Published: 1963

Now here’s something new—it’s called an “Annual” and it runs 72 pages, rather than a comic book’s standard 36 pages. For all this comic book splendor, readers of the day were asked to shell out more than twice as much money: a full 25 cents! Were they getting their money’s worth? Let’s review the contents of this first Fantastic Four Annual, then you decide for yourself.

NAMOR
On the cover we find reference to four different features, as well as clear pictures of Sub-Marinar, Spider-Man and Doctor Doom. Well, you’ve got my attention. This looks to be grand, and as we turn the first page, we find that it is. After the full page splash for “Sub-Mariner Versus the Human Race!” we are invited to King Namor’s coronation ceremony regally presented on a two page spread showing us all the splendor of Atlantis.

Yes, we know, the sea serpent doesn’t line up. The printing process in 1963 required a gutter between the two pages, and a case could be made that the serpent WOULD line up, if we retained the gutter. The down side, though, is that other elements would then be out of kilter. We simply had to make the aesthetic decision: do we retain the gutter, or close it up? We think it looks better as one huge panorama, the first of its kind for Marvel. –Russ

Last time we saw Namor, he was still looking for his people. Now he’s found them, and they welcome him back with open arms. I don’t remember ever before seeing a two page spread, but given the occasion, it’s entirely appropriate.

I know Namor is supposed to be a bad guy, but I can’t help feeling happy for him. He’s finally found the thing he’s been looking for all this time, and feels restored to his proper place in the universe. Maybe now he can be content and stop picking on the surface dwellers?

Not a chance. The ceremony isn’t even over, and already he’s planning his attack upon the human race. He captures the FF, only to send them back with an important message: as King of the Sea, he will allow no ships or aircraft to trespass his domain. Reed convenes the United Nations and conveys the gravity of the situation, but the delegate from Russia responds with a hearty “Bah! Capitalistic lies!” and a bit of shoe-pounding on the table.

After they get this guy calmed down, Atlantean expert “Dr. G. W. Falton” provides a detailed history of the fabled kingdom and its “homo mermanus” race. (No, you haven’t forgotten them from 8th grade biology class. Like that troublesome “chromosomatic gland,” this is another science fact fiction found only in Marvel comics.)

Dr. G. W. Falton paints a very pretty picture of the the history of Atlantis, and of Sub-Mariner’s background in particular, only…there is no Dr. G. W. Falton! We have been listening to an expert, however, for Falton rips off his disguise, and guess what? It’s Sub-Mariner himself, startling everyone, and declaring war on the human race before hurrying back to his undersea kingdom.

Soon, the Atlanteans invade, wearing water-filled helmets to keep them alive until victory is won. Reed gets one look at a helmet and immediately deduces a solution. He fashions a huge “complex electronic device.” Sadly, this contraption is not given a proper name, like “Electromagnetic Evaporator Ray Gun,” but no matter—it gets the job done, evaporating the water from every soldier’s helmet, forcing a mass retreat back to the ocean.

Sub-Mariner quickly decides that ONLY Mr. Fantastic could be responsible, and hurries to the Baxter Building. Fighting ensues, and Namor escapes with Sue as hostage.

With much fanfare, the others rescue Sue, who is nearly drowned. They must trust Namor to deliver her to the nearest hospital. Namor’s people feel that he has betrayed them by saving a surface woman, so they abandon him. Poor Namor! From the highest high, to the lowest low, he ends this lengthy tale wondering, “Is there NEVER to be a place for me?”

Not to worry, I’m sure there will always be a place for Namor, the Sub-Mariner, King of the Sea, in the pages of Marvel Comics. These stories are just too good! And I haven’t even gotten to the best parts yet! One of the most fun aspects of these Sub-Mariner stories is the romantic triangle between Reed, Sue and Namor. Each time these three appear together, there’s further development, further angst. And this time, we are introduced to two new players, creating yet another romantic triangle.

