Fantastic Four #13Issue(s): Fantastic Four #13 Review/plot: A Russian scientist, a gorilla, an orangutan, and a baboon walk into some cosmic rays. Quick, i need a punchline! Well, they get super-powers! And they meet up with the Fantastic Four on the Blue Area of the Moon, which contains the remnants of an ancient civilization, has atmosphere, and also serves as the current home for the Watcher. The Human Torch is able to flame-on in this story thanks to an oxygen suit provided by Mr. Fantastic. The gorilla is super-strong, the baboon can change his shape, and the orang has magnetic powers (but doesn't really do much this issue). The Red Ghost himself can phase but is able to hold physical objects while phasing. The Watcher in this story is really here to deliver a warning about the Cold War. But for now he really just wants everyone off his lawn. He puts the two teams together to make them fight (reminding me very much of the Death of Phoenix, since that story also took place among these ancient ruins, and John Byrne will borrow liberally from this story for that). The Red Ghost is defeated when he tries to steal from the Watcher's house. The Watcher teleports him around long enough for Reed to build a paralyzing ray. Then the Super-Apes turn on the Red Ghost and FF go home. The Watcher says that since his home is compromised he's moving on, but we know that doesn't really happen. I just love Super-Apes. There's a nice bizarre Silver Age bit at the beginning where the Thing crams Mr. Fantastic into a jar. Quality Rating: D+ Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A References: N/A Crossover: N/A Continuity Insert? N My Reprint: Marvel Collector's Item Classics #7 Inbound References (12): show 1963 / Box 1 / Silver Age CommentsThe above scene where the Thing squeezes Mr. Fantastic and put him in a small container, is probably tied for the funniest Fantastic Four scene ever with FF #42 where Ben squeezes Reed like an accordion and seals him in a jar. Posted by: Frightful Four fan | May 9, 2013 4:59 PM Seriously, except for What If, where he's just telling us what happened, has there ever been an appearance of the Watcher in which he didn't get involved? Except for watching poor Phoenix die? Posted by: Erik Beck | December 5, 2014 8:06 PM I love the moment where the Watcher tells the group that "space is your heritage." That line carries a lot of meaning for both the Marvel universe and our own. Posted by: TCP | January 29, 2015 11:18 AM Somehow with all the depictions of the Watcher as varied as Nurse Steven's race and many female Marvel characters hair colors, I think that Uatu's first appearance is probably the most majestic, with the huge head and the glowing eyes making him seem so alien yet so relatable. Not too many others really depict him like this, usually just keeping him as "a fat bald guy with a raised collar and cape who happens to have a lot of stuff on the moon and interfere a lot". Somehow thinking about Genesis' song "Watcher of the Sky", I sort of figure Kirby, being the sci-fi nut he is, was influenced by "Childhood's End" to create Uatu. Posted by: Ataru320 | February 13, 2015 10:02 AM I've always wondered about a connection between the Watchers and the Time Lords of Doctor Who. Both races early on in their history interfered in the development of a younger race with the result that the younger race would up destroyed. Both the Watchers and the Time Lords then swore never to interfere with developing races again. (Of course, neither species was able to up hold that vow). Posted by: Bobby Sisemore | October 23, 2016 8:44 PM "The Watcher says that since his home is compromised he's moving on, but we know that doesn't really happen." Do you have any idea how hard is to find a good moving company on the Moon? Posted by: OverMaster | June 19, 2017 11:06 AM Comments are now closed. |
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