Fantastic Four #6

 "Hahahaha! Who can doubt the genius of Doctor Doom now?"

This is... well, very silly indeed, just like all previous issues of Fantastic Four. There's some very bad science- a magnetic "grabber" that attracts all objects, not just those containing iron; the Baxter Building being lifted up, taken into space and yet returned afterwards as though nothing had happened; the Sub-Mariner bounding from meteor to meteor in space... this is completely mad. Also, oddly familiar, as I was halfway through reading this when I realised I'd seen it before. In 1966 there were several short-lived and very cheaply animated cartoons based on Marvel characters, including the Sub-Mariner, and it turns out this issue was adapted. It was bonkers there and its's bonkers here.

So the less said about the plot the better. Surprisingly, despite some strong characters and solid potential, Fantastic Four so far has been very silly and, well, not that good, really. We can only plod on and hope things improve, as they seem to be doing with The Incredible Hulk.

There are some interesting things to note in terms of lore, though. The Baxter Building is named for the first time, and we get a rather cool diagram of what all the secret rooms contain, various vehicles and so forth, including a "long range passenger missile" capable of reaching anywhere on Earth... once again, though, how can the FF afford this, as surely many nation states could not?

Other firsts include the mention of unstable molecules, out of which the FF's costumes are made. And the first hint of the Thing's rivalry with the Yancy Street Gang! But... well, at this point, Fantastic Four just isn't very good.