Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four, Vol. 5

Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four #5

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (Illustrator)

In the early 1960s, the Fantastic Four billed itself as "the world's greatest comics magazine," and issues 41-50, collected here in the FF's fifth volume in the Marvel Masterworks series, actually live up to that lofty claim. A trademark of the Stan Lee-Jack Kirby years was their epic sweep, and these 10 issues encompass three different story arcs that are themselves connected. Issues 41-43 feature the Frightful Four (the Wizard, the Sandman, the Trapster, and Madam Medusa) in an elaborate plot to brainwash the Thing into turning on his compatriots, including a battle with Reed Richards in the story memorably entitled "To Save You, Why Must I Kill You?" There's a timeout for a light-hearted break in Fantastic Four Annual no. 3, the marriage of Sue and Reed, in which the most dizzying array of supervillains and superheroes--almost everyone in the Marvel Universe--drops in for a page or even a panel in order to stop or save the wedding. When Medusa returns in issue 44, she's not simply a member of a supervillain group, but one of the Inhumans, super-powered beings led by the mighty Black Bolt, and the FF must follow them to the Great Refuge. If all that's not momentous enough, enter the most noble and tragic character of all, the Silver Surfer, the herald for the almighty Galactus, who consumes planets not because he's evil, but because he must in order to survive. In a 10-issue span, it's hard to imagine a similar wave of classic characters and mind-bending concepts, and yet Lee and Kirby also take the time to make their characters achingly human. Simply put, comics never got better than this, and this Masterworks edition reprints every issue in its full-color glory. - David Horiuchi

Collects The Fantastic Four #41-50, Annual #3

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber) was an American writer, editor, creator of comic book superheroes, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.

With several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, he co-created Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Thor as a superhero, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Daredevil, the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scarlet Witch, The Inhumans, and many other characters, introducing complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. He subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation.

Reviews

[Tom Ewing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote 3/4 of a long review of this and Goodreads ate it so I’ll try and be terser.

Kirby’s FF Imperial Phase - Lee going flat out to make sense of the ideas.

First story (41-43) - Frightful Four showdown: superhero fight as wrestling bout with plenty of heel turns, reversals, gimmicks. Storytelling magnificent, ideas OK.

Break for Reed & Sue’s wedding (Annual 3) - a Merry Marvel mash-up with Kirby’s storytelling outrageously compressed, the bop to 41-43’s swing.

The Inhumans (44-48) - starts great, all about the weird fantasy vibe; runs aground when everyone reaches Attilan and Kirby runs out of plot and loses interest, probably because he’s thought of...

Galactus (48-50) - guaranteed to wrong foot anyone who only knows how “important” it is and is expecting a saga: this is two issues worth of ultra dense, protean cosmic storytelling where the FF are bystanders in their own comic and the critical moments happen out of their sight or off panel. What Jack has built with Stan turns out to be entirely the wrong scale for the stories Jack is starting to want to tell, but the clash of those scales is what makes the Galactus story such a weird, resonant interlude.

And then there’s ten pages of Johnny Storm dicking around on campus.

[Evan Leach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the very best of the Marvel Masterworks collections. A lot is going on in this one, from the long awaited wedding between Reed & Sue, to the first appearance of the Silver Surfer, to the group’s first mega-showdown with Galactus:



You know you are dealing with a real menace when the bad guy has the confidence to slap the first letter of his name on his chest. Even the less momentous issues in this collection are fun in their own way, but the highlight is definitely the three-issue finale. I must admit that there were times that the science on display was a bit over my head:



But kidding aside, this was thoroughly entertaining and the artwork by Jack Kirby is just great. Fans of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby duo will find plenty to enjoy here. 4 stars, recommended!

[Lucy Batson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing and story structure continues to evolve here (esp with more arc-based stories featuring the Inhumans and the Silver Surfer), but this volume really suffers from subpar inking (this must be one of the most glaring examples of Vince Colletta's quick and dirty inking ruining Kirby's pencils) that literally takes the art beck to the Kirby of the 40s, though it does start to recover as Joe Sinnott takes over on inks and starts to find his footing.

[Drunken_orangetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Inhumans and Galactus! Reed's kinduva a jerk to Sue and everybody wears hats.

