FF #33:

I thought Stan and Jack were very clever in their use of the Sub-Mariner here. What is this, his 23rd appearance in the series? (Sure seems like it.) At this point, a reader could pretty much write the script himself for what would happen each time Namor bumps into the FF, so Stan and Jack keep it fresh by having absolutely no interaction between them at all. Heck, Namor doesn't even know they're around. Instead, the FF interract only with Lady Dorma, which, after the events in FF Annual #1, we're actually eager to see. (I was especially curious what Sue would have to say to her. Man, was she ever forgiving!)

As for the art, love that Kirby Kollage! I missed commenting on Kirby's first-ever use of that technique last issue, but suffice it to say, now we know we're into the heart of Marvel Age. My son was absolutely flabbergasted by it. As for the regular Kirby/Stone pages: Well, Stone's version of the Thing still rubs me the wrong way (too flat!), but the rest of the issue was top-notch. I loved Attuma's underwater Kirby machinery (part high-tech, part medieval), and Kirby's frequent use of page-wide panels really gave him room to spread out in the action sequences:

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Last month, VisualFiction wondered "does this title get a lot better anytime soon?" Adamantno1 pegged #35, which seems right to me. Next issue is a bit weak, so it's hard to honestly say that the uninterrupted greatness starts here . . . but as Comicsdad says, "this issue rocked."

Oh, and is this the first time we get "Jolly Jack Kirby" in the credit box? (Looks like Artie ran out of room for "Smilin' Stan Lee"--he had to settle for "Smilin' S. Lee," which rather ruins the effect.

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