> Fantastic Four Masterworks Volume 7
 
 

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From the Mouths of the Marvels:

"Morlak!! What if we've tampered with something - - which is too powerful for us to control??”

-- Zota, to Dr. Morlak, page 13


Alicia Masters about to learn the secrets of the Beehive!

 

Fantastic Four #66
September 1967 • 20 pages

Script: Stan Lee • Letters: Artie Simek
Pencils: Jack Kirby • Inks: Joe Sinnott


Title: "What Lurks Behind the Beehive?”

First Appearance: Maris Morlak, Carlo Zota, Wladyslav Shinski, Him (off panel)

Guest Appearance: Dr. Jerome Hamilton, Morlak, Zota, Shinski, Alicia Masters, Crystal, Him

Gadgets & Technology: Space Warper, Electroni-Blade, Heat-Image Tracer with Tempral Lens Complex, Life-Cell Tank, Electro-Shock Tube

Innovations: Citadel of Science/"Beehive", Lock 41, Vitra-Broth; first appearance of "The Enclave", though they are not named as such in these issues

Letters Page: Page OnePage Two

House Ads: Ad #1


Synopsis: Ben drags Sue and Reed along with him to visit Alicia, so he can explain he had to break his date with her to fight the Sentry. She's not there, however, which makes Ben worry that maybe she's seeing someone else. Reed tries to talk sense to him, but Ben won't hear it, and takes off in a huff. Little do they know, however, that Alicia has been transported to an impossibly advanced scientific outpost, a place that looks much like some kind of technological "beehive". She is led through a teleporting machine into the main room of the laboratory, where she is introduced to the leaders of the Citadel of Science: nuclear physicist Morlak, electronics whiz Mr. Zota, biology and genetics researcher Professor Shinski, and the man who led her to this place by use of his Space Warper, medicine expert Dr. Hamilton.

They explain to her what her purpose is- to use her immense talents to sculpt a project for them. She shows her prowess by quickly sculpting a bust of Morlak, which impresses them as to her abilities. They are sure they have found the one they need!

Thing walks glumly through the park, seeing all kinds of young lovers enjoying each other's company. As he mopes about his own lot in life, an attractive young woman leading a school group comes up and says some nice things to him, and gives him a kiss on the cheek. A beat cop also pumps up his ego by complimenting his heroism. Ben feels like a heel for treating Reed so badly, and heads right back to the Baxter Building to apologize. And after a young, romantic tiff between Johnny and Crystal, the two of them join Reed and Sue in his lab, where he is working on a Heat-Image Tracer. They are worried about Alicia's inexplicable absence, and are going to use the gadget to find out where she may have gone.

At the "Beehive", Alicia asks why they need her services, but before they can answer, an explosion occurs, knocking them all down to the ground. The scientists all openly worry about "Him", and they call their armed guards to defend the Citadel of Science. The foursome of scientists argue amongst themselves about what to do with "Him", before finally explaining to Alicia what this is all about: These scientists have embarked on a mission to create a new race of people to be supreme over all others. Their first attempt at creating a perfect human is the one they refer to as Him. Spawned from the Life-Cell Tank where they grew him, he broke free and is wandering through the labyrinths of the Citadel of Science. After emerging far too early, his great power is wildly dangerous to all, and they were only able to escape from the labyrinth with their lives by sheer luck.

They realized that Him emitted a radioactive force that blinded them, so they were unable to lay eyes on what he looked like. That is what Alicia is there for, to penetrate the labyrinth, find Him, and sculpt his image so they can figure out what their "new human" looks like.

Thing catches up with his teammates, and they tell him they're working on a plan to find Alicia. While Ben becomes frantic at her disappearance, they set up the Heat-Image Tracer and see the latent images of her most recent activity. A man in strange garb enters the room from the wall, takes her hand, and together, they walk back through the wall!

Hamilton arms himself and tells Alicia he will accompany her through the Beehive. They enter the dark caverns and come face-to-face with a giant flaming barrier, a warning to all who might enter. Back in New York, Reed has figured that the man was able to teleport himself and Alicia by way of a bracelet worn on his wrist. His idea is to mimic the engravings of the bracelet so they can follow wherever they went. And in the Beehive, Alicia and Dr. Hamilton realize that Him is coming nearer and nearer to them!

(continued in FF #67)

--synopsis and panel images by Gormuu

--letters pages and house ads provided by Karl Mattson


Issues Reprinted
Fantastic Four #61-71, Annual #5

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.

 

FF #61

FF #62

FF #63

FF #64

FF #65

FF #66

FF #67

Ann. #5

FF #68

FF #69

FF #70

FF #71

 

All cover images are courtesy of the Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Gallery.

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