The New Fantastic Four!

 

OR: "Enter... Wonder Wizard!"


If you were one of those readers who knew of the inventive genius of the Wizard mostly from his attempts to defeat the Human Torch, you were likely taken aback by the makeover he received in both costume and a greater emphasis on his anti-grav technology when he assumed a new role as the leader of the Frightful Four. But once the original lineup of "the evil F.F." had run its course, you probably found yourself equally surprised when the Wizard, courtesy of writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, finally made it into the big leagues as a super-villain in his own right--and all because of a pair of "wondrous" gloves which made him a match for the entire Fantastic Four.

At least that's what we're left to assume at first glance, given that the Wizard doesn't exactly put his gloves through a gamut of testing here in his lab before taking off for the Baxter Building (though now being able to down the Thing with one punch goes a long way towards instilling confidence). But when the Wizard reaches his foes, he indeed makes an impressive showing of his gloves' offensive and defensive capabilities, while having the good fortune of catching the team while two of its members are indisposed--nor does Reed Richards help the situation by overlooking an entry point in their roof that it seems anyone can just slip through without triggering a single alarm.

Describing the Wizard as a powerhouse is a fair assessment at this point, having successfully carried out his attack against the FF and poised to deliver the coup de grâce. But the Torch, rejoining the fight, goes on to maneuver his foe into dropping into a giant centrifuge tank which renders him unconscious, long enough to nullify his threat by removing his multi-powered gloves. Unfortunately, the Torch stops short of securing the Wizard for captivity--and he leaves as unhindered as he arrived.

Having taken the FF's measure, the Wizard remains free to fight another day--but by the time he returns, the FF will have restored their ranks in a historic issue that sees the team induct their first replacement!

Between the issue's cover and page one, it's clear that a decision was made to have Crystal stand out a little more on the former by coloring her costume in the same hue as displayed in her previous appearances--either that, or as a way to add an element of surprise to what the reader would see of her once the cover had been turned, given that the previous issue had offered only an inkling of what content the next issue would present:

As for the choice of Crystal, she seemed a natural fit, given that she was already hanging with the team while in a relationship with Johnny Storm and, as an Inhuman, possessed powers of her own, advantages that she's quick to mention in her understandably enthusiastic pitch to Reed Richards.

One can appreciate the balancing act which Lee would have had to walk in the two years that Crystal was with the team, though technically the duration of her formal status as the Invisible Girl's replacement was only for a period of six months. It's fair to say that Crystal was arguably more valuable to the FF in the field; since she was neither a wife nor a mother, Lee spared her the restrictions he heaped upon Sue Richards in terms of tempering her assertiveness with reticence and instead allowing Crystal to take her place in the team's charge rather than have anyone voicing concerns about her staying out of harm's way. Perhaps the real problem with Crystal was the fact that rather than having her stand down as a fifth FF member following Sue's return, Lee had her continue as part of the team while assigning Sue's primary role to that of motherhood and other domestic matters, thereby giving Lee some breathing room as far as how Sue would operate on the team once her son had at least reached the toddler stage. As far as frustrated readers who might have wished to see Sue's continued growth in the FF not put on hold, there may have been little else Lee could have done to alleviate the situation.

For now, however, the rest of the FF are left to mull over Crystal's request to fill in for Sue--though from the looks of things, her baptism of fire appears to be imminent.

From what we'll see of the Wizard's enhancements to his wonder gloves, his dramatic dialog in regard to how they've been redesigned shouldn't really be taken literally, since it's evident that he's mostly adjusted his tactics rather than actually modifying the gloves to specifically counter the FF's powers. (Seems he did a pretty good job on that front with the original pair.)

Once he lures the FF out of the Baxter Building, the Wizard's confidence and skills admittedly make him a credible threat--in fact, you begin to wonder what need this guy ever had for the Frightful Four.

It's curious that Reed has allowed Crystal to accompany the FF into what is certain to be a battle situation, given his reservations; nevertheless, Lee and Kirby have established the story's momentum in such a way as to fast-track Crystal's installment into the FF, and so her acclimation (as well as Reed's) takes place on the job. Not that the Wizard cares one way or the other--though even he will be taken off guard by her contribution to the team.

From our standpoint, the writing may very well be on the wall for the Wizard, with Crystal's abilities combined with her experience at wielding her power proving to be more than adequate for whatever the Wizard can throw her way. Having lost the initiative, he's savvy enough to realize that retreat is warranted, at least for now; and as for the rest of the FF, note how most of their own efforts in collaring the Wizard could have been duplicated by Crystal herself to prevent his escape--right down to commanding the water he used to elude capture to retrieve him, had she wished.

Needless to say that, in light of her performance, Reed and his two partners are more than pleased to welcome Crystal into the group then and there. As for the Wizard, he's back with the Frightful Four when he next appears, while Lee has demoted the nomenclature of his wonder gloves to something more generic.

Twenty years later, however, when the Wizard becomes part of the Acts Of Vengeance cabal, scripter John Byrne appears to recall the days when the Wizard's wonder gloves made him a threat to be reckoned with, and thus being well suited to dispatch the likes of both Wonder Man and the Vision.

Come on, Wiz--the Vision's powers were so easily dealt with by this point
that a taser could probably have taken him out.