Blastaar, the Living Bomb-Burst!

After rescuing Reed Richards from the Negative Zone, the Fantastic Four and their ally Triton are attacked by Blastaar -- a being who escaped from the Negative Zone -- and the Sandman. When Reed tries to counterattack he is knocked back, leaving the way open for Triton to enter the fray. Although he gets the drop on Blastaar, Triton is weakened when blasted by the Sandman's moisture robbing sand, and is knocked out. Sandman then grabs Blastaar and takes him down to the street where they begin wreaking havoc upon the people below. Down on the street are the Human Torch and Crystal who are about to go on a date when they see the panicked crowd and decide to go back to the Baxter Building to investigate.

Sandman and Blastaar's rampage attract the police who try to incapacitate Sandman with a cement gun, but he is freed by Blastaar's bomb busts. Sandman begins to question his choice in partner when he realizes that Blastaar is drunk with power. However he is not given time to reconsider since both the Human Torch and the Thing arrive on the scene and begin battling it out with their foes. While inside the Baxter Building, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Girl get Triton to a water tank to replenish his strength. Watching video of the battle below, Mister Fantastic then begins working on a device to stop Blastaar. As the battle rages on, Blastaar attempts to take Crystal as a hostage, but learns that that is a mistake when she unleashes her elemental powers upon him. Furious that Blastaar attacked his girlfriend, the Human Torch begins unleashing his full power on Blastaar, who is able to withstand the extreme heat.

Meanwhile, the Thing and Sandman continue to tussle until their battle takes them to the docks. The struggle ends when the Thing dumps the Sandman into the water. Defeated, the Sandman allows his body to dissipate in the water in order to escape. Just then, Reed and Sue enter the battle, and while the rest of the Fantastic Four keep Blastaar occupied, Reed manages to clamp on a helmet he invented to incapacitate their foe, ending the battle.

Recurring Characters

Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Thing), Crystal, Triton, Sandman, Blastaar

Continuity Notes

• Following this story Blastaar is returned to the Negative Zone as seen in X-Men #53. However prior to that he is pulled forward in time to battle the Defenders in Defenders (vol. 2) #10. He is returned to his proper era upon his defeat with no apparent memories of his time in the future.

• Sandman escapes here and is next seen in Marvel Super-Heroes #15 where he reunites with the Frightful Four to try and steal an element needed to power the Wizard's new ID Machine, only to be thwarted by Medusa.

• Following this story the Fantastic Four encounter the mercenary known as Deadpool and his sidekick Hydra Bob who were stuck in this era after travelling back in time from the future. They also encounter the future incarnation of the Fantastic Four while trying to return Deadpool and Bob to the present. After this encounter their memories of their future selves and Deadpool fade, as seen in Cable & Deadpool #46.