Fantastic Four #14: Reed's Stretchy Body 22

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Today's panel sees the Fantastic Four arrive back from the Moon to immense public interest and acclaim. Disembarking their ship at a nearby airport, the team are mobbed by fans and the media in scenes reminiscent of The Beatles arriving in the US for the first time.

This wonderful panel occurs when two Mr Fantastic fan clubs go a bit crazy over him, stretching him out against his will, rendering him more than a little helpless in the face of such in-your-face attention.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #14 on our twelfth episode: HYPNOFISH!!!

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_12.mp3]

Fantastic Four #13: Reed's Stretchy Body 21

Story: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Steve Ditko

Lettering: Art Simek

Casually forgetting that he has already invented a rocket ship pilotable by one man that can easily break orbit, Reed is concerned about winning the space race and beating the Communists to the moon. However, he's seeing it as a solo mission, again forgetting that his best friend is a crack US air force pilot with spaceflight experience.

So, it's no wonder that Ben is not happy at being left out of the plans, making his point rather physically by grabbing Reed and stuffing him into a nearby oversized test tube. I love this visual, with Reed seemingly shrinking to ensure that he fits in the tube.

I mentioned yesterday that Steve Ditko's inks would create some great visuals in this book. In these three panels, we see his influence on The Thing, giving more definition to him than we'd seen with Dick Ayers, whilst still retaining the concept of Ben's skin being hide-like. I love how he gives expression and feeling to Ben's face whilst never letting us see his eyes through great use of shadow.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #13 in our eleventh episode: Red? Yes! Communist? Yes! Russian? No!

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/Episode_11.mp3]

Fantastic Four #12: Reed's Stretchy Body 20

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Wow, the last couple of days have seen Reed really pull ahead  to solidify his position as the second-most common trope of the Fantastic Four.

I've included both panels today as I love the idea that Reed is fast enough to launch his torso into the air and wrap it around the Hulk as he is in mid-leap, and the way that, still in the middle of the leap, the Hulk is able to generate enough centrifugal force with his own body to unravel Mr Fantastic.

Thankfully, the Hulk would rarely be seen with such astonishing leaping powers again.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #12 in our tenth episode: Hulk? Smash!

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/Fantasticast_Episode_10_Final.mp3]

Fantastic Four #12: Reed's Stretchy Body 19

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Ah, now, this is more like it.

I think we're all used to Reed using his body to break somebody's fault, but normally he's stretched out between, say, a couple of lampposts to provide him something to brace against. Here, he does his best Great A'tuin impersonation (go check out the concept of the Discworld for an explanation behind that reference), using his own limbs for bracing.

Not that's he's stretched them out at all, meaning that the area of his body that Ben is about to crash into is at most a foot off the ground. I hope Reed is very, very rigid...

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #12 in our tenth episode: Hulk? Smash!

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/Fantasticast_Episode_10_Final.mp3]

Fantastic Four #11: Reed's Stretchy Body 18

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Meaningless sentence before the break.

Today's panel sees the Impossible Man from Planet Poppup elude Reed's grasp by turning into a bullet and pinging about the room. Unable to keep up, Reed just about avoids tying himself in knots trying to grab him.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #11 on our ninth episode: Episode 9 - Patriotic Pedestrians Proceeding from Planet Poppup Prefer Poorly Produced Podcasts!

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/Episode_9.mp3]

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Fantastic Four #10: Reed's Stretchy Body 17

Script: Stan Lee

Pencilling: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Lettering: Art Simek

Recent guest-host Professor Alan should be happy with today's post. Whilst the body may be Reed's the mind controlling it is Victor von Doom's!

Having finally moved past all the shenanigans at the start of the issue, the main focus of the story comes into play. Using technology from the planet of the Ovoids, Doctor Doom switches bodies with his arch-rival, Reed Richards. Much like when Emma Frost took over Iceman's body and ended up using his powers better than he ever did, Doom has an impressive control over the elastic powers of Mr Fantastic.

This panel sees Reed, confused by the transfer of his mind into Doctor Doom's body, hopelessly outmatched by his nemesis. Note the subtle evil grin Kirby puts onto Reed's face, showing how Doom's personality changes the face we are so used to seeing.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #10 on our eighth episode: Don! Don! Don! Don-Don-Don! Don-Don-Don!

