Fantastic Four #268 Jul 1984
"The Masque of Doom!"
The Fantastic Four check in on Sue Richards, who is recovering after the miscarriage of her second child.
As Reed and Sue come to terms with this recent loss -- Alicia, Johnny, and She-Hulk also reflect on recent events.
While outside Sue's doctor, Dr. Lansing, thanks Michael Morbius, Walter Langkowski and Bruce Banner for helping the best they could.
Banner cannot help but mention that the only salvation for Sue's baby came from the villainous Doctor Octopus,
whose insanity delayed Reed for too long, resulting in the loss of his child. Hearing this, Doctor Octopus lashes out against his foes,
prompting Banner to transform into the Hulk. The Hulk is about to battle Doctor Octopus when Reed steps in and handles the situation on his own.
Richards calmly tells Octavius that he is going to voluntarily return himself to custody, otherwise he will not rest until he is brought back to justice.
Seeing something in Richards eyes causes Octavius to relent and he agrees to the wishes of Mister Fantastic.
Satisfied with Otto's response, Reed leaves him in the care of Dr. Lansing. Just then Johnny
and She-Hulk are getting ready to leave so Johnny can show her around the Baxter Building.
Reed agrees with this course of action, telling Johnny that he can program She-Hulk to be recognized as a member of the team for the security system.
Going to the roof of the hospital, Johnny summons a Fantasti-Car with his signal belt and the two are soon off to the Baxter Building.
Along the way, Johnny inquires about She-Hulk's past. He is surprised when she is very candid about about her true identity and her origins:
That she was a California lawyer named Jennifer Walters, cousin to Bruce Banner, who agreed to put up her wayward
cousin during a period in which he could not control his transformations into the Hulk and needed refuge from the law.
At the time Jennifer was dealing in a court case that involved the mob.
The mobsters she was after did not appreciate this and organized to have Jen shot.
With her life on the line, Jennifer was saved by a much needed blood transfusion by her cousin who quickly left thereafter.
When the mob came to finish the job later on in the hospital, Jen was shocked when she suddenly transformed into the She-Hulk for the first time.
She remarks that unlike her cousin, she can control her transformations and maintains her original personality and intellect when she becomes the She-Hulk.
She finishes her life story by telling Johnny briefly of her joining the Avengers when they land on the roof of the Baxter Building.
Inside, Johnny shows She-Hulk around, including one of a series of buttons used in case of emergency that can jam any signal coming
from outside of the Baxter Building, and the private elevators that are operated by their special belt buckles.
He then shows Jen a secret room where the Fantastic Four keep their "trophies", powerful weapons and inventions confiscated
during their various adventures to ensure their safe keeping. Among all these items is the mask worn by Doctor Doom
when he seemingly perished during the Fantastic Four's recent battle against him and Tyros the Tamer.
As the pair leave the room they are unaware that the eyes on the Doom mask have begun to glow.
At that moment at the home of "Reed and Sue Benjamin" in Belle Porte, Connecticut, local gossip
Alma Chalmers is trying to peek into the window of the new family that has moved into the neighborhood.
She is caught red-handed by Alice Winchell who is out with her son Danny, who scolds her for being a snoop.
Back at the Baxter Building, Johnny and Jen are having coffee together talking about business when suddenly the alarm goes off.
Rushing to the trophy room they find that something has blasted the door off the hinges.
Going inside, they find that the mask appears to have been taken.
While looking for clues they are caught off guard when they are attacked by the mask itself, which has appeared to take on a life of its own.
The pair dodge the eye beams of the mask and its various other defenses but fail in trying to destroy it.
When they try to exit the trophy room they are forced back by a powerful wind. When She-Hulk tries to rush it as hard as she can,
the powerful force suddenly stops, sending She-Hulk charging right out of the window and plummeting to the ground below.
At that moment, Reed has returned to the headquarters and arrives just as Johnny is being attacked anew by the mask.
Trying to fight the mask himself, Reed discovers that it is more than a match for any of them.
Quickly realizing that it must be controlled by remote, he stretches over to one of the emergency buttons and quickly presses it.
With all outside signals now cut off, the Doom mask suddenly falls to the ground totally inert.
In the aftermath of the battle, Reed explains that the mask came to life due to a signal being sent to it and not a pre-programmed attack.
With the Latverian embassy denying the apparent death of Doctor Doom, Reed is left to wonder who it was that initiated this attack and if, in fact, Doctor Doom is still alive.
Story & art by
John Byrne https://13thdimension.com/13-covers-...rthday-salute/