I suppose I'm drawn to these stories out of nostalgia. But beyond that there's both majestic scenes and touching moments and, in the midst of the clunky art, some beautiful design.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects Fantastic Four 41-50, Annual 3 by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.

Kind of incredible the amount of characters and storylines these two created in such a short period of time.

Frightful Four Saga
Fantastic Four 41- The Brutal Betrayal of Ben Grimm
in the last issue Grimm was normal again but Reed changed him back to The Thing in order to defeat Doom. So he's pretty upset now! He ends up skipping out of town in the back of a pickup truck and ends up at a gloomy house. Where the Frightful Four happen to be (Paste-Pot Pete, Sandman, Wizard, Medusa). The rest of the FF are searching for Ben meanwhile to Frightful Four have turned The Thing into a teammate using an ID Machine. The Frightful Four manage to capture the FF.

Fantastic Four 42 - To Save You, Why Must I Kill You?
The FF escape the contraptions keeping them hostage and a big battle ensues with Ben Grimm on the Frightful Four's team. Human Torch gets captured and pretends to be brainwashed too. So the 6 of them chase Reed and Susan.

Fantastic Four 43 - Lo! There Shall be an Ending!
The Frightful Four realize Human Torch's deceit. Meanwhile Ben has chased Reed and Susan back to the Baxter Building where Reed manages to subdue Ben and un-brainwash him but nearly kill him in the process. The Frightful Four show up but get their butts kicked. Only Medusa escapes.

Fantastic Four Annual 3 1965 - The Wedding of Sue and Reed "Bedlam at the Baxter Building"
The FF are essentially celebrities at this point. So their wedding is a big deal, but all their enemies take is as an opportunity to attack. Including Doom, Puppet Master, Red Ghost, Mole Man, The Mandarin, Super Skrull, and many other minor characters.

But there to help are Col Fury, The X-men, Dr. Strange, Thor, Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Man, Spider-man etc.

It's a celebration of all the characters Marvel had created up to that point.

Even Attula comes to take over the land world and the Watcher comes to help by giving Reed a TIme Displacer that sends all the enemies to the immediate past.

Inhumans Saga
Fantastic Four 44 The Gentleman's Name is Gorgon
The introduction of Inhumans I think it technically issue 45, but this starts that storyline.

Sue is trying to be a housewife to Reed while Reed is inventing new tech like an automated dish-washer. Medusa abducts Johnny. Gorgon shows up and attacks the Baxter Building. The Dragon Man happens to be asleep where Medusa takes Johnny and attacks them. Gorgon is after Medusa because she's an inhuman. All of the characters have an epic battle on a building.

Fantastic Four 45 Among Us Hide... The Inhumans
So Gorgon crashes the building down. The FF defeat Dragon Man and take him back to headquarters. The Frightful Four are in jail now and can't escape. Johnny is tired of being single and happens to bump into a gorgeous girl (Crystal) but she runs away from him with some debris flying around so Johnny isn't even sure if she was real. But later sees her again and meets her giant dog Lockjaw and she tells him about the Inhumans. Gorgon and Medusa are there too. We meet Triton (water lizard thing) and Karnak (guy that can punch really hard) and Black Bolt (their leader) comes in in the last panel to attack the FF.

Fantastic Four 46 Those Who Would Destroy Us
The FF try to fight Black Bolt and rest of the Inhumans but get beat pretty soundly. A guy named The Seeker breaks into the FF headquarters and steals Dragon Man. The Seeker is after the Inhumans and captures Triton and later the FF. He tells the FF the whole backstory about inhumans, humans, the Great Refuge that was built to protect the genetically altered inhumans. So no inhumans are allowed outside of this Great Refuge. Dragon Man wakes up and wreaks havoc including breaking Triton's water tank.

Fantastic Four 47 Beware the Hidden Land
Susan tries to help Triton by creating a bubble around him and filling it with water. Seeker reveals his boss is named Maximus the Magnificent. Ben and Dragon Man fight ending up in Ben's GF's (Alicia) place. The inhumans all leave but Reed wants to follow them, Susan doesn't saying that the inhumans have their own laws. Its revealed that Maximus is the false King and Black Bolt's brother. Black Bolt is the true king but has lost the power of speech but he takes the crown from Maximus. Maximus is power hungry but feigns innocence. The FF find the Great Refuge, a small high-tech city in the high Andes. The FF intrude and Reed tells Black Bolt they need to stop hiding, humans are not the enemy. Triton realizes Maximus is the real enemy.

