—Thing (Benjamin Grimm)Don'tcha even get a coffee break in this blasted super-heroin' business?
Appearing in "Where Stalks the Sandman?"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Aunt Petunia (Mentioned)
- Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom) (Mentioned)
- Latverian Army
- Galactus (Mentioned)
- Klaw (Mentioned)
- Wizard (Mentioned)
- House of Agon
- Peter Parker (Cameo)
- Mary Jane Watson (Cameo)
- Comanche (Mentioned)
- Wyatt Wingfoot
- Coach Sam Thorpe (Sam Thorne)
- Sam Hill (Invoked)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Zenn-Lavians (unnamed)
- Lions (Mentioned)
- Jackals (Mentioned)
- Rats (Mentioned)
- Orangutans (Mentioned)
- Inhumans
- Inhuman Dogs
Locations:
- Earth-616
- Earthspace
- Heaven (Mentioned)
- Negative Zone
Items:
- Fantastic Four Uniforms
- Atom Igniter (First appearance)
- Gravi-Polarizers (First appearance)
- Power Cosmic (unnamed)
- Negative Zone Portal
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Where Stalks the Sandman?"
Brief Summary:
When the Fantastic Four return to the Baxter Building, they realize that there is an intruder hiding within. It turns out that the Sandman has returned with augmented powers (from the technology that he had previously stole from Reed). Meanwhile, the Silver Surfer gets his powers and board back and destroys Doom's castle in revenge. Crystal leaves the Inhumans to find the Human Torch. And Reed gets sucked into the Negative Zone during their battle with Sandman.
Detailed Summary:
Reed, Sue and Ben return to their Baxter Building headquarters following their battle against Doctor Doom, when suddenly the headquarters' defenses begin attacking the Thing. As Reed shuts down the defenses it becomes painfully obvious that someone is in their headquarters stalking them.
Meanwhile in the dungeon of Doctor Doom's castle in Latveria, Doom's guards continue to taunt their prisoner, the Silver Surfer. Suddenly, the Surfer's board smashes through the wall it returns to its rightful master following the defeat of Doctor Doom. With his Power Cosmic now restored, the Surfer takes to the skies to escape but not before decimating Doom's castle.
Back in America, the Fantastic Four begin searching for the intruder in their headquarters when the room is suddenly flooded with sand. The three are dragged into another room where the sand suddenly reforms into the Sandman. The one-time member of the Frightful Four has come with a new costume comprised of equipment previously stolen from the Baxter Building to get revenge against his foes. With more control over his powers than ever before, the Sandman mercilessly pounds his three foes and gloats how the Human Torch is not around to help them.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Europe the Inhuman royal family has settled into a new location. But Crystal has grown restless as she desperately wishes to seek out the Human Torch, whom she had fallen in love with during their last encounter. Black Bolt gives her permission to go seeking Johnny out. Crystal uses Lockjaw to teleport to America, and she materializes in the middle of the football field at Metro College where a game between Metro and Empire State University is underway. Recognizing Crystal from a description he got from Johnny, Wyatt Wingfoot tells the girl that Johnny rushed off to the Baxter Building after hearing radio reports of the Sandman's battle with his teammates.
When Johnny arrives at the Baxter Building, he gets there too late to stop the Sandman from sealing himself within Reed's Space-Time Chamber. The Torch uses his powers to melt through the wall and he attacks the Sandman along with Reed, but the pair are not prepared for the Sandman's powers. When the Torch tries to use his flame on the Sandman, he reveals a new ability of his costume: a device that mixes the sand of his body with various other substances. He chooses to mix himself with a freezing compound that when melted creates a poisonous gas. As the chamber fills with the toxic fumes, Reed quickly opens the portal to the Negative Zone in the hopes of sucking all the bad air out and saving their lives. With the possibility of being sucked through the portal, the Sandman decides to flee, smashing out of a nearby window. However, Reed is not as lucky and is sucked in through the portal just moments before the door closes. The FF then watch in horror on the view screen as they see Reed pulled into the Negative Zone and toward the area where positive and anti-matter meet explosively, threatening to end his life in the process.Appearing in "...And One Shall Save Him!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Sandman (Flint Marko)
- Blastaar (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- House of Agon
- Galactus (Mentioned)
- Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom) (Mentioned)
- Dragon Man (Mentioned)
- NATO (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Inhumans
- Inhuman Dogs
- Baluurians (First appearance)
Realities:
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "...And One Shall Save Him!"
Following their battle against the Sandman, Reed has been sent hurtling through the Negative Zone, and is en route with the explosive core where positive and anti-matter meet. As the Fantastic Four lament over the situation, Crystal of the Inhumans teleports into their headquarters with her dog Lockjaw. The Human Torch, who has grown to love Crystal, is happy to see that she is finally free, but the reunion is marred by the impending demise of Reed Richards. However Crystal believes that she has a solution and teleports away with Lockjaw to bring help.
Meanwhile, within the Negative Zone, some alien beings pass by the destruction wave and drop off a dangerous criminal who is imprisoned in a special containment suit and left on an asteroid to be drawn into total annihilation. Reed observes as the ship flies away, unaware of the potentially dangerous cargo they just dumped on the opposite side of the asteroid he is standing on.
Back on Earth, a foreign army begins setting up weapons on an a seemingly deserted island in direct contravention of NATO rules. Unfortunately for these soldiers they selected to set up shop on an island claimed by the Inhuman royal family who easily trounce the soldiers and destroy their weapons. With the enemy sub destroyed and the soldiers sent back to the mainland, the Inhumans regroup. They are soon joined by Crystal who explains her plight to them and asks Triton to help pull Reed out of the Negative Zone as Triton's swimming abilities would be the most useful in the zero gravity of that dimension. As the Fantastic Four continue to watch each agonizing moment of their leader's impending demise, Crystal returns with Triton and Lockjaw.
Quickly explaining her plan, Triton is then sent through the Negative Zone portal and quickly "swims" out and rescues Reed and brings him back toward the portal. While their backs are turned, the special containment suit explodes outward, revealing it's prisoner: Blastaar the Living Bomb-Burst. Watching as Triton and Reed Richards pass through the portal back to Earth, Blastaar decides to follow after them. On the other side, the Fantastic Four are happily reunited, and take Reed out of the lab to celebrate. As they go, they are unaware that Blastaar has followed them. Seeing this as a new world to conquer, Blastaar climbs out the window and is suddenly grabbed by the Sandman. The two briefly come to blows until Blastaar hears that the Sandman wishes to work with him and the two agree to team up and destroy the Fantastic Four, then take over the world.