Issue(s): Fantastic Four #385
Cover Date: Feb 94
Title: "Into the deep!"
Credits:
Tom DeFalco - Script
Tom DeFalco & Paul Ryan - Plot
Paul Ryan - Penciler
Dan Bulanadi - Inker
Pat Garrahy - Assistant Editor
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
This is a Starblast crossover, but there are a few unrelated issues to note first.

Reconstruction has started on Four Freedoms Plaza's roof, with funds loaned from the Black Panther.

We get confirmation of what was implied last issue, that Sue was being controlled by an "alien" entity called Malice which has transferred itself to Franklin.

I think, given enough time, Tom DeFalco would have scripted every one of the characters he's written to complain, "It's like I'm trapped in some shitty comic book!". And he would have been right to do so.

The Thing also goes to visit Alicia but finds that she's moved out of her apartment without telling him. The last we saw of her was the Thing introducing her to Lyja, and we didn't see the fallout from that meeting. So we don't know what this disappearance is about. But the Thing is sure that it's yet another case of the world being against him.

Also, the Human Torch has gotten a doctor to look at Lyja, since she's pregnant. But the conversation doesn't go well.

I'm not even sure what Lyja is upset about, but the Human Torch agrees with her that he's a "monster".

It's at this point that Namor calls asking for Mr. Fantastic, as we saw in Namor #47.

After Namor hangs up, the Torch figures that the FF should help out, so he summons the team. That includes Lyja and isn't supposed to include Ant-Man, but he sneaks along anyway. The team splits up, with the Torch, Lyja, and Ant-Man going to the Amazon river while the Thing and the Invisible Woman go to the Marinas Trench.

The Torch's group help rescue Triton and Tiger Shark from the tentacles.

Tamara was already pulled underground by the tentacles and is assumed dead.

Ant-Man uses his powers to ask the local sea critters to locate the thruster.

The heroes have to allow the tentacles to capture them to get to the thruster. Here is the absolute best out-of-context panel you will ever see:

Tamara turns out to be alive. Tiger Shark rescues her and gets out of the area, abandoning the mission (but he'll be back in the next chapter). Lyja makes it to the thruster control room and sets it to explode, causing Triton to wonder about her skillset as a Skrull; she seems to have been more than a "liaison officer". But then she goes into labor. Triton gets her and the Human Torch out of the area.

Meanwhile, the Thing and the Invisible Woman rescue Namor and Stingray. But one of the mind-controlling skull-huggers also gets on board.

And it gets on the Thing.

Statement of Ownership Total Paid Circulation: Average of Past 12 months = 217,625 Single issue closest to filing date = 153,400.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This is technically part seven of Starblast. But i'm covering all the Namor and Fantastic Four issues separately from the Quasar/Starblast issues. So i'll cover Namor #48 next.

It's said that last issue took place "barely 48 hours ago". If you look at where this is placed on the 1993 page it may seen like too much time has been allowed, but i'll note that a lot of those issues are long crossovers that are occurring in a short period of time, and concurrently. And of course topic references always have to be taken with a grain of salt anyway.

References:

• Mr. Fantastic and Dr. Doom seemingly died in Fantastic Four #381.
  
• A scene from this issue is repeated from Namor #47.

Crossover: Starblast

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

"I think, given enough time, Tom DeFalco would have scripted every one of the characters he's written to complain, 'It's like I'm trapped in some shitty comic book!'. And he would have been right to do so."

Its lines like this that made the wait on these takedowns totally worth it.

There's a lot to not like about the DeFalco run on Fantastic Four, but compare it to what a disorganized mess most of the other Marvel books are at this point. At least the art is comprehensible and nice to look at, and the stories are structured as, well, stories, and not just a series of people yelling at each other.

Wow, who knew Tom Defalco was a fan of shokushu goukan? You think Triton was relieved or disappointed...? Lol!

By now I really ought to know better than to Google strange terms like "shokushu goukan" while at work!

"They aren't even attempting to enter our orifices!" has got to be pretty high on the list of sentences you never expect to read in a Fantastic Four comic.