Duel Within Time!

Walt Simonson, to be honest, wasn't one of those Marvel talents whose name on a story guaranteed an automatic purchase for me--yet he reminded me a lot of Jim Starlin, another Marvel notable whose own style of art was unconventional but eye-catching, and whose scripting talent turned out to be first-rate. And so Simonson's name on whatever new project he took a hand in as its writer and/or artist was enough to get my attention and tempt me into at least giving it a look.

Aside from sampling a variety of his work in a number of titles, there were four projects which stood above the rest for me as books that I invested a good deal of time in, just to see what he had in mind for their direction or what he would otherwise bring to their table. Only two of them panned out for me--but two winners out of four made it time well spent as far as I was concerned, while your own mileage may have varied (and if so I hope you'll give your own thoughts on the subject):

Mighty Thor (artist/writer)
1983-1987

Simonson set a high standard with his outstanding work on this book, bringing to Thor and the Asgardians a fresh take on the gods of Asgard who all suddenly sounded and acted considerably less Shakespearean than we were used to, with each character given much more depth than had previously been allowed beyond their unswerving devotion to lord and land. It was nearly four years of incredible reading and compelling, entertaining stories, with Thor himself being more relatable to his readers while being no less a hero.

X-Factor (artist)
1986-1989

X-Factor's concept--former X-Men who used their occupation as mutant hunters as a smokescreen to instead find and rescue persecuted mutants--never seemed practical, given that their very covers instilled in the public the fear and hatred they took advantage of to accomplish their work. The addition of Simonson saw their methods and mission altered somewhat--but writer Louise Simonson's tenure on the book provided little substantive direction and no small amount of confusing, haphazard plotlines and characters, while she was also instrumental in starting the X-titles down the road of crossovers ad nauseam.

The Avengers (writer)
1988-1989

Having the unenviable task of reversing course on the solid direction for the book and its characters that writer Roger Stern had established during his distinctive run on the title, while leaving a new team and direction in place by the time of the book's 300th issue, couldn't have won Simonson many fans among Avengers readers, who probably felt like the rug had been pulled out from under them. And plugging the Fantastic Four into the new lineup was a parting shot that likely had more than a few heads shaking in a mixture of disappointment and bewilderment.

And then, in 1990, Simonson followed the Fantastic Four to their own book as both writer and artist (though others would pick up the art chores on occasion), which frankly was the last place I expected him to set up shop since for whatever reason the FF didn't seem like the type of characters that he could adapt to, as others have discovered. But while there were times when you couldn't see the FF for the guest stars, Simonson offered a nice take on the team that made his two-year run more than passable fare--as good a "placeholder" as any, until Tom DeFalco began his more extensive stay on the book.

For one of his final FF issues, as an example, Simonson pulls out all the stops, as the team arrives in Latveria to rescue Sharon Ventura (a/k/a Ms. Marvel, who came to the team while Reed and Sue were on hiatus) from the clutches of Dr. Doom, though they were initially unaware that she came to Doom of her own free will because of his promise that he could cure her of being the "She-Thing." On their arrival at Castle Doom, the four are separated from each other and taken captive, but Reed surprises Doom by freeing himself from the trap meant to contain him, and Doom offers to face him in a unique contest between them in exchange for the lives of his partners--a duel to the death in the midst of time itself, using devices that Doom purloined during his travels.

Quite a concept--a deadly battle between two of Marvel's most classic foes that will go the distance but might last only a few minutes in real time, or, conceivably, even seconds. And time will indeed run out for one of them--but the "victor" may surprise you!

As the battle plays out, Simonson interweaves its segments with those of the Thing, who has regained consciousness from his earlier engagement with Doom and now fights his way through Doom's sentries in order to not only ascertain the status of Sharon, but also to reach the Torch and the Invisible Woman, imprisoned elsewhere in the castle. To better illustrate for the reader how time is playing out between Reed and Doom vs. what's happening in normal time, Simonson has placed a rectangular clock within the panels featuring the rest of the FF, while a round "teleportational" clock keeps track of the time fragments within which our two time combatants duel backward and forward. Aside from being one of the more interesting battle layouts I've seen in a comic, especially during those moments when the time duel overlaps with normal time, I suppose I'd have to describe it as... well, it's just really cool!

