- "It is time to clobber, is it not?"
- ―Impossible Man
| "Improbable As It May Seem--The Impossible Man Is Back in Town!" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fantastic Four | |
| Title: | "Improbable As It May Seem--The Impossible Man Is Back in Town!" |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 176 |
| Cover price: | .30 |
| Cover date: | November, 1976 |
| Publisher: | Marvel Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Archie Goodwin |
| Writers: | Roy Thomas |
| Pencilers: | George Pérez |
| Inkers: | Joe Sinnott |
| Cover artists: | Jack Kirby |
| Cover inker: | Joe Sinnott |
| Colorists: | Michele W. |
| Letterers: | Joe Rosen |
| Editors: | Roy Thomas |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Fantastic Four #175 |
| Next: | Fantastic Four #177 |
"Improbable As It May Seem--The Impossible Man Is Back in Town!" is the 176th issue of the first Fantastic Four ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The story was written by Roy Thomas with artwork by George Pérez and inks by Joe Sinnott. It was colored by Michele Wolfman and lettered by Joe Rosen. The story was edited by Roy Thomas. This issue shipped with a November, 1976 cover date and carries a cover price of .30 per copy.
Appearances[]
Featured characters
- Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards
- Invisible Girl, Susan Richards
- Human Torch, Johnny Storm
- The Thing, Ben Grimm
Supporting characters
Villains
- Sandman, William Baker (Cameo appearance only)
- Trapster, Peter Petruski (Cameo appearance only)
- Wizard, Bentley Wittman (Cameo appearance only)
Minor characters
- Archie Goodwin
- Billy (African American New Yorker)
- Black Panther, T'Challa (On a poster)
- Conan the Barbarian (On a poster)
- Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange (On a poster)
- George Pérez
- Gerry Conway
- High Evolutionary, Herbert Wyndham (In flashback only)
- Galactus (In flashback only)
- Howard the Duck (On a poster)
- Hulk, Bruce Banner (On a poster)
- Jack Kirby
- Jeremy (Child New Yorker)
- Joe Sinnott
- John Verpoorten
- June (A New Yorker)
- Marie Severin
- Power Man, Luke Cage (On a poster)
- Red Sonja (On a poster)
- Roy Thomas
- Stan Lee
- Thor Odinson (On a poster)
- Vision (On a poster)
Organizations
Races & Animals
- Altered humans
- Asgardians (On a poster)
- Homo Magi (On a poster)
- Humans
- Poppupians
- Shape-shifters
Locations
- Counter-Earth (In flashback only)
- New York
Items
- Android (On a poster)
- Captain America's shield (Impossible Man's shape-shifted form)
- Exoskeleton (Cameo appearance only)
- Hammer (Impossible Man's shape-shifted form)
- Mjolnir (Impossible Man's shape-shifted form)
- Paste-gun
- Shield (Impossible Man's shape-shifted form)
- Thing's exoskeleton (Cameo appearance only)
Vehicles
Powers
- Bio-conversion
- Elasticity
- Energy projection
- Flight
- Force field generation
- Invisibility
- Pyrokinesis
- Shape-shifting
- Size alteration
- Superhuman strength
- Thermal propulsion
- Winged flight
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
- The Fantastic Four were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. They first appeared in Fantastic Four, Volume 1 #1 in November, 1961. By and large, the roster of the Fantastic Four has remained the same over the years, consisting of Reed Richards as Mister Fantastic, Susan Storm as the Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm as the Human Torch and Ben Grimm as the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing. Occasional transitory members of the FF have included Crystal Amaquelin, Luke Cage, Scott Lang, and T'Challa.
- Colorist Michele Wolfman is credited as Michele W. in this issue.
- Ben Grimm destroyed his exoskeleton at the end of Fantastic Four #175.
- Impossible Man uses his shape-shifting to ape several different Marvel characters and/or their equipment including Sub-Mariner's ankle wings, Black Bolt's scalloped wings, Thor's hammer Mjolnir, Captain America's shield, and Iron Man's repulsors.
- This is probably the first and only time that super-villains actually put out recruitment advertisements in the classifieds. But then, it IS the Frightful Four, so would you expect any less? Bunch'a knucklheads.