gc8's Fantastic Four #36 - The Frightful Four review

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    Fantastic Four 36 - Believable Challengers for the Fantastic Four

    Early 1965 was a bad time for Marvel - most of the issues that came out around that time were, for some reason not as good as the work they had been putting out the previous year. This issue of Fantastic Four is a notable exception.

    Stan Lee came up with the idea of creating a supervillain team to be an evil, anti-Fantastic Four, 'The Frightful Four'; but instead of doing the obvious - creating another team with the same powers, which would have been hokey - he has four existing Marvel villains band together: Paste Pot Pete, Wizard, Sandman and Medusa.

    This team presents a believable challenge for the FF without having to resort to the way-over-the-top pseudoscience of Namor, Doctor Doom, Kang, Immortus, Rama-tut and the like.

    One particular strength of Stan Lee's writing this issue is the science. Fantastic Four has always been one of the more science fiction oriented Marvel comics, but the science hasn't always been very good. Lee tended to take pretty broad liberties with concepts like 'magnetism' and 'radiation'. But this issue he gets a lot right - much of the battle in this issue takes place in the upper atmosphere and the references to things like rarefied air, differences in pressure, and the affects of weight and mass all make sense.

    While there are no real standout panels, Jack Kirby's art looks as good as ever, and whoever the uncredited colorist was (perhaps Jack himself?) does a good job too - especially with the Frightful Four's costumes.

    The story's ending is a bit contrived (I'll refrain from further comment to prevent spoilers), but not so bad as to ruin the whole story.

    As an added bonus, the letters column of this issue features a letter from fan Dave Cockrum (in the Navy at the time), who would later become co-creator of the new X-Men!

    Other reviews for Fantastic Four #36 - The Frightful Four

      Fantastic use of characters 0

      Some issues of the 19960s Fantastic Four have aged badly. Others can still impress modern readers, decades after their publication. I have to say #36 is among the latter. The Storm siblings definitely get a chance to shine, the Frightful Four make credible threats, Meduca is a pretty good addition to the cast. Even Alicia gets to play hero for once.   The issue features the engagement party of Reed and Susan. Which allows Kirby to design a media circus as numerous photographers and cameramen str...

      1 out of 2 found this review helpful.

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