Fantastic Four #2, page 18, panel 2
Fantastic Four #2, page 18, panel 3
Fantastic Four #2, page 18, panel 4
Uncredited Writer: Stan Lee
Uncredited Penciler: Jack Kirby
Uncredited Inker: George Klein
Uncredited Colours: Stan Goldberg
Uncredited Letterer: John Duffy
It's a multi-panel spectacular today as Ben has one of his most spectacular meltdowns to date. Here, the team assault the Skrulls' hideout to rescue Johnny, and Ben sees Red. Not helped by Reed's insistence on calling his long-time friend "Thing", he threatens to smash a heavy dresser over the heads of the Skrulls. What makes this really stand out is the way Reed takes this into his stride and threatens to turn The Thing loose on the Skrulls unless they tell him everything. This dangerous and manipulative side to Reed is seldom seen.
As we get to see the entire team in these three panels, I just wanted to drop a quick note about the costumes. When The Fantastic Four was conceived, Stan wanted to move away from the conventions of the genre, including having the team in costumes. These first two issues feature the team in civilian clothes throughout, and seeing Reed in a suit and Ben in a pair of slacks does look a little strange. This unusual appearance coupled with the darker behaviours seen in these early issues gives us a Fantastic Four that is both familiar and different, resulting in a less-familiar reading experience across these first few issues.
Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #2 in our second episode: Secret Invasion Tie-In