Great Pages: FANTASTIC FOUR #5

From Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #5 (1962)

In a group consisting of three men and one women, poor Sue Storm had her fair share of “damsel in distress” moments early on during the adventures of the Fantastic Four. In the group’s fifth issue, it happened again when Doctor Doom made his debut appearance. Assuming Sue was the weakest member of the group, Doom tied her up while he set about focusing his attention on the male members of the FF. Not one to be taken lightly, Sue managed to short-circuit Doom’s machinery and it exploded right in his face. Not only that, Sue then went about freeing her nearly dead teammates, all while keeping her hands behind her back. Doom had underestimated Sue and that was his downfall.

This page, which has Sue showing the type of true hero that she is, showcases some stellar work by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. That explosion enveloping Doom is particularly wonderful. While Sue wasn’t always treated as an equal during these early Fantastic Four stories, she was given a chance to shine on occasion. Those moments are worth remembering.