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Cover: John Buscema & Joe Sinnott

Fantastic Four #124

Name: Fantastic Four #124
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Jul 1972 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

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“The Return of the Monster!”

About this Issue

Fantastic Four #124 occupies a meaningful place in Bronze Age Marvel history as the penultimate monthly script Stan Lee wrote for the title he co-created in 1961; his run ended just one issue later with #125, after which Roy Thomas took over with #126. The issue serves as the first chapter of a two-part monster story that deliberately echoes the 1954 Universal horror film 'Creature from the Black Lagoon,' with Sue Storm's kidnapping mirroring the film's central abduction, demonstrating Lee's lifelong affection for creature-feature source material. It also stands as a strong character-driven Bronze Age yarn in which Reed Richards's exhaustion — a consequence of the preceding Galactus arc — drives the plot rather than any villain's scheming, a narrative choice that grounds the superhero action in human vulnerability. For continuity enthusiasts, the issue documents a rare second appearance of the Monster from the Lost Lagoon (Mowfus), a figure whose debut in FF #97 is the 'true' key, making #124 the entry point into the character's only multi-issue arc.

In "The Return of the Monster!", the Fantastic Four face a terrifying threat from beyond the stars—once thought lost to legend, the Monster of the Lost Lagoon resurfaces with renewed menace. Written by Stan Lee and brought to life by John Buscema’s dynamic art and Joe Sinnott’s sharp inks, this 1972 issue delivers a classic sci-fi horror twist with a cover by Buscema and Sinnott that captures the creature’s ominous return.

writer Stan Lee · artist John Buscema · inker Joe Sinnott · letterer John Costanza · cover John Buscema, Joe Sinnott

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $14

CGC 9.8 · 7 in census $2,443

CGC 9.6 · 19 in census $238

CGC 9.4 · 22 in census $95*

CGC 9.2 · 24 in census $67*

CGC 9.0 · 12 in census $49

CGC 8.5 · 9 in census $45

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CGC 8.0 · 6 in census $41*

CGC 7.5 · 2 in census $36*

CGC 7.0 · 9 in census $25

CGC 6.5 · 3 in census $25*

CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $25*

CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $21*

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 2 in census $20*

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FN $9.99 FN $9.99 GOOD $11.08 Marvel Comics Fantastic Four Return of the Monster #124 (1972) $4.99 Fantastic Four: The Beginning of the End $22.5

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History

The issue was produced in the summer of 1972 at a transitional moment for Marvel: Stan Lee was stepping back from monthly scripting duties to become the company's publisher and editorial director, a move completed by September of that year when Roy Thomas succeeded him as editor-in-chief. FF #124 and #125 were the last two Fantastic Four issues Lee scripted, making them the closing chapters of an eleven-year run on the book he had launched with Jack Kirby. By this point John Buscema had fully replaced Kirby as the book's penciler, with longtime inker Joe Sinnott providing visual continuity; the Buscema-Sinnott pairing had settled into a reliable house style that defined the FF through much of the early Bronze Age.

Trivia · 7 facts

Creative team: script by Stan Lee; pencils by John Buscema; inks by Joe Sinnott; letters by John Costanza; edited by Stan Lee.
This was one of the final monthly scripts Stan Lee wrote before transitioning to the role of Marvel publisher and editorial director in 1972; his very last Fantastic Four script was #125 (August 1972).
The Monster from the Lost Lagoon (later identified as Mowfus, an amphibious alien of the Quon species) returns here for his second appearance; his first appearance was in Fantastic Four #97 (April 1970).
The story's central plot — the Monster abducting Sue Storm to obtain human medical help for his ailing mate Bisq — consciously echoes the 1954 Universal film 'Creature from the Black Lagoon,' including the kidnapping of a female character, mirroring actress Julia Adams's abduction in the film.
The Baxter Building's data files shown in this issue include database entries for Doctor Doom, the Hulk, and the Mole Man — these characters appear only as non-speaking computer-file references, not in person.
The issue was collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 12 (ISBN 978-0-7851-4218-8), which reprints Fantastic Four #117–128.
A foreign-language reprint of the story appeared in a German-language comic series, paired with Daredevil #49.