Call Her Crystal! Part 3

By mid-1967 Crystal was a regular cast member in the Fantastic Four comic, albeit as a supporting character. But for a solid year's worth of issues--#68-80, plus two Annuals--she uses her elemental powers exactly once (and just to teach Johnny a lesson). She's relegated to hand-wringing and plays nursemaid-to-pregnant-Sue, a role that could've been handled by Alicia. The million dollar question: why have Crystal the Inhuman in the series and keep her on the bench? 

At any rate, since she was not busy performing feats of derring-do, throughout this period with the FF Crystal was in civvies. Without further ado here's Crystal during her "I Am Curious (Mostly in-) Yellow" phase, in 1967-8. 

Fantastic Four #68-69

Crystal's look changes with FF #68. She still has her trademark  headband/tiger stripes, but now she dispenses with the snoods and lets the ends of her hair go free. For the time being Crystal's also ditched her yellow Inhumans uniform, but in keeping with that same uniform her civilian clothing is often yellow. Back then, it was standard for characters to have a signature color; think of Clark Kent in his blue suit, or Jimmy Olsen in his green suit. 

In FF #68, Crystal first appears in a sleeveless lemon-yellow dress...

Fantastic Four #68 (1967) 

...then in a yellow top and skinny pants (similar to what she wore in FF #67). 

(L) Fantastic Four #68                    (R) Fantastic Four #69

Note: concurrent with Fantastic Four #68 Crystal appeared with her fellow Inhumans in the opening splash of the new Inhumans feature in Thor #146. She's shown in her yellow Inhumans uniform but as with her new FF look she's sans hair snoods. 

Thor #146

Fantastic Four #70

Crystal wears a yellow and pale green-striped minidress. 

Fantastic Four #70 (1968)

Fantastic Four #71

Crystal wears a yellow plaid jumper with a black turtleneck underneath. 

Fantastic Four #71

Love those shiny metallic bracelets!

Fantastic Four #71

FF #71 was on sale in November 1967; that same month Crystal appeared in a couple of other Marvel mags.  First, as "Gristle" in Not Brand Echh #6, in which she's wearing a yellow minidress with matching yellow tights and boots. Also, her hair snoods are back, at least along the front of her hair.   

Not Brand Echh #6 

Then a very young Crystal pops up in Thor #149 in the Inhumans back-up feature.  It's a tale set in the past exploring the Royal Family's background. Here Li'l Crystal's "almost eight."  Note: no hair snoods or headband, but true to form she is wearing her by-now obligatory yellow. 

Thor #149 

And now back to our regularly-scheduled FF continuity 😀

Fantastic Four #72

Crystal wears a sleeveless polka-dotted yellow dress.

Fantastic Four #72

And guess what??? After appearing in every single FF issue since #59, Crystal does not appear in #73.  But never fear, she's back in...

Fantastic Four #74

And guess what color she's wearing--that's right, yellow. Here she is in a shiny citron-hued dress. 

Fantastic Four #74

Fantastic Four #75

What's this--Crystal in blue? Guess her yellow clothes hadn't come back from the cleaners.  Also, where's her headband? 

Fantastic Four #75

Fantastic Four #76

Whew, the headband is back! Crys is clad in green here, in an comfy-looking checked top and skinny pants. 

Fantastic Four #76

Fantastic Four #77

Back to basics: Crystal's in a yellow, short-sleeved dress.

Fantastic Four #77

However on the issue's cover, she's shown in green, perhaps to provide a contrast with Sue's yellow hair.

portion of Fantastic Four #77 cover

Fantastic Four #78
What the --?! Green, red, and blue, with no trace of yellow in sight--whoo hoo!

Fantastic Four #78

Fantastic Four #79

Here she frolics in a pale green sleeveless dress. 

Fantastic Four #79

Fantastic Four #80

Yellow top and skinny pants...plus an apron. And cleaning up after Reed, Johnny, and Ben? 😖 

Fantastic Four #80

Fantastic Four Annual #6 

Crystal appears in a couple of different dresses--both yellow, of course. First, a plain unadorned one...

Fantastic Four Annual #6 

...and then, to celebrate the birth of Franklin, she's wearing a yellow dress with a decorative, waist-cinching sash.

Fantastic Four Annual #6

Call Her Crystal! Part 2

As we saw last time, in her debut Crystal of the Inhumans was clad in a plain white dress and her hair was similarly unadorned. 'Course when you look like Crystal you don't need much embellishment, but let's see how Kirby 'n' Sinnott, and Frank Giacoia, proceeded to gild the lily. 

Fantastic Four #61
A year and change after Crystal's debut in FF #45, she finally has a costume, just like the other Inhumans! It's not quite clear why a group of people living in Attilan need costumes but whatever. (Much later on it was explained that their attire was ceremonial or royal regalia or something.) Anyway, Crystal's wearing a canary-colored yellow outfit with black decorations. 

Fantastic Four #61 (April 1967) Crystal's New Look

And that's not all! The fabled Crystal headband makes its first appearance. The headband has one big circle in the back. Not only that, but she's also wearing snoods--kind of like hair nets I guess--on her hair. 

More from Fantastic Four #61 (April 1967) 

Fantastic Four #62

Here her headband looks like a plastic contraption holding her hair back from her face, as opposed to something that conforms to her hair (as appeared to be the case in #61). Also, for some reason in this one panel Kirby forgets about her curved fringe and has her hair pulled straight back from her forehead.

