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Fantastic 4 (ES) Vol 1 59

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Appearing in "Thunder in the Ruins!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Fantastic Four #118

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Synopsis for "Thunder in the Ruins!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Fantastic Four #118

Johnny Storm has arrived in Terra Verde where he witnesses their local air force attacking the native peasants in the area. At first he thinks they are just practicing war games, but soon Johnny realizes the truth and comes to the citizens' aid by incapacitating the planes. One of the jets is able to sneak up behind him, but before Johnny is attacked the jet suddenly breaks apart. Johnny looks towards the cause of the destruction only to be shocked when he spots Crystal among the people down below. He rushes down to her side and kisses his long lost love. Crystal swats him away, and insists that she is the goddess Ixchel. "Ixchel" then warns him that if he hadn't aided in defeating her enemies any other would have suffered her wrath and if he should try such things again she wouldn't hesitate to make her anger known. When Johnny tries to press the issue, "Ixchel" uses her elemental powers to douse his flame then proceeds to leave with her followers.

Meanwhile, Diablo has forced Lockjaw to teleport him into the palace of Terra Verde. After dispatching the guards, he confronts the ruler of the country, General Robles. Telling Robles that he intends to take over the country for his own ends, he teleports Robles back to the Mayan temple where he is stationed. There, they are attacked by the Human Torch who has made it to the temple before Crystal. Diablo tries to fight back, but the Torch's flame powers have grown stronger since their last encounter. When Crystal arrives shortly after their confrontation Diablo orders her to attack Johnny, but realizes that the potion that keeps her under his control is slowly starting to lose its effectiveness. Diablo changes his course of action by rushing into the temple to try and get more of the potion, however when he gets to the temple's entrance he finds that it is blocked by an invisible force field. This leads him to the conclusion that the rest of the Fantastic Four have arrived and upon looking towards the sky Diablo sees that they have flown to Terra Verde in their Pogo-Plane.

Diablo orders his followers to attack, and, while the locals clash with Reed and Sue, Lockjaw teleports the Thing away. As the battle rages, Diablo is too late to reapply his potions, and the Mayan temple reverts back to its original ruined state. Crystal is freed from his control. With Diablo exposed as a fraud, the locals stop fighting. Inside the temple, Diablo attempts another potion to get revenge against his foes when he is suddenly attacked by General Robles, causing his potion to be knocked out of his hands. At that moment, Lockjaw and the Thing return, and the Fantastic Four head toward the temple. However, before they can get close, it is destroyed in a massive explosion. With Diablo seemingly dead and Crystal free, she is happily reunited with Johnny. The reunion is short-lived however as Crystal explains to Johnny that she cannot stay with him so long as Maximus rules the Inhuman throne and that she has to leave to help aid in the liberation of her homeland. Johnny is saddened by this but understands and tells Crystal that he will wait for her to return.

Appearing in "Three Stood Together!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Fantastic Four #119

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Synopsis for "Three Stood Together!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Fantastic Four #119

After breaking up a squabble between Ben and Johnny, the FF are contacted by Taku, the Black Panther's aide, who has called to request the Fantastic Four's aid in recovering the Vibrotron, a device that can augment the power of Vibranium. He explains that two men named Jeth Robards and Nathan Kamalu had crash landed in Wakanda and were taken in. They repaid this kindness by stealing the Vibrotron and absconding to the neighboring nation of Rudyarda, known for its apartheid regime that sees segregation between Caucasians and the native African population. Taku goes on to explain that T'Challa went into Rudyarda incognito to try and find the thieves and prevent them from selling off the device but has not been heard from since.

Agreeing to assist the Wakandans by finding their leader and recovering the Vibrotron, Reed sends Ben and Johnny to investigate. Unknown to them, the purpose Reed and Sue aren't going is because Reed is secretly trying to develop a means for Crystal to be able to live outside of the Inhumans' great refuge.

Soon Ben and Johnny are on a flight to Rudyarda. It is a peaceful flight until one of the passengers tries to hijack the plane and divert it to Cuba. But the hijackers did not anticipate that two members of the Fantastic Four would be on board. Johnny melts the gun in the hijacker's hands. When the goon tries to use a grenade, Ben snatches it and contains the blast within his own hands. They then restrain the attacker for the rest of the flight.

