“Devil-Wings Over Shadizar”byBarry Windsor-Smith, with Inks by Sal Buscema, Letters by Mike Stevens, Colors by Stan Goldberg, and a Script adapted from the Robert E. Howard stories by Roy Thomas.
Fantastic Four #128 (Thomas/Buscema, Nov 1972). The family reunites underground, just in time to see the Mole Man’s new alliances torn apart by resentment and greed.
Fantastic Four #127 (Thomas/Buscema, Oct 1972). Sweet blue-eyed Benjamin gets fooled by the combined forces of the Mole Man and a forgotten Iron Man villainess.
Fantastic Four #126 (Thomas/Buscema, Sept 1972). Feeling responsible for the family’s latest feud, Ben reminisces about their origins… and wonders if Mole Man might be able to cure Alicia’s blindness.
Fantastic Four #129 (Thomas/Buscema, Dec 1972). Johnny cuts out to join Crystal at the Great Refuge, but Black Bolt seems to have broken bad! Agatha Harkness announces that she can no longer babysit for Franklin. And Ben stumbles into an ambush set by the Frightful Four, now featuring a new villainess. Even after the Lee/Kirby era, this book’s got thrills and family drama to spare.
Incredible Hulk #158 (Thomas & Gerber/Trimpe, Dec 1972). Between issues, the Leader decides to let the Hulk and the Rhino destroy each other. But the duel escalates into orbit, flinging the combatants all the way to the High Evolutionary’s concealed Counter-Earth! Pretty exciting way to connect Adam Warlock back to the rest of Marvel… except Warlock takes one look at them and declares, “No thank you!!”
Fantastic Four #132 (Thomas/Buscema, Mar 1973). Reed, Ben, and Medusa return to the Inhumans’ Great Refuge, just in time to the Alpha Primitives’ champion… Omega! A pretty satisfying adventure with a status quo shift: Crystal chooses Pietro, Johnny grows up a little and wishes her well, Medusa claims Sue’s vacant spot on the team, and the whole gang get upgraded costumes. (Except Reed, who loves being Mr Fantastic.) These new costumes are silly and I suspect they won’t last long.
Fantastic Four #131 (Thomas/Andru, Feb 1973). Johnny finds Crystal shacked up with a recuperating Pietro. Their lovers’ quarrel is interrupted by an uprising of Alpha Primitives. I guess I forgot that the Inhumans have an enslaved subterranean working class. This sucks??
Fantastic Four #130 (Thomas/Buscema, Jan 1973). Reed can’t keep up with women’s lib so Sue takes Franklin and leaves. Just as Franklin’s starting to show hints of his own powers, too! Gosh, after reading a good chunk of Buscema’s art with Vince Colletta’s sketchy inks, I’m really so impressed with Joe Sinnott’s more elegant ink. It really retains Kirby’s sense of polish and kinetic drama.
