Well, at least they can learn...sort of...from their mistakes.
After nearly a decade of recruiting someone for the Frightful Four who would eventually turn on them...and then doing it again...and yet again...the Wizard has finally figured out an alternate strategy--go without a fourth member!!
Sigh. Aside from the plethora of villains who would line up to join the Frightful Four (see the next Fourth Member entry), aside from the stupidity of of continuing to call yourself the Frightful Four when there are only 3 members, the sad fact is, these mooks couldn't beat the Fantastic Four with four members of their own. So how are they going to fare with only 3?
About as well as you might think.
Ah, but they have sort of a plan. The FF are at a pretty low point right now, as Sue has just announced she's divorcing Reed to marry Namor (SPOILER ALERT--this is actually part of Namor's Melrose Place-like plan--along with launching a massive invasion of the surface world--to convince Sue that she really loves Reed and get them back together. Whatever you say, Gerry Conway). They're physically and emotionally at low ebb, and maybe, just maybe, an ambush might work.
So when the distraught FF return home:
Isn't it about time Reed got some anti-Frightful Four security? How many times are they going to invade the Baxter Building with ease?
And the whole point of Sandman's surprise attack? To trap them in the elevator. Which might be a good plan, if the elevator wasn't full of people who can slither out...
...or rip their way out...
Reed and Sandy have a bit of a slugfest...
...including the cosmic ray-enhanced version of the reach-around:
But once the others arrive, Sandman beats a quick retreat...
...making you wonder what the point of the whole exercise was in the first place. Hey, Wizard, what's up??
Wizard, you're zero for 172 against all heroes. You're "without peer" in strategy all right...
Good question, Sandman. Wizard?
Wizard, Wizard, Wizard...
Anyway, a game of cat and mouse commences throughout the building. First up:
Man, everyone just loooves to remind us about the Paste-Pot Pete name, don't they?
Well, OK, chalk one up for the Frightful Four. Hey, this just might work out!!
Next, the Wizard encounters Medusa and Reed:
Wow...for someone Wizard thought was their "most powerful member," Medusa sure went down easy. Surely, Reed will put up a better fight, right?
One punch? One punch?!?! Man, this divorce business really has Reed off his game. And Wizard--you took two of them down solo?!? Holy crap, they're going to win this time, aren't they?
Not quite yet--Ben and Sandman are going to have a knock-down, drag-out, Kirby-fest:
But before we can get a winner:
OK, I call cheat here. First of all, Thundra never said that back in FF #133, no matter what Roy's editor's note tells us. She left the Frightful Four offscreen!! And the audience never had any hint of any warning to never attack the FF again...so this comes completely out of nowhere.
Secondly, Gerry Conway is ripping off himself & Roy here...back in FF #129, a former member of the Frightful Four turns up out of nowhere to interfere with their attack...and we never get any explanation (at least for several issues) as to why she was even there. And now, a mere 18 months later...a former member of the Frightful Four turns up out of nowhere to interfere with their attack...and we never get any explanation (at least for several issues) as to why she was even there. Re-run much, Gerry?
Plus, now he's made the battle 5 on 3, which throws off the Wizard's genius plan. Ah, well it was doomed to failure, anyway...in part because the Trapster is an idjit:
What, he's never dealt with a flaming opponent before? Sigh...So now Johnny turns the tables and takes out two by himself.
For those keeping score, this is now officially a Frightful Four story, as it has met the minimum requirement of having one or more members caught by the Trapster's own paste.
And Ben and Marko?
Sigh...so close, guys. Maybe going with only three members wasn't the best approach, after all...
You know these guys have attacked too much when Reed has a special prison i the building designed just for the Frightful Four!
As a final note, when Ben questions whether Thundra might still be a covert member of the Frightful Four, Reed proves to be a total idiot:
Uh, Reed, perhaps you want to look up the definition of "traitor" in the dictionary or something, because the fact that she's helping you against the Frightful Four pretty much fits the bill...
The fearsome threesome would take the next couple of years off, but finally (finally!!) come up with a better strategy when they return: they invent American Idol?!?!?
Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler, and Joe Sinnott bring us the Wizard's excellent math skills in Fantastic Four #148 (1974).