Enter Lady Dorma, an Atlantean babe with blue skin and high cheekbones who considers Namor her true love. As the story begins, she is delighted that Namor has returned, envisioning a future where she is queen, ruling the undersea realm side by side with her king. The moment I saw Lady Dorma, I knew there would be trouble. As expected, she is not at all pleased when she figures out that her man is in love with another woman. And not only another woman, but a surface-dweller! Brrr…

Dorma begins the story as the gentle and beautiful woman you see here on the left, but by the time she learns about Namor’s attraction to Sue Storm, she looks like this:

To complicate matters further, Warlord Krang is interested in Lady Dorma, and apparently they’re engaged—at least if “pledged to become the bride” means the same thing in Atlantis as it does on the surface world. But Dorma wastes no time throwing over her Warlord for the newly returned king…and can you blame her? Emotions aside, Krang is rather hideous. His heart must be in the right place, though—the place Namor’s heart should be, completely intent upon the safety and well-being of the kingdom, not half given over to the protection of a…a…SURFACE GIRL!!

This title has opened up a whole new world, full of interesting characters. Frankly, I was disappointed when I got to the end and found out the entire civilization had deserted their King. I certainly hope this is not the last we see of Warlord Krang and Lady Dorma. They have some unfinished business with Namor, and—don’t spoil me, but, it would be a shame if the momentum of this new love triangle is not picked up at some time in the future.

HORSEPLAY
So I look forward to that, but right now, I’ve got some bones to pick with our “surface dweller” heroes. We start with a good dose of FF-Nonsense, as we usually do, with some horseplay between Johnny and Ben that gets out of hand—fire, water, busting down doors, you know the routine.

Sigh. I’ve got to say…I’m really getting tired of this. Okay, Johnny’s a teenager, so some horseplay might be expected, but what the hell is Ben thinking? Or is he thinking? When those cosmic rays altered his physique, was he also touched in the head? Or has he always been this infantile? The two of them act like they’re ten years old, and there’s no excuse for that.

In the end, their horseplay ruins all of Sue’s expensive, “original exclusive” dresses. Ben/Thing at least apologizes, but his explanation that “It was an accident,” just doesn’t cut it. Why doesn’t he take responsibility for his bad behavior? Why doesn’t Johnny? And why does Reed feel he has to comfort the crying Sue with “I’ll make it up to you, honey”? There’s no reason Reed should have to make up anything—he didn’t do anything wrong!

But, wait! Yes, he did. As the leader of this group, he should have put his foot down a long time ago, rather than allowing these two imbeciles to continue to misbehave. He’s got this giant scientific brain, yet he doesn’t seem to understand the first thing about human interaction.

And then! To make matters worse, Reed does what no parent should ever do: he actually REWARDS the bad behavior with, “I think we’ve been working too hard! We need a VACATION!”

What??? Did I hear right? Johnny and Ben destroy Sue’s property, and as a result, everyone gets to go on a VACATION? At this rate, Johnny and Ben will never stop acting like jackasses. Pardon my language, I’m really mad about this.

But wait! There’s more! To make this whole ridiculous situation even worse, just before Reed suggests the vacation, Sue actually APOLOGIZES to the “boys” for getting so emotional. Again I say…WHAT?? Why in blazes is Sue apologizing? “Oh, I’m sorry, boys, for being such a FEMALE. Can you ever forgive me?” She didn’t do anything except have a perfectly legitimate reaction, and yet she feels compelled to apologize. At best, this is an outrageously chauvinistic portrayal of women in the 1960’s. At worst, Sue’s got some major self-esteem issues.

TYPE A PERSONALITY
But let’s get back to Reed and his proposed vacation. In the last issue, didn’t he and Sue just go on vacation to Hawaii? Of course, that wasn’t a real vacation, it was just an opportunity to test drive the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Station Wagon.

And this isn’t a real vacation, either. Sea monsters have been spotted in the middle of the Atlantic, and Mr. Fantastic wants to investigate. Leave it to a science nerd like Reed Richards to think that taking a cruise to find sea monsters is a “vacation.” Does this guy never relax? Can you say…Type A personality?