Fantastic Four #62 (May 1967) See how her hair is uncharacteristically swept back? Yes, it's the details like this that make or break a comic book reading experience😋

Another look at the headband and the snoods.

Fantastic Four #62 (May 1967) 

Fantastic Four #63 

She retains her Kirby-Sinnott straight-across horizontal eyebrows.  

Fantastic Four #63 (June 1967) 

In a couple of panels Kirby forgets her fringe and draws her with a Sue-like hairline. 

Fantastic Four #63 (June 1967) Crystal and Blastaar

Fantastic Four #64

Fantastic Four #64 (July 1967) Crystal, Johnny and Lockjaw

Fantastic Four #65

Here's Crystal in civilian clothes--a pale green, striped top and white slacks--and sans the headband and snoods. She seems to be trying to acclimate to her beloved Johnny's world.

Fantastic Four #65 (August 1967)
It's the Silver Age, so Marvel women went shopping. smh

Fantastic Four #66

But never fear, Crystal's back in her Inhumans regalia here, complete with headband and snoods. 

Fantastic Four #66 (September 1967)

Fantastic Four #67

Now we're mixing things up: Crystal is wearing civilian clothes as she did in #65, but here she retains her headband and snoods (although on #67's cover she's shown in her yellow Inhumans costume).  

Fantastic Four #67 (October 1967)
Notice how Stan takes great pains to establish that since Crystal has been living at the Baxter Building since #62, Johnny doesn't live there. Mustn't let the innocent readers think they've been shacking up!

Fantastic Four Annual #5

Crystal's back in her Inhumans costume. This story's inked by Frank Giacoia. 

Fantastic Four Annual #5 (November 1967) 

However on the cover Kirby forgets to draw her headband but remembers her snoods.  

Fantastic Four Annual #5 (November 1967)
Is that a cover or what?

Fantastic Four Annual #5 (1967)

There are also Inhumans pin-ups in the Annual, including one of Crystal.  Again, it's inked by Giacoia so it's not the slick Sinnotty-Crystal many were used to back then. 

Fantastic Four Annual #5 (1967)

After this Annual, Crystal stashes her Inhumans costume in the closet and shows up in civilian clothes for about a year, as we'll see next time in this incisive, hard-hitting exposé of Crystal's couture. And when will that next time be? Wish I could tell you. In the meantime, everyone, stay healthy and safe!

Next: Civilian Crystal 

Call Her Crystal! Part 1

I've always loved Crystal and her bright orange hair that had that cool I-think-it's-a-black-headband/decoration. But did you know that her trademark headband wasn't part of her original look? You didn't? Well then,True Believers, time to take a closer look at    Crystal in the Silver Age!

Unless noted otherwise, all art is by Jack Kirby (pencils) and Joe Sinnott (inks). 

Fantastic Four #45 - Crystal's debut  
Initially Crystal sported a mane of long, tangerine-colored, unfettered locks. No headband!

(1965) Fantastic Four #45

(1965) Fantastic Four #45 

You can also see her eyes are somewhat exaggerated, with a definite upwards tilt and extra eyelashes. Her eyes are  shaped like fish, complete with little fins and a tail. Also, her brows veer upwards in dramatic Namor-like fashion.

(1965) Fantastic Four #45

Along with her sister Medusa, Crystal was one of the few Marvel characters back then who had really long hair. Okay, besides Thor. 

(1965) Fantastic Four #45

Fantastic Four #46
She retains the fish-shaped, ovally eyes and ascending brows on the cover...

As above: Crystal close-up from cover of Fantastic Four #46 (1966)

...and also within the story. Her antenna-like eyelashes are again emphasized.

Crystal, Lockjaw, and the Inhumans on the run in Fantastic Four #46 (1966)

Fantastic Four #47
Here Crystal's eyes are now closer in appearance to Sue's or other Kirby women--that is, her eyes are not so dramatically tilted and they're sans the extra eyelashes.  Her brows are now more horizontal.

(1966) Fantastic Four #47

Fantastic Four #48, #50, #52
Crystal shows up in a few panels in each of these issues. 

(L.) Fantastic Four #48, (C.) Fantastic Four #50, (R.) Fantastic Four #52 

Fantastic Four  #54
On the cover she almost looks like a slightly longer haired Alicia (from FF #41, Kirby inked by Vince Colletta).

L. - Crystal by Kirby-Sinnott Fantastic Four #54 (1966)
R. - Alicia by Kirby-Colletta Fantastic Four #41 (1965) 

In #54's story, Crystal's bangs are now sideswept.

(1966) Fantastic Four #54

It's the same sort of Kirby Krest found on Sue, Alicia, Jane Foster, Betty Ross, Marvel Girl/Jean Grey, and other women by Kirby in the SIlver Age. And yes, occasionally on Thor too (don't worry, we'll take a closer look at the Kirby Krest later on 😁).

Fantastic Four #56
As is obvious in all of these appearances, Crystal didn't have a colorful costume like the rest of the Inhumans royal family. Instead she wore a plain white dress. But surprise! In #56 she appears in a panel or two wearing a fuchsia-colored dress. Guess that's the day the white dress was at the Attilan dry cleaners. (Karnak's costume's coloring is off-model in that issue too.)

(1966) Fantastic Four #56 

Fantastic Four #57, #59, #60
She's back in that white dress. Coiffure-wise, her Kirby Krest seems to be a fixture. 

(1966) Fantastic Four #57

The Inhumans break free! 

(1967) Fantastic Four #59

(1967) Fantastic Four #60

NEXT:  The Headband Cometh! 
or   Crystal: I Am Curious Yellow