Fantastic Four #169 (Pt 7) Ben Falls Back

1963: Fantastic Four #9  Jack Kirby

1976: Fantastic Four #169 Rich Buckler

We've seen that Fantastic Four #9 panel before, remember? 😉

Fantastic Four #169 (Pt 6) From Fantastic Four #14

1963: Fantastic Four #14  Jack Kirby

1975: Fantastic Four #169  Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four #169 (Pt 5) Ben Bursts Forth

1963: Strange Tales #114   Jack Kirby--a popular Kirby pose

Here's a variation from 
1976: Fantastic Four #169   Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four #169 (Pt 4) Ben Grimm and Dr. Santini

1967: Fantastic Four #68  Jack Kirby

1976: Fantastic Four #169  Rich Buckler

Below, the subsequent panels in the respective sequences.  Dr. Santini and Ben must shop at the same store :)

Fantastic Four #68

Fantastic Four #169

Fantastic Four #169 (Pt 3) More From Fantastic Four #79

As we saw last time, FF #79 was used for reference. Here's another example, though this one is more of an "inspired by."  

1968: Fantastic Four #79  Jack Kirby

1976: Fantastic Four #169  Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four #169 (Pt 2) Ben's Beer Brawl!

1968: Fantastic Four #79 Jack Kirby

1976: Fantastic Four #169 Rich Buckler

Fantastic Four #169 (Pt 1) Ben! Bam! Btamm!

1976: Fantastic Four #169  Rich Buckler

In #169's opening panel (above) Ben remembers his glory days from Fantastic Four #77 (below).  I also included the adjacent panel because I wanted to display the full impact of Ben's BTAMM!

1968: Fantastic Four #77  Jack Kirby

In #169's splash, Reed and Sue are based on  a panel from Fantastic Four #45.

1976: Fantastic Four #169  Buckler

1965: Fantastic Four #45  Kirby

Fantastic Four #168 (Pt 7) Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters à deux

1968: Fantastic Four #79 - Jack Kirby

1976: Fantastic Four #168 - Rich Buckler

                                         

Fantastic Four #168 (Pt 6) Ben, Alicia, Johnny, Crystal--and O'Hoolihan (Who?!)

Fantastic Four #168 (1976) Buckler           Fantastic Four #79 (1968) Kirby

Fantastic Four #168 (1976) Buckler          Fantastic Four #79 (1968) Kirby 

Fantastic Four #168 (1976) Buckler

Fantastic Four #79 (1968) Kirby


The panels on the pages

Fantastic Four #79 (1968) Jack Kirby

Fantastic Four #168 (1976) Rich Buckler

And as we saw last time, the second panel on the #168 page was inspired by a panel from Fantastic Four #79. 

Fantastic Four #168 (Pt 5) Ben Grimm, Ladies' Man

There are a lot of Fantastic Four #79 recalls in #168 (both issues feature the Thing in his pre-cosmic rays Ben Grimm form). We'll start with these: 

1968: Fantastic Four #79 Jack Kirby

1976: Fantastic Four #168 Buckler

Fantastic Four #107 (Pt 11) Buscema's Ben--Back to the Drawing Board

Fantastic Four 107 (1971) Buscema

Fantastic Four 11 (1963) Kirby

Fantastic Four #107 (Pt 1) John Buscema's Fantastic Four

Surprise! Betcha expected to see more Giant-Size Avengers #1 here. Well, I do have more Buckler queued up--boy, do I ever--but for some time now I've been itching to post a sampling of John Buscema's Fantastic Four. (I also have some John Romita Sr. FF in the hopper, but frankly I don't find it as interesting as Buscema's--or Buckler's--so it'll have to wait.)  

You probably already know that Jack Kirby's last Fantastic Four issue was #102 (1970). Romita Sr. stepped in to fill the void and penciled issues #103-106. In John Romita...And All That Jazz, the Jazzy One noted he was "raised in the syndicated artists ghost period." That is, there was a time-honored tradition of keeping characters, especially well-known or longtime ones, "on model." And for the FF specifically, there was the need to adhere to the established versions of the Baxter Building...Reed's lab and equipment...the Negative Zone...and so on. Accordingly, it seems that both Romita and Buscema--who took over as the FF's regular penciler with #107--used the Kirby issues as their Bible.  

FF 107 (1971) Buscema                               FF 78 (1968) Kirby 

Also, during this post-Kirby period it wasn't just the art that evoked the Lee-Kirby era-FF. It was a time of transition for Marvel; not only was Kirby gone, but there were new owners, Marvel was in the throes of expansion, and Stan Lee was in the process of becoming publisher. With so many responsibilities--and without Kirby--it appears that when Lee put his writer hat on, he turned to what had worked in the past: Reed trying to change Ben back to his former appearance; Ben turning against the rest of the team; Thing versus Hulk; Reed trapped in the Negative Zone; Johnny brooding over Crystal; battles against all-powerful antagonists like Galactus...you get the idea. All this may have seemed fresh and exciting for readers brand new to the FF; but as someone who'd been reading the mag for a few years, this mining-the-past approach struck me as stale and uninspired--it was déjà vu all over again...and again...and again...

Okay, let's take a look at Reed trying to change the Thing back to his Ben Grimm appearance, from both FF #107 (Big John's first issue) and FF #78. Looks like Reed's using the same equipment both times, so chalk up one for consistency!

Fantastic Four #107 (1971) J. Buscema

Fantastic Four #78 (1968) Kirby

Fantastic Four #107 (1971) J. Buscema

Fantastic Four #78 (1968) Kirby


And be sure to check out the amazing Chris Tolworthy's Fantastic Four: The Great American Novel site and the awesome Kirby-Buscema FF collage he created that includes the above images!