Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The beginnings of Marvel, 19 Jul 2005
Here it is - a massive high quality reprint of the first 30 issues of The Fantastic Four (plus the first Annual) from 1961-1964, and the bedrock upon which the entire Marvel universe of comics is constructed. There had been superheroes before Marvel of course, with DC's Superman and Batman being the most famous examples, and even early pre-Marvel characters such as Captain America and the Sub-Mariner are given a dusting down and re-introduced in these pages, but the Fantastic Four completely rewrote the superhero rulebook and kick-started an incredible period of inventiveness from Stan Lee and co, with the likes of Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Hulk, the X-Men, Daredevil, Iron Man and more going on to dominate the genre.Probably the biggest change for the Fantastic Four was that instead of being a bunch of character-less square-jawed do-gooders the Fantastic Four acted like a real dysfunctional family, and at the heart of this was the ground-breaking figure of Ben Grimm - the Thing, a 'superhero' cursed with an appearance so foul he resembled a walking monster, and who's tendency to fly off the handle seemed as though the character really could turn on the other members during these early issues. Grimm's struggles to come to terms with his appearance as a monster gives these issues a real pathos, something that is highlighted when he finally finds acceptance from his blind girlfriend Alicia, and his transformation from a grouch into the heart of the FF is handled brilliantly, with his initial genuine fights with the Human Torch transforming into affectionate horseplay. The other members are less interesting, but still vivid characters -hot-headed Human Torch (Johnny Storm) seems designed to appeal to the teen age audience, while the elastic Mr Fantastic (Reed Richards) is so straight faced he almost seems to be a parody of pre-Marvel superheroes. The Invisible Woman (Sue Storm) is more problematical in the early issues, as her power doesn't really enable her to take more than a peripheral role in the stories. It's interesting to see in the letters pages some fans dissatisfaction with her and asking for her to be replaced, and it's only near the end of the issues reprinted here that the character is beefed up with some additional force field powers to truly take her place as a full member of the FF. Of course, being 40-odd years old these stories have dated a little, and the artwork in particular seems very basic compared to today's comics. Jack Kirby would go on to push the entire field of comic book art forward with some truly groundbreaking wild artwork later on in the Fantastic Four's run, but in these early issues Kirby is functional but unspectacular (one must also bear in mind that, just as Stan Lee was writing dozens of comics at the same time, so Kirby was drawing numerous titles a month). Stan Lee's stories can also occasionally suffer from some rather hokey moments, but Lee's humour as the series goes on makes this still laugh out loud funny, and the stories are still wildly ambitious - in only the 4th issue we have the sight of man-monster the Thing venturing into the innards of a giant whale with an atomic bomb strapped onto his back, while the post-modern self-awareness shown by the Fantastic Four as comic book characters (receiving fan letters and meeting Lee and Kirby in issue 10) is another ground breaking moment. Other great moments included in this early run include the rivalry built up between the Thing and the Hulk, with an absolutely enormous fight spread over two issues that ends up dragging in the likes of Captain America and Iron Man, while the ongoing love triangle between Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and the Sub-Mariner leads to some great attacks on the surface dwellers by the Prince of Atlantis, culminating in the epic annual. And that not forgetting the likes of Doctor Doom... All in all a little creaky round the edges as Lee and Kirby find their feet, but this was so far ahead of the field in the early 60's that it still holds up well today. The addition of reprints of the original letters pages give a real flavour of the Marvel boom of the time, with Stan Lee's direct self-depreciating addresses to the readers building up a real feeling of community. These are the best reprint versions of these early issues, so relive a classic era in comic book history - essential for all comic book fans.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Flame On...For A Great Read (Or should that be Reed?)!!!, 15 Jul 2005
