"A Blind Man Shall Lead Them!"

From mid-1965 comes a classic Fantastic Four tale that has long been an all-time favorite of mine and is well overdue for a write-up at the PPC. The story finds our heroes at their lowest ebb--recently defeated by the Frightful Four, their unconscious bodies are fished out of the ocean by the crew of a U.S. Navy submarine. But their condition is far more serious than what their initial diagnosis indicates.

Returning to their lab in New York, the foursome undertake a project meant to protect them from any enemies bent on revenge, should word get out of how vulnerable they have become: a way to artificially duplicate their powers through technological means. For once, Sue Storm's usual misgivings of hopelessness and a course of action having little chance of success might indeed apply to their situation.

Meanwhile, their deadliest enemy prepares to strike anew, after a casual encounter with his court magician allows him to recover from a plan conceived by Reed Richards which led him to believe that he had been victorious in his last encounter with the Fantastic Four.*

*A misaccounting of the climactic scene to Fantastic Four Annual #2 by writer Stan Lee, altered here to indicate that Doom was placed under hypnosis by Reed--when in fact, Doom was defeated through scientific means, by ingesting the same drug he had covertly used on the FF to induce hallucination. The drug caused Doom to see the result he wanted to see following his "duel" with Reed--that he prevailed in their contest, which ended with Reed being exiled to a nameless limbo dimension. Of course, either way, it looks like our hapless magician is out of luck as far as receiving Doom's gratitude.

And so, with Doom on the way, the Fantastic Four will soon be facing the most dire battle of their lives--and a blind man shall lead them!

As for how Daredevil enters the picture, attorney Matt Murdock answers a call from Reed to meet the team at a warehouse where they've relocated to begin working with their stopgap equipment, in order to confirm last-minute legal arrangements for their affairs should the unforeseen happen. Being blind, of course, there's no chance of Murdock leaking word of their condition, even if he wanted to; but unfortunately for the FF, their fears are soon realized, as Doom makes his move.

It's unclear (at least from the story's circumstances) why the FF would remove themselves from the reasonably secure environment of their headquarters and instead decide to conduct their tests at a site located a considerable distance from the Baxter Building, particularly if they were concerned about privacy and vulnerability. The outdoor area where Murdock meets them is within site of several buildings overlooking them; in addition, Doom has obviously located them and yet, incredibly, we'll see he's taken no notice of their current state.

Still, there's no denying the power of the scene that follows, which serves to size up for the reader the deadly situation facing the FF. We also apparently learn that Daredevil is empathic.

(As a comic book reader, come on, say it with me: Doom's projected marquee is just a brilliant touch.)

Having commandeered Reed's stockpile of devices and equipment at the Baxter Building, Doom's attack on the FF takes the form of various inventions launched against them--even the Fantasti-Car, which Daredevil helps them outmaneuver at close quarters, as well as a vortex machine, which Reed fortunately knows how to disperse.

Initially, everyone had moved deeper into the warehouse in an effort to avoid Doom's strikes; but eventually, Reed gives the order to separate and head back to the Baxter Building from different directions in order to avoid being one big stationary target. What he doesn't realize is that Doom's attention has now been focused on a clue to the FF's inexplicable behavior that's been right in front of him all along.

And so we pick up Part 2 of this tale, as three of the FF arrive at the Baxter Building--and since Sue has already announced on the way over how hopeless their plight seems, there's nothing to do but to plunge right into the lion's den. (And no, I don't know why the FF's landlord would have given Reed the green light to install bolts of electrical force in the building's lobby. Maybe as a deterrent for anyone trying to skip out on their rent?)

Several stories above, Daredevil is also in the line of fire, after confronting Doom himself and discovering that his foe may have caught him by surprise rather than the other way around.

Daredevil gives a good accounting of himself, using his heightened senses and reflexes to outmaneuver the deadly devices that Doom sends his way. But aside from attempting to capture Doom, DD is also providing a valuable service to the FF in the form of a distraction--buying them time to make their way to the tower.

But Doom has yet to enter into combat with DD personally, instead relying on Reed's devices to engage his foe--leaving him time enough to split his attention between DD's assault and keeping tabs on the FF. Which under the circumstances probably feels to the FF as if someone keeps walking over their grave.

It bears mentioning that Reed's building defenses are dispensing deadly force, which was almost unthinkable to see a hero even consider in Marvel's '60s stories. Perhaps this experience gave Reed food for thought, given that we haven't seen these defenses in play since, on those occasions when other attackers have invaded FF headquarters.  They particularly might have come in handy when dealing with the Atlanteans whenever they've occupied New York and stopped by the Baxter Building to neutralize the FF.

And speaking of being neutralized, Doom is demonstrating what a multitasker he is by not continuing to monitor the FF, but turning to crush Daredevil when the Man Without Fear makes the mistake of grappling with his armored foe.

But help is on the way, as we've reached the point in the story where Lee and Kirby take the gloves off and turn things around for the FF. Yet even with the arrival of Ben and Johnny to take the heat off Daredevil, you can only wonder how much headway they'll make against Doom, if any--but in one dramatic moment, that all changes.

It's to Doom's credit, however, that he has no intention of retreating from the FF; on the contrary, this battle is still in full swing, and the tension is only going to be ramped up from here. As Daredevil pointed out earlier, should the FF regain their powers, the battle between them and Doom will be something to talk about for years--an astute bit of writing on Lee's part to influence the reader's enjoyment of the issue, but also an accurate gauge of where things currently stand, given how desperate this battle has become and with the outcome by no means certain.

But with the momentum now with the FF's offensive, Doom realizes that he must regain it--and in one swift move, the tide again turns in his favor, as he disables all of his foes at a stroke.

Good grief, Reed--you installed a deadly freezing unit into the floor? Assuming they make it out of this battle alive, his three partners will want to think about clearing out of the Baxter Building, because Reed Richards has built a death trap!

But Doom isn't finished yet, as Reed knows. Moving off to regroup, it's revealed that Doom has proceeded to arm a deadly explosive which will destroy New York (yes, that's right, Reed even stores nukes in the building!)--and though the FF aren't yet aware of the scope of Doom's plan, they know that they'll need their full strength to put an end to this fight. And so Kirby unleashes one last dramatic set of panels which display a sacrifice that, tragically, wasn't even made by choice.

The fallout from Reed's decision is yet to come; but for now, the Thing directs his rage at Doom, and the resistance that Doom gives is no match for one who has been driven to end his enemy's threat with extreme prejudice.

"...we're not murderers!" So you say, Mr. "Elevator of Death."

It's now, of course, that Doom withdraws, decisively beaten and with no small amount of damage to his ego. But the battle ends on a sour note for the FF as well, when the Thing, bitter at what seems to be his fate forever and the real victim here, announces he's leaving the team--a decision that will send him into the manipulative arms of the Frightful Four.

But--wait a minute! Haven't we forgotten something?

"Jeez!", you're probably thinking--"Is the PPC trying to gyp us here? Where's the fight??"

Fear not!  You can see the Thing's clash with Doom in a separate post.

(And wait 'til you see who's calling the play-by-play!)

Fantastic Four #s 39-40 Script: Stan Lee Pencils: Jack Kirby Inks: Frank Giacoia and Vince Colletta Letterer: Artie Simek