Fantastic Four Annual 16

Fantastic Four Annual 16

1981

The Coming of… Dragon Lord!

by Ed Hannigan, Steve Ditko, Ron Zalme, David Anthony Kraft

Ral Dorn flees to Earth, pursued by the Dragon Riders. He crosses paths with the Fantastic Four. The Thing trusts him but the Human Torch does not. Ral Dorn, whose father was a Dragon Rider and who also aspires to be one, tells them that he has been accused of murdering the dragon younglings that he cared for. He also tells them about Lalique, his girlfriend, whom they meet later in the story.

The Fantastic Four help Ral Dorn to locate Dragon Man. Ral Dorn is convinced that Dragon Man will be his steed. The Dragon Riders catch up to Ral Dorn and the Fantastic Four just as they arrive in the abandoned mine where Dragon Man lived. A fight breaks out with the Fantastic Four siding with their new friend. The fight ends when Ral Dorn, Dragon Man, and the Invisible Girl vanish before their eyes.

Fantastic Four 235

Fantastic Four 235

Oct 1981

Four Against Ego!

by John Byrne, Jean Simek, Bob Sharen, Jim Salicrup

The Fantastic Four land on the surface of Ego and begin to explore. They discover engines that Galactus attached to Ego. The Thing, following the directions of Mister Fantastic, removes one of the power packs that gives life to one of the engines. The team then descends into Ego, looking for his brain. One by one they are forced to turn back as the pressure gets to be too much until only the Thing is left to complete the mission.

Ego is enraged and fires up the engines, planning to head straight for Earth. Ego veers off course without the power pack that the Thing removed. He accidentally heads instead into the sun where he is destroyed. The Fantastic Four barely escape with their lives and head back to Earth. 

Fantastic Four 234

Fantastic Four 234

Sep 1981

The Man with the Power!

by John Byrne, Jean Simek, Bob Sharen, Jim Salicrup

Skip Collins, an employee of Acme Aglet (a Vanderbilt company) goes to New York City on a business trip. He possesses the ability to change things, remake things, but he uses it sparingly. He watches from a distance as the Fantastic Four deal with a crisis which may be of global proportions.

He does what he can to help them without revealing who he is or what he is doing. The Thing sees him but only briefly.

The issue ends with Skip seeming to have lost his superpower as the Fantastic Four head into outer space where they encounter Ego, the Living Planet.

Fantastic Four 233

Fantastic Four 233

Aug 1981

Mission for a Dead Man!

by John Byrne, Jim Novak, Glynis Wein, Jim Salicrup

The Human Torch seeks to right a wrong by investigating a crime from years ago. He receives a letter written by David George Munson, someone he hasn’t seen since high school. Munson was recently executed after being sentenced to death for murder, a murder Munson claimed not to have committed. Munson and Johnny Storm were far from friends but Johnny feels obliged to look into the matter. 

Johnny’s investigation leads him to Hammerhead. The two fight. Hammerhead is wearing a suit that was built for him by the Tinkerer. It augments his strength. The Human Torch damages the suit but Hammerhead escapes into the night.

Johnny clears Munson’s name but his mother doesn’t really seem to care. She knew what her son was like. 

Fantastic Four 232

Fantastic Four 232

Jul 1981

Back to the Basics

by John Byrne, Jim Novak, Glynis Wein, Jim Salicrup

Diablo sends elemental creatures to kill the Fantastic Four while they are apart. An earth elemental is sent after the Invisible Girl. A water elemental is sent after The Thing. An air elemental is sent after the Human Torch. A fire elemental is sent after Mr. Fantastic.

The Four are knocked for a loop. After they switch up their adversaries with one another and Mr. Fantastic figures out how to defeat their would be assassins they finish them off in no time flat. They locate Diablo with some help from Doctor Strange and turn him over to the police. 

Fantastic Four 231

Fantastic Four 231

Jun 1981

In All the Gathered Gloom!

by Doug Moench, Roger Stern, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup

The citizens of New York City, who wound up in the Negative Zone with the Fantastic Four, freak out, with a couple exceptions. The first exception is O’Roarke, a police officer who tries to get everyone to calm down. O’Roarke is the only police officer in the blocks of Manhattan that have been transported from Earth.

The second exception is a suit named Lew Shiner who is in charge of a demolition project. Shiner doesn’t have time for the disruption and mobilizes the mobs of angry New Yorkers against the Fantastic Four. The mobs attack O’Roarke and tie him up when he tries to prevent them from running wild. 