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_8.mp3]

And check back with us at the weekend for the launch of our first ever competition!

Fantastic Four #10: Reed's Stretchy Body 16

Script: Stan Lee

Pencilling: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Lettering: Art Simek

This is the sixth panel I've posted from this issue of Fantastic Four #10, and we're nowhere near establishing any kind of plot. But when we're knocking tropes off left right and centre, does it really matter?More importantly, when Kirby's having this much fun this early on with Reed's body, does the lack of any sign of the plot in the first three pages really matter? I love the curves of Reed's elongated form, and the way that Kirby subtly suggests that Reed is dragging himself out from the crowd using his arms for momentum. There's great humour in this panel.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: Don! Don! Don! Don-Don-Don! Don-Don-Don!

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_8.mp3]

Fantastic Four #10: Reed's Stretchy Body 15

Script: Stan Lee

Pencilling: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Lettering: Art Simek

Today's stretchiness is wonderfully iconic and over-the-top in only a minor way.

Having locked himself and the team in the lab, Reed resorts to stretching himself to the very limit, forcing his arm through the lock and around the Baxter Building  to find the window which he can open. I love the scale of his stretching here, with a staircase in view showing that his arm is spreading over at least two floors.

This kind of feat is a great visual representation of Reed's powers, so it's not surprising that it was adapted for the first Fantastic Four film, as the first time we really see Reed in control of his powers. Shame about the pitifully fake CGI that made his arm look slightly less realistic than Stretch Armstrong's, with some incredibly creepy artificial arm hairs...

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: Don! Don! Don! Don-Don-Don! Don-Don-Don!

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_8.mp3]

Fantastic Four #9: Reed's Stretchy Body 14

Script: Stan Lee

Art: Jack Kirby

Inking: Dick Ayers

Lettering: Art Simek

Today's post highlights one of the classic moves for a character with a stretchy body - The Human Catapult!It's a shame that Kirby's working in his early FF art style, with many panels crammed onto the page. The clarity and detail that would become a signature of his artwork just doesn't get the space it deserves here. The first panel of Reed stretching out suffers particularly. One can imagine how Kirby might have depicted this five years down the road, with a lovely close-up of Reed's tortured face as he pushes his elastic powers to the absolute limit, his rubbery limbs straining and stretching behind him. Here, you can barely make out his arms wrapping around one of the trees.

Still, it's a nice move, and the smaller scale of Reed in these panels helps sell the giant Colossus that he is fighting here (believing it initially to be a robot constructed by Namor for the film that he is directing. And that has to be one of sillier sentences I've ever written!). Not sure how Reed managed to keep the rock in the air whilst he was stretching backwards, though...

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #9 on our seventh episode: S(&)M Studios

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_7.mp3]

Fantastic Four #8: Reed's Stretchy Body 13

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

I've been reading far ahead in the Fantastic Four (in fact, I've just started the first issue of John Byrne's run), and today's panel is an example of something that you pretty much assume happens a lot in the book. And yet in 230-odd issues, I'm struggling to remember another instance of when it happened.

So, today's panel is the first definite example of Reed being bulletproof (Ben Grimm fans would have to wait until issue 26 and the letter's column to find out that he was bulletproof). His powers work pretty much as anyone would expect - the elastic properties of his body and uniform negate the momentum of the bullets, before hurling them back at his attackers (at, presumably, non-lethal speeds).

As with many uses of Reed's powers, this lends itself to a wonderful visual of Reed turning into some sort of weird porcupine creature (no, not the one that appears in that episode of Fringe). Love the sound effect as well, especially how it bursts out of the panel borders into the gutters.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Fantastic Four #8: Reed's Stretchy Body 12

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

We're back to the main title today, as the team have to respond to the threat of Phil The Puppet Master!

Phil The Puppet Master first makes himself known by possessing the body of a hapless bystander, causing him to climb to the top of a bridge and threaten to throw himself off. Alerted by the Fantastiflare (I'm sure that's not it's real name, but I like it), Reed tries to intervene by stretching from the Baxter Building to the bridge to save him, but the limit of his powers kick in and his unable to do anything.

