Secret Defenders Interlude: Fantastic Four #374

Fantastic Four #374
“Suddenly … the Secret Defenders”
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Paul Ryan
Inker: Danny Bulanadi
Letterer: Jack Morelli
Colorist: Gina Going
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Released: Jan. 26, 1993

Marvel wasn't just relying on Secret Defenders ads in the pages of “Secret Defenders” to sell the series. Two weeks after the first issue hit the stands, the team that really wasn't a team got a guest appearance in the pages of the title that launched the Marvel age of comics, going head to head against the Fantastic Four.

The roster was a familiar one, picked by Spider-Man rather than Doctor Strange and his subconscious tarot cards. The Human Torch had been ambushed a few issues prior by a group of FF villains, lost control and set a great deal of the Empire State University campus on fire. He went on the run, but with Code Blue, Silver Sable and the Wild Pack and Spidey himself unable to bring the hero in – and no heroic SimCopter pilot to take him down – the wall-crawler enlisted Strange's aid to reassemble the New Fantastic Four.

Spidey was joined by Wolverine, Ghost Rider and the Hulk to replace the FF when they “died,” a terrific story that spanned FF #347-349. I believe this was the first of many issues revisiting that lineup (with a new limited series by Peter David announced for later this year).

Aside from the title, the only real indication of this being a Secret Defenders crossover rather than just the next group taking a crack at the Torch is the narration (“even as these noble defenders of righteousness secretly gather”) and Strange's house of tarot cards. Since Spider-Man already picked the lineup, they're just devices for Strange to get a read on the situation, though when he pulls a card with a cloaked figure signifying “Doom” he apparently forgets this is a Fantastic Four story and can't seem to figure out what or who this card could symbolize.

Surprise – on the eve of an FF anniversary issue, Doctor Doom is playing one of his greatest hits, trying to acquire ultimate power. His target this time is the Watcher and his weapon of choice is shinier, spikier armor that called to my mind the Doom 2099 suit.

Despite Spider-Man meaning well, bringing together a man known for his berserker rages, the worst being at anger management in any universe and a hellfire-spewing spirit of vengeance does not calm down the situation.

The rest of the FF are functioning better, but only slightly. The Invisible Woman has switched to a costume that makes her physical attributes a lot more visible. I know there was an in-story reason for this, but that strategically placed 4 makes me think she's trying to match Power Girl's aesthetic from DC. Mister Fantastic is flabbergasted by that and the whole Johnny-setting-a-college-campus-on-fire situation, while the Thing is avoiding his girlfriend, Sharon Ventura (aka, the second or possibly 39th Ms. Marvel), after she overheard him confessing feelings for his ex, Alicia Masters, who readers learned in the previous year had not married the Torch because she'd been replaced by a Skrull. Plus, little Franklin is having temper tantrums that make his eyes glow and leave even a pre-Kathryn Hahn Agatha Harkness unsettled.

They put those issues temporarily aside when Johnny signals for them as conditions start to go south with the New Secret Four-fenders. Thing goes after Hulk immediately, leaving the Torch to match up with Ghost Rider, Spider-Man pleading with everyone to get along and Reed and Sue tag-teaming against Wolverine while trading icy terms of endearment.

The Invisible Woman stepping to Wolverine displays her new edge better than her airier costume, but Ben Grimm is still Ben Grimm, so he intervenes, slamming Wolverine to the ground when he charges Sue. But Wolverine turns his claws on the Idol o' Millions, severely injuring his face. Even Wolverine is taken aback by his handiwork, giving Thing an opening to punch him into another building.

As the tide seems to be turning in favor of the Secretastic DefendFour, Johnny's ex, Lyja the Lazerfist, aka Faux Alicia Masters, intervenes, much to the dismay of her allies Paibok the Power Skrull and Devos the Devastator. Before the Fantastic Four-Plus can start round two, they're whisked away in a burst of energy, prompting Doc Strange to wonder if they'll ever be seen again (and probably ponder again just what the heck that pesky Doom card could mean).

The story is a great way to bring back the New FF and shine a spotlight on the Secret Defenders title, although it doesn't really give readers who didn't check out the first issue of the new series much insight on how it works. This story and cast easily work without bringing the Secret Defenders concept in at all. But it does get the title out there while giving readers a chance to see superheroes do the only thing they do better than saving the day – beat each other up. The circumstances leading to the fight seem a little out there with the way the various heroes react to one another, but I doubt anybody was buying this issue with the hopes that the Hulk and Torch would sit down and chat amicably about the dangers of losing control and giving into anger. I know I didn't.

I read the FF sporadically leading up to this and an issue or two after, but, as with “Secret Defenders” and CapWolf issues I've written about, this story came out in the heyday of any issue possibly being someone's first. So there's plenty of context clues to give you your bearings without having to have read everything leading up to it, even if you don't know all the specifics.

The first “Fantastic Four” issue I bought was #305, and I drifted in and out for years. While the whole series is something I'd like to read eventually, I've added the missing issues from there to the mid-Onslaught finale to my search list at cons and bargain bins. Re-reading this issue pushed those nostalgia buttons once again.