Fantastic Four 216

Fantastic Four 216

Mar 1980

A God Walks Times Square!

by Marv Wolfman, Bill Mantlo, John Byrne, Pablo Marcos, Irving Watanabe, Michael Higgins, Carl Gafford, Mark Gruenwald 

Futurist, the being that was once the scientist known as Professor Randolph James, heads for the Baxter Building. Mister Fantastic intended to arrive there with him but Futurist sensed that Reed Richard’s, his old friend, intended to revert him back to his human form. Futurist did not approve of this course of action.

Blastaar emerges from the shadows and convinces Futurist that the Fantastic Four intend to do both of them harm. Together they make their way to the Baxter Building. They take down the team but don’t consider that young Franklin Richard’s might also be a worthy opponent. 

Franklin sends Blastaar back through the Negative Zone portal. Futurist comes to his senses once he sees that Blastaar is a much bigger threat than the Fantastic Four. The story ends with Futurist leaving Earth to explore the Universe and the subtle reveal that it was HERBIE who opened the portal to the Negative Zone and let Blastaar through in the previous issue. 

Thoughts

There are two letterers that worked on this issue. The transition from one to the other was rather jarring. 

Futurist struck down the Invisible Woman but when Franklin lashes out it is Blastaar whom he attacks. I thought that was a bit strange even if he did attack the more deadly opponent. 

Futurist next shows up in a couple issues of Quasar. According to my research those are the only other comic books in which he has appeared. Blastaar next appears in Marvel Two-in-One 75 (May 1981). HERBIE only appeared in one panel in this issue, the last one, but he will be more prominently featured in the next issue. 

I didn’t do this intentionally but I just noticed that I read Fantastic Four 216 on 2/16.

This issue wraps up the two parallel stories that began last issue and provides a hint of what is to come (in the final panel of this issue) in the next issue.

There is plenty of exposition by dialogue.

The Futurist, who should know better, gets fooled by a villain into fighting with his friends.

I don’t rate this story highly and suggest that most people pass on it.

Next up is Fantastic Four Annual 14 after which I will be returning to the regular series. I read these last four issues in Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne Vol. 0. Fantastic Four Annual 14 can be found in Fantastic Four Visionaries: George Perez Vol. 2.