Fantastic Four (1961 series) #31

The Fantastic Four's Baxter Building HQ in New York is shaken by what seems like an earthquake. It passes but the crowds outside are agitated. The 3 males go to investigate in the Fantasti-Car but Sue Storm stays behind because of an article and picture in a newspaper about a man who has escaped from prison. They discover that a nearby city block has disappeared underground, and Reed Richards has a hunch who's behind it. With Thing as an anchor Mr Fantastic extends his elastic body down the big hole but can't see the bottom so Human Torch flies down past him. However he's prevented from reaching the bottom by ice rapidly forming around and below him.

Far down below Mole Man's watching their attempts. But he's also located a female he wants to take hostage who he sees entering Police HQ, and he uses his science to drag *that* block down to his realm as well. Meanwhile the Fantastic 3 have returned home to find Sue gone as a 2nd 'quake' hits. Ben Grimm wonders if Hulk is causing this but Reed doubts it. He finds a note from Sue to say that she's gone to Police HQ just as Johnny Storm hears on the radio that that very block has just been taken.

The city block is gently lowered to the base of a large underground cavern and then MM's Subterraneans herd everyone out. Invisible Girl recognises the FF's foe just as he spots her in the crowd. She reflexively turns invisible but the Subs grab her as she realises that these underground dwellers are virtually blind. They take her to Mole Man who tells her that with her as his prisoner the others won't dare attack him. And he video-contacts the FF to let them know where she is. Reed says his hunch was right (but since he never *said* who he thought it was, even to us readers, he could claim that anyway).

The trio descend into the 2nd hole in their Pogo Plane, vertically backwards, with Reed piloting. Johnny spots giant metal tentacles waving below them and flies out as HT to melt them. A Subterranean fires off missiles which explode into giant spores which surround Torch and consume all the oxygen around him, which causes him to lose his flame and consciousness. Ex-fighter pilot Ben takes over the controls as MrF extends a long arm to pull the junior member of the team into the plane. They next fly through a cyclone which Ben's skill and Thing's powerful hands get them through. Then their air jet brakes fail and they're about to crash into the roof of a building in the block when Thing sticks his leg out to stop them hitting it. The plane is wrecked but Thing gets his groggy partners out.

The 3 spot Mole Man on the ground with Sue. Mr Fantastic forms a human slide for the other 2 to slide down, then uses his extendable arms and legs to grab a lamppost to secure his own descent. MM threatens Sue with a gun and the others agree not to attack him. He tells them his goal is conquest of the surface world with his super-weapons and army of Subterraneans. He'll send them back to tell the world, and if they want Sue Storm to stay alive they must prevent anyone else from attacking him. IG urges them not to give in but they do, and a powerful jet of air sends them back up the shaft they flew down.

On the way up Reed takes time to explain (to us) that Sue obviously didn't use her forcefield because Mole Man's science would have overcome it. And Ben casually mentions they have a spare Pogo Plane.

Upstairs they are greeted by the Avengers and they tell them that the Mole Man is responsible. The other team immediately leap to go down to battle him but our guys stop them. MrF lassos Thor with an arm while HT causes Iron Man's armour to heat up. Thing grabs Giant-Man (accompanied by Wasp) and holds off Captain America. Then Reed explains about Sue being a hostage, and Thor gives them 24hrs to solve the problem themselves. Off-panel Reed tells them his scientific plan and Iron Man 'persuades' his 'boss' Tony Stark to give Reed the transistor devices he needs. And on-panel with Ben and Johnny's help he builds a portable detector to tell them exactly where Sue is (because mobile phone trackers, and indeed mobile phones, hadn't even been thought of then).

The villain has Sue in a rock crystal prison. But Mr Fantastic detects when they're directly above her and Human Torch burns a hole straight down. MrF and Thing follow on an experimental Army hover-cycle that Reed has souped-up. An alarm goes off and Mole Man sends his troops to attack. But HT has broken into Sue's cage from above and now melts a way out for them. His flame blasts and Invisible Girl's forcefield balls smash their way through the Subterraneans to reach MM in his control booth. He fires zeta-ray particles at them but Torch zigzags through them as IG defends herself with her forcefield. Then the other 2 arrive and Thing declares Clobberin' Time.

Leaving Torch to keep Moley busy the others follow Thing as he smashes a way into the foe's lab. They locate the controls of the machine that dragged the 2 city blocks underground, and Reed puts it in reverse. The buildings rise to the surface leaving HT free to fully unleash his flame. Thing carries Sue and MrF shields them both with his extended body as the place starts to blow. With 3 on the cycle and Torch flying beside they head up the hole they bored as the whole underground complex explodes.

But when they get up to the surface they realise that Sue's head has been hit with a piece of shrapnel. They rush her to hospital where they learn that only 1 surgeon could do the operation that would save her life but he stopped practising medicine years ago. (Is it Dr Strange?) He's been in prison but recently escaped. (So no then.) And just then that man walks in, and it's the man Sue saw in the newspaper. Johnny recognises him and says that Sue told him he was dead - it's their father.

An operation is hurriedly arranged and Dr Storm saves his daughter's life. And then he willingly surrenders to the police who have arrived, but Mr Fantastic persuades them to to let him (with Johnny) go to see Sue who's just coming round.