The Menace of the Miracle Man!
So this is finally where Lee and Kirby throw their gloves down and quit pretending that these guys (and gal!) weren’t anything but Superheroes. Showered with an assortment of gifts, the Four are given their famous costumes (which the Thing promptly rids himself of), their Fantasti-Car and of course we’re treated to a great drawing of their HQ.
So an important issue for sure, but one that still finds itself lacking in the story-telling department. Aside from the gradual development of the characters which continues here (particularly amusing are Torch and Ben Grim’s interactions, and Grim’s more solemn self-reflections thus far unheard of in these kinds of comics), the central plot involving the lacklustre Miracle Man isn’t as strong as previous antagonistic ploys.
With that said however, it’s the characters that shine here and in turn that’s what will hold reader’s attentions for decades—it’s a subtle shift, but one large enough to change the face of comic books to the point where the characters themselves would be the focus of a writers’ imagination, rather than who or what they could stop from taking over the world that month, and with what toy at their disposal.