When Johnny and Ben finally land, everything seems normal until they see the segregation of races at the customs screening area, angering both of them. After struggling to get a cab, the pair drive to the address for Nathan Kamalu. It leads them to a local slum where the black population has been interned. There they force their way into Kamalu's apartment and learn that he was betrayed by Jeth Robards. He tells them that he doesn't know who hired them, but Robards is going to make the sale at the local metal works. When they ask about T'Challa, they learn that he was arrested and is in the local prison. Before Ben and Johnny can leave, Kamalu attempts to shoot them with a gun, but Ben manages to blow him over with a sneeze.

That evening, as T'Challa waits in his cell, Ben and Johnny attack the prison. They quickly blast through the guards and free their friend. When T'Challa leaps into action, he calls himself the Black Leopard. While they are recovering T'Challa's costume, the Thing asks him why he has changed his name from the Black Panther to the Black Leopard. T'Challa explains that he decided to change his name, so he would not be associated with organizations in the United States tied to the name. As they leave the prison, they learn that T'Challa was arrested while incognito for not having the appropriate ID that all the blacks in Rudyarda are required to carry at all times.

When they arrive at the metal works, they are disgusted to see that, even here, there are separate doors for different races. After sneaking in, they catch Robards. They quickly snatch him up and recover the Vibrotron. Just then, Robards' employer arrives, and it turns out to be their old foe Klaw. As a fight breaks out between the three heroes and Klaw, Robards tries to escape with the Vibrotron. Seeing this, Klaw blasts the ship, destroying it and slaying Robards. Ultimately, the battle is ended when the Thing grabs hold of Klaw's sonic blaster and crushes it.

The authorities quickly arrive and arrest Klaw. With Robards dead and the Vibrotron destroyed, their mission is completed. The authorities are reluctant to thank the Black Leopard for assisting them and remind them that blacks have a curfew. Taking this in stride, the three heroes depart, but, before they go, the Thing smashes through the segregated doors before leaving.

Appearing in "What Mad World?"

Reprint of the 2nd story from
Fantastic Four #118

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Synopsis for "What Mad World?"

Reprint of the 2nd story from
Fantastic Four #118

During the battle between the Fantastic Four and Diablo, Lockjaw ended up teleporting the Thing to another location. They emerge in what appears to be a foggy London street. Suddenly, Lockjaw is incapacitated by a ray blast by a man claiming to be Moriarty. The Thing punches out his attacker and is shocked to learn that it is a robot with the face of Reed Richards. Wanting to get to the bottom of this strange mystery, Ben smashes through a wall and finds himself in what appears to be a medieval castle. There another robot with Reed's characteristics claims to be the legendary Sheriff of Nottingham. Ben smashes these robots as well and exits outside a nearby door. Outside, he finds himself on the scene out of the American Frontier. There he is confronted by a trio of "Reed" robots claiming to be the Claytons. When the robots begin shooting at Ben, a trap door suddenly opens and he falls into a highly fortified room. In an opposite room, visible from a pane of unbreakable glass, Ben sees Lockjaw, who is still incapacitated.

Suddenly, Ben is visited by another Thing that looks identical to him aside from his clothing being that of a lab coat. This other This other Thing explains that Ben had somehow teleported across dimensions into an alternate dimension, and that he stumbled upon his own little place filled with his bitter amusements and that he has good reason for his disdain of Reed Richards. Shortly after the other Thing explains that his world is a lot like Ben's in that the accident that created the Fantastic Four happened here, only that it was just two passengers, Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. Ben assumes that this Thing is an alternate version of himself and tells that he had his own issues with Reed after the accident and that it took finding Alica for him to accept his predicament. The other Thing motions that Lockjaw is coming to and asks Ben to depart as guests are arriving and he'd rather not have him in the facility when they arrive. That's when Ben realizes that the guests are Sue and an alternate version of himself with the powers of both Mister Fantastic and the Human Torch and that's when the other Thing explains that he's this world's Reed Richards and that he lost Sue to Ben after he transformed into his rocky appearance.

Reed finishes by explaining that he created this place to brood over his losses and that he envies Ben's world. With Lockjaw now back on his feet, Reed asks Ben to go. Ben agrees to go and teleports back to his Earth, where he's asked by Reed and Sue where he was, he tells them that they would never believe it.

Appearing in "...If Atlantis Should Fall!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Defenders #8

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Synopsis for "...If Atlantis Should Fall!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Defenders #8

Brief Summary:
A mind-controlled Namor easily defeats Hawkeye and Valkyrie for the Red Ghost. Dr. Strange tries to locate the Defenders to update them on his search for a cure for the Black Knight, but he is only able to find the Silver Surfer and the Hulk. The Hulk tells them that the others were captured by Attuma. Strange and Surfer locate their comrades and free them from their mind-controlled state. Later, Dr. Strange uses his powers to contact the astral form of the Black Knight, asking him how he can be saved. His return message is altered by Loki and Dormammu to trick the Defenders into recovering the Evil Eye for them.

Defenders Vol 1 8 001

Detailed Summary:
Red Ghost and Attuma have captured the Sub-Mariner, Valkyrie, Hawkeye and Professor Jennings in an attempt to capture Atlantis. The Red Ghost turns Namor into his mindless slave and sets him against his two comrades, who are easily defeated and prepared to be subjected to the same treatment.

Two weeks later, Dr. Strange has returned to his Sanctum Sanctorum to inform Clea and Wong that he has found a method that may free the Black Knight from his stone prison. He begins summoning the Defenders to share with them the good news, however the only heroes he is able to locate are the Silver Surfer and the Hulk.

Meanwhile back under the sea, Red Ghost and Attuma have finished their mind control over Namor, Hawkeye, and Valkyrie and are plotting to use them in their attack against Atlantis.

On the surface, as the other Defenders mull over what to do about their missing comrades, the Hulk mentions he might know where they went. Instead of telling them what he knows, the Hulk decides to leave. The Surfer tries to keep him from leaving and Dr. Strange casts a spell to put the Hulk in a trance. He commands the Hulk to remember and they learn that the missing heroes were captured by Attuma and taken under the sea, but the Hulk didn't want to go with them. Putting the Hulk to sleep, the Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange fly off to rescue their captured comrades.

Strange and the Surfer arrive just in time to see that their friends are being used as pawns in Attuma's attack on Atlantis. Combining their powers, they block the flow of cosmic rays from entering Earth's atmosphere which causes the Red Ghost's powers to fade. Thus, they are able to free their friends from the Red Ghost's mind control. The Defenders make quick work of Attuma and the Red Ghost, which turns back the invasion against Atlantis. With their foes defeated, the Defenders return Professor Jennings and head to Dr. Strange's home.

Defenders Vol 1 8 016

Chapter 1: Deception!!
After their battle against Attuma and the Red Ghost, the Defenders and Hawkeye have all gathered in Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. There, gathered around the statue of the Black Knight, Dr. Strange informs them that he has found the means to contact their imprisoned friend.

Using his mystic powers, he sends a message out to the astral form of the Black Knight asking him if he is aware of anything that may set him free from his vantage point. The message goes to the Knight in an otherworldly plane of existence. The knight responds by sending a message back that he has no knowledge on how to get home, but that he is trapped in a timeless realm and is not suffering. This message is intercepted by Loki and Dormammu (who recently teamed up [1]) and use their combined magic abilities to change the message.

When the Defenders actually receive it, it tells them that the only way to free the Black Knight from the realm he is trapped in is to recover the Evil Eye. Although the Defenders believe that it was destroyed, they decide to seek it out in the hopes that it may still exist.

Appearing in "The Man from Mars"

Reprint of the 4th story from
Strange Tales #9

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  • Freddie

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  • Freddie's Mother

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  • Martian

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  • Martian Spaceship

Synopsis for "The Man from Mars"

Reprint of the 4th story from
Strange Tales #9
A deadbeat wants to see a movie called 'The Man from Mars' but since he doesn't bother to get a job, he's broke and has no money. When he sees a rocket ship with a sign outside that reads "Be the First to see Mars" he thinks it's a promotion for the picture and enters, hoping to get to see the movie for free. Suddenly, the rocket blasts off and he passes out from the acceleration. When he revives, he finds himself a captive in a Martian zoo.

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