The Panel That Broke The Fantastic Four

[@LanternMoth]

I love the focus the FF is getting on this channel. So much of the conversation around superheroes nowadays is about power scaling or pure spectacle so I enjoy this channels focus on story and themes

[@Blarmenify]

Yuck... power scaling... barf

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thanks! No slight to others, but isn't it the stories and themes that are more interesting than who can beat someone else up?

[@CorbCorbin]

@@StrangeBrainParts I’ve had hope that the internet discourse, and really those who get 99.9% of their comic knowledge, from Wikipedia and KZbin vids, would stop the arguments about who bests whom, or which characters are the most powerful. Unless all these people are reading from pirated comic sites, there’s just no way they’ve read all these books. Sales show that it’s a very small number, who are buying any comic, digital or physical. I look for sales on collected editions, both physical and digital, as well as take advantage of any free comics, when I need to catch up on a story.

[@FlynnJeux]

Power scaling is a myth and I wish people would create less content about it.

[@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em]

​@@StrangeBrainParts i have a topic i would like to recommed. Everyone always makes fun of how obsessed DC comics is with the concept of the multiverse since Crisis on Infinite Earths, however people often forget there were "crisis" stories before COIE, known as "Crisis on Multiple Earths", which is the name given to pre crisis stories that featured large scale multiversal crossovers, which would happen anually. I think it would be interesting if you made a video on those COME stories and how good or bad they were and how they have aged on the modern landscape of multiverse stories and events.

[@aureliumsol8572]

The Comic's Code Authority was really like showing a pregnant woman is bad, but showing a father shoot his son into a braindead state is A-OK.

[@chonchgarbanzo3192]

Anti natalist j3ws probably

[@ashura9706]

I think the CCA was already weakened when that issue came out. Peak CCA was 50s and 60s, this was 70s.

[@aureliumsol8572]

@@ashura9706 Good point, I actually checked to make sure the comic had the CCA stamp on it, but I didn't check the date. Still, that daicotomy sure is something.

[@timothybarnett1006]

The panel in _Fantastic Four Annual_ #6 towards the end that features the three male members of the FF sat in the waiting room idly demonstrating their powers (Johnny juggles fireballs, Ben ripping up a phone directory & Reed's stretched arm reaching to the floor, his fingers tapping) is one of my favourite Kirby panels with it's effortless storytelling. Such a shame it doesn't include Sue.

[@Sven2andahalf]

The music is back, boys!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

It sure is...for now! As soon as views drop it's gone! I'm kidding, of course. Or am I?

[@TitularHeroine]

​@@StrangeBrainParts Exactly something that a machine intelligence would calculate. 😉

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Hey now! That's too on the nose. :)

[@constantinegarganta8364]

The narrator is in his fantastic four era

[@ogreface8]

Everybody's in their Fantastic Four Era. Ya love to see it 🥲

[@ivanagustinortiz5237]

Just saw the 1994 movie and the documentary about it, so I can confirm, Fantastic Four Era.

[@tigerbread78]

Okay, I understand that pregnancy outside of wedlock would be forbidden by the code at this time, but even a married woman?

[@bluemooninthedaylight8073]

My guess is even hinting at sex. Yikes.

[@therussiancomicbookgeek]

Great video as always bro🤙

[@lofiwire7917]

"Deep Sea Strange" 🤣

[@ryanwilliams7639]

As someone who’s read all the FF up to the end up the Byrne run. I have to say that the title was pretty consistent up until the Byrne run which I say is the run where the FF grew up.

[@stevenfunderburg1623]

Sal Buscema may have penciled the correct reaction beats on Reeds face, but the colorist of Marvels Flagship Title sure can't be bothered to give Franklin a consistent hair color.

[@Sorrelhas]

Playing the algorithm game with that title I see I hope it works, you're my favorite comic book-themed channel

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Gotta play the game. Sadly, being classy doesn't bring in the views. And the algorithm really likes that clickbait stuff. I don't like it, but that's the game.

[@joecab1]

Boy did you pick the perfect panel. I'm all for shaking things up now and then but good lord this was the most depressing period in the FF ever and it felt like it dragged on for years.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

It literally did carry on for years! So that feeling is accurate. :)

[@joecab1]

@@StrangeBrainParts If I wanted to be kind, I'd say the worst of it was Franklin during his comatose state FF 141-150 but like you said all the drama surrounding it took waaaaay longer. (But then Johnny in that red suit took seemingly forever too!)

[@FritziSchnitzel]

Please make a video essay on when John Byrne split Ben & Johnny's friendship over Alicia. In my opinion the writers who followed Byrne never really found a satisfactory way to repair the relationship of Ben and Johnny. It just never felt right after that. Johnny seemed like a selfish creep for having a romance with his best friends ex girlfriend. It felt like the fun family dynamic of the FF was broken permanently after that.

