Issue - 43 
Title - Lo! There Shall Be an Ending!
Writer - Stan Lee
Art - Jack Kirby

Summary:
While the Fantastic Four battle the Frightful Four, Doom recuperates from his recent battle with the Thing at the Latverian Embassy. His hands, still unusable after the Thing wounded them, he angrily dismisses his physician after he is given the prognosis that he needs more time to recover. Alone Doom begins to scheme his revenge using his Emotion Charger, when suddenly he spies a craft heading to the Baxter Building.

Notes:

  • Doom is still recovering from his battle with the Thing, see Fantastic Four #40
  • Reprinted in Fantastic Four Annual #9. Collected in Essential Fantastic Four Volume 3, Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Volume 5 (see below)

 

  Comments:
Just a small set up for Doom's appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #3, or as Stan Lee describes it, "unabashed advertisement!"
   
Issue - 3
Title - Bedlam in the Baxter Building!
Writer - Stan Lee
Art - Jack Kirby

Summary:
Reading of Reed's imminent marriage to Sue Storm, Doom plots to use his Emotion Charger to call upon an army of super-villains in order to crush the Fantastic Four on the Richards' wedding day. The first is the Puppet Master who uses his mind control powers to try and slip in an uninvited guest. His ploy however is foiled by Nick Fury and SHIELD. The Mole Man attacks next, burrowing up from below the Baxter Building. Luckily, the X-Men are on hand to defeat the villain and his Subterraneans. After these two attacks, Thing runs to warn Reed of further attacks but finds that Reed, Sue, and Johnny are already fighting off the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes. Doom's Emotion Charger draw many other villains such as The Mandarin, Grey-Gargoyle, Kang, a Skrull, and others. As more villains appear, so do heroes that come to fend them off. The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, and Daredevil all come to stop the waves of attacks. In the midst of this, the Watcher appears to Reed and takes him to his home. There he offers Reed the chance to pick anything he sees that may help him win the day. Reed makes his choice and is transported back to the battle. There is finds he correctly picked a Time-Displacer, a device which can return beings back to the immediate past. He uses the device to send all the villains back to where they were with no memory of what has transpired. With all of the villains returned to their proper places, the wedding continues without further interruption.

 

  Notes:
  • According to Reed, despite Doom not being present and hit by the Time-Displacer, he should not have any memory of the events.
  • Reprinted in Fantastic Four Annual 9, 10, and Fantastic Four: The Wedding Special #1
  • Retold in Marvel: Heroes & Legends
  • Collected in: Essential Fantastic Four volume 3, Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Volume 5
     

 

  Comments:
If you're a fan of clobberin, then believe it or not, this issue is for you. Its practically non-stop clobberin from start to finish. Doom doesn't get much hands on, but he is the force behind all of the teams wedding day woes. Stan Lee basically saw fit to celebrate Reed and Sue's wedding with guest stars galore. While there isn't much 'story' it is a milestone issue. For that alone,
Bottom Line: * * * out of 5

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