FANTASTIC FOUR #2: Re-writing the Definition of “Intelligent” Life on Other Planets

Published: January, 1962

As I’ve mentioned in my About Me page, I am not actually reading these stories for the first time as I sit down to blog about them. In fact, I had read about 200 or so Marvel comics before finally getting the idea that I should put down my impressions. So on occasion, at least at first, I’m likely to make a comment that will indicate I have more knowledge of the Marvel Universe than I could possibly know from the number of comics I’ve reviewed. This is only my second entry, and already, it’s one of those occasions.

The second Fantastic Four comic is entitled “The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls From Outer Space.” On the cover, we read that the Skrulls “had taken a deadly oath to destroy the Fantastic Four!!” So, here’s my question: the FF have only had one adventure thus far (as far as we know), fighting and defeating the Mole Man. How do the Skrulls from outer space even know about this, and why do they feel the FF are such a menace that they have taken a “deadly vow”?

Russ suggests that there may have been other adventures our heroes have engaged in, that have not been chronicled, and that is what has gained them a reputation so fierce that beings from outer space feel compelled to do whatever it takes to eliminate them. To that I say…well, perhaps. But if so…then I feel cheated! I want to know what happened in those hidden adventures! Not fair, Stan, not fair!

BRAVADO
No, I think it’s more likely that what’s happening here is tied into what I was referring to in my first paragraph: knowing more than I should know, if I were actually reading this Skrull story for the first time. And what I know is this: that Stan and crew have such a wonderful sense of…I want to say “self-confidence,” but it’s really so much more than that. There is this terrific self-assuranceness and excitement about what these new heroes can and will accomplish in the future, that Stan has no qualms about right now leading us to believe that villains everywhere are quaking in their boots over the sudden appearance of the FF, before they are barely even out the starting gate. This is not the first time I’ve seen this kind of bravado in Stan’s writing style. Everything he does is “over the top” and this is only one example. In another medium, this audacity would be at the least, suspect, if not just plain downright silly. But in the Marvel Universe, it works. And it works very well.

With that said, let’s get on to our story.

We begin with the horrifying spectacle of each member of the FF using their superpowers to cause destruction and/or commit crimes. What?? Can this really be? No, of course not.

We quickly find out that the Skrulls from outer space are impersonating the FF in an attempt to ruin their reputation. Once they are discredited, the Skrulls reason, their fellow earthlings will hunt them down. But why go through all this trouble? Because, according to the Skrulls, “once the FF are slain, no power on earth can stop the Skrull invasion.”

Events being what they are, the FF has holed up in a secluded cabin, trying to figure out what to do next. On page six, we have a brief rehash of their origin story, apparently for those kids who did not buy the first FF issue themselves, but heard from their pals that this new comic mag was the latest and greatest!

Now that everybody is up to speed, the army tracks down the FF, arrests them, and puts them in confinement. But each uses their unique power to find a way out.

THE PLAN
It’s a good reminder for readers of the first adventure, and an excellent demonstration for new readers, of exactly what the FF can do. The group assembles in one of their “many secret apartment hideouts” and comes up with this plan:

I have to tell you, I’m not entirely convinced that sabotaging a rocket is actually going to work. You’ll notice that Johnny says “they may think it’s one of THEM, and reveal themselves!” The emphasis is on THEM, but it ought to be on MAY. This is a pretty flimsy plan, if you ask me. But…what else have they got?

Of course Johnny and Thing fight about who’s going to pull off the job, and Sue steps in for some thirty-second psychotherapy, telling Thing, “I understand how bitter you are, and you have every right…but we’ll just destroy ourselves if we keep at each other’s throats this way!” I think it’s extremely diplomatic of her to say “we” when what she really means is “you.”

Johnny does his “Flame on!” thing and attacks the rocket, then is conveniently picked up by a couple of Skrulls impersonating Reed and Sue. They take him back to headquarters, and the leader, who is apparently a bit swifter than the other three, recognizes him as the REAL Torch.

