Originally Posted by
dr3821
FANTASTIC FOUR #2, released in October 1961
THEY WERE MERCILESS! THEY WERE INHUMAN! THEY HAD POWERS FAR GREATER THAN EARTHMEN! THEY WERE THE DEADLY SKRULLS FROM OUTER SPACE!
Funny how that sounds like a 1950s monster movie ad line. Issue two of FANTASTIC FOUR debuts those green-skinned Skrulls to the slowly emerging Marvel mythos. They definitely come across as more of a true menace than the Mole Man. As four Skrulls impersonate our fabulous quartet, the real McCoys are hiding out in a cabin in the woods. The Thing is furious at being hunted down and wants action, while Reed wants to talk. Ben is not the cute idol o' millions in these early adventures. He is bitter, angry and confused at being turned into a hideous monster.
It is fascinating to read these early issues. Things haven't quite become concrete and stable as we know them now, especially the character of the Thing. Susan is so innocent. The book was still evolving and Stan and Jack were finding their way. No costumes yet, for instance. And the team dynamic was still in flux.
I like the part where the Thing storms out of the cabin and you see the other three whispering that they are losing control of him. He may have to be stopped, but Reed blames himself for the whole situation. (As he SHOULD!!) It seems Marvel was trying to set this book apart from DC's JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, which at the time was a huge-seller. Marvel wanted to show their team with conflict, while DC's team was so perfect and staid. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the rest always got along, while early FF did not get along at all. This was all done on purpose, I think.
It's funny how modest Marvel was back then. Their company name is just a simple "MC" on the covers. And the credits are just a handwritten "Stan Lee and J. Kirby" here. The Skrull threat is taken care of. The invasion of Earth is halted. The heroes win the day. But the Skrulls will be a continual threat to our fantastic quarter. The ones who actually impersonated the FF are turned into cows. Which is later brought up again in a John Byrne story in the 1980s, if I remember right.