Issue(s): Fantastic Four #17
Cover Date: Aug 63
Title: "Defeated by Doctor Doom!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Jack Kirby - Penciler
Dick Ayers - Inker

Review/plot:
The FF wave off Ant-Man. ..

...but they can't find Doctor Doom (even using Human Torch's apparent sonar heat waves).

They go about their normal lives but find themselves pursued by floating marshmallow men, which is pretty funny.

The FF figure out that Doom is responsible but Doom captures Alicia. With the FF in check, Doom is free to go on a rampage and he messes with all electronic devices in the United States and demands a cabinet position in Kennedy's government. Reed figures out that he can get past Doom's genetic scanners, recorded by the marshmallow men...

...by having the Thing take one of the failed cures that only temporarily turn him back into Ben Grimm.

The nicest thing about this issue is that the Invisible Girl actually uses her powers in an effective way, sneaking around on Doom's ship while the others distract him, and then going up against Doom in a one-on-one and holding her own until the others arrive (even if they have to make clear that she can only do it because Reed taught her how to fight).

Doom flees by jumping off his spaceship, which you just have to respect.

More awesome Dr. Doom:

    

    

And some awesome Thing, for balance.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 6

Chronological Placement Considerations: Takes place soon after the previous issue, since Ant-Man is just leaving the Baxter Building during the opening here.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Collector's Item Classics #12

Reed is one of the world's experts in Judo..???

What is Ant-Man doing in that opening splash? Is he flying? Was he launched, like he does in his own book? If so, are there flying ants around to catch him? He's awfully high in the air for flying ants.

@Erik, yeah he was launched by some device Reed built. Reed's shown on the next page putting it away in case they need it again in the future. Ant-Man's method of getting around town is one of the more ridiculous things from any of the Silver Age Marvel books.

Here we have more evidence that Ben can remain in his non-mutated form if he really wants to do so. For me it just adds weight to the argument that ultimately, for one reason or another, consciously or subconsciously, he just prefers being the Thing most of the time.

... and blaming Reed for it...

Well Reed, Johnny and Sue can all transform themselves and then return to their original forms, so it would be logical that Ben should be able to change back as well. Perhaps they should do a story where the four of them swap powers. Reed can transform into the Thing whenever he wants, while Ben is stuck permanently invisible.

Dr Doom's gun holster sometimes bemused me. We take the sidearm for granted as part of his "look" but I could never recall him using something as mundane as a pistol, especially as his armour is full of lethal gadgets. I began to wonder if it was a running gag, like the sitcom wife who gets mentioned a lot but never actually appears in the show. But there actually a number of times when he's shown using a pistol and here's one.

While the scan above states it emits a heat beam, I think the gun becomes the "boulder gun" that shoots "intensified molecules" that expand to boulders upon contact with air and just crush people.

I would not be surprised if the guns properties change whenever its used, but it is definitely not a standard gun or power.