Fantastic Four Annual #11 (Marvel/1976)

Fantastic Four Annual #11 (Marvel)

Roy Thomas (w) John Buscema (a)

The Fantastic Four were and should be Marvel Comics "first family" however despite their comic book being the place the Marvel Universe was created and grown the FF no longer have a comic book. Sad times indeed. However there remain plenty of back issues, including Annuals to collect and this was one (of many) that I hadn't got or read before.

In this story penned by Roy Thomas and pencilled by John Buscema the Fantastic Four realise they have to travel into the past to recover a vibranium tube accidently lost through their bootlegged copy of Doctor Doom's Time Platform. I suppose the sudden appearance of half a dozen Nazi Stormtroopers in the Baxter building was a bit of a clue

The appearance of a silent and brooding Watcher persuades them they must not fail as Reed Richards peers into the past and sees that World War Two was still raging in 1946 and both London and Moscow were under the Nazi jackboot.

 The four materialise in a room containing Marvel's WWII superhero team, The Invaders consisting of Captain America, the Sub-Mariner, Human torch and the sidekicks Bucky and Toro. With the inevitable misunderstanding and punch-up between the two team over, the FF and the Invaders head to Baron Nemo's castle in the Reich to recover the time lost vibranium.

Success seems achieved after a battle but the FF return with only half the vibranium. Alone in the Time Travel room Ben Grimm muses about the fate of that piece they left behind. With the Watcher appearing yet again Grimm jumps into the breach where the story will be continued in Marvel Two-In-One Annual #1.

Sigh. I suppose I'll have to track down a copy of this now......