Issue(s): Fantastic Four #97
Cover Date: Apr 70
Title: "The monster from the lost lagoon!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Jack Kirby - Penciler
Frank Giacoia - Inker

Review/plot:
Sinnott is still MIA.

The FF sans Sue investigate attacks on ships in the 'lost lagoon' and wind up fighting an amphibious alien who turns out to be a castaway just trying to get home. There's a lot about this plot that doesn't make a lot of sense, but the bigger problem are these self-imposed single issue stories that just don't have a lot of impact.

The creature's mate looks enough like Marrina from Alpha Flight that i wonder if John Byrne was influenced by this at all.

This alien will actually appear again. The Marvel Chronology Project list Sue and Franklin as appearing in this issue but i guess they were cut out of the Marvel's Greatest Comics reprint.

Quality Rating: D+

Historical Significance Rating: 2

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel's Greatest Comics #78

This issue is probably the worst example of the gap between Kirby and Stan at the time. Kirby has the monster disguised as a human, but he remains completely mute in all his scenes with the FF, pretty much making the disguise pointless. Stan can't cover this with dialogue and basically gives up early on. Possibly the worst FF by this team.

It was at this time that Kirby's departure from Marvel was first revealed, in Marvelmania #1.

I'm guessing Kirby had just watched "Creature From the Black Lagoon" on late night re-runs right before slamming out this issue in no time flat.