> Fantastic Four Masterworks Volume 7
 
 

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From the Mouths of the Marvels:

"When someone like him turns killer - - you can't take any chances! He's gotta be stopped - - for good - - like you'd stop a mad dog!”

-- Fireman Bill, to his partner Marty about the rogue Thing, page 20


Thing charges at Reed- - in front of an open door on the 35th floor!

 

Fantastic Four #69
December 1967 • 20 pages

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


Title: "By Ben Betrayed!”

First Appearance: Killer Android

Villain: Mad Thinker, Killer Android

Guest Appearance: Crystal, Dr. Santini

Cameo: Killer Android

Gadgets & Technology: Hi-Voltage Discharger, Dissolvex Gas, Solar-Energy Activator

Letters Page: Page OnePage Two

House Ad: Ad #1


Synopsis: (continued from FF #68)

A delusional Ben Grimm goes out of control, flailing his fists at his best friend Reed Richards, who is forced to fire a Hi-Voltage Discharger at him, but the gun only stuns him. Sue enters the room and puts up a force wall that protects her and Reed from Ben, who is no brandishing the Discharger. Johnny enters the fray after flaming on, putting up a wall of flame that allows them to escape. Meanwhile, the villain masquerading as Santini cajoles Ben into continuing the press against Reed Richards, and Ben races off to once again fight him, leaving him alone to pillage Reed Richard's secret files. Without any need to continue his subterfuge, the secret villain takes off his Santini disguise and reveals himself to be the Mad Thinker!

Reed commands Johnny to take Crystal and Sue to safety at a local police house while he can face Ben without any distractions. In his mad rage, Ben races towards Reed but goes past him, out the window from the top floor of the Baxter Building, forcing Reed to save his life by stretching his arm to grab him. But Ben pulls him down, not thankful in the least, but Reed turns himself into a giant glider, riding the wind across the sky. Ben commandeers a garbage truck and races off to catch up with Mister Fantastic. In Reed's lab, the Mad Thinker has stumbled upon the door into the Negative Zone.

Johnny catches up to Reed as he floats along the air currents, but so does Thing, who knocks down a building so it slams into Mister Fantastic. But he grabs hold of the rooftop to stop his mad descent through the air, with Johnny providing cover fire on Thing to keep him busy. Thing slaps his mitts together in a concussive clap, knocking Johnny unconscious. At the police precinct, Sue and Crystal help a police task force prepare themselves for stopping Ben from his rampage. They beg the police to take it easy on their friend, but already jets have been scrambled to stop the Thing from destroying the city in his attack on Reed Richards. While the jets fire on him from above, Reed Richards can't help but try to save his friend, but Ben still resists, throwing a big chunk of brick at him. But Sue arrives and turns her husband invisible and Thing misses. Reed is pulled aboard a police helicopter and evacuated to the precinct.

Santini wakes up inside his prison cell, trying to look for a way to free himself, but he's trapped, with one of the Mad Thinker's androids standing guard over him. Meanwhile, the Mad Thinker has discovered Sub-Space in Reed's lab, but realizes that he cannot take the time to inspect it until he kills Santini, erasing his criminal tracks in case the FF survive his plot.

Reed joins back up with Johnny, Sue and Crystal at the police precinct, and goes over battle strategy with the police commander. He finally figures out who is behind all this, deducing that it is the Mad Thinker. The police commander scrambles his men for an All-Points Bulletin search for the fiend. As for the Thing, he clambers down from the building he had destroyed and dons a heavy trenchcoat so he can blend into the crowd and continue his lusty search for revenge against his former friend, Reed Richards.

(continued in FF #70)

--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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