Fantastic Four 232

"I'm afraid we can't allow you to wander off just yet, Diablo. There are some matters you should discuss with the police first..."

―Mister Fantastic

"Back to the Basics!"

Fantastic Four
Title:	"Back to the Basics!"
Volume:	1
Number:	232
Cover price:	.50
Cover date:	July, 1981
Publisher:	Marvel Comics
Credits
Chief:	Jim Shooter
Writers:	John Byrne
Pencilers:	John Byrne
Inkers:	John Byrne
Cover artists:	John Byrne
Cover inker:	Terry Austin
Colorists:	Glynis Wein
Letterers:	Jim Novak
Assistants:	Bob Budiansky
Editors:	Jim Salicrup
Navigation
Previous:	Fantastic Four #231
Next:	Fantastic Four #233

"Back to the Basics!" is the story title the 232nd issue of the first volume of the superhero fantasy comic book series Fantastic Four published by Marvel Comics. The story was written, penciled and inked by John Byrne, who also composed the cover art illustration for this issue. Terry Austin did the cover inks. The story was colored by Glynis Wein and lettered by Jim Novak. It was edited by Jim Salicrup with Bob Budiansky as assistant editor. This issue shipped with a July, 1981 cover date and carried a cover price of 50 cents per copy (US).

Synopsis[]

Diablo creates four Elemental creatures and sends them out to fight the Fantastic Four. When Reed Richards realizes that these beings are not truly alive, he quickly devises methods for defeating each one of them in turn, but only if the FF use teamwork to stop them. Afterward, he employs the aid of Doctor Strange to track Diablo down and arrest him.

Appearances[]

Featured characters

Fantastic Four

Supporting characters

Villains

Minor characters

Organizations

Races

Locations

New York

Items

Cloak of Levitation
Amulet of Agamotto
Fantasti-Flare
Reed Richards' sensor devices & scanner
Portable generator

Vehicles

Powers

Notes & Trivia[]

This issue is included on the 44 Years of Fantastic Four DVD-ROM collection.

This issue begins the Byrne Era on Fantastic Four. Though he has worked on the series in the past, this issue begins a longstanding run on the title as writer, penciler, inker and cover artist and is considered by many to be Byrne's definitive work on the title.

As inker on this issue, John Byrne is credited as Bjorn Heyn.

The splash page to this issue is a similar image to what is used for the cover.

This issue does not include a letters' column.

This is the third issue of Fantastic Four, Volume 1 with John Byrne as writer. He previously wrote Fantastic Four #221, "Tower of Crystal... Dreams of Glass!".

This is the twelfth issue of Fantastic Four, Volume 1 with John Byrne as penciler. He previously did the breakdown art on Fantastic Four #221, "Tower of Crystal... Dreams of Glass!".

This is the first issue of Fantastic Four, Volume 1 with John Byrne as inker.

This is the fifth issue of Fantastic Four, Volume 1 with John Byrne as cover artist. He previously composed the cover art for Fantastic Four #211, "If This Be Terrax...".

This is the eighteenth issue of Fantastic Four, Volume 1 with Glynis Wein as colorist.

This is the eighteenth issue of Fantastic Four, Volume 1 with Jim Novak as letterer.

This issue includes a house-ad for Marvel Treasury Edition #28, which features Superman and Spider-Man.

This issue includes an advertisement for Hostess Cup-Cakes featuring Spider-Man in a comic strip titled "Spider-Man vs. The Human Computer". The strip is illustrated by John Romita, Jr.

Diablo uses the alias Mister Olbaid in this issue, which is Diablo spelled backwards.

First appearance of Mrs. Mulligan, the cleaning lady at Diablo's apartment.

First appearance of Milo Tindolini, the owner of Casa Tindolini.

First and only appearance to date of Don, a sporting goods store employee.

First and only appearance to date of Jan, a sporting goods store employee.

First and only appearance to date of Diablo's Elementals.

The Fantasti-Flare makes a behind-the-scenes appearance only in Sue Richards' handbag.

The Fantasticar makes a cameo appearance only at the end of this issue.

Doctor Strange makes a cameo guest appearance for two panels at the end of this issue.

Susan Richards makes a reference to Veronica Lake in this issue, comparing Milo Tindolini's efforts to change her hairstyle to that of Veronica Lake. Veronica Lake was a silver screen icon of the 1940s who appeared in such films as Sullivan's Travels, This Gun for Hire, I Married a Witch and The Glass Key.

Susan Richards makes a reference to the National Enquirer in this issue. The National Enquirer is an American supermarket tabloid now published by American Media Inc (AMI). It is known for publishing sensationalistic stories about well-known celebrities.

The play being performed at the Broadway theater that Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters are seen exiting is The Elephant Man. The play was written by Bernard Pomerance in 1979 and chronicles the tragic life of Victorian England figure Joseph Merrick, who suffered from Neurofibromatosis type I, which yielded massive deformities all across his body.

Susan Richards makes a reference to Iceman in this issue. Iceman is a mutant superhero and former member of the X-Men who has the ability to generate and project volumes of ice. Susan makes a force field slide to help propel her across the city, in much the same way that Iceman generates his ice sleds.

The Thing calls Reed Richards "Sherlock", which is a reference to the famous literary detective Sherlock Holmes, who was popularized in stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 19th century. Ben's sarcastic comparison is in reference to Reed's intelligence.

Reed Richards paraphrases a lyric from the song, "With a Little Help from My Friends", which was written and performed by the Beatles and appeared on their 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.