastic”.
• In a speech that would echo itself again in the pages of Spider-Man under the “with great power comes great responsibility” speech that inspired Peter Parker to use his powers for more than making an easy buck, the four decide that they have no choice but to use their powers to “help mankind”.
The story of the Mole Man, at its core, is the template for what made Marvel comics so unique in the 60s. On the surface, you can see the transition from publishing giant monster comics to super hero stories happen right before your eyes. The Four travel to Monster Isle, which appears to be the gathering place for many of the monsters found in pre-FF Marvel comics. The first monster they encounter could easily double for the love-child of Fin Fang Foom and Goom (or Googam, either work) and the rest of the issue features a wide array of Kirby’s monstrous creations. But, these aren’t the things that made Marvel so unique. That, you’ll find in the origin of the Mole Man. As so many of the greatest of Marvel’s heroes and villains, the Mole Man’s story speaks to rejection in such a sympathetic way that you can’t help but feel for the villain. The Mole Man started out just like you or me, but was apparently deemed too ugly to date, too ugly to employ, and prone to insults. He leaves the society that rejected him, in search of this “legendary land at the center of the Earth”. Based on his looks and the ridicule that plagued him at every turn, the poor man felt compelled to hide away at the center of the planet. He instead finds subterranean monsters galore and access to Monster Isle – from which he rules his monster horde. From the villain’s perspective, had society embraced the Mole Man initially, his story could have taken a completely different turn. But that’s the fine line between becoming a “villain” or a “hero” in the Marvel Universe, or the difference between a “survivor” and a “victim” in any universe – how we deal with the hand we’re all dealt. As we will see over the history of the Fantastic Four, Ben Grimm was dealt much the same hand as the Mole Man yet become a very public hero instead of crawling into a hole from which to strike out at his enemies.
In the end, The Four narrowly escape the island before the Mole Man “destroyed the entire isle” in order to seal himself and his horde from the rest of the world. It wouldn’t take long before we’d learn that the island was in fact not destroyed, nor would we be anywhere near the last time seeing the Mole Man.
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