Issue(s): Fantastic Four #219
Cover Date: Jun 80
Title: "Leviathans"
Credits:
Doug Moench - Writer
Bill Sienkiewicz - Penciler
Joe Sinnott - Inker

Review/plot:
A new team on the Fantastic Four. Mantlo is replaced by Moench, which ought to be an improvement but something about this series doesn't really click for him. And Byrne is gone. Bill Sienkiewicz is actually quite good even though he isn't yet in his experimental period. You will note that he has a heavy shadowy style even now, almost as if he were being inked by Klaus Janson.

Of course, starting out with a Captain Barracuda story probably isn't the way to win people over. Barracuda steals Namor's horn and summons Giganto to attack New York (along with other, smaller sea creatures).

   

Fortunately Reed has a sonic-gun that is "like a portable Moog synthesizer". Now that's super-tech i can believe in. The gun can counteract the sound of the horn.

Barracuda is correctly depicted as someone who's not very practical. Given the opportunity to loot a bank and run, he instead fires his crew and starts ranting about taking over the world.

Silly story, but i liked Sienkiewicz's art quite a bit.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: Pushed forward in publication time a bit to make room for a stretch of Marvel Two-In-Ones where the Thing is not dating Alicia.

References:

• Captain Barracuda went up against Namor before in Sub-Mariner #11.
  
• The Human Torch also fought him before, in a team-up with Iceman in Strange Tales #120.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

Doug Moench stated years later that he really couldn't handle this title and was never comfortable on it.

Jim Shooter was originally announced as regular FF writer after Archie Goodwin chose editorship of Epic instead, but I guess Shooter was just too busy for this after all.