Fantastic Four #242 (1982)
by John Byrne
There’s only one place where it makes sense to conclude the chronology of Galactus, for several reasons.
This marks the conclusion of his worst period: sure there will be the occasional bad Galactus story, but for the most part he’s treated with respect and gravitas.
It’s also the beginning of several VERY good appearances, both on Fantastic Four and on the Silver Surfer series… and analyzing both would take way too much time.
But I have a personal reason for keeping this the cutoff point.
Because in 1989, this was one of the earliest comics I bought the Italian translation of.
Remember when for the sixth anniversary of the site I reviewed the comics I bought before I became a regular reader? I left two issues of the Fantastic Four book out specifically because I knew I was going to talk about them in THIS retrospective.
That’s right: I occasionally plan things in advance!
Fantastici Quattro #14 (1989)
Published by: Star Comics
Yet another level of significance was that this was this was my only second exposure to Galactus, following the stories I also reviewed for an anniversary.
The book also included Daredevil #180, half of Incredible Hulk #261 and half of #262.
I don’t have a particular attachment to either and there’s already a lot to talk about, so at least for now we’ll leave those alone.
Once again I do have to praise Star Comics for their dedication to continuity and explaining everything that happened in stories they either didn’t have the rights to or that had been published several years earlier.
For example, since the previous Terrax appearances were on Dazzler and Rom which were not translated (in fact I don’t think either series has ever been translated), they included a few bullet points. They also included the exact publishing detail of the original issues, which previous editors barely ever did.
And keep in mind that this is considerably LESS information that they would provide on later issues!!!
But enough with the introduction and let’s continue with the story.
We begin with Terrax approaching Earth, looking as cool as he’ll ever do.
Nobody has ever drawn Terrax better than John Byrne, in my opinion with Mark Bagley coming second and Ron Lim a rather distant third.
It’s explicitly a week after New Year’s Eve, and the Fantastic Four have to deal with one of the most down-to-earth problems they’ll ever face.
As a kid, I could not understand why this would make this Susan upset: it’s the coolest Christmas tree ever!!!
37 years later… I still don’t get it, this is awesome!
I’m going to skip a lot of this issue because Galactus doesn’t technically show up, but there I one thing I absolutely must mention.
Frankie Raye is currently the fifth member of the Fantastic Four, having received her powers just a few issues earlier.
She doesn’t have the time to dwell on subplots or admire some of the best Byrne artwork he’ll ever pencil, because THIS happens.
That heralds (pun intended) the arrival of Terrax, who thrashes the Fantastic Four Plus One so badly that the top floors of the Baxter Building are destroyed.
He then positions himself on top of something that doesn’t immediately date this comic in the saddest way possible…
…and uses his cosmic powers to LIFT MANHATTAN, as witnessed by several New York heroes.
If you’re wondering why this doesn’t result in the ginormous crater being filled by the Hudson River, it’s because Thor is handling this.
If you wonder about anything else about the logistics of this… keep wondering because the comic won’t address them.
Well except one: the reason why the public doesn’t freak out more is that Invisible Girl (she’s not changed her codename yet) is using her powers to make Terrax’s energy bubble visible.
In fact a bit TOO visible, considering it’s bright white in every direction.
Frankie didn’t get much respect as a de facto member. I know she was extremely recent, but come on. Also she’s a bit awkward to discuss given that at this point she technically doesn’t have a codename.
And we end the issue with Terrax taking the Fantastic Three to deal with Galactus directly.
Unless they help him defeat Big G, he’s going to drop Manhattan from space.
Which, given that this is the Marvel Universe New York, I believe would be the third worst thing to happen to Manhattan this month.
Fantastic Four #243 (1982)
by John Byrne
The idea of Galactus fighting multiple superheroes at once is such a trope that it’s easy to forget it didn’t happen until THIS story.
I extremely disappointed to say that this detail doesn’t happen at any point of the story.
Fantastici Quattro #15 (1989)
Published by: Star Comics
I also had this one.
The book also included ONLY FOUR PAGES of Incredible Hulk #263.
This was incredibly rare for Star Comics, who only cut stories in half for the second backup feature (and they even stopped doing that not long after this point).
That’s because the book also included Daredevil #181, which is longer than usual.
I only need to show one panel to explain why it was a special issue.
This issue is far more representative of the typical Star Comics note page.
The back of the book is an advertisement from two books that would be published the following month: the beginning of a regular series translating Captain America (with backup features of Avengers and Alpha Flight) and an 80-page special for the X-Men, which were about to move from being a Spider-Man backup to having their own regular series.
One last note before we return to the original books for good.
Growing up reading mostly Star Comics translations, I still find it weird just how much advertisement there is in US comics, because IF the translated books had any ads it was typically just for other Star Comics books.
This issue had 64 comic pages with no ads whatsoever. The notes and the letters page were in the inside back cover and the back cover (for now, they would later move to proper pages when the page count increased to 72), helped by the cover being far sturdier than any US comic I’ve ever had.
