Villain: Sandman

Guest Appearance: Silver Surfer, Crystal, Lockjaw, Wyatt Wingfoot

Cameo: Inhumans: Black Bolt, Medusa, Gorgon, Karnak, Triton; Coach Thorpe, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson

Gadgets & Technology: Atom-Igniter, Gravi-Polarizers

Innovations: New costume and power gadgets for Sandman, first use of the term "Negative Zone", Coach Jim Thorpe's name altered to Sam Thorpe

Letters Page: Page One • Page Two

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Back in Latveria, Doom's prison guards taunt the Silver Surfer, but not for long, as finally his board wends its way back to its rightful owner (after being used and abused by Doom- see FF #60.) With his power regained, he quickly flees his prison.

Reed races towards the Space-Time Chamber, the one place he desperately wants to make sure the unknown stalker hasn't gained entry. But before they can reach the chamber, they are drowned in quicksand produced by the deadly villain the Sandman. With a new costume designed by the Wizard, and some new technology, he declares himself ready to take on the FF with ultimate confidence. He smashes Ben with a giant, rock-hard fist of sand. He keeps the whole team off balance, including using a new oil-sand solution that causes the Invisible Girl to slip and fall while running away. But while he cackles in triumph, Reed smacks him a good one, causing his corporeal form to disperse in a sandy morass. While he checks on his teammates, Reed realizes Ben has fallen against the Space-Time Generator Lever, which could destroy the whole city if he were to move the wrong way!

While in a secret hideout in Europe, Crystal of the Inhumans can't stand being separated from her love Johnny Storm, and begs Black Bolt to let her travel to find him. He allows her to leave, and she gets Lockjaw to transport her to where he lives. But the teleporting dog plops her down in the middle of a football field at Metro College, where Wyatt Wingfoot has to rescue her from the embarrassment of being run over by a running back! While there, they overhear on the radio about the fierce battle the FF are engaged in at the Baxter Building.

Johnny has finally arrived at the building, and heads inside, seeing Reed trying to burn his way into the Space-Time Chamber with an acetylene torch, so as to follow the Sandman, who has locked himself inside. The Torch makes a shortcut with his immense power, and in they go, but the Sandman is waiting, swallowing the Torch into a sandy vacuum tube and then extinguishing his flame. He wraps Reed up in a giant, sandy coil and slaps him around the room, but that allows Johnny to flame on and he assaults Sandman with a barrage of flame. But Sandman applies a chemical release of liquid nitrogen to help him freeze in his sandy form, then emit a poision gas. Reed and Johnny can't stand the fumes overtaking him, and his only option is to open the door to the Negative Zone, to air the room out!

The door is opened, sucking all matter towards the portal. Sandman realizes he needs to escape and jumps out the window, but Reed is drawn inexorably inside the Space-Time Chamber, plunging through the barrier from Earth into the Negative Zone. As he plummets towards the central vortex of the unknown universe, he realizes he has little time left to live. Johnny explains what happened as Ben and Sue watch the tragic tableau unfold on the Space-Time Screen which monitors the Negative Zone universe. The trio realize there's nothing they can do to help Reed....

(continued in FF #62)

--synopsis and panel images by Gormuu