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Fantastic Four (1961) #285-286, Annual #19
Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne, Vol. 7
Innovative 80s action The World's Greatest Super-Team joins Earth's Mightiest Heroes when the FF and Avengers coverge in the midst of an alien civil war that changes the face of the entire Skrull Empire Then, both teams return to Earth, where the FF inadvertently resurrects one of Marvel mutantdom's mightiest Collects Fantastic Four #285-286 & Annual #19, Avengers #263 & Annual #14 and X-Factor #1.
205 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2007
5 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
John Byrne
2,956 books363 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
John Lindley Byrne is a British-born Canadian-American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero.
Byrne's better-known work has been on Marvel Comics' X-Men and Fantastic Four and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics’ Superman franchise. Coming into the comics profession exclusively as a penciler, Byrne began co-plotting the X-Men comics during his tenure on them, and launched his writing career in earnest with Fantastic Four (where he also started inking his own pencils). During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works, including Next Men and Danger Unlimited. He also wrote the first issues of Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and produced a number of Star Trek comics for IDW Publishing.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
John Lindley Byrne is a British-born Canadian-American author and artist of comic books. Since the mid-1970s, Byrne has worked on nearly every major American superhero.
Byrne's better-known work has been on Marvel Comics' X-Men and Fantastic Four and the 1986 relaunch of DC Comics’ Superman franchise. Coming into the comics profession exclusively as a penciler, Byrne began co-plotting the X-Men comics during his tenure on them, and launched his writing career in earnest with Fantastic Four (where he also started inking his own pencils). During the 1990s he produced a number of creator-owned works, including Next Men and Danger Unlimited. He also wrote the first issues of Mike Mignola's Hellboy series and produced a number of Star Trek comics for IDW Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 10, 2015
With Byrne FF Visionaires volume 7, we have reached the nadir of the epic byrne run. This is basically a wasteland of watered-down Annuals & tie-in/crossover Avengers /Xfactor issues. We have a somewhat lackluster Skull story that takes up half of this sparse tome and then we conclude with the "legendary" Arc where Jean Grey is "returned" which i had successfully avoided for 30 years....But i have now read it and it was beyond underwhelming....I am in the camp it was a mistake to undo her once meaningful death. Anyway, We only have 2 actual FF title issues. I would say this is the Byrne FF volume to skip. Byrne turns over the inking to several guys & the end result is the artwork is inconsistant & spotty all the way through. Jarringly so. The other Byrne FF Visionaires Volumes leading up to number 7 are essential... this is not. I will still give it 3 stars for effort, mainly for the 2 FF titled issues.
April 23, 2024
Collecting issues #285-286 and Annual #19, Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne Vol. 7 also includes Avengers Annual #14, Avengers #263 and the double-sized X-Factor #1, and there lies the obvious problem. That's only three Fantastic Four comics, and I question the appropriateness of most of this ancillary material. The Avengers Annual is the flip-side of an FF story that nerfs the Skrulls (what did Byrne have against them anyway?!) and Byrne did do the breakdowns, so okay, but the Avengers stuff feels like you've jumped into the deep end of an unknown continuity and several pages are repeated (interesting to compare Sinnott to Kyle Baker as finishers, but still). Then, the famous one-off where a kid dies trying to copy the Torch (inspired by the kid who died a few years prior trying to fly like Superman), which is slightly impaired by being a Secret Wars II tie-in. And the Shooter-era interconnectedness gets out of control with the final batch of issues which show how Jean Grey is brought back from the dead, really an X-Men story. The crux of it is told in the FF issue, and I don't see why we need its lead-in (since it's recapped anyway), nor its follow-up (which has, like, a couple panels of Mister Fantastic and nothing to do with the FF). Neither of these have a role for Byrne, and this is supposed to be Visionaries: John Byrne. My X-Factor collection started with #2 (you couldn't always trust your local convenience store), so this was my first read of #1, but that's neither here nor there. I suppose there was an awkward amount of issues to get the trade paperback series to 8 volumes, but how about just making one thicker?
January 15, 2021
Não dá pra ganhar todas.
Ninguém é gênio o tempo inteiro.
Esse é o volume mais fraco da coleção, justamente porque tem pouco Byrnezão da massa, aí fica difícil. Na verdade tem até pouco Quarteto Fantástico, há um comentário sobre uma daquelas teorias quadrinísticas de que "cósmico não vende", gibi do Quarteto sem cósmico, eu não quero.
Bom, de qualquer maneira, começamos com um cross-over de anuais - algo que nunca me convenceu muito - entre o Quarteto e os Vingadores no meio da guerra civil skrull que termina com a detonação de uma bomba que "tranca" todos os skrulls do universo na forma que eles estavam usando naquele momento - ô ideia besta - e também tem o "Skrull da Máscara de Ferro" - ô ideia besta de novo.
