Fantastic Four (1961 series) #35

The Fantastic Four in the Fantasti-Car are visiting State U, alma mater of Ben Grimm and Reed Richards, where Reed is going to give a lecture. Students flock to see them and Dean Menckin welcomes Reed. They pass Professor Xavier and his student Scott (Summers), Prof X and Cyclops to us, who we mentally overhear came here to check if certain students were mutants - they weren't. They come across Prof Gregson Gilbert who is berated by the Dean for conducting private experiments in term time and we see that he has a giant 'model' of a monster. Gilbert explains that he is a biologist specialising in super-powered beings and he has constructed this powerful creature for research purposes.

Meanwhile in Transylvania 2 woodsmen hear an explosion and see the top blown off a mound. They see the alchemist Diablo rising from the place where the FF imprisoned him (in #30). He gloats that they made the mistake of trapping him with his potions and herbs and he pulls a pellet from his glove which enables him to teleport away to America seeking revenge on our heroes.

At the University Thing helps Gilbert move a huge stone block which he intends to reduce to it basic atomic structure to discover the life force within. Ben bumps into Johnny Storm who's convincing himself that the college girls are ignoring him because they're overawed by his celebrity. They pass a kid who Johnny recognises as Peter Parker, the guy who made a pass at his girlfriend Dorrie Evans (in Amazing Spider-Man #21 which will be released next week). Ben asks him if he knows where Reed Richards is and Peter says he's on the football field. Johnny and Peter exchange insults. Parker says he was thinking of enrolling here, but not if Storm is going to be here too. Our duo find the other 2 at the field where Mr Fantastic is demonstrating intercepting a high ball with his extendible arm. He throws it to Ben and the whole football team pile on Thing but he just picks the whole lot up and runs with them until he bounces off Invisible Girl's forcefield. She turns invisible to escape his anger but spots someone familiar driving past, but loses sight of him.

That man was Esteban de Ablo who presents himself to Prof Gilbert as a fellow scientist and says he has a potion that can bring his inanimate creation to life. Gilbert scoffs but shows him his grey-skinned Dragon Man (with red pants for decency). He describes it as having a mighty tail and wings plus a fire-breathing mouth. Diablo says it will do. While Richards starts to give his lecture to the staff and students assembled outside, Ben wanders off and sees the 2 scientists working on the giant stone block, producing rays which bathe the 'creature'. Thing recognises Diablo but the now-living Dragon Man grabs him. They fight and DM's tail throws Ben out of a window. On the orders of the villain the creature smashes though a wall to fly after Thing.

Everyone outside sees this dragon flying overhead. Reed scientifically deduces this must be the work of Diablo. Johnny flames on and flies after it but Dragon Man's flame superheats him so he has to fly towards space to avoid melting stuff. MrF wraps himself round DM's head so he can't see and IG wraps her forcefield round his wings so he can't fly. The foe falls to the ground with what to Sue sounds like a childlike whimper. She approaches it and strokes its head and it reacts gently towards her. Thing arrives to find the battle apparently over. But then Diablo intervenes with a freezing pellet which takes the 3 heroes out.

When Human Torch gets back he revives his teammates by warming them up before they freeze to death, but Diablo and Dragon Man have gone. Some students tell them that DM is heading for Dead Man's Lake. HT flies there and sees the creature with Diablo and Prof G who's urging the villain to undo what he's done. But D sees only what a weapon the Dragon is.  Torch attacks but D snuffs his flame out with a vacuum pellet. The other 3 arrive and D threatens to kill all 4 with another freeze pellet. But Dragon Man's tail knocks it out of his hand so that it freezes the lake instead. Diablo flees across the ice pursued by DM, and they both fall into the ice-cold lake.

Thing dives in to save them but sees multiple underwater tunnel mouths leading off in all directions. MrF's flexible arm retrieves him. Prof Gilbert swears to remain vigilant here and destroy his creature if it ever returns. Ben and Johnny prepare to leave in the Fantasti-Car but Reed and Sue have gone missing. We see that they've strolled down Memory Lane to the Sweetheart Tree (pruned in the outline of a heart). There Reed finally proposes to his love.