[@jonclark8510]

Great examination of a very long story line. Especially the point about what the artist brings to a page.

[@pablosonic892]

Strange Brain Parts, your copy is hilariously so cheeky in this work. Bloody brilliant, mate

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you very much. I'm glad someone appreciates my dry takes. :)

[@furwerkstudio2057]

Kind of a weird side note you nearly can see the foundation of the Liefeld sneer in most of the art.

[@nocturnum1128]

Great video! I’ve been binge watching your content for a few days now and they never get old. Thank you!!!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thanks for being around and watching! I wish those older videos were of a better quality.

[@TitularHeroine]

The part about Namor being so easily offended was pretty funny, too. 😆😂Living with chronic, yet inconsistent, pain, I see Namor like this: he's an amphibious creature yet much more accustomed to water, so if his environment or sensory stimulus is "wrong", enough of that certainly would make him pissy and irritable. And the reminders of how he tried and failed to cope with that irritant the previous times wouldn't help either. I get ya, Namor: your whole skin wants to rip itself off you and fly to the nearest cold bath!! 😂😂 I'm just indulging in gallows humor now, but isn't it sincerely lovely how flexible allegories can be! And of course, my mind is wandering back to the Namor theme song from the '60's cartoon... Nice. Thanks again for all the solid work. Great stuff.

[@GreenChillZone]

Now I see where Ken Penders got the inspiration to have Knuckles’ dad throw his egg into a chaos microwave.

[@patrickrobles1036]

I’ve been reading comics for just over 40 years, and I’ve not read more than 10 issues of FF but I do appreciate these videos.

[@simonrhoden7869]

I love this era of the FF, I really enjoy your take on story

[@davidrubin2967]

Great episode! I mean they’re ALL great, but I’m rediscovering my love for the FF so this one hit that sweet spot

[@maniezoalex]

I love that the old intro song is back

[@aldinbaroza9640]

Pretty sure it was John Buscema, not Sal. John was the regular FF artist between Kirby and Buckler.

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Doh! I misspoke. I do believe you're correct.

[@ireoluwatuntomiwachimerebe3706]

Sue wasn't seeing Namor during the time of Her and Reed's separation. That issue where Sue declared her " Love" for Namor was the first time in a while that they have interacted. Also a Note: Namor's black suit was created by Reed to help Namor heal when he was injured in his own Comic. Anyway Sue was staying with some friends during her separation and Namor was the one who came to her with a proposal and she didn't make a decision right away cause she fainted and Namor carried her off. And by the time the FF came to her rescue she had woken up and made the decision to stay with Namor. And I think she did this to punish Reed. And Ben didn't gaslight her, He called her out on what she was doing I mean she was allowing Namor to Attack the surface world. And just to be clear it wasn't easy for Reed during their separation cause he was really depressed not to mention filing for a divorce and being with another man and rubbing it on his face. Anyway it turned out it was a Ruse constructed by Medusa and the Inhumans with Namor's help to bring Reed and Sue back together.

[@felya420]

Thank you.

[@josephbarbera9220]

I still have those great books concerning the breaking up of The Richards. Ben Grimm was obviously traumatized by Reed shooting Franklin so it was definitely a cruel act in his mind when Buckler did the flashback! I loved it and it was raw emotion and compelling! My only complaint Manor pretended to take Sue but it would have been far better if he took her for himself but the editors at Marvel chickened out lol. I always felt it would be far better if Sue was with Namor for a few more issues and later going back to Reed. I would have clearly understood Sue have a short fling with Namor until she realize she must forgive Reed and go back to him.

[@Ashguy733]

At the time I believe Namor had lost Lady Dorma and wasn't really interested in exploring relationships, I know the 60s Submariner series teases him with potential love interests after Dorma's death, but he doesn't really pursue anyone, plus he respected that Reed and Sue were together post Wedding in the Lee/Kirby run and stepped back from going after Sue till Heroes Return or was it Reborn.

[@BigPapaJoshy]

Woohoo, the old intro jingle!

[@camilocuba6927]

As much as I dislike modern comics, this little episode in the FF’s history is a good reminder that classic marvel writers didn’t always get it right.

[@3amapplecam]

Loved your commentary here! The comment “Namor is easily offended by everything” gave me a good laugh.

[@oldmanlogan9616]

Crazy stuff

[@RodrigoGarcia-ze5em]

It was a pretty interesting arc.

[@jakepalermo9181]

Thanks for pointing this out. Makes the original Stan Lee eras feel as impactful as they should have been.

[@TitularHeroine]

"Dart of Harkness" had me laughing -- thank you! If they were creating these according to the Marvel Method, then when the Buckler art came back, just a line or two about Reed being angry at *himself** would have gone a long way. And, that that anger stemmed from his fear for his child and frustration at himself for seeing no other solution, and yeah, the whole dilemma is f'ed up. Thanks again!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Tee hee. Glad you liked it. :)

[@The_ConenGifre]

Along with Hellboy and Dragon Ball, Fantastic Four is my favorite comic series. they have a genuinely lovely cast characters. I agree with Mark Waid that the series can do anything from bombastic sci-fi to serious drama and even horror.

