Issue(s): Fantastic Four #140, Fantastic Four #141
Published Date: Nov-Dec 73
Title: "Annihilus revealed!" / "The end of the Fantastic Four!"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
John Buscema - Penciler
Joe Sinnott - Inker

Review/plot:
Sue, still separated from Reed, gives him a call to say that something's wrong with Franklin. Her message gets short, however, and Reed starts to freak out. Medusa handles that in her very efficient manner.

The video conference interference may have been related to Annhilus.

He's already captured Agatha Harkness and he subsequently kidnaps Sue as well. By the time the Fantastic Four arrive, Sue is gone, but Reed finds residue of sub-space or Negative Zone particles. They return to the Baxter Building but Annihilus is already there, and he easily defeats the team. Wyatt Wingfoot shows up as well, and Anniilus describes his origin to him. It seems Annihilus was a scrawny insect creature...

...who subsequently found a marooned space ship. From its computer he gleaned the knowledge necessary to build his cosmic control rod.

Annihilus is out for revenge on the FF, but he's also got a plan that involves Franklin, who has been exhibiting extraordinary abilities which he wants for himself. Annihilus activates Franklin's potential...

The FF fight their way out of Annihilus' prison and defeat him (far too easily compared to their recent defeat earlier), but Franklin's powers are still active. Reed uses an anti-matter gun to shut down Franklin's mind.

That obviously doesn't go over well.

Truthfully, Reed was acting correctly here. There's a lot of talk about Reed hating mutants and not liking the fact that his son was a mutant so he went to an extreme to stopping it, but i think it's pretty clear here that Reed is acting only because he believes Franklin poses an imminent threat. He may very well have intended to come up with a longer term solution if Sue hadn't walked out with Franklin directly afterward. Scientifically speaking, Reed is the only member of the team qualified to determine whether or not Franklin was an immediate threat. That means one has to decide whether or not Reed is trustworthy in order to determine if this was the right action to take. Or we can go the easy route and say Reed is embarrassed that his son is a mutant and wants to hide it.

In a sub-plot, Alicia Masters meets with a shady doctor named Hans Stutgart in order to cure her blindness.

Franklin almost seems to be a different person entirely than the character he will eventually become. On a superficial level he's got brown hair, whereas he'll later be a blond. But he also seems to be a very quiet, reserved child, whereas Franklin is usually fairly outgoing, at least around his family. It may just be that he's younger here, but he actually looks older. So the discrepancy may just be due to the art, but i almost feel like Franklin's powers have warped him into a different person over time.

The plotting in these issues was fairly convoluted. Annihilus starts off a significant threat, but is fairly easily defeated in the rematch so that there's room for the Franklin problem, but the Franklin problem is dealt with too quickly to be satisfying anyway. And the revelation of Annihilus' plot comes in a very roundabout way, as Annihilus goes into huge expository speeches describing his origin and how he kidnapped Agatha Harkness. I thought issue #141 was going to feel significant due to the developments with Franklin, but the whole arc actually felt very rushed an unfocused.

On the other hand, the Buscema/Sinnott art is very crisp and clean.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 6 - Franklin's mutant powers manifest, Reed shuts down Franklin's mind.

Chronological Placement Considerations: Sub-Mariner #67 takes place in the middle of Fantastic Four #140 (between pages 7 and 14). His arrival delays the FF's response to Sue's distress call.

References:

• Annihilus and the FF first met in Fantastic Four annual #6.
  
• Reed has been alone in the Baxter Building since the others left with Wyatt Wingfoot to go to Oklahoma in Fantastic Four #138. Alicia also came looking for the Thing in that issue but he wasn't home.
  
• Annihilus last appeared on Earth in Marvel Team-Up #2.
  
• Agatha Harkness tried to contact the FF in Fantastic Four #135 but she failed and her Whispering Hill home was destroyed in the processes. The FF did see the big hole in the ground that was left behind, but never bothered to follow up on it.

Cross-over: N/A

Continuity Implant? N

Reprinted In: N/A