Issue(s): Fantastic Four annual #6
Cover Date: Nov 68
Title: "Let there be... life!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Jack Kirby - Penciler
Joe Sinnott - Inker

Review/plot:
Sue's pregnancy isn't going well because of the cosmic radiation in her blood, and the only thing that can save her exists in the Negative Zone. It turns out to be the cosmic control rod of Annihilus, the Living Death that Walks.

Reed, Ben, and Johnny enter the Negative Zone to get it.

Reed is especially curt and insulting this issue, which i enjoy.

The three manage to fight through Annihilus's minions and traps...

...and get the cosmic control rod, but then they wind up in that part of the Negative Zone that sucks you in, where everything is made of anti-matter (called the Debris Belt in Fantastic Four #61). Annihilus shows up again and they bargain with him, giving him back the control rod, except for a portion of the energy that Reed puts in a vial, in exchange for helping them get out of the area.

Even though Annihilus is clearly a force of genocidal evil, the FF are basically invaders in this issue, attacking Annihilus because he has something they want. There's a scene where Reed watches Annihilus slaughter a gaggle of helpless prisoners, but his thoughts are only on acquiring the control rod.

The rod's energy manages to help Sue through her pregnancy, and after a nice but comical scene in the waiting room...

...Franklin is born.

Annihilus rules!

Lots of splash pages in this annual. They are appearing more frequently in the regular issues as well.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 8 - first Annihilus. Birth of Franklin Richards.

Chronological Placement Considerations: The green winged creature in this issue will later turn out to be the android created by the Mad Thinker that was stranded in the Negative Zone. It will later use the name Scavenger.

References:

• Reed previously entered the Negative Zone and was nearly destroyed by the anti-matter in Fantastic Four #51
  
• We also saw the Negative Zone in Fantastic Four #61, but that isn't mentioned here.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Fantastic Four(98) #54

In the upper left corner of the first collage page, there's an object looking suspiciously like a hospital bed with equipment on top of it.

The reason for increased splash pages at this time and ongoing reflects Kirby's growing disinterest in working with Stan and Martin Goodman.