Fantastic Four 230

Fantastic Four 230

May 1981

Firefrost and the Ebon Seeker

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup 

Firefrost explains her shared past with the Ebon Seeker to the Fantastic Four. They agree to help her. Mister Fantastic works on building a device that employs the gateway to the Negative Zone to help them subdue the Ebon Seeker. The Thing and the Human Torch do what they can to keep the Ebon Seeker from wrecking too much damage while Reed gets the device ready.

The Avengers (Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Beast, Vision) show up and want to join the fray but the Human Torch convinces them that his team has got the situation in hand. Reed’s device works and Firefrost is able to remind the Ebon Seeker of who he was before he and Firefrost entered a black hole together. The pair departs but the Fantastic Four, the Baxter Building, and a few blocks of Manhattan remain trapped in the Negative Zone.

Fantastic Four 229

Fantastic Four 229

Apr 1981

The Thing from the Black Hole

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Sinnott, Jin Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup 

Ben helps Alicia rearrange the sculptures in her art studio. Reed and Sue take Franklin to the zoo. Johnny and Lorrie Melton, his newest girlfriend, check out the latest vehicles at the auto show. Everything in the lives of the Fantastic Four comes to a screeching halt when the Ebon Seeker arrives in New York City. They do their best to stop him but nothing seems to work. He seems impervious to their attempts to interfere with his efforts to wreck havoc in the Big Apple. This installment of FF ends with the team meeting Firefrost, the Ebon Seeker’s lover. 

Fantastic Four 228

Fantastic Four 228

Mar 1981

Ego-Spawn

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup

Reed, Sue, and Ben take Franklin to see Dr. Abe Jankovitz, professor of neurological studies at Seaboard University in Massachusetts. They hope Jankovitz can help them learn more about Franklin’s superpowers which have seemed erratic up to this point.

Johnny goes on a date with Lorrie, a mechanic he met at the race track. Their date gets interrupted first by Franco, a tough guy who doesn’t like the way Johnny showboats for Lorrie, and then by Franklin’s superpowers, while Dr. Jankovitz is running some tests. 

Fantastic Four 227

Fantastic Four 227

Feb 1981

The Brain Parasites

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bruce Patterson, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup

The Fantastic Four head to Lost Lake in Pennsylvania for a vacation and to visit with Dr. Gideon Carruthers, a friend of Mr. Fantastic. Carruthers is there investigating a meteor which recently splashed down into the lake. Things take a turn for the adventurous when creatures emerge from the meteor, attach themselves to people and animals, causing them to evolve in reverse. 

Thoughts

Fantastic Four 226

Fantastic Four 226

Jan 1981

The Samurai Destroyer

Ilongo Savage, Richard Carson, and Genji Odashu (the pilots of the Shogun Warriors) visit the Fantastic Four in the Baxter Building and ask them for help. Their giant robots have been destroyed but the Samurai Destroyer, a new giant robot, is threatening Japan and they need the help of the Fantastic Four to defeat it.

Thoughts

The Fantastic Four appeared in Shogun Warriors 19 (Aug 1980) and 20 (Sep 1980), the last two issues in that series. Doug Moench wrote both of those issues of Shogun Warriors and all but one issue of that series. This issue of Fantastic Four is the only comic book outside of Shogun Warriors 1-20 in which Savage, Carson, and Odashu appeared.

Fantastic Four 225

Fantastic Four 225

Dec 1980

The Blind God’s Tears

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Pablo Marcos, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup

Korgon tells the Fantastic Four about how he came to be the Blind God. His story about his past and that of the community of vikings whom he protects convinces them to help him. Mister Fantastic re-engineers one of Korgon’s machines to help heal him. One of the Vikings who doesn’t care for the Fantastic Four messes with the machine when no one is looking, which makes things worse when the machine is used on Korgon.

Korgon blames the Fantastic Four for what happens when the machine is activated. The Vikings attack the superheroes. Thor shows up and does his best to calm everyone down. The situation continues to get worse which leads Thor to call on Odin for help.

Fantastic Four 224

Fantastic Four 224

Nov 1980

The Darkfield Illumination

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Pablo Marcos, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup

The Fantastic Four all experience fluctuations in their super powers when a red cloud arrives over Manhattan. They head to the North Pole after learning that the cloud seems to have something to do with an explosion that happened at the North Pole. They discover at the North Pole a group of men who look like Vikings who are led by one with god-like powers, Korgon. 

Thoughts

The story in this issue ends on a cliffhanger and will be concluded in the next issue. 

