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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
Memory is a funny thing, isn't it? I know I read a SPIDER-MAN story (his first encounter with The CHAMELEON) in an earlier issue of POW! at school one day (brought in by a classmate) but it may not have been until after I'd acquired this issue, which would make this comic the first time I'd seen Spidey.
If that's the case, it was doubtless the diabolical DOCTOR DOOM's mention of The FANTASTIC FOUR which made me peruse through the periodical's pages in the newsagent's and, seeing SUSAN STORM (on whom I had a crush), prompted me to ask my mother to buy it for me. Or, of course, I may just have read them in their published sequence, and old age now prevents me from being able to recall with certainty.
Regardless, we were calling in to my grandparents' flat that day (which means it was either after school or on a Saturday), and this was another issue that I read while perched on their itchy red bed-settee (see, some things I don't forget), of which regular readers may remember me mentioning several times before.
However, you don't care about any of the personal details I associate with this comic (you'll no doubt have your own), all you're here for is to gawp at this great STEVE DITKO illustration, and his interpretation of the good ol', bad ol' Monarch of LATVERIA. (Why do I always think of the word 'Lavatory' when I see the name of VICTOR's homeland?)
Anyway, I just love this cover and thought that perhaps you might too. If so, feel free to recount your own ruminating reminiscences of this collectors' item classic in our captivating comments section.
4 comments:
There's something that strikes me about Doom's face on that cover, the way the eyes are drawn, and the black space of Doom's mouth seems almost moustache-shaped...
It kinda looks a little like Stan Lee to me. I'm 100% sure this is just my dodgy eyesight seeing something that isn't there, and am not implying that it was intentional by Mr Ditko!
D'you know, DS, I could never work out what was going on with Doom's mouth, regardless of whoever was drawing him. It looked like a mechanical piece with no human mouth or jaw behind it. I'm got a Doom figure which is almost the double of that Ditko Doom look. I think it was J. Jonah Jameson who was meant to be Stan Lee, although I don't think Stan ever realised it.
Surely by that time the Fantastic Four *had* stopped Doom - possibly more than once.
A Head Of State telling porkies? Nah, couldn't happen...
Well, there he is, still up to his no-goodnick behaviour, BS, so I suppose in that sense, the FF hadn't really stopped him - not if he's still misbehaving. And remember, Doom is an egotist - he wouldn't be able to admit the FF had 'stopped' him - even if they had. And when you think about it, all the FF ever really did was 'delay' him in his plans for world conquest, not 'stop' him trying.
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