 |
Dawn of the super-men.
(Lee/Kirby) |
From Out of Nowhere:
The Birth of the Fantastic Four
The Awakening of Fin Fang Foom
- Due to fears of his space funding being cancelled and also because of a “once-in-3-years window”, Central City scientist Reed Richards decides he must test his experimental star-drive immediately (despite not yet completing his research on the effects of cosmic rays) and enlists friend and USAF pilot Ben Grimm to pilot the ship. His romantic partner Susan Storm and her brother Johnny accompany them (reason undetermined). In space, the four crew-members are riddled by cosmic rays (enhanced by heightened sunspot activity, Van Allen Belt flaring and neutron radiation*) and lose control of the ship, causing them to crash back to Earth. The foursome discover they now have fantastic superpowers and give themselves code-names: Mr. Fantastic (who can stretch), The Invisible Girl, The Human Torch & The Thing (a super-strong rock-like creature). They decide to use their powers for good and the Fantastic Four is born. Weeks later the FF defeat a subterranean despot, the Mole-Man, at Monster Isle. They come out as the first public post-war "superheros".
| Fantastic Four 1
(*FF 197) |
- A giant sleeping dragon, Fin Fang Foom, is awakened by a Chinese Nationalist and attacks the Communists on the Chinese mainland. (The dragon is actually an alien from Maklu-4.)
| Strange Tales 89
(Iron Man 274) |
- In the Himalayas, the Ancient One (Earth's Sorcerer Supreme) gives his student Dr. Stephen Strange the powerful Orb of Agamotto and sends him out into the world. (year approx.)
| Dr. Strange 56 |
- Dr. Druid surfaces as "Dr. Droom". Some years prior, this minor sorcerer studied the mystic arts from an ailing Tibetan Lama (who it turns out, was actually the Ancient One).
| Amazing Adv.1 (Weird Wonder Tales 19),
Avengers Spotlight 37 |
(John F. Kennedy elected President of U.S.)
 |
| (Lee/Kirby) |
