Fantastic Four #2

 "No wonder our leaders dare not invade Earth until the Fantastic Four are stopped!"

Issue #2, and we have Skrulls! But, well, they're drawn by Kirby in a very cartoonish fashion, and they're very silly to boot. 

Like the first issue, this is very much rooted in the monster books Marvel had been producing, and doesn't yet feel fully like a superhero title. There are still no costumes, and Reed is still dressing like Don Draper from Mad Men. Indeed, given is apparent age (about 45?) and pipe smoking ways, it's likely that the character would have fought in the Second World War, an odd thought.

We begin with Skrulls framing the Fantastic Four for various crimes, in order to get them imprisoned and out of the way so their orbiting fleet can conquer the planet, which at least makes sense. Interestingly, the FF are very much known to the general public.

We get a recap of last week's origin, and... well, not much characterisation as yet. Ben is still very bitter and anti-social, quite reasonably, as his so-called friends address him not as "Ben" but "Thing"!

The art is still very functional, and the pages feel crowded with lots of panels in this multi-part story in which rather a lot happens. The FF are attacked by the US army, captured... and Johnny is rather alarmingly put into an asbestos cell! Of course, they all promptly and entertainingly escape, and head to "one of the Fantastic Four's many secret apartment hideouts"- wow. They seem to have an awful lot of resources, especially while being fugitives. What's their source of income, then...?

The FF's defeat of the Skrull is... well, as absurd, ridiculous and over the top as one could possibly imagine, involving panels from Strange Tales and Journey into Mystery- both still monster books at this point- among other things. 

We end with the Thing, for the first time, very briefly becoming Ben Grimm again, as the FF now prove their innocence with utterly ridiculous ease. And... the three remaining Skrulls are hypnotised and forced to spend the rest of their lives on Earth as cows. Er, perhaps a bit harsh...?

All in all, very silly indeed. Marvel isn't Marvel yet. But strangely compelling in its silliness!