Later in the story, when Namor catapults the four from the depths to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and drowning seems a real possibility, Reed takes time to explain the science that got them there. To which Thing replies, “What an egg-head! Reed, if they ever strapped ya in the electric chair, you’d probably be explainin’ how the blamed thing works while they pulled the switch!”

’Nuff said.

Of course, the others continue to display their defining personality characteristics as well. For instance:

When Reed is injured and must give detailed instructions on the Electromagnetic Evaporator Ray Gun, Sue exclaims, “Let’s just PRAY that it works!” once again indicating her lack of faith in Reed’s ability to get the job done. I’m starting to think Reed should be looking for a girlfriend who’s a little more supportive.

When Ben’s blind girlfriend invites herself on the “Vacation to Sea Monsters,” Ben keeps making references to sight—“You’re a sight for sore eyes…wouldn’t let you out of my sight…” Really, Ben…could you BE any more insensitive?

And Johnny, of course, is still chasing girls. I’m just not sure why he’s referring to himself in the third person here, and especially baffled why he would call himself “Little Johnny.” Hmmm…let’s not go there…

NAMOR
But enough of this! Let’s get back to Sub-Mariner, because the more I write, the more I’m liking him better than the heroes in this tale.

WE’RE NOT AS DIFFERENT AS YOU MIGHT THINK…PART 1:
As Dr. G. W. Falton, Namor reveals his origins. In 1920, a blast from a ship rocks Atlantis, and Princess Fen surfaces and falls in love with the ship’s captain. As a result of this union, Namor is born, “possibly the first known mutant of our time…the only true human amphibian on earth.”

Now this brings up a question: Is Namor a mutant, or a hybrid? Apparently he has characteristics of both his father and mother; he can breathe air, he can breathe water. His skin appears to be human flesh (not blue), yet he has wings on his feet that allow him to fly. He’s the perfect blending of the two races, like a Ford Fusion, that can run on either gas or electricity.

Incidentally, I was baffled by the fact that when the water is drained from the Atlanteans’ helmets they must immediately retreat to the ocean, as if they will die within moments. In the story about Sub-Mariner’s parents, wasn’t his mother able to breathe air for up to five hours? Why are the current Atlanteans not as hearty and capable? Perhaps some…mutation?

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
Well, I’ve given more than enough attention to this main story, but that’s not the only attraction in this Annual. When you buy a DVD, you get the feature film, and also a bunch of “extras,” and “behind the scenes” documentaries. Briefly, here are a few “DVD extras” from this first Annual:

The Fabulous Fantastic Four Meet Spider-Man! This six-page vignette re-tells a portion of a story that appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #1. It’s pretty much the same as before, but some of the fight scenes have been expanded. I guess some people like that kind of thing, but for me, I gloss over that part with “And then they fight,” or “Fighting ensues,” so this tale didn’t do anything for me.

However, I did find it amusing that on the title page, the editor informs us that this story is appearing “By special arrangement with Spider-Man magazine.” Uhh…correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s all Marvel Comics, right? So, where’s the “special arrangement”? Stan and Jack looked at each other said, “Hey! Let’s rehash that old story, and add in a few more details, ya think?” And it was done.

Questions and Answers About the Fantastic Four. Now, this was an entertaining bit that offered all kinds of details about our heroes. Most of it we already know, but the write-up on Sue really floored me. I had no idea her hobbies included cooking and reading romantic novels! (I also had no idea that “cosmetics” was a hobby.)

Most alarming of all is the question “If she marries, would she leave the F.F.?” Really now…why should she? I guess back in the day, once a woman got married, she left the work force. But I hardly think what Sue does as a super-heroine can be considered a “job” in the usual sense of the word. How would being married affect her ability to participate in the foursome?

