One aspect of the first issue of Fantastic Four that readers will find impressive is the frenetic pace at which the story is approached. The inciting incident is set up before being largely abandoned in each subsequent chapter, throwing members of Marvel’s First Family into new concepts and conflicts as the issues progress.
Even issues that introduce major FF villains tend to veer significantly into new areas of the story. Issue #5 introduces Doctor Doom before he kidnaps Sue in Chapter 1 (ensuring the surrender of the rest of the team) and sends the boys back in time to steal pirate treasure. Ben Grimm inadvertently becomes Blackbeard, a tornado hits their ship, and after delivering a box full of rusty chains to Doom, he departs in a jetpack.
He continues to go crazy with power for four full pages.
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This is several stories worth of different adventures packed into 20-odd pages.
In issue #9, Namor tricks the Fantastic Four into starring in a Hollywood movie about them (classic aquatic shenanigans?), which allows each member to have their own chapter’s worth of conflicts (Cyclops, Fireproof Africa, etc.). tribe, Namor’s wrestling match, and another Sioux kidnapping). It is continuous, varied and busy.
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Famously, Fantastic Four was Marvel’s return to superheroes and the birth of the Marvel era, with sci-fi/fantasy anthology books like Journey Into Mystery and Strange Tales. It was born out of a packed release schedule. Some of the plots in Fantastic Four may have been compiled from concepts originally intended for those books. Once the superhero trappings are out of the way, extraterrestrial invaders like Kurgo of Planet I feel like an unconquered Orgo. The way the story unfolds (Reed shrinks Kurgo’s race to save them from Planet You can even read it.
This seems important. Now, moving on…
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Issue #13 features the team racing Red Ghost and his Super Ape to the moon. It also introduces the Watchers and their race, and briefly reveals the shocking fact that an ancient culture once lived in the mysterious blue realms of the moon (including the Skrulls, Kree, and Cotati). We later find out that the Phoenix is brought to justice there, and the Inhumans end up living there. These three different concepts (the apes, the Watchers, and the ancient civilization) are all good enough for stand-alone stories. Enough for one anthology book.
This may be the secret to Fantastic Four’s early success. The book never rested. Each issue contained as much action and content as any other Marvel sci-fi book, but this time it featured notable characters. They weren’t yet superheroes as we know them today. Even the appearances of Doom, Namor, and the Hulk can’t take readers on the kinds of adventures they see in Detective Comics or Superman.
The issues included in Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The World’s Largest Comics Magazine represent a slow but frenzied transition for the company. These are issues that changed the very face of American comics. That it moved so little from Marvel’s existing catalog somehow made the changes all the more surprising.
“Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The World’s Best Comic Magazine” changes the look of the medium with a slight change to the anthology format
Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The World’s Best Comic Magazine
Early Fantastic Four stories were filled with quick, anthology-style storylines, often resembling issues of Strange Tales or Journey into Mystery. They revitalized the company and the entire industry.
The most important comic in Marvel’s early catalog.
High energy, concept heavy, and fun.
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Sometimes it’s boring.