I love Johnny’s confidence on page 13. First he says “You thought what I wanted you to think!” Then he says, “Mister, no matter what planet you’re from, I’m still gonna be too hot for you to handle!” Spoken like a true hero, with not even a hint of fear. Well, I guess if you could burst into flames at a moment’s notice, you’d probably be fairly fearless as well.

It’s also interesting to note that Johnny does not seem in the least disturbed that these guys are from another PLANET. I guess life on other planets is a given in the Marvel Universe? And visits from little green men are…par for the course? I wonder—has anything like this ever happened before?

Johnny shoots his flare gun to signal the other members of the FF, then wraps circles of flame around the three aliens to contain them. However, as he’s doing this, the fourth Skrull shows up, the one who is impersonating the Torch (with “the aid of the chemical cylinder which I have strapped under my shirt”). Torch is forced to flame off, and it looks like it could be the end of the line for Johnny…

But Thing bursts in to rescue him! Reed and Sue follow, and together they put an end to the Skrulls’ shenanigans. But I think it’s important to note that Thing was first on the scene. Even though he and Johnny fight quite a lot, when push comes to shove, they are there to help each other. Russ has told me many times that the model for the FF is a FAMILY. They may squabble and have their difficult moments, but in the end, they always stick together.

Now that the Skrulls are captured, these alien beings must admit the superiority of the FF.

You’ll notice that in this panel, Reed calls the Skrulls “Playmates.” This term is often used in Marvel comics, that always makes me chuckle. Who talks like that in real life? I mean…even in the 1960’s, did real people talk that way? What exactly is meant by “playmates”? Is this meant to ridicule the enemy? As in…“You were so inept as a villain, it was child’s play for me to defeat you!” Actually, that kind of makes sense.

THE SPINELESS SKRULLS
Reed demands to know of the Skrull’s evil plan. The head Skrull boldly proclaims, “No! We will never tell you anything!” Thing says, “Let me at ’em!” He begins to throw a piece of furniture…and they crumble. Like bacon over a hot flame. (“No! No! Keep that monster from us! We’ll tell you anything you want to know!”)

The Skrulls reveal that there is an invasion fleet waiting above the atmosphere, and Reed steps up, revealing why his super-brain is the leader of this group:
So the FF go to the mother ship, (disguised as Skrulls who are disguised as the FF…get it?) and inform the leader that the FF are too mighty, and cannot be beaten. Reed also tells a pack of lies about hidden mines and giant insects, and shows the head Skrull some pictures of monsters from the Strange Tales and Journey into Mystery comic books. Now the real question becomes…who is more ingenious: Reed Richards, for scaring away the Skrulls, or Stan Lee, for weaving some self-promotional material directly into his latest comic mag?

But this is the icing on the cake: the head Skrull says “Quickly! Unmask and join us as we leave this accursed planet forever!” But Reed says no, we will stay behind and remove all traces that our race has ever visited this planet. (“We shall sacrifice ourselves so that you will be safe!”) For this, the head Skrull awards them a medal of bravery. And leaves. Forever. Supposedly.

But we’re not done yet!

PATHOS
As the FF travel back to earth, they must pass through the same radiation belt that gave them their powers in the first place, and Thing is turned back into Ben Grimm. But then he changes right back. I’m guessing this happens to show the new readers who Thing REALLY is. And also to give poor Ben Grimm a glimmer of hope, only to have it immediately dashed, thus providing an ample supply of pathos in our otherwise adventurous tale.

As the FF land, they are arrested once again, and Reed tries to explain the situation, but the General is extremely skeptical (making some cynical remarks about Santa Claus…which, by the way, isn’t it possible a good portion of the original audience for this story were believers in Santa Claus? Wasn’t that playing kind of fast and loose with the Santa Claus reference?)

However, Reed convinces the General to take them to his apartment where they run into a trio of monsters, which they fight, only to discover that these monsters are actually Skrulls, thus convincing the General that Reed’s story is true.