All for 2000 lire, which in 1989 would have been about 1,55 dollars.
More than the original 60 cents, but given this is 2 full stories, not a bad deal.
Frankie is quite shaken when she learns that Galactus is indeed real.
It’s already hard to believe the public would consider the original trilogy a hoax, but he’s been back MULTIPLE TIMES already and always very much in the public view!I could un
derstand people not believing he’s a planet-eater, but not existing at all?
Johnny… they guy was chosen as an herald specifically BECAUSE he doesn’t care about killing people! Are you sure there’s enough oxygen in your space helmet?
Also: the Thing looks like that because he recently went through a transformation. It’s a long story.
Galactus is, quite understandably, extremely tired of superheroes delaying his lunch.
The only reason why the heroes will have the slightest chance of defeating Galactus is that this time he’s really, REALLY starving.
It’s also the reason why he’s shorter than usual. The next issue will actually make it canon that he shrinks when he doesn’t feed for long.
Terrax is SO impatient that he doesn’t even wait for the Fantastic Four to make their move before he attacks the ship.
Galactus really, really, REALLY has had enough of Terrax.
I can’t stress enough that Galactus is positively STARVING at this point.
And yet he’s STILL powerful enough to teleport Manhattan from orbit to its previous location AND fixing every minute damage done!!!
That’s a relief for Invisible Girl, but Frankie has another fixation now.
If there is one constant about Terrax, is that he really doesn’t know when to quit.
Take a moment to appreciate how upset Galactus must be: this is the ONLY occasion where we see him take back the powers he gave to a herald (except Dazzler, but she was always meant to be a temporary thing).
This is why Terrax will need to be re-powered by Doctor Doom in the storyline that would lead to his first death.
Good thing: Terrax is gone.
Bad thing: Galactus isn’t.
Times Galactus has landed on Earth: 5
And this time he’s not going to waste any time: he immediately recreates the machines that he uses to make the meal more efficient… basically a space blender to squeeze every drop of energy from the planet… and he’s ready to eat.
The appeal to Big G’s former humanity might seem like stylistic flourish, but it’s going to be instrumental.
There’s just barely enough time before dinner to squeeze in a Big Dumb Fight.
Because nobody demanded: Galactus versus the Wasp!!!
This is a formational comic for me and I still cannot believe this actually happened.
I don’t know what’s more amazing: that he didn’t kill her or that he even noticed she was there.
Thor is slightly more successful.
Spider-Man and Daredevil decide they’re going to stay out of this.
And they say Reed Richards is the smart one.
Told you we’d get an explanation for the variations of just how big Galactus is.
And for once this actually DOES sound legit!
Doctor Strange drops by, delivering one of his most impressive feats. Which, considering it’s DOCTOR STRANGE, it’s quite impressive on its own.
We’ll learn shortly how he did that, but Galactus also has to deal with the “ROING” delivered by the Thing .
I know he’s starving, but HOLY CRAP.
Times Galactus has been beaten in a fight: 4
So how did Doctor Strange manage to stagger Galactus that much?
He managed to force Galactus to face the ghosts of EVERYONE HE’S EVER KILLED.
Which would conservatively number in the trillions.
Somewhat famously, this would inspire the moment of the Fantastic Four 90s cartoon (the second season, a.k.a. “the one that doesn’t suck”).
Where Strange’s place would be taken by Ghost Rider, who used the Penance Stare to the same effect.
Where he shows up without explanation and without an introduction, ONE-SHOTS GALACTUS, and just leaves a minute later. Without even getting off his bike!!!
And that WOULD have been the end not just of the chronology, but of Galactus as well if Reed Richards didn’t decide to save his life.
But that’s a story for next time: I had to wait a few years before I was able to track down the issue with the ending, but you’ll have to wait considerably less.
Historical significance: 10/10
The consequences of this issue are far-reaching, and that’s not even counting what’s going to happen in the finale. As mentioned Terrax’s loss of power will lead into the death of Doctor Doom, which itself will lead to his role in the original Secret Wars being warped by a time paradox… which in turn will be instrumental to Doom saving the multiverse in the 2016 Secret Wars.
Silver Age-ness: 4/10
Sure there’s some handwaving for how this has no lasting effects, but still: Terrax lifted Manhattan into space!!!
Does it stand the test of time? 10/10
This might be a combination of nostalgia and my love for the Byrne run, but this is nearly perfect.
You might argue that Susan is sidelined a bit, but considering that its together with what is possibly the most extreme display of power she’s done up to this point of her career, that’s perfectly acceptable. My only possible complain could be that Frankie could’ve used having a larger role, considering how fundamental she’s going to be in the finale… but then again the fact that the others kind of take her for granted will have its own weight there.
It was also a great introduction to Galactus for me. Sure he was great in the Thor comic where I first saw him, but that one didn’t truly sell what a huge deal he’s supposed to be for the heroes.