With Reed quick on the uptake, this battle has turned into a true contest, more of one than Doom perhaps expected--but, as with all such clashes with Mr. Fantastic, the greater the struggle his foe offers, the more satisfying Doom will consider his inevitable victory to be. And along with the Thing's bruising fight with a Doom robot that meets him blow for blow and then some, Simonson heightens the tension and makes it clear that the FF's fight with Doom involves more than just Doom's one-on-one battle with his longtime rival--while also cleverly factoring in Reed's penchant for thinking ahead, using his circumstances to give his best friend the opportunity he needed to deal with his own opponent.

You'll also notice that the baiting and one-upmanship between these two is on full display, with both Doom and Reed giving as good as they get in that respect but each still capable of making mistakes and knowing they can't relax their guard when it comes to the other. If we didn't know better, it would almost seem as if both men are enjoying themselves; but their match remains a deadly one, its intensity still at a fever pitch and a single careless oversight still capable of tipping it either way.

By this time (heh, get it?), the Thing has freed Johnny and Sue from captivity--and with Ben's assurances that Reed is doing well in his bizarre battle with Doom, the three head back to where Ben left Sharon in order to see to her welfare. Unknown to anyone, however, is that the bureaucracy of bureaucracies known as the Time Variance Authority has turned its scrutinous gaze on the multiple time jumps that are taking place in our split-second duel at Castle Doom.

The TVA would later figure prominently in the 1992 "Timequake" arc featured in the second volume of What If--but by 1986, Simonson has already had the agency (and its enforcer, Justice Peace) take part in one of his Thor stories before making use of them in this tale. Here, as then, it's hard to know what to make of the TVA, as tongue-in-cheek as its operations appear to be during their dealings with others--but as we'll see, Doom takes them seriously, which is a good enough indication that we should, as well.

Meanwhile, what of our combatants? Thanks to Reed paying a visit to Doom's armory, he's not only better able to defend himself against Doom's weaponry but capable of putting Doom on the defensive--yet their battle remains evenly matched, with Doom still confident of his own triumph. Both men are taken by surprise, however, when their battle unexpectedly spills out into normal time, as we see the first sign that the TVA has intervened; yet Reed doesn't miss the opportunity to take advantage of the change in circumstances and use his own fantastic powers to bring an end to this fight.

Neither Doom nor the FF realize it just yet, but they've all suddenly fallen under the "jurisdiction" of the TVA, whose agents (including Justice Peace) now swoop in and assume their authority over what they consider to be perpetrators. To Doom, however, their intervention is an outrage--and in an example of how well Simonson handles this classic character, Doom quickly moves to reestablish his control over the situation and, more importantly, to punish those who have had the effrontery to intrude on his affairs.

But law enforcers have their own standards--and for Doom's rash actions, there is only one response.

(What's really disturbing about this scene is that Justice Peace's argument for sacrificing his own men in order to carry out Doom's execution makes sense.)

As for the Fantastic Four, they're whisked to an uncertain fate, as they face the prospect of the Time Variance Authority throwing the book at them. And Doom? Justice Peace knows his business--and you can be sure that Dr. Doom has unequivocally met his end, at long last.

In a manner of speaking.

A tragic end for a little boy who had been taken under Doom's wing and was thus set on the path to his own damnation. As for the real Doom, he's out of the crosshairs of the TVA for the, er, time being--unlike the Fantastic Four, who have been remanded into the agency's custody and must now answer for their crimes. The wheels of justice turn strangely, indeed.

NEXT:

The Time Variance Authority, revealed!

Fantastic Four #352 Script and Art: Walter Simonson Letterer: Bill Oakley