Galactus Saga
Fantastic Four 48 The Coming of Galactus
Maximus is trying to kill all the humans and is plan would have worked but its revealed that inhumans are humans too so his vibration gun thingy doesn't work. The inhumans lock themselves into the Great Refuge as a huge dome covers the city. Johnny is upset that he can't see Crystal.

Meanwhile a silver dude on a surf board is flying though the cosmos headed to Earth. He's observed by Skrull who reveal that Galactus can't be far behind the Silver Surfer. Weird things are happening to the sky including fire which gets blamed on the FF. The Watcher tells Ben about Galactus who shows up at the very end. Galactus is here to consume the Earth for power. Ben destroys the device Galactus planned to use which pisses him off. The Watcher gets Johnny to go into a time space distortion and travels to the centre of infinity to a huge space station to fetch a weapon.

Fantastic Four 49 If This Be Doomsday
Galactus and The Watcher have a chat. The FF try to fight Galactus but their attacks are like a mosquito bite to him. Silver Surfer meets Alicia who convinces him humans are worth saving.

Fantastic Four 50 The Startling Sage of the Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer tells Galactus not to destroy Earth which doesn't go over too well. The Watcher is worried this turn of events will actually ruin his plan. Johnny comes back with a device that could erase the solar system in a microsecond - the Ultimate Nullifier. Silver Surfer is the herald to Galactus no longer. Galactus leaves. Ben is worried Alicia is more interested in the Surfer than him.

Johnny goes to College and meets a large student named Wingfoot and they seem to become fast friends. It's revealed that Crystal wants to escape the Great Refuge and see Johnny again.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were a force of nature during this era. They tossed out so many brilliant ideas in such a brief period of time that it leaves me awestruck. After a trio of issues featuring the Frightful Four we get the wedding of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) to Susan Storm (the Invisible Girl) in Annual No. 3. Unlike DC, this would not be an imaginary tale to be undone next month. This was a real, actual life event unfolding in the ever expanding Marvel Universe. That issue showed what a real, integrated universe it was like no issue before it.

Doctor Doom used his High-Frequency Emotion Charger to “fan the flames of hatred in the heart of every evil menace in existence!” The result was nearly every villain that the Fantastic Four tangled with up to that point converging on the Baxter Building. Luckily, every hero in the Marvel Universe was attending the wedding, so you got plenty of cool mix and match battles, such as S.H.IE.L.D. vs. the Puppet Master; the X-Men fighting the Mole Man and his mindless minions; the FF and Doctor Strange tussling with the Red Ghost and his Super Apes; Thor vs. the Super Skrull; Daredevil vs. Hydra; Captain America locking horns with the Cobra, the Executioner, and the Enchantress while Hawkeye removed Mister Hyde from entering the fray; the X-Men fighting the original Black Knight, the Mandarin, Electro, the Unicorn, the Melter, and the Beetle; Iron Man versus the Mad Thinker and his Awesome Android; Quicksilver tangling with the Human Top; and Attuma's surface world invasion thwarted in a scene worthy of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World. In short, it's simply one of the greatest comic books of the Silver Age.

You would think that Lee and Kirby would cool their heels a bit after a blockbuster like that, but you'd be mistaken. Madam Medusa was already introduced as a member of the Frightful Four, but not much was known about her. Issue 44 heralds the arrival of inker extraordinaire Joe Sinnott, a most welcome change after Vince Colletta. Colletta did not compliment Kirby's pencils in my opinion. Issue 44 is also when things kicked into high gear. The Gentleman's Name is Gorgon! is pure genius. Gorgon, in his very first appearance, tries to take Medusa back to their world, and to their own people. It was forbidden for her to be out in the human world. Dragon Man is woken up during their battle, complicating things even further.

Issue 45's Among Us Hide...The Inhumans! is another high mark for the era. When Marvel slapped the phrase The World's Greatest Comic Magazine on the cover every month it was a case of no brag, just the facts. Karnak, Lockjaw, Crystal, Triton, and Black Bolt all debut in one issue. That's right, the Inhumans were fully formed right out of the gate. Maximus the Mad, the Great Refuge...everything was ready to go. Mind you, they did this in one month. No creator retreats. No crossovers. No mapped out arcs. Just unbridled, unrestrained creativity. Lee and Kirby were going off and nothing could stop them.