What really makes this stand out is how Kirby and Ayers depict Reed pushing himself to the very limit of his abilities. The forced perspective in the first panel is superb, and the inking on the palm of the hand is thick, heavy, and almost inhuman. In two panels, they sell completely the struggle Reed faces.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #8 - with special guest Joshua Lapin-Bertone - on our sixth episode: Like A Puppet On A String

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_6.mp3]

Fantastic Four #7: Reed's Stretchy Body 11

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Have you got your Looney Tunes soundtracks at the ready? Then we'll begin.

I think the hatred ray must also have some sort of intelligence-reducing capacity, because for the next couple of pages, it's the Fantastic Four vs the Keystone Kops. It's pretty funny in its exaggerated silliness, and these panels have probably the best visual gag of the lot.

It also highlights an element of Reed's powers that hasn't been played up as much so far, his elasticity.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #7 in our fifth episode: The Strangest Tales Of All

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_5.mp3]

Fantastic Four #7: Reed's Stretchy Body 10

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Today's dose of stretchiness not only gives us another great way for Reed to use his powers, it also gives us an early example of Kirbytech.

The machinery Reed stretches through is a ventilation system, which hasn't done much of of job of funneling steam from the Baxter Building. It's an early example of Jack Kirby's wonderfully inventive machinery which would come to be known as Kirbytech.

I'm a particular fan of panel 6, with Reed's flat head sliding through the slats of a ventilation grille. Not only does the artwork look like Reed's head has sprouted from the wall, but imagining the process of Reed squeezing his head flat through the grille then having to rotate it 90 degrees so that it's the right way up is a lot of fun.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #7 in our fifth episode: The Strangest Tales Of All

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/ffcast/FF_Episode_5.mp3]

Fantastic Four #6: Reed's Stretchy Body 9

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

It's another multi-panel spectacular today. The story so far... Namor and Doctor Doom has lifted the Baxter Building into space, towed by Doom's space-ship. Reed decides to engage in a spot of solo heroics, attempting to stretch from the roof of the Baxter Building to Doom craft to tackle the fiend.

What I like about these panels is the way that Kirby's art really sells the struggle that Reed faces. For some reason, Reed's powers are lessened in space, so this becomes a titanic feat for him. Look at the strain on his face in the central panel - you really believe that his stretching is painful and a real struggle for him.

And then, in the final panel, Doom does the equivalent of stamping on the fingers of a guy holding onto the edge of a cliff for real life. Superb.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #6 on our fourth episode: Super-Villain Team Up

Fantastic Four #6: Reed's Stretchy Body 8

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Dick Ayers

Moving on into Fantastic Four #6, and Reed's Stretchy Body is clearly the early focus of this blog...

It's another instance of Reed doing little more than stretching really far, so what is it about this panel that draws my attention? First of all, it's a non-combat maneuver. The team are answering their fan mail, and Reed decides to drop in on a hospitalised young fan. Second of all, it's the first time unstable molecules are mentioned. It's a handy little phrase that neatly explains how the team's costumes can mimic their biological powers.

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #6 on our fourth episode: Super-Villain Team Up

Fantastic Four #5: Reed's Stretchy Body 7

Fantastic Four #5, page 15, panels 4-7

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inks: Joe Sinnott

Uncredited Letters: Art Simek

A glorious multi-panel post kicks off November at the Fantastic Flame On.

How often do you find yourself needing to board an enemy pirate vessel, only to find out that you've run out of grappling hooks and long planks of wood? Searching the hold, you can only find Mr Fantastic. I know, it happens like once a month, right? Well, thanks to Lee and Kirby, you no longer need to wonder how best to utilise your stretchy super-hero.

I'm a big fan of these few panels. I love the perspective in the first panel, with Reed threatening to stretch right out of the panel at the reader. I also like Reed's impatience, chiding Ben and the pirates for taking their time, and complaining that his back is hurting as The Thing and several pirates walk across it!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #4 in our third episode: Super Villain Cavalcade

Fantastic Four #3: Reed's Stretchy Body 2

Fantastic Four #3, page 9, panel 4

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Sol Brodsky

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

I'd not normally include instances of Reed simply stretching his body out - I like to look at when the creators take things to the next level - but this one just about gets in due to the back-and-forth nature of the stretching. The next has the monster crashing into Reed, which causes Reed to have a small collapse. Which is unusual as the monster is simply hypnotism. Very good hypnotism, obviously...

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #3 in our second episode: Secret Invasion Tie-In