Okay. Problem solved. Right? Except for one thing. What to do with the remaining Skrulls? Well, just as we saw earlier, they show remarkably little backbone:
So Reed hypnotizes them into forgetting their former identities, and they become cows. Really. Cows, grazing in a field.

That is the end of our story. But not the end of the Skrulls, as once again, I will mention that I’ve read ahead, and happen to know that there will be more Skrull adventures. But that’s another story, for another day.

HOW MANY SKRULLS?
But before we leave this tale, one very important issue needs to be considered. I didn’t catch it at first, but later on Russ pointed out to me that there were originally FOUR Skrulls (impersonating the four members of the FF), but at the end of the story, there are only THREE Skrulls who have been captured and turned into cows. At one point Reed tells the General that the fourth Skrull is “on his way to another galaxy, with the rest of his invasion fleet.” The only problem is…we never see that happen. And as far as Russ and I can figure, there is no moment in the story when the fourth Skrull could have escaped. So what actually happened to him?

I say that I’ve read ahead a little. But not as far as Russ, and he tells me that at some point in the future, maybe fifteen years down the road, some writer in the Marvel Universe is going to address this issue of the missing Skrull.

I can’t wait to get there.

VILLAINOUS SKRULLS
For right now, though, I should rate the Skrulls as villains. And I think you know what I’m going to say. In fact, I’ve already said it. No backbone. Crumble like bacon. And also, incredibly gullible, to be fooled by some monster pictures from a comic book! It’s fairly amazing, I think, that this race has perfected interplanetary travel. For the moment, they will have to be placed at Number 2 on my list, but this high ranking comes only because I’ve only been able to review two villains thus far. At the moment, #2 is the bottom of my villain list. And I have a feeling the Skrulls will remain at the bottom of my list for a long, long time.

So, we did not actually have a formidable foe in this second FF tale, but we did have a good opportunity to learn more about our heroes, see what they can do, and how they interact with each other. And because of the rehashing of the origin story, I think anyone who may have arrived late to the party, missing out on issue #1, will not really be that far behind at this point. We see each of the heroes doing what they do best, and coming to each other’s aid when need be.

WORKING TOGETHER
I guess you could say that I have “arrived late to the party” when it comes to superheroes. Growing up, of course I knew about Superman and Batman, and had even heard a bit about Spider-Man. I also clearly remember Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman on TV. But my first glimpse of the FF was in 2005 when the movie came out. At that time, I had no idea this group of heroes was an existing property. In fact, I probably had no idea what was meant by “existing property.” But most significantly, this whole idea that there could actually be a group of superheroes that WORK TOGETHER was a totally new concept to me.

I think that was part of what fascinated me about the FF movie, and made me want to go see it. Well that…and Ioan Griffuth. I admit, I’m a fan. So, that actor may have pushed me into the movie theater…but it was the interaction between the characters that so captivated me once I was there.

And it’s the interaction of these characters that continues to fascinate me, whether it’s in the movies, or the original comic book stories. The whole idea that superheroes don’t necessarily have to exist as strong, individualist pillars of strength. That they can have equals, co-workers, not just sidekicks. Yes, Batman has Robin, but (at least in my experience) he’s mainly there for comic relief, and is probably more of a nuisance than an asset. But the members of the FF are all there to help each other.

When I started reading the FF, it struck me that it must be significant that there are four of them. Four corners of the earth, four seasons…and Russ pointed out to me that each has a power that corresponds to one of the four elements. Johnny…fire. Sue…air. Thing…earth. And I guess you could say Reed is like water, the way he can move and undulate. So together their powers so perfectly complement each other. Together, they can do anything, they can do it all.

And that’s part of what I like about the FF — not so much that they CAN help each other, but that they DO help each other. Like a family. Each is an important part of a whole, and none of them is as strong alone as they are when they are all together.

I mentioned earlier that, as I write this, I’ve already read about 200 Marvel comics. A lot of them have been FF, but also many other titles, many other superheroes. In this time, I’ve developed my favorites, and those that are…not so favorite. And I don’t think you’ll find it any surprise that I consider The Fantastic Four to be among my very favorite superheroes.