Writer/editor- Roy Thomas
Artist- John Buscema
Inker- Sam Grainger
Typical FF opening, as one of Reed's experiments, the "baby buzz-bomb" runs amock and the team has to stop it[as What The!? pointed out, it's a chance for them to show off their powers on the first page]. Bizzare dialogue ensues...
Reed:"...This is a live ammo drill, not a re-run of 'Chico and the man"! [I actually know what show he's talking about. How lame is that?]
After finally taking the object down(with Ben smashing right through the floor) the team barely has a chance to consider the Thing's latest 'get rich quick' scheme {use the time machine to collect some of the gold rush) when Nazis appear in the time machine room! Naturally, Nazis aren't much against the Fantastic Four! But where did they come from? Reed fears he has the answer. When Luke Cage was a member not too long ago, he went on a rampage due to the Puppet Master's control, and smashed the lab. A bar of Vibranium fell on the time machine and went back in time- and who knows what its done. [BTW, the Thing wears an exoskeleton here, still being trapped in his human form, which is why Cage temporarily replaced him]
Reed checks the machine. The Nazis are from...1946? As they ponder their next action, the Watcher appears- but doesn't move or say anything. Pure watch-mode. Still, Reed realizes that this means it's important. He uses the time machine's chrono-selector to see what's going on- and finds that in this world's 1946, the Nazis have reached Ohio, and England has fallen to the Nazis!
So, the long and the short of it is that the team decides to travel back in time to 1942(the date the bar arrived) to try and get it away from the Nazis.
They appear within a bunker, where Allied forces confer with...the Invaders! The Invaders immediately attack the FF, thinking them enemies(the Thing is all the convincing Namor needs).
Poor Thing must first contend with Namor, and then with the Human Torch! Fortunately, Johnny intervenes, while Sue trips Bucky.[Bwa-ha-ha] Cap manages to break up the Thing & Namor's fight, while Mr. Fantastic douses the Torch's flames. They've realized that they're on the same side.
Reed explains the situation to the Invaders & Allies, and they decide that they'll have to deal with the Nazis at Castle Cherbelle, where Baron Zemo is in charge. Namor provides his flagship for transportation.
As they fly over France, German Stukas attack the flagship- which has no weapons! [Namor also notes that this takes place shortly after the Red Skull incident in Invaders#5-7] But they manage to shake them off. Arriving at Castle Cherbelle:
(Sue:"I've never been to World War II before!"
Thing:"Y'know Suzie-baby...you got a real way with a phrase!")
Reed notes to Ben that they themselves are out there just joining the service at this time[though this is now a topical reference].
Thing:"Don't look at me, big brain. Only thing I know about Time Travel is what I read in 'Alley Oop'.
The 9 soldiers of victory manage to stealthly creep all the way to the walls of the castle[someone fire Franz!], and climb over via Reed's stretching power- though Namor flies Sue over, reminding Reed of how Namor pursued her in the future. The three torches also fly over, a questionable move, given the stealth-nature of their plan.
They now split into three teams:
1- Namor, Reed, Sue.
2- Cap, Bucky, Johnny.
3- Thing, Torch, Toro.
Team 1 creeps down a hallway, while Sue once more ponders over Namor- and Namor himself muses, "She would have made-- the Perfect Mate!" After beating a few guards, they enter an enormous lab, where advanced artillery is being constructed. After fighting their way through the guards, Namor destroys the lab by busting through a wall and filling the room with water!
Team 2: Johnny's feeling somber, realizing that Bucky won't live to see the end of the war. They too find some guards, and blast through them. After the Torch melts through a machine gun post, Cap enters to find- Baron Zemo! [you expected the Red Skull?] Cap tosses his shield at him, smashing a vat of-- Adhesive X! It pours over Zemo's hood, bonding it to his face! Furious, Zemo knocks Cap out and makes a run for it! Johnny follows him down his escape shaft, but is unable to determine which way he took.
Team 3: Nice dialogue here-
Thing:"C'Mon, Matchhead an' son-- I got a hunch what we're lookin' for is dead ahead!"
Torch:"Please keep your nicknames to yourself, Thing-- nor, I'm sorry to say, is Toro really my son."
Thing:"Yeah? So how come he's always callin' you pappy?"
Toro:"You don't mind if I try to pretend he's the father I don't remember, do you? You're human enough to understand, aren't you?"
Breaking & melting through a wall, they find an enormous rocket silo, guarded by MORE NAZIS! The two torches start melting the rockets, so the Nazis launch one in panic(made from the Vibranium)- but the Thing hitches a ride! He manages to crack open its shell and fiddle with the inner workings, then turn it around straight at the castle!
When Thing wakes up, he's back in the Baxter Building, and all is right with the world. When the Thing asks why Namor and the others don't seem to recognize them from those events today, Reed points out that they had entered an alternate reality.
Anyway, Reed recovered half of the Vibranium- but he doesn't know where the other half went.
As the Thing just begins to settle down, the Watcher appears- and he realizes it ain't over- he'll have to go back to 1942- by himself!
TO BE CONTINUED...
COMMENTS
Nice cover by Jack Kirby, and John Buscema does excellent penciling, as I knew he would. But the whole story has you asking, "what's the point"? It isn't a real Invaders-Fantastic Four team-up- it's all from an alternate reality. That is in keeping with the standard Marvel time travel rules, and it's better for the Invaders not to meet TOO many Marvel heroes via time travel- but this just ain't our Invaders. The real shame is that we get to see Baron Zemo's mask glued to his face- but that ain't the real Zemo either!
Anyway, things get better with part 2- as you shall see...