Issue(s): Fantastic Four #120, Fantastic Four #121, Fantastic Four #122, Fantastic Four #123
Published Date: Mar-Jun 72
Title: "The horror that walks on air!" / "The mysterious mind-blowing secret of Gabriel!" / "Galactus unleashed" / "This world enslaved!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
John Buscema - Penciler
Joe Sinnott - Inker

Review/plot:
The first appearance of Galactus not drawn by Kirby.

We start with the appearance of Air-Walker, who doesn't have a very inspired design.

He's also called Gabriel, and like the angel, he blows a horn to announce the end of the world. He's actually a robot designed by Galactus to play on human religious fears, which is a nice twist. He manages to turn the people of the world against the FF, which seems a bit pointless.

Air-Walker is way beyond the FF's power level, but the Silver Surfer shows up to fight him, and does in about three pages what the FF couldn't do for two issues. More than anything, Gabriel doesn't like that the Surfer ripped his clothes.

Then a rhyming, still-pantless Galactus shows up.

Mr. Fantastic manages to put Galactus in check by infiltrating his ship (which is neither Taa-II or the smaller orb ship Galactus has generally been seen flying around in) and threatening to blow it up, which he claims would strand Galactus on Earth. Galactus seems to go along with that notion, but claims he'd make life on Earth a living hell.

Reed returns the ship, but doesn't reveal that he'd reconfigured it to banish Galactus to the Negative Zone. Agatha Harkness uses her magic to help Reed tell the people of the world that Gabriel was a fake and it's not the end of the world.

Thunderbolt Ross takes a break from perpetually failing to stop the Hulk in order to fail to stop Air Walker and Galactus.

This was basically a poor rehash of FF #48-50, stretched out too thin over four issues, missing Kirby's super-exciting artwork (I love Buscema, but this isn't his best stuff), and treating Galactus like a generic but powerful super-villain instead of a cosmic entity. Galactus tearing up trains; not his finest moment.

Appearance by Richard Nixon, aka Secret Empire Agent Number One, clearly not being shown in a positive light.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 4 - first Air-Walker, Galactus banished to the Negative Zone

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• The Silver Surfer has previously appeared in Fantastic Four #49-50 and a "kaboodle of others!".

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A