Fantastic Four (1961 series) #46

The Fantastic Four have run across a hidden family of super-powered Inhumans in New York, 1 of whom was Medusa of the Frightful Four. They didn't like being discovered and attacked our heroes last issue in some ruins. And in the last panel their leader Black Bolt showed up.

BB is now attacking the team, in particular 1 blow from his fist topples Thing. He then dodges Human Torch sending him melting through a wall. Thing is back up and going toe-to-toe with the foe who shows agility as well as strength to flip Ben Grimm over his head. Mr Fantastic has been hanging back analysing Bolt's abilities and has deduced that the antenna on the man's forehead is absorbing energy from the electrons around him, so Thing decides to target *that*. Invisible Girl is worried about her brother and Reed Richards notices steam rising from behind the wall Johnny Storm burned through. They investigate and find him unconscious with his flame doused. Then they are attacked by Triton who accuses them of exposing his people's whereabouts to someone called the Seeker who they've been hiding from for years. MrF fights back and finds that the 'cloak' surrounding his foe is a bag containing water, and Triton is exposed as a water-dweller who now has to run for the harbour to save his life. But once underwater he's captured by the Seeker.

A strawberry blonde girl in an ordinary dress rather than a super-costume runs past the duo demanding to know what they've done to Triton. She's Crystal, the girl Johnny Storm met in #44. Karnak karate attacks them but Sue Richards protect herself and her husband with her forcefield. The Inhuman repeats his claim to be able to find the weak spot in anything, even a forcefield. Gorgon is still dragging Medusa around by the wrist (the 1st sign of the Inhumans was in #44 when he came to capture her) but he uses a seismic shock from his foot to send IG's force bubble up into the air.

We at last see the Seeker with several anonymously-garbed minions invading the FF HQ in the Baxter Building. It is confirmed that they've captured Triton but the boss has heard about Dragon Man and assumes it's an Inhuman too. It's still tranquilised so they apply electrically-charged beryllium steel clamps to its wrists. Seeker signals to his flying cargo carrier and crystallises part of an outer wall so that he can shatter it with his Universal Control Rod. DM is then transferred to the carrier and Seeker converts his Control Rod into a small flying platform and enters the craft.

Meanwhile Black Bolt and Thing are still fighting, but Ben finds it weird fighting someone who doesn't speak. The costume wings below BB's arms help him to evade some of Thing's blows and Ben is beginning to admire his skill but he does get 1 solid punch in. He suggests they stop fighting and let Reed talk things out, but the Inhuman leaps back into the fray. Karnak countersuggests that his leader use his 'master blow'. Black Bolt does a swift karate chop to Ben's chest and Thing collapses.

But BB's antenna starts flickering and K realises his electron charge must be exhausted. So he throws his staggering leader across his back and calls for Lockjaw. The dog appears through a hole in space. Thing steps forward to stop the Inhumans escaping but Lockjaw picks up a steel girder in his jaw and uses it to pin Ben against a wall. Thing tries to take the girder off him and discovers why the dog got his name.

Meanwhile Johnny has dried off enough to flame on. Human Torch is back on the scene and he quickly melts the girder. The dog follows Karnak around a corner to where they see Gorgon still keeping hold of Medusa while his foot stamping keeps IG's forcefield up in the air. But she's refashioned the base of it into a cushion for her and MrF to recline on. G blames M for the FF discovering them because she went out into the human world. (Actually it was him coming after her plus Crystal inviting HT home that did it.)

Then Crystal comes to tell them that Triton really has gone missing, and Gorgon (correctly as it happens) assumes the Seeker got him. With Black Bolt out of action they decide to use Lockjaw's teleportation ability to get away. Johnny's desperately trying to find Crystal (who he's fallen instantly in love with over the last 2 issues) and sees them go. Crystal says she wants to stay with him and Medusa begs them to let her live like a human, but Gorgon is adamant and they disappear.

Johnny bemoans the fact that he'll never see her again but Reed says he's going to track them down for the safety of humanity, and find out what this is all about. They return home on Reed's newly-invented (last issue) Airjet Cycle and fly in through the big hole the Seeker made to find Dragon Man missing. Reed checks back on the automatic TV recorder which shows what happened in the room earlier. Seeker's individual 'heat particle' trail has also been recorded and another device of Reed's will enable them to follow it.

Seeker is in his base telling Triton he's going to take all of them back to the Great Refuge. Triton protests that they want to be free but Seeker declares that treason and has the globe of water containing T suffused with the Fluid Of Darkness. Meanwhile his minions have examined the unconscious DM and discovered that it's not an Inhuman but an android so S orders it 'disposed of'. A minion says he thinks their weapons can't harm it so S says they can just release it to the human world.

At that point the FF arrive at the strange building on their Cycle but are detected and sucked inside to where they're menaced by minions with guns. Seeker assumes they've come for Dragon Man and tells them they can have him. He explains how it's his job to return escaped Inhumans to the Great Refuge, and he mistakenly thought DM was 1. He also gives them a potted history of the Inhumans. They were a mighty civilisation in prehistoric times when dinosaurs roamed (at least we see them hunting something that looks dinosaurish) and humans cowered in caves. They were masters of genetics and gave each Inhuman an individual superpower. But they remained few and over the centuries humans multiplied and made weapons to attack them with. So they built the Great Refuge to shelter in safely. He says that Black Bolt and the others are 1 of the oldest Inhuman families and must *always* stay together. He refuses to tell them where the GR is.

Just then Dragon Man wakes up and doesn't like being shackled. He gets very angry and breaks his bonds and the minions can't stop him. He accidentally smashes Triton's globe and leaves him dying without water to breathe. Then he breaks out of the building to terrorise New York.

To be continued.