fantastic four #25: sue's force fields
of awesome 10
Sensational Story by: Stan Lee
Astonishing Art by: Jack Kirby
Incredible Inking by: George Roussos
Lighthearted Lettering by: S. Rosen
We're only four issues into Sue having her force-fields, and already they're having their strength put to the test. Sue gets to hold off the Hulk, resisting his strength and power to save Johnny's life.
Andy and I were big fans of George Roussos when he joined the title, but this panel is an example of why he didn't stick around for more than a few issues. Roussos's inking can be rather heavy, and by all accounts, his speed became an issue. Any backgrounds drawn in by Kirby in this panel are not present in the finished product, a technique that would become more and more common across his issues. When Chic Stone, and later Joe Sinnott, arrive on the book, these panels become rarer and rarer, and the detail in Kirby's pencils increases. This isn't all to be laid at Roussos's door - at this time, Kirby was pencilling Thor's adventures and backup strips in Journey Into Mystery, Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and more. He was heavily worked, and the artwork over the next few issues highlights both Roussos's flaws as an inker and the compromises Kirby would make to manage his workload.
Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #25 on our twenty-fifth episode: It'll Be Our Little Secret, with special guest-host Michael Bailey