What If the Fantastic Four Were the Original Marvel Bullpen?

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WHAT IF? — Issue no. 11, January 1978

Book: What If?

Issue No.: 11

Published: July 25, 1978

Title: “What If the Fantastic Four Were the Original Marvel Bullpen?”

Cover Price: 60¢

Format: Digital scan

Last time I looked at a cheeky but (I think) canon Marvel comic book story that featured a guest appearance by real-life Marvel honcho Stan Lee. This What If story (since it is a What If story, it is definitely not canon) features a super-powered Stan Lee leading the Fantastic Four, with the rest of the team being other real-life Marvel staff members, including Marvel VP Sol Brodsky, Marvel secretary Flo Steinberg, and Marvel artist/writer Jack “King” Kirby. To make the whole affair even more meta, Jack Kirby doesn’t just appear as a character in this story, he also wrote and drew the story.

Stan, Jack, and company aren’t full-time superheroes in this alternate reality — they also create Marvel comic books. It’s just that the traditional comic book Fantastic Four (Reed and Sue Richards, Johnny Storm, Ben Grimm) is based on the “real” Stan, Flo, Sol, and Jack team of heroes.

That’s like three levels of meta-ness?

A panel from this issue showing the Sub-Mariner and the “Bullpen” version of the Fantastic Four. Narration reads, “Meanwhile, in Prince Namor’s Palace…” The Sub-Mariner says, “It worked! My ruse has uncovered a Skrull!” Jack Kirby says, “But — how do you know? His shot knocked you out, too!” Flo says, “Sub-Mariner doesn’t breathe like we do! He was awake! He saw the alien!” Stan says, “And the description fits!”

As you might guess, it’s all pretty silly. But it does make for something of a homecoming for Jack Kirby. A note on the fan-mail page explains that editor Roy Thomas pitched the story to Kirby, who had recently returned to Marvel after working for DC Comics for a few years. Kirby was one of the chief architects of the modern Marvel universe, and he penciled the first 100-plus issues of Fantastic Four (it’s one of the all-time epic runs for a comic book artist). This (admittedly oddball) Fantastic Four story was Kirby’s first FF work in eight years, and it was also the first time he was the credited writer on a Fantastic Four story.

Fairly or not, I tend to go into What If stories with some skepticism (I mean, the whole deal is the story doesn’t count, so the stakes are basically non-existent). And this story, though it has some quirky charms, doesn’t break out of the What Ifbox. But Jack Kirby in the driver’s seat definitely ups its historical significance.

Next time — Iron Man versus the Ani-Men!

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