365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 65: Reed Richards' Meson Particle-Smasher

Well, technically, we don't actually get to see any particles, meson or otherwise, smashed in this story, because this little multi-ton piece of KirbyTech is actually just A Thing for Ben Grimm to Lug Around...


Panel from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #51 (June 1966), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Artie Simek
Also, technically that's not Ben Grimm, since this is FF #51, which, if it were an episode of Friends, would be titled "The One Where That Guy Switches Bodies with The Thing." Also, if I recall, the one where Johnny Storm and Dorrie Evans were on a break. "We were on a break!" Johnny yelled, several times.

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 60: Another Thing for Ben Grimm to Lug Around [Unidentified KirbyTech]

Panel from Giant-Size Super-Stars #1 (May 1974), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by Petra Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 37: Reed Richards' Iconometric-Frammistat

It occurs to me I need to have a sub-section of KirbyTech designated Things for Ben Grimm to Lug Around, just so we can cover the class of mechanical and electronic objects that are really big, really heavy, and serve no true story purpose except that they are Things for Ben Grimm to Lug Around. For example: Reed Richards' Iconometric-Frammistat!


Panel from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #45 (December 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Artie Simek
The Iconometric-Frammistat! We don't know what it does, do we? We get no clue from context: it's not being used in the story, simply cleared out to make room for Dragon Man (not to be confused with the television show Make Room for Daddy, although upon seeing each, Danny Thomas is known to have done a spit-take).Well, an iconometer can measure the distance at which something is if you know its size (or the size of it if you know its distance) through use of a measured lens or lenses. Iconometry is the art of doing this measuring-type stuff, and an iconometric object is one that does such measuring. A framistat (note the difference in spelling) is a nonsense word meaning "doohickey," "thingamajig," or "whatchamacallit." The variation "frammistat" seems rather lax of Reed, who generally gives his devices a double-barreled name that pins down its purpose squarely, but let's allow him this one, okay? So, a device for measuring distances or sizes: quite possible either galactic or microscopic, considering the scale of the machine. And Reed's warning not to shake it? Quite possibly a confirmation that there are lenses within it that need to be handled gently.

So there you go: the Iconometric-Frammistat! And it's a thing for Ben Grimm to lug around, too!

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 19: Reed Richards's Negative Zone Portal Power Core

Sometimes there's a dual delight to an especially hefty piece of KirbyTech: not only do we get to immerse ourselves in its wondrous mechanics, but we also get to see all-around greatest KirbyTechLifter Ben Grimm hoist it over his head!


Splash panel of Fantastic Four (1961 series) #64 (July 1967), co-plot and script by Stan Lee, co-plot and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Artie Simek
Of course, strong as Ben is, even he doesn't wanna lollygag around holding it up while Reed and Sue play kissy-face:


Now, a special treat: click on over to the blog of the Kirby-Tastic Kerry Callen (Halo and Sprocket) and see this marvelous mighty machine made to move in the greatest animated gif of our time!. Wow, way cool, Kerry!