Fantastic Four Annual 15

Fantastic Four Annual 15

1980

Time for the Prime Ten

by Doug Moench, George Perez, Chic Stone, Mike Esposito, Jon D’Agostino, Barry Grossman, George Roussos, Jim Novak, Jim Salicrup

Reed Richards builds an energy transmitter. Mailman Willie Lumpkin shows up just in time to interrupt Reed’s celebration and deliver a package from Alicia Masters. Not all is as it seems. Willie Lumpkin is a Skrull. The package he delivers is a device that sends Sue Richards, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm a couple hours into the future.

Mr. Fantastic is left alone to deal with the Skrull, who has brought some friends. There are ten Skrulls in all and they call themselves the Prime Ten. Mr. Fantastic gets some unexpected help from Captain Mar-vell. Sue, Ben, and Johnny return just in time to join the fight and help eject the Skrulls from the Baxter Building.

Fantastic Four 223

Fantastic Four 223

Oct 1980

That a Child May Live…

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup

The Fantastic Four, Agatha Harkness, Gabriel, and Franklin Richards fly to New Salem, CO. Franklin is held in a force bubble by his mother. They do battle with the Salem Seven and Nicholas Scratch, who tries to use Franklin to help him escape from the Dark Realm. Gabriel leads Agatha in helping the Fantastic Four to combine forces and use the power of love that they have for Franklin Richards to overwhelm Nicholas Scratch. 

Thoughts

This is an okay story. It didn’t knock my socks off. It wasn’t terribly complex. There were a few too many characters in this story for them all to get more than just a brief moment to shine. The fact that they defeated Scratch by using the power of love wasn’t exactly a plus in my book. Maybe if they hadn’t done it in such an obvious way then I would feel differently or better about the story as a whole. 

Fantastic Four 222

Fantastic Four 222

Sep 1980

The Possession of Franklin Richards!

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup

The Fantastic Four try to relax and enjoy themselves. Reed Richard’s goes to the library. Sue stays home and plays with Franklin. Ben goes to see a movie. Johnny Storm races cars on a track.

Nicholas Scratch, the son of Agatha Harkness, who was banished to the Dark Realm by his mother after his last encounter with the Fantastic Four, returns. He uses his magical abilities to create a bridge to the Baxter Building via the portal to the Negative Zone.

Scratch immobilizes Franklin. Sue alerts the others who quickly make their way back to the Baxter Building. Scratch orders Franklin to kill the Fantastic Four. A battle begins but Franklin’s parents combine their forces and manage to sedate him. 

Fantastic Four 221

Fantastic Four 221

Aug 1980

Tower of Crystal… Dreams of Glass…

by John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, Carl Gafford, Jim Salicrup

Reed, Ben, and Johnny fight with the aliens' worker robots while Sue meets with the aliens themselves. She convinces them that they should not destroy the Earth. 

Thoughts

This is the last story in Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne Vol. 0. 

I guess Reed was right about the Earth being serious danger.

Fantastic Four 220

Fantastic Four 220

Jul 1980

…and the Lights Went Out All Over the World!

by John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, Irving Watanabe, Bob Sharen, Jim Salicrup 

The Fantastic Four fly to the North Pole after the power goes out briefly all over the world. They find aliens building something big at the North Pole. 

Thoughts

This is part one of a two-part story. According to my research (see comics.org) this story was originally intended to be part of a promotional comic book for Coca-Cola.

John Byrne wrote and penciled this story. He managed to squeeze in a one page retelling of the team’s origin, even though this story is just 16 pages long.

Fantastic Four 219

Fantastic Four 219

Jun 1980

Leviathans

by Doug Moench, Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, George Roussos, Jim Salicrup

Atlantis is attacked by Captain Barracuda and his henchmen who steal Namor’s horn. They use it to unleash chaos in the Big Apple. Namor comes to town looking for his horn and winds up teaming up with the Fantastic Four. Together they stop Barracuda, Barracuda’s henchmen, and the horde of sea creatures he summoned using Namor’s horn.

Fantastic Four 218

Fantastic Four 218

May 1980

When a Spider-Man Comes Calling!

by Bill Mantlo, John Byrne, Joe Sinnott, Jim Novak, Sean Bean, Jim Salicrup

The FF (Frightful Four) arrive at the Baxter Building with the intent to kill the FF (Fantastic Four). The evil FF have already captured Spider-Man. The Trapster, disguised as Spider-Man, tricks Johnny Storm into opening a window and letting him in. The Trapster knocks Johnny out once he is inside. The Trapster next deals with the Thing.

The Trapster deactivates the buildings security system which gives his teammates (Wizard, Sandman, Electro) the opening they need to break in and join him. Electro uses his powers to knock the Invisible Woman out of the fight which just leaves Mr. Fantastic to be dealt with, or does it?