Depois, uma história bem sentimental sobre o guri que queria ser o Tocha Humana, adivinhem o que acontece? Outra ideia besta de novo.
Depois de mais uma ideia besta, mais um crossover entre o Quarteto e os Vingadores que culmina na volta da Jean Grey - like a phoenix, I ressurect all the time, like a phoenex, the x-men won't let me die - e na formação do X-Factor. Admito que, quando essa porcaria saiu, eu curti pra caralho, hoje, na boa, o Ciclope tem de que se foder mesmo, a maneira fria e casual com que ele vira as costas pra Maddy e sai cagando e andando é de cortar o coração - a idade me deixou sentimental. Porém é uma história que não tem pé nem cabeça com essa coleção. Dá pra ver que o Byrnezão da massa já andava meio cansado e preparando as malas pra ir pra Distinta Concorrências, as pistas estavam no pega-rapaz da Sue Richards o tempo todo.
Ninguém é gênio o tempo inteiro.
Esse é o volume mais fraco da coleção, justamente porque tem pouco Byrnezão da massa, aí fica difícil. Na verdade tem até pouco Quarteto Fantástico, há um comentário sobre uma daquelas teorias quadrinísticas de que "cósmico não vende", gibi do Quarteto sem cósmico, eu não quero.
Bom, de qualquer maneira, começamos com um cross-over de anuais - algo que nunca me convenceu muito - entre o Quarteto e os Vingadores no meio da guerra civil skrull que termina com a detonação de uma bomba que "tranca" todos os skrulls do universo na forma que eles estavam usando naquele momento - ô ideia besta - e também tem o "Skrull da Máscara de Ferro" - ô ideia besta de novo.
Depois, uma história bem sentimental sobre o guri que queria ser o Tocha Humana, adivinhem o que acontece? Outra ideia besta de novo.
Depois de mais uma ideia besta, mais um crossover entre o Quarteto e os Vingadores que culmina na volta da Jean Grey - like a phoenix, I ressurect all the time, like a phoenex, the x-men won't let me die - e na formação do X-Factor. Admito que, quando essa porcaria saiu, eu curti pra caralho, hoje, na boa, o Ciclope tem de que se foder mesmo, a maneira fria e casual com que ele vira as costas pra Maddy e sai cagando e andando é de cortar o coração - a idade me deixou sentimental. Porém é uma história que não tem pé nem cabeça com essa coleção. Dá pra ver que o Byrnezão da massa já andava meio cansado e preparando as malas pra ir pra Distinta Concorrências, as pistas estavam no pega-rapaz da Sue Richards o tempo todo.
July 25, 2017
This volume is barely anything. Do you love the Fantastic Four? Well tough luck, this one barely has them in it. FF 285 is about a kid lighting himself on fire because he wants to be the Human Torch. Somehow the Torch comes out of this feeling better about himself.
Then we have Avengers Annual 14 and FF Annual 19, which overlap in the last few pages. The Avengers story is a fun space story that I really enjoyed. The FF story, on the other hand, starts off with a callback to the Enfant Terrible, one of Lee & Kirby's worst ideas. It then leads to a double (triple?) Skrull swerve that I still don't understand. But it doesn't matter because it then jams into the last third of the Avengers issue. You'd be better off reading the Avengers story and skipping the FF.
The Avengers/FF crossovers continue with Avengers 263 and FF 286, the return of Jean Grey. I've talked about this before so I'll just say that, folks, it's bad. So is X-Factor #1.
The next volume is the end of Byrne's run. I hope it's at least something rather than nothing, which is what this volume was.
Then we have Avengers Annual 14 and FF Annual 19, which overlap in the last few pages. The Avengers story is a fun space story that I really enjoyed. The FF story, on the other hand, starts off with a callback to the Enfant Terrible, one of Lee & Kirby's worst ideas. It then leads to a double (triple?) Skrull swerve that I still don't understand. But it doesn't matter because it then jams into the last third of the Avengers issue. You'd be better off reading the Avengers story and skipping the FF.
The Avengers/FF crossovers continue with Avengers 263 and FF 286, the return of Jean Grey. I've talked about this before so I'll just say that, folks, it's bad. So is X-Factor #1.
The next volume is the end of Byrne's run. I hope it's at least something rather than nothing, which is what this volume was.
June 25, 2021
Should be titled Fantastic Four/Avengers/X-Men as they all played equal parts in this volume. Nevertheless, it is a great look at what Marvel was like in the 80s and what all these teams were up to.
Also the Human Torch story about the death of a kid trying to imitate him did not work. It was a good attempt at a humanity story but doesn’t stick the landing.
