Issue-84

Title- The Name is Doom

Writer- Stan Lee

Art- Jack Kirby

 

Summary:

At the request of Nick Fury, Reed takes the team on a journey through communist Europe in order to cross into Latveria. Fury's agents of SHIELD have learned of a secret army forming and based on a piece of robotics Reed is determined that it is Doom. Upon entering the country, the team is attacked an immobilized. When the four awaken, much to their dismay, the Latverian people welcome them with holiday festivities in their honor. In order force reveal the charade, Reed dashes for the border and is struck down by automatic border defenses.

 

Notes:

  • First appearance of the Guardian class Doombots

  • In one scene, Doom is oddly depicted, in a rare moment, as wearing a gas mask when on other occasions his armor has been able to seal out external gases.

  • Doom is able to suppress the Fantastic Four's powers through hypnosis.

  • Reprinted in The Villainy of Doctor Doom, Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 5, and Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 9 (see below)

 
 

Comments:

"Nobody ever leaves Latveria! You will remain here...and be eternally happy! Or else, you die!" Coming off the heels of his heartbreaking appearance in Marvel Super-Heroes #20, I'm almost able to forgive Doom's psychotic behavior in this arc. Maybe this is his way to deal with the grief of losing Valeria forever? Or maybe he just came to the realization that he is who he is. He's Doom. And in this arc, Doom is at his most villainous. Personally this isn't one of my favorite arcs. As you'll read in the next issues, Doom's villainy is just a bit off here, I'd say almost out of character. Bottom Line: * * out of 5

 

Issue- 85

Title- Within this Tortured Land

Writer- Stan Lee

Art- Jack Kirby

 

Summary:

Having revealed that Doom's hospitalities are a charade, Doom proclaims that they are sentenced to remain in Latveria, forever. The team the set about trying to find out where the secret army is located. Meanwhile, Doom is preparing a test for one of the self same robots of his army. Feigning to lower his guard, Doom allows a group of rebel to escape in one of his own high powered tanks. The two rebel begin to head for the border but encounter Doom's latest model robot. The robot resists the missiles of the tank and defeats them quickly and easily. Doom is pleased and reveals to his lead scientist aide, Hauptmann, that he plans to unleash the robots in a final test to destroy an entire village. The team are meanwhile no closer to learning more about Doom's plans. While having lunch, the team is sedated and subjected to even deeper hypnosis. As they are released from their session, the village bell tower signals that the town has been sealed off, and the four realize that they are about face Doom's new army first hand. 

 

Notes:

  • First appearance of the Killer class Doombots

  • First appearance of the scientist Hauptmann

  • In his conversation, Doom alludes to stealing Hauptmann from the Red Skull, this is an unseen adventure which has yet to be told

  • During this brief time, Doom seems to have partially overcome his disgust with his appearance

  • Reprinted in The Villainy of Doctor Doom, Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 5, and Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 9 (see below)

 
 

Comments:

Doom's goal has always been power, world domination (except for that issue where he just wanted to be on the President's cabinet), and to kill the Fantastic Four (Reed specifically). Those goals while I agree can be considered homicidal, I have never considered them before to mean that Doom was insane. I would admit, like I have before, that Doom is disturbed. In fact he's probably only a little more disturbed than Batman. However in this issue, his psychological problems are taken to a whole other level. Here we see Doom equating caring for his people with destroying villages to test robots. I mean destroy and kill is own people to test a bloody robot!? And let's not forget that all of the sudden he can bear to look at his face and wants it to "set the new standards for masculine beauty." I'm sorry, I know this is Stan Lee, creator of the character, but this characterization seems way off even when compared to other issues he's written. Time and time again its been beat into the reader that Doom can't stand his face, and yet here he's posing for a painting?!

 

The story aside, I have to admit that the art is up to Kirby's usual fantastic standards. The killer robots are absolutely amazing. I would love to see them animated and come alive in a cartoon. Significant in this arc is that its the most that had been shown of Latveria at the time. The scenery and background all evoke the right mix of medieval Europe. Its a real shame, but I just can't get into this particular story. In fact if it weren't that I can't bring myself to give a Lee/Kirby work my lowest rating, I would .So I'll settle for halfway. Bottom Line: * * out of 5

 

Issue- 86

Title- Victims

Writer- Stan Lee

Art- Jack Kirby

 

Summary:

As Doom's killer robots attack the city, the team's powers slowly return. However in order to unleash their maximum effect, they must postpone using them as long as possible. From his castle, Doom observes and delights in the carnage being wrought. He reveals to Hauptmann that the killer robots have a single Achilles heel which he believes Reed will not discover. But Doom has considered that even if he does discover it, he will detonate the massive explosives he's lain underneath the village. The villagers of Latveria meanwhile arm themselves with weapons seemingly provided by Doom in order to prove that no weapon can stop the robots. As the robots reach the villagers, the team has no choice but to use their powers. While trying to escape a robot, Reed inadvertently discovers a control unit to the village's defenses. He uses the unit to repulse the robots attack. Ultimately he manages to fling the army into a nearby lake revealing that the robots are too heavy and sink. Seeing his army defeated, Doom detonates the bombs. The team and the villagers are saved when the Invisible Girl reveals that she followed them and struck up a force field.

 
 

Notes:

  • In a way the Invisible Girl's presence on the cover spoils her surprise appearance at the end.

  • Although the village is never named, one can only assume that given its proximity to the castle, that the village Doom destroys is Doomstadt.

  • This is not the first time Doom has seen fit to destroy his own property, see also Astonishing Tales #3

  • Reprinted in The Villainy of Doctor Doom, Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 5, and Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 9 (see below)

 
 

Comments:

If ever there was a case for Doom being considered absolutely insane, its this issue. Fans of Mark Waid's Unthinkable rejoice, this is your kind of Doom story. Honestly I've never seen Doom display such a mass of contradictions. First after Reed takes him to task for his unleashing the robots on his own people, he states, "When I proclaimed my robots out of control...I spoke the truth!" What's, he trying to justify to himself his own viciousness? Of course its not enough that he's unleashed killer robots on his own people for no reason. He's also rigged the entire village to explode. When the FF finally defeat his army, he doesn't hesitate to press the button. Yet when Hauptmann (a former Nazi scientist by the way) proclaims "Think of the people!" he answers, "My subjects! I...forgot!" He forgot? He forgot!

 

I can see it now. Boris finally confronts Doom about killing Valeria. "But why Doom? I thought you loved her?!" Doom answers stoically. "Of course I do. I...just forgot."

 

This arc is really not one of my favorites. Bottom Line: * * out of 5

Issue- 87

Title- The Power and the Pride

Writer- Stan Lee

Art- Jack Kirby

 

Summary:

Now reunited with the Invisible Girl, and with the team re-powered, the five of them begin their infiltration of Doom's castle. Ben throws the top of the former village's clock tower through the castle wall and announces their entrance. As they cross the bridge, Doom activates a trap door which captures Sue and Crystal, leaving the others to battle hordes of Doombots. As they fight, Doom seemingly entertains the women with a dinner banquet and music of his own composition. However secretly, he is observing the events outside unfold. Reed and the others manage to break into the castle via the art gallery. There they find Hauptmann confronting an undercover SHIELD agent. Hauptmann, armed with a flamethrower is ready to kill the agent when he then turns to attack Reed, Johnny, and Ben. Doom observes that Hauptmann is about to destroy priceless art in the process of striking at the team and he acts. Using a hyper-sound device built into his piano, Doom kills Hauptmann. Dissatisfied with unfolding of events, he informs all that he has tired of their game and allows everyone to go free so that they may fight another day.
 

Notes:

  • Doom plays the piano and composes music.

  • Final appearance of Hauptmann

  • Reprinted in Marvel's Greatest Comics 66 - 69


     

  • Collected in The Villainy of Doctor Doom, Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 5, and Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 9

 
 

Comments:

In the previous issue, Doom states "I would shatter half a planet to destroy the Fantastic Four!" However evidently this issue tell us that he may think twice if the planet is inhabited by pieces of priceless art. The lives of his subjects are pale in comparison when compared to the art in his gallery. After reading this story, I ask myself if this is really supposed to be the same Doom that was so sympathetically portrayed in the "Origin of Doctor Doom" back in FF Annual #2. There is absolutely nothing sympathetic whatsoever. Honestly the only redeeming thing about this story is the art. In this issue especially we get to great full page Kirby spread. One of is Doom at the dinner table, the other a close up of Doom's face which you'll find available in the Wallpaper's section. This story's only salvation in my opinion is another story written by a guy called Walt Simonson. You know, the one where a lot of these Doom stories are really all Doombots. Yeah, my personal opinion is that this is definitely one story that should be written off as some mad Doombot on a rampage. In fact I think it would actually make that scene where Doom is posing for a portrait actually cool. Imagine the painter's surprise when he has to paint a robotic face. Bottom Line: * * out of 5

 

 

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