The Return of the Mole Man
Remember that time when Mr. Fantastic went and got all worked up because some readers suggested that Sue Storm was a waste of a place on The Fantastic Four and that she was basically useless as a superhero? Well, despite giving a big lecture on exactly how Invisible Girl was so great, this month we get a glimpse of a more empowered (at least, in the ostensible sense), more developed and rounded Sue Storm soon on her way to being the powerhouse hero that she would soon become. Aside from her usual being able to turn invisible at will, Sue can now turn other objects invisible (one at time, including herself) as well as using her "invisible energy" as a means of creating a shield or barrier that can deflect any physical force exerted on it. Pretty cool.
Of course much of this, alongside the issue's first "comedic" half is later shown as being mere setup for the re-emergence of the Four's first costumed foe Mole Man who is back for revenge with even more traps and other shenanigans that force Sue to finally make a decent contribution to the team. So yeah, it's something of a invigorating issue for Invisible Girl, as well as Mole Man, but much like his tepid debut, this one never really does him as much justice either. Poor Mole Man; everytime he shows up, it's just as someone gets something cool to play around with. Oh well. All in all, a pretty decent issue, though the back half definitely plays the action all too similarly and safely to catch the reader off-guard. Seeing Thing getting all worked up because of some angry phone-calls however, is worth a little peak. At the first half of the issue, at least.
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