Fantastic Four #93

Dec 1969

Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

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Story Name:

At the Mercy of Torgo!

Synopsis

Fantastic Four #93 synopsis by Julio Molina-Muscara

Rating:

The Thing is a captive in the Skrulls planet, a slave to fight in a death arena against other powerhouses from around the cosmos for the alien’s amusement. Slaves don’t revolt or the Skrulls would use a Sonic Disrupter apparatus to destroy their home planet. When the Thing turn is up, he faces Torgo, a mighty robotic being with an unbeaten experience in that arena. While the Thing insists on going against his captives, Torgo brings him up to date on how things work there and directs his attacks on the blue-eyed hero.

Meanwhile, Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch and Crystal, aboard a Skrull’s spaceship, find a trail to the alien planet to rescue Ben Grimm.

In the arena, Torgo is about to lay his final blow on the Thing, but hesitates. He cannot murder one who had shown mercy before. Because of his disobedience, the Skrulls prepare the Sonic Disrupter on the worlds of both combatants. Suddenly, Crystal enters the arena and destroys the device with shock waves. After an emotive reunion with his friends who traveled to the galaxies to save him, the Fantastic Four makes their escape. And Torgo frees all other slave powerhouses, no longer fearing they would destroy their planets. They attack their captives soundly!

Ben wishes well to Torgo as the FF flies back to Earth.

Also in this story: Cat-Man, Primitoid.

Review / Commentaries

Fantastic Four #93 Review by Julio Molina-Muscara (June 6, 2020)

COMMENTS:

The Skrulls take the shape and dress like Earth gangsters from the 1920s.

REVIEW:

Two outstanding aspects of this beautiful story by Stan Lee, magnificently drawn by Jack Kirby, a true gallery of powerful dynamic poses by the king of comics.

(a) A story that shows the strength of friendship. People traveling impossible distances and overcoming great ordeals to rescue a friend in need.

(b) This 1969 story has the same foundations of the Planet Hulk saga from almost 4 decades later by Greg Pak (2006-2007): A death arena in an alien world, fighters from different parts of the cosmos, a way for the captors to control their captives and the final liberation of the captives to fight their captors. The Thor: Ragnarok movie (2017) borrowed from both these stories.

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