After nearly a decade of recruiting someone for the Frightful Four who would eventually turn on them...and then doing it again...and yet again...the Wizard has finally figured out an alternate strategy--go without a fourth member!!
Sigh. Aside from the plethora of villains who would line up to join the Frightful Four (see the next Fourth Member entry), aside from the stupidity of of continuing to call yourself the Frightful Four when there are only 3 members, the sad fact is, these mooks couldn't beat the Fantastic Four with four members of their own. So how are they going to fare with only 3?About as well as you might think.
Ah, but they have sort of a plan. The FF are at a pretty low point right now, as Sue has just announced she's divorcing Reed to marry Namor (SPOILER ALERT--this is actually part of Namor's Melrose Place-like plan--along with launching a massive invasion of the surface world--to convince Sue that she really loves Reed and get them back together. Whatever you say, Gerry Conway). They're physically and emotionally at low ebb, and maybe, just maybe, an ambush might work.
So when the distraught FF return home:
Isn't it about time Reed got some anti-Frightful Four security? How many times are they going to invade the Baxter Building with ease?
And the whole point of Sandman's surprise attack? To trap them in the elevator. Which might be a good plan, if the elevator wasn't full of people who can slither out...
...or rip their way out...
Reed and Sandy have a bit of a slugfest...
...including the cosmic ray-enhanced version of the reach-around:
But once the others arrive, Sandman beats a quick retreat...
...making you wonder what the point of the whole exercise was in the first place. Hey, Wizard, what's up??
Wizard, you're zero for 172 against all heroes. You're "without peer" in strategy all right...
Good question, Sandman. Wizard?
Wizard, Wizard, Wizard...Anyway, a game of cat and mouse commences throughout the building. First up:
Man, everyone just loooves to remind us about the Paste-Pot Pete name, don't they?
Well, OK, chalk one up for the Frightful Four. Hey, this just might work out!!Next, the Wizard encounters Medusa and Reed:
Wow...for someone Wizard thought was their "most powerful member," Medusa sure went down easy. Surely, Reed will put up a better fight, right?
One punch? One punch?!?! Man, this divorce business really has Reed off his game. And Wizard--you took two of them down solo?!? Holy crap, they're going to win this time, aren't they?Not quite yet--Ben and Sandman are going to have a knock-down, drag-out, Kirby-fest:
But before we can get a winner:
OK, I call cheat here. First of all, Thundra never said that back in FF #133, no matter what Roy's editor's note tells us. She left the Frightful Four offscreen!! And the audience never had any hint of any warning to never attack the FF again...so this comes completely out of nowhere.Secondly, Gerry Conway is ripping off himself & Roy here...back in FF #129, a former member of the Frightful Four turns up out of nowhere to interfere with their attack...and we never get any explanation (at least for several issues) as to why she was even there. And now, a mere 18 months later...a former member of the Frightful Four turns up out of nowhere to interfere with their attack...and we never get any explanation (at least for several issues) as to why she was even there. Re-run much, Gerry?
Plus, now he's made the battle 5 on 3, which throws off the Wizard's genius plan. Ah, well it was doomed to failure, anyway...in part because the Trapster is an idjit:
What, he's never dealt with a flaming opponent before? Sigh...So now Johnny turns the tables and takes out two by himself.
For those keeping score, this is now officially a Frightful Four story, as it has met the minimum requirement of having one or more members caught by the Trapster's own paste.And Ben and Marko?
Sigh...so close, guys. Maybe going with only three members wasn't the best approach, after all...You know these guys have attacked too much when Reed has a special prison i the building designed just for the Frightful Four!
As a final note, when Ben questions whether Thundra might still be a covert member of the Frightful Four, Reed proves to be a total idiot:
Uh, Reed, perhaps you want to look up the definition of "traitor" in the dictionary or something, because the fact that she's helping you against the Frightful Four pretty much fits the bill...The fearsome threesome would take the next couple of years off, but finally (finally!!) come up with a better strategy when they return: they invent American Idol?!?!?
Gerry Conway, Rich Buckler, and Joe Sinnott bring us the Wizard's excellent math skills in Fantastic Four #148 (1974).
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