Fantastic Four 334 - Acts of Vengeance

We now come to Fantastic Four #334, which is the first issue in Walter Simonson's run as writer and the penultimate issue in Rich Buckler's second run as penciller. Starting a run with three crossover issues isn't the most encouraging of circumstances. There's also the problem that the Fantastic Four isn't in the traditional line-up - indeed it's not even a foursome. The Thing has been restored to human form whilst the second Ms Marvel (Sharon Ventura) has been mutated into a She-Thing. There was also a fake Fantastic Four at the end of Steve Englehart's run but Reed Richards suggests that it's not going to impact the team in the long-run.

Fantastic Four #334

Writing: Walter Simonson
Penciling: Rich Buckler
Inking: Romeo Tanghal
Lettering: Bill Oakley
Colouring: George Roussos
Editing: Ralph Macchio
Editing-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

Fantastic Four is traditionally a very character-based title with a strong family feel, so it's understandable that a new writer starts off by getting a good grasp of the Five and Franklin Richards rather than plunging straight into action. The only real action sequence comes when Captain America and Thor arrive on the roof only to find the Five are out and the security systems have been changed. Otherwise this is a mostly talky issue as the family discuss everything from a prominent movie to proposed legislation in the US Congress that they've been invited to speak about and the end of the issue sees them journey to Washington to do so in later issues. The inclusion of Captain America and Thor is interesting as they, together with Mr Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, had formed four-fifths of the Avengers line-up (the fifth was Gilgamesh the Forgotten One) that Simonson assembled during his deconstruction and resurrection of the team over on that title, only to move on immediately move on. Although the crossover event makes such appearances more likely, it does hint slightly at where Simonson's early plans lie.

The cover proclaims "the deadliest villains on the universe" but Ben isn't convinced and it's easy to see why. In succession the Constrictor, the Beetle and the Shocker each tries to invade Four Freedoms Plaza only to be immediately captured by the security systems without a need for a fight. It's not yet clear why such a bunch of weak and lame villains have been sent but near the end of the story it appears several more are making their way to Washington, most by public transport, hinting at further developments. Of the lame foes, the Beetle had actually originated in the Human Torch's 1960s solo strip in Strange Tales, but had gone on to be a mainly Spider-Man villain and any case he hasn't previously fought either the rest of the Five or their security systems. The other two are unknown quantities here. Being underwhelming foes who are dealt with before they're even noticed means the issue isn't diverted by fight scenes and can instead concentrate on character building for the future.

But for the scene with Captain America and Thor, this particular issue could easily standalone without needing knowledge of the wider crossover, which must be a relief for the editors of various collected editions. It's a good start to one of the best Fantastic Four runs and also a strong issue that hooks into an event without letting it overwhelm the issue.

Fantastic Four #334 has been reprinted in:

• Fantastic Four Visionaries: Walter Simonson Volume 1 (2007)
• Acts of Vengeance Crossovers Omnibus (2011)
• Fantastic Four Epic Collection: Into the Timestream (2014)