Fantastic Four Annual – Volume 01 Issue 03

Today’s the day! The crowds begin to gather in front of the Baxter building in anticipation of seeing the all-star guest list arriving for the wedding of Reed Richards to Susan Storm. Up front, near the main entrance, a constant stream of flashbulbs illuminate the guests walking the red carpet as the paparazzi compete for the best photo opportunity. Wait, who is that? It’s none other than billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark. Benjamin Grimm greets the man who built the Iron Man suit and makes a quip about his tophat.

Squeals and screams come from a group of high school girls as they realize their dreamboat hero has just walked by them. Two of the girls, Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe, seem to be the most excited in the pack of star struck rubberneckers. Patsy and Hedy are on the lookout for Millie the Model. If only she were there the day would be complete!

Elsewhere, across the ocean in the kingdom of Latveria, an agitated Doctor Doom watches the spectacle on a cluster of television screens. Reed Richards is the only man to have bested Victor, now the leader of the Fantastic Four will suffer in front of the world stage. Doom begins to activate some controls on one of his newest inventions. The hum of energy running through transistors begins to power up his mind control device. The world’s villains will be Doom’s weapons. Their instructions – kill the Fantastic Four!

Will Reed and Sue’s wedding guest be able to fight off an onslaught of villains and otherworldly intruders? How many name-drops does it take to satisfy the tabloid reporters? Is Nick Fury, and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., on the guest list, or are they just wedding crashers?

High above the New York city skyline the Human Torch flies reconnaissance for the Fantastic Four. Today the team is on edge as they have been expecting an attack from their most feared enemy, Doctor Doom. As Johnny Storm makes his way back to the Baxter Building, Susan has just arrived at the 37th floor where Reed Richards has equipped the most advanced conference room in the northern hemisphere. 

Ben Grimm joins the group as the Fantastic Four assemble to learn Johnny’s findings. Doom has not been spotted, but they soon discover the Submariner has been seen near the harbor in the Upper Bay. Chances are there are now two threats to face. Reed Richards begins to calculate various defense plans.

Can Victor Von Doom manipulate the emotional state of Namor the prince of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis? Will the Yancy Street gang be able to accept Ben Grimm’s titanium challenge? Which elevator leads to the penthouse at the Baxter Building?

Doctor Doom has followed the Submariner through various underwater trenches and ruined cities sunk eons ago, and now he stands in Namor’s hidden citadel. What can the lord of Latveria say in order to gain the alliance of the antihero? Victor scans around the lavish living space looking for clues that may aid in his negotiations. Then he spots the photo of Susan Storm. Yes, that will do nicely.

Back on the surface world, the living quarters of the Baxter building, young Johnny Storm is busy snooping around his sister’s library of science books. Something glistening on the teakwood bookshelves caught his eye. As the curious teenager investigates he doesn’t notice Susan slipping into the room behind him. 

Will memories of Atlantis’ destruction be enough to reinvigorate Namor’s rage against the surface world? Has Doctor Doom invented a new type of gravity polarity device capable of crushing his competition? Why does Susan Storm have a photograph of Prince Namor hidden in her personal effects?

Namor stands in the commons area of the Fantastic Four’s headquarters, thirty four floors up in the Baxter building. Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm move to attack but are given orders to stand down by Susan Storm. The Submariner claims to have come in peace, but Reed is skeptical. Johnny follows Reed to the security section of the building and begins to scan the close circuit security system for any evidence of foul play. 

What is the self proclaimed enemy of the surface world up to? The two return and begin to discuss Namor’s intentions, but Jonah foolishly attacks! Namor jests and a short fight breaks out. Before Namor can lay into the teenager, the Baxter building begins to shake violently. Reed and Ben shuffle toward a window only to discover their home is now floating upwards towards the skyline.

Can Susan take control of the situation before her brother sets the roof on fire? Did Reed Richards pay extra for flying building insurance? How did Namor enter the most secure superhero headquarters in America?