Also the Human Torch story about the death of a kid trying to imitate him did not work. It was a good attempt at a humanity story but doesn’t stick the landing.
June 18, 2017
El fuerte de este tomo radica en la reaparición de un importante personaje del universo de Marvel cuya trágica historia marcó un antes y un después para los X-Men. John Byrne se las ingenia para justificar su regreso y aprovecha de usar a personajes de otros títulos de la Casa de las Ideas.
May 17, 2019
Not the best of Byrne's run, mostly because these aren't FF stories. This is a lot of retconning and tying up old loose plot threads and that's a lot of exposition and its missing the fun and excitement of stories earlier in this run.
March 7, 2025
There's one excellent issue in here, involving a huge fan of Johny Storm and a tragic turn of events. And then the rest of the issues are forgettable for the most part, and lastly there is a retcon to an iconic X-Men story in here that I really dislike. Still, it has that John Byrne art and charm.
May 6, 2019
(Read single issues) .... more fun stuff from Byrne. Seems there is a new inker every other issue, which is actually kind of interesting.
July 17, 2015
I can't imagine buying this collection and not feeling ripped off. Not only are the Fantastic Four hardly in it, but nearly half of the collection is one story, only told from two viewpoints! Have some shame, Marvel!
Fortunately I didn't buy the collection, though I did spend about 7 bucks buying the issues I didn't have before. I've had FF annual 19 for forever though, and after reading it again for probably the first time in 20 years, I wonder how it made any sense when I first read it, since it hardly makes sense to my (hopefully more advanced) brain now! Reading the Avengers annual right afterwards helped give the story some cohesion, but is it really worth the payoff?
FF 285 is almost worth the price of admission- pretty sappy, sentimental stuff, but it got to me!
Avengers 263 was enjoyable filler.
FF 286 I've also had for a million years, and a good thing, too- I don't think it's cheap to buy. I dunno, I found it enjoyably weird- where are Jean's parents, and why did they have that weird hologram ball? I also liked/found frustrating the beginning where the FF return from some exciting cosmic adventures we never get to see, and Johnny comments that these adventures will never see print because "cosmic isn't in"- a little jab from Byrne to the powers that be about the kind of stories he wishes he was writing, perhaps?
I actually own a copy of X-Factor 1, but flipping through it I realized the FF don't appear at all in it, except for one page where Reed Richards pushes Angel or something, so I decided to skip it.
I give this collection 2 stars, not because the issues individually were bad, but because it's a shitty, short FF collection and they're barely in it.
But I didn't really read a "collection" so who's complaining.
On to the last one, I guess.
Fortunately I didn't buy the collection, though I did spend about 7 bucks buying the issues I didn't have before. I've had FF annual 19 for forever though, and after reading it again for probably the first time in 20 years, I wonder how it made any sense when I first read it, since it hardly makes sense to my (hopefully more advanced) brain now! Reading the Avengers annual right afterwards helped give the story some cohesion, but is it really worth the payoff?
FF 285 is almost worth the price of admission- pretty sappy, sentimental stuff, but it got to me!
Avengers 263 was enjoyable filler.
FF 286 I've also had for a million years, and a good thing, too- I don't think it's cheap to buy. I dunno, I found it enjoyably weird- where are Jean's parents, and why did they have that weird hologram ball? I also liked/found frustrating the beginning where the FF return from some exciting cosmic adventures we never get to see, and Johnny comments that these adventures will never see print because "cosmic isn't in"- a little jab from Byrne to the powers that be about the kind of stories he wishes he was writing, perhaps?
I actually own a copy of X-Factor 1, but flipping through it I realized the FF don't appear at all in it, except for one page where Reed Richards pushes Angel or something, so I decided to skip it.
I give this collection 2 stars, not because the issues individually were bad, but because it's a shitty, short FF collection and they're barely in it.
But I didn't really read a "collection" so who's complaining.
On to the last one, I guess.
April 24, 2016
The seventh Visionaries volume collecting John Byrne's amazing run on the Fantastic Four contains # 285286, Annual # 19, Avengers # 263 and Avengers Annual # 14, as well as X-Factor # 1, which unfortunately means rather too little John Byrne material for a "Byrne Visionary" volume. To add a bit to the injury, the editor of the volume has chosen top open with the two related Annuals and then move onto FF # 285 (an absolutely amazing story in its own right), although the chronology within the stories clearly places the events of that particular issue prior to those Annuals. This becomes all the more confusing since FF # 286 (when we finally get to it) clearly has the FF Annual as a starting point of sorts.