Yes, we know, the picture’s not straight. Back in the 60’s, sometimes the publishers weren’t as careful as they should have been to cut the corners of every panel at 90° angles. No matter which way we cut it, at least two sides are going to slant.
–Russ

But then…ahh! It suddenly occurs to me. Of course, as soon as Sue gets married, she would be expected to start popping out babies. After all, that’s a woman’s “real” job, isn’t it? But it does beg the question…if Sue and Reed were to have children, what would they be like? And what kind of trouble could those youngsters get into, turning invisible and slipping into all the hard-to-reach places? Nothing would be safe! I don’t know, maybe Sue and Reed do eventually get married and have children. If you know, don’t tell me! I want to be surprised when it happens.

A Gallery of the Fantastic Four’s Most Famous Foes! Eleven foes grace this gallery, each given a full page write-up. I don’t know if the purpose is to entice new readers into tracking down and reading past issues, or were they just trying to fill space. Either way, looking at these characters makes me realize how far I’ve come. I have no idea how much further I have to go, but I’m sure this retrospective is just the tip of the iceberg.

If you’ve been reading along with me all this time, you know that I pretty much consider the Skrulls a huge joke. So I found it extra funny when their gallery page describes them as “a band of the most dangerous menaces earth had ever faced.”

We’re told that the Miracle Man (remember him?) “seemed stronger than the Thing, more brilliant than Mister Fantastic, more powerful than the Human Torch, and more elusive than the Invisible Girl!” At least here, we temper the praise with the word “seemed.” The Incredible Hulk also makes an appearance in this gallery, though by the time this Annual hits the newsstands, Hulk has already made his giant about-face, aligning himself with the newly-created Avengers.

One more feature: a full-page diagram of Inside the Baxter Bldg, detailing all the rooms, labs and inventions which go into making the Fantastic Four so…well, fantastic. I love maps and diagrams, and this one is no exception. Marvel provided similar diagrams in issues 3 and 6, but that was quite a while ago, and now that readers know the FF better, perhaps this is a good time for review. And just to be sure further review will not be needed, a bold suggestion is made to “Save for future reference!”

Little girls had their Barbie dolls and dreamhouses, but what about little boys? They’ve got this detailed diagram of Fantastic Four headquarters. Marvel-themed toys and playsets won’t come along for at least another thirty years, so until that happens, this two-dimensional representation and a good dose of imagination will have to suffice.

And coming up soon, a good dose of imagination when Marvel marks the spot in comic history with an exciting new title. So join me next time for more fun in the Marvelous Zone!

Published: September, 1963

Last time, I talked about how the world was ready for a new group of heroes, with complementary superpowers, and so we got the Avengers. When your villain has many avenues of attack, you need an arsenal to defeat him. Well, this time, our team with the arsenal meets a villain who has “all the powers of the Fantastic Four, PLUS STILL MORE!” Because with only the powers of the Four, it would be an even match, and in an even match, you know who would win. But, with “plus still more” powers, we open the door for the possibility that the villain may get the upper hand, if not in the end, at least at some point in the battle.

Okay, I’m convinced. Here’s my twelve cents.

Except…wait! What do I read here on the cover? It’s a Skrull? You mean those goofy little green men from outer space who were so effortlessly tricked into spending the rest of their lives as cows, because they “hate being Skrulls! We’d rather be ANYTHING else!” You mean those spineless crybabies of the galaxy, currently mooing in a field? But this Skrull is no ordinary Skrull, he’s a Super-Skrull. Sort of like a product that’s “new and improved.” That’s our Super-Skrull. I see on the cover the Super-Skrull can indeed turn himself into a “Torch,” so I’m willing to give him a chance.

I’m still in. Let’s go.

As mentioned previously, the FF enjoys a bonanza of PR, for when we catch up with them at the beginning of this story, they’re huddled around the television, enjoying a newscast about…themselves! As always, we have some comedy shenanigans before the actual story gets underway. Thing busts up the furniture when his TV appearance is interrupted by a dog food commercial, but the funniest part is Reed and Sue heading off for a swim in Hawaii, traveling aboard their new “Experimental Passenger Intercontinental Ballistics Missile.”

While Reed dons his spacesuit, Sue is ready for the beach, wearing a bathing suit AND her space travel boots, carrying her space helmet. I ask you: where else are you going to see a get-up like this?

