> Reprinted in: Fantastic Four Masterworks Volume 1  •  Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 1
 
 


From the Mouths of the Marvels:

"And now the word is...go! Go! GO!!!!"


- - Sub-Mariner, leaping from a meteor to Doom's ship with unforgettable drama, page 20


Dr. Doom exudes insidious evil as he tries to subvert the principles of Namor, the Sub-Mariner. High drama Lee and Kirby style!

 

Fantastic Four #6
September 1962 • 24 pages

Publication Date: June 12, 1962

Letters Page: Not currently in supply.


I: Feature Story: Part 1: "Captives of the Deadly Duo!"
Part 2: "When Super-Menaces Unite"
Part 3: "When Friends Fall Out!"
Part 4: "Trapped!"
Part 5: "The End Or the Beginning?"

Pages: 23

Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Jack Kirby
Inks: Dick Ayers
Letters: Unknown

Villain: Dr. Doom

First Appearance: Tommy

Guest Appearance: Sub-Mariner, Tommy

Marvel Milestones: First mention of the name "Baxter Building", first Yancy Street Gang, first mention of unstable molecules

Gadgets & Technology: belt-buckle activated elevator, the Grabber

Synopsis: The Human Torch and the Invisible Girl are racing to the Baxter Building, shocking and amazing bystanders by the use of their powers. Sue arrives through the door and uses the invisible beam on her belt buckle to activate the elevator and rises to the 34th floor. Inside she finds the mail has arrived but no news about the location of Dr. Doom. Reed receives a letter from a sick child named Tommy. The hospital is only a few blocks from the Baxter Building, so he stretches over to the boy's room for a quick visit. Thing receives a threat via "fan mail" from the Yancy Street gang. Johnny asks how he will respond to their derision, and he replies by rolling a plate of titanium steel in half and saying he's going to mail it back to them.

Meanwhile, the Sub-Mariner is swimming with dolphins when he is discovered by Dr. Doom, who is looking for an ally to face off against the Fantastic Four. They share a common hatred for the FF, but Namor is reluctant to join forces. In Namor's home, Doom reminds him of man's atomic tests in his homeland and an angered Namor finally agrees to join him in his fight. But, Namor makes it clear that he will not harm Sue Storm.

Doom lays out his plan by introducing a new device- the "Grabber". When the small cylinder is placed on an object, Doom can remotely control that object, no matter how large or heavy it is. He proves this by sending the Grabber out to fix itself on an enormous underwater statue, and then pulls it towards them with his remote control. Namor takes the Grabber and flies straight to the Baxter Building.

Inside, Johnny has found a secret portrait of Namor in the library. He finds out it's Sue's, and he burns it in front of his sister, wondering why she'd have such a photo. Reed confronts Sue about her mixed loyalties, but Namor arrives before she can explain. Thing and Torch attack him but Ben is restrained by reed. Torch melts the floor underneath but the Sub-Mariner hovers above the hole. Reed and Johnny check the security monitors but find no sabotage in the building. For his part, Namor claims to have come seeking their trust and friendship.

Suddenly the entire Baxter Building rises into the air! Doom is using his Grabber, and is dragging the building out of the atmosphere with his spacecraft. If the building rises higher, Namor says, the oxygen will run out and all will perish- and Namor realizes that number would include him! The FF's plane has been damaged so they can't escape that way. Reed passes out space helmets as the oxygen is rapidly running out (as Johnny learns when he tires to flame on!) Reed tries to stretch himself to the limit and reach Doom's ship but is seriously burned by Doom's engines blasting back at him. Doom steers the building closer to the sun where he will let go of the Baxter Building and burn it in the heart of the star!

Only Sub-Mariner can save them now. Once he restores himself to his peak powers inside a water tank, he bursts out of the tank and out into space. He bounces across some meteors until he reaches the ship. Doom tries to pin him to the hull magnetically but the Sub-Mariner tears his way through. Doom electrifies the airlock to stop Namor's rampage but the Sub-Mariner channels the powers of the electric eel and creates a feedback loop which stuns Doom. Doom falls out of an escape hatch and catches a passing meteor which hurdles him away from the solar system.

The Baxter Building lowers into its proper place. The Torch discovers the Grabber but it flies away before they can examine it. The Grabber joins up with Doom's spaceship, which the Sub-Mariner crashes into the ocean so nobody can use them for futher. He dives back into the ocean to continue his lonely life away from his people.

--synopsis by Jonathan Clarke, aka doesitmatter, with Gormuu


Issues Reprinted
Fantastic Four #1-10

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.

 

FF #1

FF #2

FF #3

FF #4

FF #5

FF #6

FF #7

FF #8

FF #9

FF #10

 

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