In Meta-Messages, I explore the context behind (using reader danjack's term) "meta-messages." A meta-message is where a comic book creator comments on/references the work of another comic book/comic book creator (or sometimes even themselves) in their comic. Each time around, I'll give you the context behind one such "meta-message."

Based on a suggestion from reader Freedy, I spotlight the John Byrne/Neal Adams bit from Fantastic Four #263-264 (I featured this in a Comic Book Legends Revealed over a decade ago).

Neal Adams was (and I assume still is) a proponent of the theory that the current state of the Earth is different than it was millions of years ago, and that the Earth has actually expanded since then.

The theory is that the continents used to be one gigantic land mass, but as the Earth expanded, the continents broke apart and the oceans were formed.

Adams has a section on his website about this theory, including a number of videos on the topic.

Here is one of them...

Adams differs from other theorists who support this topic in how he believes the expansion occurs. His theory is that there is an electron/positron pair production within the core of the Earth. Pair production is the theory that a particle and an anti-particle combined would produce energy. Adams believes it is this energy that causes the Earth to expand.

Generally speaking, this theory of an expanding Earth is not an accepted one in the scientific community, who have all generally accepted the theory of continental drift (explained via plate tectonics) as practically undisputed fact.

However, there are those who still do continue to support it.

In any event, in Fantastic Four #263, John Byrne introduced a fellow named Alden Maas, who was a Walt Disney type who also subscribed to the expanding Earth theory, and actually came up with a plan to use the Human Torch's supernova flame to re-ignite the Earth's core and make the Earth expand to help take care of the growing population of Earth.

The Mole Man gets involved as the drilling to the Earth's core interrupts his world.

While initially Byrne did not intend to base the character on Adams (most likely, originally it was supposed to be strictly a Disney pastiche, like the whole "kept alive past what should have been his death" bit), as the story went along, it seemed more and more like Adams - enough so that Byrne knew that whether he intended it or not, people would certainly see the character as based on Adams. So Byrne decided to go all out, even naming the character Alden Maas (an anagram for Neal Adams).

And visually, the similarity is certainly there.

Anyhow, Byrne has routinely expressed great admiration for Adams, so this is not some hack job on Adams or anything like that (it surely is a lot less harsh than the Len Wein bit from Sensational She-Hulk, after all). Maas is not even really much of a villain in the piece - he's doing what he thinks is for the betterment of Earth. Byrne is just slightly poking fun (if you even wish to call it that, it's barely even poking fun) at Adams' theories.

Thanks to Freedy for the suggestion!

Okay, that's it for this Meta-Messages. If anyone else has a suggestion for a good Meta-Messages, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!