Infiltrated by Prince Namor the Submariner, the Baxter building is now being pulled into outer space by Doctor Doom’s “grabber” technology. The Fantastic Four scramble to their orbital plane but it has been damaged by the initial extraction of the building from the New York city bedrock. As the oxygen grows thinner so do our heroes’ chances of survival. 

At what point does Namor realize he has been double crossed? Does Johnny Storm’s powers work in the vacuum of space? Can Ben Grimm put his differences aside and help the Submariner reach Doom’s spaceship?

By luck, or fate, the Submariner uses every bit of his mutant powers to launch himself from the Baxter building through outer space and onto the back of Doom’s spaceship. Before Namor can act however, Doom channels a beam of gravity from his “grabber” technology and pins his ex-partner to the hull. Fortunately Namor uses the crushing force to his advantage, performing a classic judo redirect, forcing himself to crash through the metal hull. No for some revenge!

Can Doctor Doom survive long distances in deep space without a winter coat? Does Namor have a pilots license? Will Reed Richards need to hire extra contractors to fix all the damages caused by the trip into orbit? Collect the annual to find out!

It’s Wednesday and the fans are lined up in front of a Midtown comic book shop. The new issue of the Fantastic Four is dropping today! Down the street the real members of the group watch in delight as kids run around the area dressed in costumes representing their favorite hero.

Later that afternoon at the Baxter building, Ben Grimm is about to test Reed Richards’ newest biogenetic gel treatment. Maybe this time Ben will revert back to human for good. Only time will tell. During the process Ben reminisces about his life before the Fantastic Four and the events that led to their transformation. 

Can Ben Grimm handle practical jokes instigated by fan mail? Has his time with the Fantastic Four changed Ben inside as well as out? Can Susan Storm really teach an eight year old girl to go invisible?

A green menace has just arrived in New York City, and the situation is rapidly growing out of control. Is it the Incredible Hulk? No! Is it the Super Skrull? Not a chance! This threat is much, much worse. Say hello to the Impossible Man!

On vacation from his planet of Poppup, this form changing prankster may be the toughest foe the Fantastic Four has faced yet. If only there was a way to stop him before a signal is set back to his Homewood for backup. Time for the Fantastic Four to put their heads together and come up with a plan!

How does one stop a criminal who can counter all of a hero’s abilities? Does Reed Richards have time to brush up on his psychiatrist act? What do hobos fear more, pink elephants or green aliens? Collect the annual to find out!

If you are looking for an example of classic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby fun then you need this annual in your life. Not only do you get the story of Reed Richards and Susan Storm’s wedding, you also get several reprinted stories from the Fantastic Four main comic book line. I had this book when I was a teenager back in the 1980’s. For some reason it stood out to me even after all these years. So much so that I found another copy on ebay.

The wedding story is a who’s who in the Marvel universe circa 1965. Each panel pits various heroes with random supervillains thanks to Doctor Doom. We even get to see pre-Hellcat Patsy Walker with her lifelong frenemy, Hedy Wolfe. They are looking for Millie the Model, who I don’t even think exists in modern Marvel storytelling. Also whatever happened to the Red Ghost character? 

In the Doctor Doom and Namor team up Jack Kirby even provides a cross-section drawing of the Baxter Building. The art has a lot of detail for the time, and reminds me of the first issue of 1980’s G.I. Joe with its cross-section base details. The artwork isn’t necessary for the story but it’s these little extras that make it worth collecting. 

Also included in annual number three is the retelling of how the Fantastic Four received their powers. Some of Ben Grimm’s back story will be revealed as well. An all-star college football player, air force combat pilot, and special forces operative are just some of the highlights. 

If you can find this book I would definitely recommend buying a copy even if you aren’t a Fantastic Four fan. It’s a literal snapshot in time for the Marvel brand. I’m giving this book five out of five stars.

Tag(s)

Character(s)

Writer(s)

Penciller(s)

Inker(s)

Colorist(s)

Letterer(s)

Cover Artist(s)

Editor(s)