And then, when Reed asks Thing to keep an eye on Johnny for a few days, Thing sarcastically replies, “Look, Great White Father—” and proceeds to give Reed a piece of his mind. Not to be outdone, the narrator chimes in with, “And so, with the Thing’s tender farewell ringing in their ears…”

Yes to comedy.

Okay, now the story can finally get underway! We meet the Skrull King in a galaxy far, far away, plotting revenge against “that accursed foursome” while his yes-man ponders how in the world they ever managed to triumph over the “trained Skrulls” from Fantastic Four #2. Obviously the yes-man hasn’t read FF #2, but the Skrull King has, because his Royal Highness immediately dismisses those events with, “Bah! That is past history!”

Like any good obsessed, all-powerful despot, the Skrull King has emptied the entire treasury and devoted the full scope of Skrull scientific talents to the development of a single “Super-Skrull.”

The Skrull equivalent of Captain America?

Super-Skrull demonstrates that his powers exceed those of the accursed foursome—he can stretch further, lift more weight, and possesses an anti-matter fire-ball that can destroy anything. One thing he does not have, however, is an imagination, for when “flaming on” like the Human Torch, he parrots Johnny’s catch phrase —“Flame On!” (In fact, later, Johnny remarks, “All you Skrulls are good for is COPYIN’ people!”) The Super-Skrull alludes to a power beyond invisibility, but he’s in too much of a rush to offer details, so he hurries off on his mission, leaving the King, and us, wondering…

Back on earth, another comedy bit—the FF mobbed in a department store—quickly turns to serious business as a news broadcast reports a spaceship in Times Square. If you’re not convinced that this is serious business, check out the expressions Jack Kirby puts on our heroes’ faces.

The Super-Skrull plants the Skrull flag, while the leader on the home planet instructs his assistant to “adjust the focus” on the viewing device. (Did you ever imagine a viewing device so technologically advanced you could view what’s going on at the street level on another planet…yet, you would still have to manually adjust the focus?)

Johnny, Reed and Thing each fight the Super-Skrull and are defeated. Sue laments that she feels “so helpless—so useless!” but Reed assures her “with all our bluster, we haven’t achieved any more than you!”

Confident of victory, the Super-Skrull retreats to allow the FF time “to return to their headquarters and spend a sleepless night fearing my next move!” However, given the advantage of time, Reed discovers the source of power rays beamed to Earth from the First Quadrant, and determines to stop those rays—to which Sue once again replies, “Oh, Reed—if only you COULD!” Jeez…I guess some people will never learn!

Arrangements are made to meet the Skrull on lonely Crater Island, where the three men distract the Skrull so invisible Sue will have a chance to fasten Reed’s “jammer,” cutting off his power source. However, the Super-Skrull now reveals his additional power—irresistible hypnotism! While the three are hypnotized (“I must stand here and TAKE it—for the sake of SUE! It’s her only chance!”), Sue installs the jammer, then trips the Skrull before he can attack her. The others spring back into action, and the Skrull is imprisoned in a sealed crater.

So. A second appearance by the Skrulls. I must admit, this one proved more fearsome than the last. However, despite all the advantages of the Super-Skrull, in the end it was Reed’s ingenuity and a bit of old-fashioned trickery that got the job done. At the end of the story we do not return to the Skrull planet to see the King pitching a fit because all the planet’s resources have now been wasted on yet a second confrontation with the Fantastic Four. Too bad; I would have liked to see that.

Somehow I feel quite sure this is not the last we’ll see of the Skrulls. Currently, the Super-Skrull has premiered at the very top of my Super-Villain Valuation Chart, but I wonder where we’ll go from here. Next time, will there be a Super-Duper Skrull? Or perhaps…a Stupendous Skrull? One thing I’ve discovered about Marvel Comics—without fail, stakes will rise, powers will escalate and there’s always something to look forward to.

And I look forward to meeting with you here in the Marvelous Zone next time, when not only are the stakes higher, but also the eyebrows, in a story that’s bigger and better than anything we’ve seen before!