Fantastic Four #186, 1977 – “Enter: Salem’s Seven”

I’ve been on a Fantastic Four kick lately with my buying/reading habits. Either through “Marvel’s Greatest Comics” or the volume one series itself, Marvel’s First Family has me hooked! Unlike a lot of FF fans, I love the post-Kirby/ pre-Byrne era of the team (even more so than the Byrne run…I know, heresy!). Yeah, you didn’t get much in the overarching plot department, but you did get some very cool and quirky stories from people like Marv Wolfman, or in this case, Len Wein (writer), George Perez (pencils), and Joe Sinnott (inks).

Speaking of the latter of those gentlemen, after looking at several different artist’s work, I think I’m convinced that Sinnott is my favorite inker of all time. His inks are very consistent, and concise, and have worked great with some of the best artists in the industry. Well, without too much prattling, this story gives a look at some of the back-matter of the newly installed and mysterious nanny of Franklin Richards, Agatha Harkness! Her origins were very ambiguous but this issue introduced the Salem Seven, and we were able to pull back the veil and see some of her beginnings!

 

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2 comments

  1. Very much agreed, Billy! Like yourself, I think there were some pretty good Fantastic Four comic books published in the 1970s. Yes, the book was probably treading water somewhat by the start of the 1980s, which is why John Byrne’s run was so well received when it arrived. But it would be a HUGE mistake to ignore everything that came between Jack Kirby departing as penciler / co-plotter on FF #102 and Byrne arriving as writer / artist on #232.

    Back Issue #74 published by TwoMorrows (http://twomorrows.com/) spotlights the Fantastic Four in the Bronze Age. I’m waiting for a physical copy to arrive in the mail, but I already have the digital edition. I skimmed through it, and it’s a great, comprehensive look at that period of the series’ history.

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    • billyd75 · July 15, 2014

      I’ll have to grab that book! Good recommendation!

      Like

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