Marvel Compass #2

Fantastic Four #2

 “Well, maybe they're right! Maybe I am a monster! I look like one-- and sometimes I feel like one!" -Thing

"Skrulls From Outer Space" by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Inks by George Klein, Colors by Stan Goldberg, Letters by Artie Simek

                         

The Thing is swimming toward an oil platform in the ocean. When he reaches it he destroys it, bringing the whole structure down. At a jewelry store, the Invisible Girl is looking at a diamond worth nearly ten million dollars. She vanishes with the gem, causing the shopkeep and guards to panic. They are both simply gone. In the midwest, a priceless, marble statue is being presented to a crowd, when the Human Torch flies through it, melting the marble down. I don’t know how it melts, I thought marble cracked. In the middle of a large city, Mr. Fantastic’s arm reaches through the window of a power plant. He pulls a switch, and the entire city is powerless. The four meet up to reveal that they are shapeshifting aliens named Skrulls who have taken on the appearance of the Fantastic Four in preparation for an alien invasion.
The earth, or at least the United States, are now set even more against the Fantastic Four who have been vacationing in a cabin. They hear the news on the radio, and after a recount of their origin, the military arrive. They surround the cabin, forcing the Fantastic Four to come out, who then become their prisoners. The army isolates them in separate cells designed to counteract each of their powers. However, when two guards come to feed Invisible Girl they don’t count on her going invisible, and she slips right by them, leaving them confused. Human Torch manages to burn his way out of the air duct of his asbestos coated cell. The Thing smashes the steel wall of his cell enough that it all shatters. Mr. Fantastic finds a loose rivet in the door to his cell, and uses his stretching powers to squeeze his body through it. The Fantastic Four escape the army base and hide in one of their many safe houses.
In order to draw the Skrulls out, the Human Torch decides he will sabotage a rocket launch. His plan works, and the Skrulls whisk him away to their lair, thinking he is their false Human Torch. When they reach the building the Skrulls are hiding out in, they see that they have taken the real Human Torch. He fires a flare out the window to signal the rest of his team, before the Skrulls can attack him. As their battle commences, Thing smashes through a wall and Mr. Fantastic appears through a window, saving Johnny from getting shot by one of the Skrulls. Reed grabs the gun, and holds the Skrulls at bay with it, while Thing wants to simply smash them all for making them outcasts. They calm Thing down, and make the Skrulls reveal their plan.
Mr. Fantastic decides that they will pose as the Skrulls and board their ship waiting in space to make the fleet leave. They enter a ship concealed as a water tower and blast off to the mother ship. Aboard the ship, posed as the Skrulls still on earth, Reed convinces the Skrull general that earth is too dangerous for them to invade. He shows the Skrull clippings from Journey Into Mystery and Strange Tales of giant monsters and ants “I pray he doesn’t suspect that they’re actually clipped from “Strange Tales” and “Journey Into Mystery”!” Reed tells him that they will remain behind to remove all evidence of the Skrulls invasion from earth. The Skrull general gives him a medal for his supposed sacrifice.
They fly water tower ship back down to earth. As they do, they pass through the cosmic rays that gave them their powers. This forces Thing to change back into Ben. When they land, the police have caught up with them. Ben happily notices his change back into his human form, but it doesn’t last long, and he quickly changes back into the rocky monster. The police chief  tells them that they are all under arrest, but Reed promises he can clear their names if they follow his group.
The Fantastic Four have the officers follow them to the building that they fought the Skrulls in. The 3 remaining Skrulls burst out and have another big fight with the cops and the Fantastic Four. Reed decides that the only thing they can do with the Skrulls his hypnotize them, which the Skrulls agree to “We hate being Skrulls! We’d rather be anything else!” Reed hypnotizes them into cows, to live rest of their lives as cattle on a farm.

Bearings

• The Fantastic Four will appear again in Fantastic Four #3

• The Skrulls will appear again in Fantastic Four #18

Notes/Observations/Thoughts

• We understand in this issue a bit more why Reed is the leader of the team. Where Johnny and Ben's plans to beat the Skrulls involve just beating on the ones that have landed, his is much more strategic to make all of the Skrulls fear earth with their giant ants and mining satellites and whatnot.

• Johnny shouts "Flame on!" for the first time in this issue during the team's second battle with the Skrulls.

• Thing's first transformation into Ben Grimm starts here, a situation we will see many, many times.

• Sue doesn't do very much this issue except tripping a Skrull, and just trying to keep everyone, mainly Thing, calm while they are hunted by the army.

• Johnny and Thing have their first petty argument, setting up the foundation of their relationship.

• We see the impact of having such super powered beings on the planet. The army has made special prisons just for the Fantastic Four. They don't work very well, but they are adapting to the change.

• For some reason, Reed thought they were going to Mars when he retells their origin.

Quotes

• "No wonder our leaders dare not invade earth until the Fantastic Four are stopped!" -Skrull Invader

• "Never in our history has there been so noble a deed! Take this highest award of your bravery" -Skrull General

• "Mooo!!" -Skrull Invader

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