[@dumbidea1007]

The fantastic four is that one comic everyone hype but I never got into it when I tried but this make me interested

[@Joey-tm2hb]

Points for 'deep sea strange'.

[@TitularHeroine]

Maybe not a band name but awesome album title

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Or the title of my autobiography.

[@Fr.O.G.]

remember that weird period in the 90s when they put sue in a totally out of character sexy outfit?

[@TitularHeroine]

I want this exact comment on a T-shirt with no art and no other context. 😆

[@vincentimbesi3947]

😬That was a horrible outfit!

[@deathtone1614]

Great video

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you!

[@ashura9706]

IIRC Namor’s invasion was all a plot to get Sue and Reed talking again. I like that he of all people got them back together.

[@_FoxHoleCharlie_]

"Deep sea strange" was not on my 2025 bingo card

[@mohamadsufihaziq1692]

Im curious on what's your thoughts about others/former FF members like She-Hulk, Crystal, Medusa and etc and their dynamic in the team

[@kaksikymmenta3]

I live very near to the Negative Zone.

[@erdood3235]

Yay! More fantastic four!

[@mattfugate]

When I heard “Rich Buckler” I was not surprised that it would be followed by “unfortunately.”

[@The_ConenGifre]

I like Rich Buckler as an artist, sadly he’s a bad storyteller. i’ll defend his black panther artwork thought.

[@DARTH_COMiX]

Let's goo! Sbp at it again

[@LynnHermione]

Sue, girl, you can do better.

[@Ashguy733]

The era between The Lee/Kirby run and Byrne is pretty consistent, certainly has dips for sure, but I genuinely enjoyed quite a bit of it. Yeah there is no definitive proof and the Namor series going along side this doesn't suggest it either tbh. I really dislike the idea that Sue has cheated on Reed within the 616 without any concrete evidence.

[@g.a.2997]

I'm kinda surprised you have touched on fantastic four life story

[@AdahnFlorence]

I'm the fantastic fourth

[@barryvercueil2346]

Enjoying the series of FF storylines. Great perspective. Cheers

[@Galvatronover]

1:03

[@notmyname5591]

Nice

[@tedmiller1376]

An interesting period for the book. I'm sure it contributed to the development, much later, that put Reed on the spectrum. At the time writers were thinking Reed's objectivity allowed him to do what was needed. But theory is one thing, and blasting any kid (much less your own) suggests something wrong emotionally. So we eventually got versions of Reed who go sociopathic across the multiverse. It goes against every Reed covered in the first run of What If? as well as Reed alternates from the main FF book, but writers have to add their own stamps, I guess. That's John Buscema's art, not Sal's. Sue kind of looks like something Sal would do, but the brother isn't credited with it anywhere.

[@juniorjames7076]

What I now find interesting is how, Charles Schulz admitted his personal life and crisis' influenced this Peanuts stories (Charlie Brown's crush on the Little Red Haired Girl was based Schulz' affair with his red haired secretary), and Spielberg admits that Indy Temple of Doom was dark because he was going through a dark time in his marriage). So I can only imagine what Stan Lee (and the other Boomer writers at Marvel) was going thru in his personal life and the society in the late 1960s to inspire such stories.

[@teixeiradasilva6299]

good God!

[@tompuce84]

[@____2080_____]

I was deep into my comic book collection when these issues came out 0:28 Then I realize that comic books back then cost $.35 and this was the 1970s 🫨

[@pablosonic892]

Rich Buckler didn't know how to articulate white people. Oddly, anyone out the Negative Zone, spot on. I got friends from there. I know Zone bros. Buckler remembers the neighborhood. Yo Rich B!

[@pablosonic892]

Reed's a hero.

[@aaronwilder2775]

Wait, Reed lost his powers at some point?!?!

[@StrangeBrainParts]

He sure did. And the FF broke up because of it. They literally went their separate ways.

[@aaronwilder2775]

@@StrangeBrainParts could you make a video about that?

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Consider it in the works.

[@aaronwilder2775]

@StrangeBrainParts awesome, I love your videos man

[@StrangeBrainParts]

Thank you very much!

[@stevenfunderburg1623]

Strange Brain is First Family obsessed 🤘 Remember, the most disturbing and accurate version of Reed is the Venture Bros version.

[@ireoluwatuntomiwachimerebe3706]

No that's a parody for crying out loud

[@stevenfunderburg1623]

​@@ireoluwatuntomiwachimerebe3706 But is it? IIIIIIIIISSSS IT? 😉😂🤣🤣

[@erdood3235]

Second

[@metalfightxiggy]

first :3