Its the 1960's and Marvel decide they need a super hero team, Marve'l's first family - The Fantastic Four was born. Presenting for the 1st time ever, issues 1 to 30 of Fantastic Four, collected in a hard back book (weighing in at over 800 glossy pages!).The issues this book reprints have already been reprinted in B&W in Essential Fantastic Four Vol.1 and Vol.2, and also in colour in Marvel Masterworks Fantastic Four Vol.1, Vol.2 and Vol.3. However, this omnibus edition includes some unused Jack Kirby covers, various forewords from Stan Lee, Tom DeFalco and Roy Thomas - and (this is the most important part), the reprinting of all the letters pages! I know it seems like a small thing, but reading fans reactions to the comics as they saw print is quite a tribute to the era and the comic. So what do the 30 issues contain? The origin of the Fantastic Four, fights with Dr. Doom, Red Ghost, Mole Man, Miracle Man, Molecule Man, Skrulls (including Superskrull), Rama-Tut and Puppet Master! Add in guest appearances (maybe some tussles with) The Watcher, The X-Men (Original), Sub-Mariner and The Hulk, and you've got a pretty excellent line up of issues. So what's the downside? Price for one thing (currently £55 for the Kirby cover and £65 for the Alex Ross cover), although the original issues would set you back in the thousands of £££'s and the Masterwork reprints would set you back around £75. The other (although its also an advantage) is the simplicity of the issues. Story wise there is no hidden plot devices or super in-depth character revelations and art wise...well its the King (Jack Kirby) but compared to today's over used splash pages and awkward character poses some may find the art a bit bland. So to wrap up - great read for the classic comic fan, or any Fantastic Four/Marvel devotee. However newbies to comics/Fantastic Four may be better off with the Ultimate Fantastic Four (a different universe and set in the present) hardcover (2005) or "The Best Of The Fantastic Four" hardcover from earlier this year (2005).
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Four Finding Their Feet, 7 Jul 2009
This massive door-stop of a volume re-presents the first 30 issues of the Fantastic Four (plus the 1st FF Annual), the title that heralded the beginning of the Marvel Age of Comics. Premiering in 1961, the FF was unlike anything seen in comics up to that point. Here were super-heroes who wore boiler suits in place of the usual skin-tight costumes. They were drawn, by the legendary Jack Kirby, in a more realistic style than we were used to. This realism was pointed up by Stan Lee's scripts, in which the four heroes raged at fate and argued with each other. It was as if they were real people with real problems and real feelings. It's hard to imagine now just what a shock that was in the anodyne world of 1961 comics. It was a revolution in the making, and it's all captured in the pages of this book.
The stories in these 30 issues are mostly simple fun rather than earth-shattering. In the earliest of them, Kirby had not yet taken over the plotting from Stan Lee. When he did (as you'll see in the second FF Omnibus), the FF took off into cosmic sagas of unrivalled imagination. In these early issues, they tackle nutty villains like Kurrgo, Master of Planet X, and the Red Ghost and His Indescribable Super-Apes. However, as the run progresses and Kirby has more input into the plots, we are treated to the very first appearances of the ultimate Marvel bad guy, Doctor Doom, as well as the re-introduction to the Marvel Universe of Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, the first showdowns between the FF and the Incredible Hulk, a cross-over with the Avengers, and the first appearance of those naughty shape-shifting aliens, the Skrulls. Landmark stuff then, without a doubt.
Plus there are individual issues that stand out as great stories in their own right. In that category I would rate # 21, 'The Hate Monger,' very highly. Even after all these years, it still packs a powerful punch. Other favourites are # 25, 'The Hulk vs. The Thing,' 'nuff said, and # 29, 'It Started on Yancy Street,' in which things start to go cosmic with the first appearance of the mysterious Watcher.
This book would easily rate a full five stars were it not for Marvel's use of shiny paper and over-bright inks, plus the fact that what you get here is not reproduced from the original Kirby artwork. Over the years, Marvel lost, gave away or returned Kirby's artwork. What you get in these reprint volumes is close copies of the original art done by another artist. Caveat Emptor!
Incidentally, I said earlier that the early FF were unlike anything we'd seen in comics before. In fact, they bear a striking resemblance to the Challengers of the Unknown, another adventurous foursome, created a couple of years earlier for DC comics - by Jack Kirby.
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by Jack Kirby
by Stan Lee
by Dave Cockrum
by Alan Moore
by Alan Moore
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