Fantastic Four #4: Reed's Stretchy Body 5

Fantastic Four #4, page 11, panel 1

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Sol Brodsky

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

A lovely, large splash panel gives us our coverage for today. Normally I wouldn't cover instances of Reed stretching out really far, but there are three reasons why I'm making an exception for this.

1. I get to post a Jack Kirby splash panel.
2. Kirby really works the perspective in this panel, giving it a a dizzying sense of vertigo.
3. Reed stops a helicopter that is going about its business by holding onto its wheel.

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

Fantastic Four #3: Reed's Stretchy Body 4

Fantastic Four #3, page 21, panel 6

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Sol Brodsky

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

Escaping from a re-united Fantastic Four in the atomic-powered tank, the Miracle Man shoots out a tyre on the Four's car with hypnotism with his gun. Ever resourceful, Reed contorts hit body into a tyre to allow the car to continue. The car, however, is an antique racing car that happened to be parked nearby, and you have to wonder how it manages to keep pace with the atomic-powered tank.

Still, I like this use of Reed's powers. It's inventive, resourceful, visually interesting, and shows a little bit of his character as he points out that he can't keep it up forever.

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

Fantastic Four #3: Reed's Stretchy Body 3

Fantastic Four #3, page 20, panels 2-4

Writer: Stan Lee

Artist: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: Sol Brodsky

Uncredited Letterer: Art Simek

IT'S BOUNCIN' TIME!

That's the Miracle Man whose point of view we're following here. He's shooting bullets at Reed with hypnosis with a gun. We're not yet seeing that Reed's body can absorb the impact of the bullets, but we do see him avoid the bullets by turning into a ball and bouncing around.

Of course, a large ball is probably an easier target to hit, so Reed's relying on his speed and dexterity as a ball to avoid the Miracle Man's bullets.

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

Fantastic Four #2: Reed's Stretchy Body 1

Fantastic Four #2, page 10, panel 3

Uncredited Writer: Stan Lee

Uncredited Penciler: Jack Kirby

Uncredited Inker: George Klein

Uncredited Colours: Stan Goldberg

Uncredited Letterer: John Duffy

One of the great joys of having a member of your cast who can change his body shape must be getting to let your imagination run wild with the artistic possibilities of such a character. The first time I came across this type of power coupled with a writer and artist capable of running with these possibilities came when I read Grant Morrison and Howard Porter's JLA, back in the late 1990s. They had an absolute ball with Plastic Man, and for a large part of the 2000s, successive writers and artists kept Plastic Man as an amusing and inventive character within the League.

But we're not here to talk about the Justice League. We're here, under this category, to take a look at how Stan and Jack handled the possibilities of such a character. We start here, with Mr Fantastic contained in another seemingly escape-proof cell by the US Army. On the previous page we'd seen him use his fingers to probe ever inch of his cell looking for a gap, and here we find him squeezing through a minuscule gap adjacent to a rivet. This leads to this marvellous visual of a plaid-clad Reed sprouting his head from a metal wall.

Oh, and notice that this is before the unstable molecule costumes that would make their début in the next issue. That's an impressive plaid shirt!

Check out our coverage of Fantastic Four #2 in our second episode: Secret Invasion Tie-In