- "Hmmm! It's cheaper for us to fight villains than to let you get spare time on your hands, honey!"
- ―Mister Fantastic
| "The Torch That Was!" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fantastic Four | |
| Title: | "The Torch That Was!" |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 4 |
| Cover price: | .25 |
| Cover date: | November, 1966 |
| Publisher: | Marvel Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Stan Lee |
| Writers: | Stan Lee |
| Pencilers: | Jack Kirby |
| Inkers: | Joe Sinnott |
| Cover artists: | Jack Kirby |
| Cover inker: | Frank Giacoia |
| Letterers: | Sam Rosen |
| Editors: | Stan Lee |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Fantastic Four Annual #3 |
| Next: | Fantastic Four Annual #5 |
"The Torch That Was!" is the title to the first story featured in the fourth annual edition of the first Fantastic Four ongoing comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It was written by Stan Lee with artwork by Jack Kirby and inks by Joe Sinnott. It was colored by Stan Goldberg and lettered by Sam Rosen. The second feature is a reprint story called "The Hulk vs. the Thing!" and is written by Stan Lee, drawn by Jack Kirby, inked by George Roussos, and lettered by Sam Rosen. The third story, also a reprint tale, is called "The Avengers Take Over", which was also produced by Lee, Kirby, and Roussos. All stories were edited by Stan Lee. This issue carries a November, 1966 cover date and a cover price of .25 cents per copy.
"The Torch That Was!"[]
Featured characters
- Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards
- Invisible Girl, Susan Richards
- Human Torch, Johnny Storm
- The Thing, Ben Grimm
Supporting characters
Villains
Minor characters
- Phineas T. Horton (In flashback only)
Organizations
Races & Animals
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Powers
Miscellaneous
"The Hulk vs. the Thing!"[]
| "The Hulk vs. the Thing!" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title: | "The Hulk vs. the Thing!" |
| Credits | |
| Writers: | Stan Lee |
| Pencilers: | Jack Kirby |
| Inkers: | George Roussos |
| Letterers: | Sam Rosen |
| Editors: | Stan Lee |
Featured characters
- Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards
- Invisible Girl, Susan Storm
- Human Torch, Johnny Storm
- The Thing, Ben Grimm
Supporting characters
- Alicia Masters
- Captain America, Steve Rogers
- Giant-Man, Hank Pym
- Iron Man, Tony Stark
- Rick Jones
- Thor Odinson
- Wasp, Janet van Dyne
Villains
Minor characters
Organizations
- Avengers
- Fantastic Four
- New Mexico State Police
- New York City Police Department
- United States Army
- Yancy Street Gang
Races & Animals
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Powers
- Flight
- Force field generation
- Pyrokinesis
- Super-leaping
- Superhuman durability
- Superhuman stamina
- Superhuman strength
- Thermal propulsion
- Transformation
Miscellaneous
"The Avengers Take Over!"[]
| "The Avengers Take Over!" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title: | "The Avengers Take Over!" |
| Credits | |
| Writers: | Stan Lee |
| Pencilers: | Jack Kirby |
| Inkers: | George Roussos |
| Letterers: | Art Simek |
| Editors: | Stan Lee |
Featured characters
- Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards
- Invisible Girl, Susan Storm
- Human Torch, Johnny Storm
- The Thing, Ben Grimm
Supporting characters
- Captain America, Steve Rogers
- Giant-Man, Hank Pym
- Iron Man, Tony Stark
- Thor Odinson
- Wasp, Janet van Dyne
Villains
Other characters
Organizations
Races & Animals
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Powers
- Elasticity
- Energy projection
- Flight
- Pyrokinesis
- Superhuman durability
- Superhuman strength
- Transformation
- Thermal propulsion
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.
- The tagline to this issue is "The sensation of the century! The ORIGINAL Human Torch actually returns from the past to battle Johnny Storm!"
- The cover copy to this issue identifies it as Fantastic Four King-Size Special #3, which redirects to this page.
- According to the Periodicals Copyright Office, this issue shipped to retailers on August 2nd, 1966.
- This issue was released in between Fantastic Four #56 and Fantastic Four #57.
- "The Torch That Was!" is reprinted in Fantastic Four #189 in December, 1977. It is also reprinted in collected volumes such as the Fantastic Four Omnibus, Volume 2 hardcover edition, the Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four, Volume 6 hardcover collection, and in black and white in Essential Fantastic Four, Volume 3.
- "The Hulk vs. the Thing!" was originally printed in Fantastic Four #25 in April, 1964. The cover to that issue is reprinted in the inset of this issue.
- "The Avengers Take Over!" was originally printed in Fantastic Four #26 in May, 1964.
- This is the first Silver Age appearance of the original Human Torch, aka Jim Hammond. He was introduced in Marvel Comics #1 in October, 1939, making him the second major "Marvel" super-hero after the Sub-Mariner, who was introduced six months earlier in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1. The Human Torch chronologically appeared last in Avengers #134, which won't be released until April, 1975.
- This is the first appearance of the Quasi-Motivational Destruct Organism, referred to as "Quasimodo" in this issue.
- Ben Grimm makes reference to the Yancy Street Gang in this issue. The Yancy Street Gang, are a group of young toughs who enjoy playing pranks on The Thing. Grimm used to be the leader of the Yancy Street Gang in his youth according to The Thing #1.