Fantastic Four #62
Fantastic Four #62 (May 1967) marks the first appearance of Blastaar the Living Bomb-Burst, a deposed Baluurian tyrant who escapes the Negative Zone and immediately joins forces with the Sandman — giving the book one of its most kinetically explosive cliffhangers of the Silver Age. The issue is a pivotal chapter in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's systematic expansion of the Negative Zone as a full-fledged antimatter universe teeming with its own political history and power-hungry rulers, a cosmological idea that would underpin Marvel cosmic storytelling for decades. Blastaar's introduction also showcases the creative dividends of the Inhumans' recent integration into the FF's world: Crystal and Lockjaw serve as the catalysts that bring Triton to Reed's rescue, weaving both families of characters into a single, interlocking narrative for the first time.
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The issue carried the standard Lee–Kirby collaborative credit, with the original indicia reading 'Contrived and crafted by the curiously creative and catastrophically compelling collaboration of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby,' a phrase that acknowledged Kirby's widely documented co-plotting role. Joe Sinnott inked the interior story — part of his celebrated, decade-long run on the title that began with issue #44 — while Stan Goldberg handled coloring (confirmed via production-note stats documented by researcher Nick Caputo) and Sam Rosen lettered. The cover was penciled by Kirby with inks by Frank Giacoia rather than Sinnott, a common division of labor on the title at the time. The issue arrived on stands in early 1967 as part of one of the most densely inventive stretches of the entire Kirby–Lee collaboration, falling just after the team had introduced the Inhumans, the Black Panther, Galactus, and the Silver Surfer in rapid succession.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Blastaar (the Living Bomb-Burst), a Baluurian alien monarch from the Negative Zone, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; cover-dated May 1967.
- Story title: '…And One Shall Save Him!' — the issue is a direct continuation of FF #61, in which Reed Richards was hurled into the Negative Zone during a battle with the Sandman.
- Full creative credits: script by Stan Lee; co-plot by Jack Kirby; pencils by Jack Kirby; inks (interior) by Joe Sinnott; cover inks by Frank Giacoia; colors by Stan Goldberg; letters by Sam Rosen; Stan Lee as editor.
- Crystal uses Lockjaw to recruit Triton from the Inhumans royal family — Triton's aquatic physiology allows him to navigate the zero-gravity of the Negative Zone and pull Reed back to safety, establishing Crystal as a key bridge between the FF and the Inhumans.
- Blastaar escapes his Negative Zone containment suit on the same asteroid Reed occupies, then follows Triton and Reed through the portal back to Earth, where he immediately encounters and allies with the Sandman — setting up the full team-up clash in FF #63.
- Blastaar went on to become a recurring Marvel cosmic antagonist, later appearing in major events including Annihilation (2006–2007) and War of Kings, cementing his debut issue's importance as the origin point of a durable villain.
- The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including: Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 3 (Marvel, 2015); Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol. 4 — The Mystery of the Black Panther (2019); Inhumans: The Origin of the Inhumans (Marvel, 2013); and as a standalone True Believers: Fantastic Four — Blastaar #1 (Marvel, February 2019).
- Blastaar's debut was adapted for animation almost immediately: the 1967 Hanna-Barbera Fantastic Four Saturday-morning cartoon featured a Blastaar episode (voiced by Frank Gerstle), demonstrating how quickly the character resonated beyond the printed page.
Cast · 21 characters
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While trapped in the Negative Zone, Reed battles Blastaar.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).