Fantastic Four 336 - Acts of Vengeance

And so we come to the third and final Fantastic Four issue, this time promising "the most fearsome villains" in the universe, a claim that fails to convince the Thing.

Fantastic Four #336

Writing: Walter Simonson
Penciling: Ron Lim
Inking: Mike De Carlo
Lettering: Bill Oakley
Colouring: George Roussos
Editing: Ralph Macchio
Editing-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story continues at the Congressional committee with yet more lame villains showing up and being merely a distraction from the central discussion about the proposed Super Powers Registration Act. So we forego the opportunity to see Ben, Sharon and Johnny dealing with the Owl, the Armadillo, Baron Brimstone, Whirlwind, the Man Ape, Still Man and Orka the Killer Whale and instead see Reed and Susan engaging their brains to argue the case against the potential constructions of a Registration Act. Some of Reed's put downs of various Congressional representatives are particularly fun, ranging from undermining a critic for being late without discipline through to pointing out the lack of a clearly defined purpose for registration. Still the resolution to the proposal sees Reed also deploy his scientific expertise both to demonstrate the problems with detection and to analyse the mysterious mental control box.

A showdown comes with Doctor Doom, who here seems highly dismissive of the whole "Acts of Vengeance" scheme, though it's soon shown there's more to Doom than it first seems (and a later Simonson issue would take the idea and run with it much further). Still, despite appearances by the Super Adaptors, Hydro-Man and Water Wizard, the encounter is a sign that a lot of writers have problems with the general premise of the crossover and for good reason.

For many villains their relationship with the heroes is a deeply personal one and they want not just their foe's destruction but also the satisfaction of having achieved it themselves. Indeed some of them have actually saved heroes' lives in order to keep open the opportunity to personally dispose of them. And thus a trading scheme should be of no interest to them. As a result Doom has instead been testing equipment and deliberately using lame villains to limit the risk, with the bonus of embarrassing the Five in the process. The nature of Doom here is such that we have to exercise a degree of caution in accepting his words at face value. So far, he's been the most used of the leading villains and consistency isn't the easiest thing to achieve with such heavy use in rapid succession.

Nevertheless this issue, written by Walter Simonson and drawn by Ron Lim, is a good conclusion to a surprisingly different take on both the crossover and the series. Political debate can be dry to some but here a major proposal and the underlying philosophies are explored with respect and nuance whilst the regulars are given strong characterisation that shows the new writer has a good grip on them.

Fantastic Four #336 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)