Fantastic Four 3

"There you have the Fantastic Four!! They are supposed to be the most powerful, most amazing quartet in history!! But, I say to you... Bah!! Next to my power, they aer nothing!"

―The Miracle Man

"The Menace of the Miracle Man!"
Fantastic Four
Title:	"The Menace of the Miracle Man!"
Volume:	1
Number:	3
Cover price:	.12
Cover date:	March, 1962
Publisher:	Marvel Comics
Credits
Chief:	Stan Lee
Writers:	Stan Lee
Pencilers:	Jack Kirby
Inkers:	Sol Brodsky
Cover artists:	Jack Kirby
Cover inker:	Sol Brodsky
Cover colorist:	Stan Goldberg
Letterers:	Artie Simek
Editors:	Stan Lee
Navigation
Previous:	Fantastic Four #2
Next:	Fantastic Four #4

"The Menace of the Miracle Man!" is the title to the main story from the third issue of the American superhero comic book series The Fantastic Four by Marvel Comics. The story was written by Stan Lee with pencils by Jack Kirby and inks by Sol Brodsky. The issue was colored by Stan Goldberg with Artie Simek providing the lettering. The cover art illustration for this issue was composed by Jack Kirby, Sol Brodsky and Stan Goldberg. The story was edited by Stan Lee. This issue shipped with a March, 1962 cover date and carried a cover price of 12 cents per copy (US).

Appearances

Featured characters

• Fantastic Four

• Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards
• Invisible Girl, Susan Storm
• Human Torch, Johnny Storm
• The Thing, Ben Grimm

Supporting characters

• Lieutenant General Fredricks

Villains

• Miracle Man, Joshua Ayers

Minor characters

• Miracle Man's stage assistant
• Joe, NYPD officer
• Unnamed police commissioner

Organizations

• New York City Police Department
• United States Army

Races

• Humans
• Altered humans

Locations

• New York

• New York City
• Manhattan
• Baxter Building

Items

• Fantasti-Flare
• The Thing's helmet
• Monster from Mars display statue

Vehicles

• Atomic tank
• Fantasticar
• Fantasticopter
• Pogo Plane

Powers

• Elasticity
• Flight
• Hypnosis
• Invisibility
• Pyrokinesis
• Superhuman strength

Notes & Trivia

• The story from this issue is divided into five chapters:

• Chapter I: The Menace of the Miracle Man!
• Chapter II: The Monster Lives!
• Chapter III: The Flame That Died!
• Chapter IV: In the Shadow of Defeat!
• Chapter V: The Final Challenge!

• This issue is job number V-563.

• This issue includes a bonus pin-up page of the Human Torch, illustrated by Jack Kirby and Sol Brodsky.

• This is the first issue of the series to boast the tagline, "The Greatest Comic Magazine in the World".

• This is the third issue of Fantastic Four written and edited by Stan Lee.

• This is the third issue of Fantastic Four with Jack Kirby as penciler and cover artist.

• This is the first issue of Fantastic Four inked by Sol Brodsky.

• This is the second issue of Fantastic Four lettered by Artie Simek.

• This is the third issue of Fantastic Four with Stan Goldberg as cover colorist.

• Beginning with this issue, the Fantastic Four relocate from Central City, California to their permanent headquarters at the Baxter Building in Manhattan, New York City, New York.

• First appearance of the Baxter Building.

• First appearance of Joshua Ayers, aka the Miracle Man. He is the second costumed supervillain to face the Fantastic Four (the first being the Mole Man in Fantastic Four #1), also making him the second costumed supervillain of the modern Marvel Age. He does not appear again until Fantastic Four #138.

• Johnny Storm quits the Fantastic Four in this issue, making him the first of the founding members to leave the team. He returns to the group with issue #4.

• This is the first appearance of the Fantastic Four's blue uniforms, which will become their traditional crime-fighting garb for many years to come.

• The military officer in charge of the U.S. Army contingent in this issue is later identified as Lieutenant General Fredricks. This is is his first appearance. He appears next in Uncanny X-Men #2.

• This is the first appearance of the Fantasticar, which becomes one of the Fantastic Four's primary means of travel throughout the series.

• This is the first appearance of the Pogo Plane. Along with the Fantasticar, this becomes one of the Fantastic Four's primary means of travel throughout the series, particularly for long distances.

• This is the first appearance of the Fantasticopter. Don't get used to it. It's probably collecting dust somewhere in the Negative Zone.

Reprints

• "The Menace of the Miracle Man!" is reprinted in the following volumes:

• Essential Fantastic Four 1
• Fantastic Four Omnibus 1
• Marvel Collectors' Item Classics 2
• Marvel Masterworks 2
• Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four 1

Recommended Reading

Fantastic Four, Vol. 1 Fantastic Four, Vol. 2 Fantastic Four, Vol. 3 Fantastic Four 2099 Fantastic Four Unlimited Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising

Fantastic Four Unplugged Fantastic Four: WGCM Ultimate Fantastic Four FF Fantastic Four Collections Fantastic Four One-Shots

See also

Fantastic Four Fantastic Four films Fantastic Four comics Fantastic Four programs Fantastic Four characters

Fantastic Four villains Fantastic Four images Fantastic Four creators Fantastic Four cast & crew Fantastic Four miscellaneous

External Links

• Fantastic Four, Volume 1 #3 at MDP
• Fantastic Four, Volume 1 #3 at Comics.org
• Fantastic Four, Volume 1 #3 at Comic Vine
• Fantastic Four, Volume 1 #3 at Amazon.com
• Fantastic Four, Volume 1 #3 at Marvel.com
• Fantastic Four, Volume 1 #3 at the Fantastic Four Wiki

---