Over all it is enjoyable material, and I can understand the inclusion of both the Avengers issue and the Annual (particularly the latter as it's pencilled by Byrne), but the inclusion of the premiere issue of X-Factor (enjoyable as it is) is by no means required in this volume, and I have to admit that I would rather have been reading an issue or two more of FF instead. And in intended narrative order, thank you very much.
Over all it is enjoyable material, and I can understand the inclusion of both the Avengers issue and the Annual (particularly the latter as it's pencilled by Byrne), but the inclusion of the premiere issue of X-Factor (enjoyable as it is) is by no means required in this volume, and I have to admit that I would rather have been reading an issue or two more of FF instead. And in intended narrative order, thank you very much.
October 25, 2013
In the first story arc the Avengers and FF meet up in space right during the middle of a Skrull Civil War. The story is told from 2 points of view in both their Annuals.
Then follows a special story, that should have opened this tpb chronologically speaking. Johnny faces a personal crisis and ironically enough the being that helps him through it is not even human. Hint: he is an omnipotent being from beyond/cosmic cube/inhuman mutant, depending on whichever retcon is in fashion at the moment.
Speaking of retcons: the final story arc features the return from the grave of an original X-man and leads directly into the first issue of X-Factor, which is also featured in this volume.
Good fun with stories ranging from okay to really good. The FF however are support characters in their own stories instead of being the main act. Not to be missed nonetheless.
Then follows a special story, that should have opened this tpb chronologically speaking. Johnny faces a personal crisis and ironically enough the being that helps him through it is not even human. Hint: he is an omnipotent being from beyond/cosmic cube/inhuman mutant, depending on whichever retcon is in fashion at the moment.
Speaking of retcons: the final story arc features the return from the grave of an original X-man and leads directly into the first issue of X-Factor, which is also featured in this volume.
Good fun with stories ranging from okay to really good. The FF however are support characters in their own stories instead of being the main act. Not to be missed nonetheless.
October 30, 2015
Mám za sebou necelých 200 čísel staré FF (Lee a Byrne) a už mě to začíná krapet nebavit. Naštěstí se pomalu blížím do finiše. Minule jsem psal, že se omnibus liší od visionaries a tady je to podobné - chybí tu Avengers 263 a X-Factor 1, což mi na rozdíl od Thinga #23 nijak nevadí. Díky tomu vlastně hodnotím jen 2 čísla a 2 annualy
Nejprve tu mám slavný příběh "Hero", údajně jeden z nejlepších FF příběhů vůbec, který mě... nebavil.
Následně za pomoci Chrices Claremonta vstává Jean Greyová z mrtvých, aby mohl vzniknout X-Factor (je potřeba promovat novou sérii, takže to narvali do FF i Avengers).
No a na závěr dlouhý dvojpříběh z Annualů, kde Avengers a FF bojují proti Skrullům. Docela fajn.
Celkově strašně průměrná čísla, na které si za pár dnů ani nevzpomenu (proto jsem taky začal psát tyhle poznámky).
Nejprve tu mám slavný příběh "Hero", údajně jeden z nejlepších FF příběhů vůbec, který mě... nebavil.
Následně za pomoci Chrices Claremonta vstává Jean Greyová z mrtvých, aby mohl vzniknout X-Factor (je potřeba promovat novou sérii, takže to narvali do FF i Avengers).
No a na závěr dlouhý dvojpříběh z Annualů, kde Avengers a FF bojují proti Skrullům. Docela fajn.
Celkově strašně průměrná čísla, na které si za pár dnů ani nevzpomenu (proto jsem taky začal psát tyhle poznámky).
June 21, 2008
Most of the stories in this collection are made up of crossovers with other marvel titles, yet they can be read on their own without any trouble.
Reminds you that comic crossovers used to fun and you didn't need to buy 64 other comics to enjoy/understand them.
The FF are dragged into a civil war in the Skrull Empire and get back in time to take part in the return of a character that John Byrne original helped kill.
Byrne had a gift for being able to do big and cosmic and then with the very next story do something smaller and down to earth.
Or at least as down to earth as any comic book should get.
Reminds you that comic crossovers used to fun and you didn't need to buy 64 other comics to enjoy/understand them.
The FF are dragged into a civil war in the Skrull Empire and get back in time to take part in the return of a character that John Byrne original helped kill.
Byrne had a gift for being able to do big and cosmic and then with the very next story do something smaller and down to earth.
Or at least as down to earth as any comic book should get.
August 11, 2011
Strange that it's called a Fantastic Four book. There's not much of them in it. A good story about hero worship involving the Torch, and the discovery of Jean Grey. But the rest of it isn't that great.
August 10, 2011
The return of Jean Grey is fabulous!
June 24, 2015
Fantastic Four #286 3 stars
Avengers #263 2 stars
Avengers #263 2 stars
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews