It has arrived, Part 2 of my review of the comic that started the Marvel Age, Fantastic Four #1. If you wish to read part 1 of this review, you can read it here.
This chapter of the issue introduces the first supervillain of the Marvel Age, the Mole Man. If you ask me, the Mole Man never really got the respect he deserved for being the Marvel Age's first villain. As far as I know, he never really got to be involved in any major Marvel or Fantastic Four storylines. He did reform for a while, though. I wish that stuck. That would've been nice.
On to the comic! The comic begins with Reed Richards showing the rest of the Four a picture of what looks like a large hole in the ground. The hole is in the former location of an atomic plant "behind the Iron Curtain" (It was 1961, folks. The Iron Curtain was a thing then). The Four then see other photos indicating that other nuclear plants all over the world are vanishing. Who is taking them, and why? And shouldn't the thief be considering that they may be causing a nuclear disaster? Something tells me a nuclear plant isn't be something you should be just jostling around like it was a Lego model.
The scene then shifts to a pair of guards in "French Africa", which I'm guessing were nations that were at the time still French territories. The two guards feel an earthquake coming on, and then one of them nearly falls in a sinkhole. However, they make it, and witness their base fall into the sinkhole. Then, a big green monster looking like the one on the cover of the issue (YAY for comic cover monster actually appearing in the issue) attacks. It crushes a tank, making the soldiers flee. However, the attack is stopped by his master: The Mole Man.
Reed's equipment detects the seismic activity of the creature's attack, and reveals that by studying the other attacks, he has found that there is a location between all of the attack sites: An island only known as Monster Isle.
The FF travel to Monster Isle, and start scaling the largest peak...Why that peak? And they have no climbing equipment. Why do they have no climbing equipment? I know the FF have superpowers, but you'd think they'd still keep safety in mind. But before they can realize they goofed up, they get attacked by a monster that looks like King Ghidora's goofy cousin. Goof Ghidora is easily beaten by Reed, who again shows superhuman strength by looping his arm around one of Goof Ghidora's necks and tosses it into the ocean. He says he had heard of the creature guarding the Isle...how? If he knew of this creature, why didn't he bring equipment to use in case Goof Ghidora did attack them, but then again, this is the team that wanted to climb a mountain without any proper equipment. However, Reed and Johnny get caught in an avalanche, separating them from Sue and Ben.
The two find themselves in a dark pit, but Johnny discovers a door. He opens it, only for the men to be hit by a bright light. The light is so bright it blinds them and...knocks them unconscious. How did that happen? Can you get knocked out by a bright light? Anyway, they wake up and find themselves clad in special suits that protects them from the bright light.
The Mole Man reveals himself, explaining the suits, and that they are in the Valley of Diamonds, an area covered in precious gems that create a bright glare. Wait...to create a glare, the big diamonds would need a large source of light. If Reed and Johnny were underground, where did the light come from? It can't be from the sun. Does the Mole Man have artificial lighting rigged up there?
Sue wakes up, unaware of another monster behind her. However, she was rescued by the Thing, who pitches it into the ocean. The two then set out to find Reed and Johnny, with Ben being rather unhappy about it, and Sue lamenting that Ben hates Reed for his becoming the Thing. Back to Reed and Johnny! The Mole Man introduces himself to them, and explains his origins to the two.
The Mole Man explains that because of his appearance, he was often taunted and made fun of by other people. Embittered, he decided to set out to find somewhere where he could be king. Yeah, he's a bit crazy. During his travels, he washes up on Monster Isle, where he finds a way to the Earth's center. During his exploration, he gets caught in an avalanche, in which he loses his sight. Despite this handicap, he finds a way to master the monsters that reside in this subterranean world.
He hands a staff to Reed, and commands Reed to attack him. Reed does so, but Mole Man easily beats him, bragging that he has a natural radar sense, in his own words, like a bat. Bats don't have a "radar sense". They use echolocation. After Mole Man thrashes Reed, he tells them of his master plan: To tunnel his way to every major atomic plant on Earth and wreck, so he can conquer the Earth...yeah. That's his plan.
Anyway, Ben and Sue arrive (How did they FIND the Mole Man's home anyway)? Mole Man uses a cord to summon a gigantic monster. Johnny flies around to distract it while Reed grabs the Mole Man. The group race for the surface when the Mole Man summons more monsters. Johnny somehow causes a rockslide to prevent the monsters from catching our heroes, and Reed reveals he dropped the Mole Man. Reed, you HAD the culprit! You had him captured! Why didn't you hang on to him until you could get to the authorities?!
Anyway, the group managed to escape the Island, and the Mole Man somehow self-destructs the island. Reed surmises that he trapped himself underground and he hopes he finds peace. Sue hopes it was the last the gang sees of him. Oh, Sue. If you only knew that Monster Isle and the Mole Man were not going to go away forever...
My critique for this chapter is essentially the same as the last. This was a fun, silly little superhero tale in the tradition of the Silver Age of Comics. I have to admit though, the story really does leave quite a bit unexplained, and Mole Man's plan makes no sense. Ah well, it's a 1960s superhero comic book. Jack Kirby's art is...well, there's a reason why they call him the King of Comics. I don't think I need to say much about it.
Happy Reading!
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