This storyline carries us into issue 48. The Inhumans “arc” is finished by page 7, the last two panels of which we are introduced to yet another iconic character: the Silver Surfer. I kid you not, this stuff went on month after month without missing a beat. Imagine how many arcs today's “star” writers would milk out of each issue. But that's not all! Not content to phone in the remaining 13 pages, we instead get the coming of Galactus. Galactus, preserved in all of his erroneously colored glory on the final page of issue 48. When I say that the Masterworks adhere to the original color palette I mean it. They even faithfully recreate the mistakes!

Issues 49 and 50 see Uatu the Watcher coming really, really close to breaking his oath of recording the activities of the lifeforms in this section of the galaxy without ever interfering. Galactus also came out of the box fully assembled, his motives and intentions clearly presented from the very first. Frickin' incredible.

Between The Fabulous Fantastic Four Marvel Treasury Edition from 1974, which collected truncated versions of issues 48-50 and Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 2, I've read all of these issues before. Issue 50 introduces a long-running member of the FF's supporting cast: Wyatt Wingfoot, Johnny Storm's Native American college roommate. Volume 5 is the most satisfying of all of the Lee/Kirby FF Masterworks, but you really can't wrong with any (or all) of them. Any aspiring comic book writer needs to sit down and study this to see how the masters did it. They were fearless and took countless chances, and they all paid off.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

More new ideas and characters are introduced in these issues than practically any ten issues of Marvel Comics ever (unless you decided to run from 43-52, because the Black Panther is two months away at the end of this book).
I had read every one of these 1965 and 66 issues in the 70s, but not in order - that was the vagaries of relying on reprints and buying back issues whenever you could afford them. So, it was kind of thrilling to put myself in the place of somebody discovering all this stuff in the order it first appeared.
41-43 was the first Ben Grimm betrays the FF series, and the last of the original Frightful Four stories. Annual 3 was the wedding of Reed and Sue, with virtually every extant Marvel superhero and villain showing up for a battle royal that really needed more pages but was entertaining enough in its own weird way, right down to the Watcher ex machina solution to the problem.
Then comes the meat and potatoes. 44-47 had the FF meeting the Inhumans for the first time. Medusa had left the Frightful Four, and now turned out not to be evil but part of a super-powered race, some of whom were in hiding from each other. Gorgon was introduced first as the person trying to capture Medusa. Somewhere in there, the Human Torch gets turned down for a date by his long-time gal pal Dorrie, and quickly meets the Inhuman teenager known as Crystal with whom he immediately falls into serious love. The giant dimension-traveling dog Lockjaw shows up, then Triton, Karnak, and eventually Black Bolt.
You can feel Kirby and Lee figuring out things on the fly - there are conflicting facts about some of these characters even within these issues, let alone all I know about them from later comic books. But the essentials are set up - these are the Royal Family of the Inhumans, and they get back to the Great Refuge where Black Bolt slaps his brother Maximus (not yet defined as Mad, just Magnificent) and regains the crown defining him as ruler of the Inhumans. By the end of the story, halfway through No. 48, the Inhumans are trapped behind a dome called a negative zone (the name would be repurposed to much greater effect a year or so later), and Johnny Storm really wants to find a way to get Crystal out of there.
But there's no time. 48-50 are what is known as The Galactus Trilogy, wherein first the Watcher breaks his oath to never interfere with what happens in the universe about a zillion different ways, then we meet the Silver Surfer for the first time, and then Galactus, first colored red with bare legs, then purple, then wearing pants. This is one of the most inventive concepts in superhero comics, a world-destroying menace who really doesn't have anything against the insignificant billions of humans he will kill. He's just hungry.
Once the Watcher's non-interfering interference becomes useful and Galactus takes off after fixing it so the Silver Surfer has to stay earthbound, the last ten pages of no. 50 are all about setting up the next story and storylines. Johnny Storm starts college where he meets his new roommate, the very tall very impressive Native American Wyatt Wingfoot. Meanwhile, the Thing is moping around town by himself, and there's an ordinary looking mysterious dude shown contemplating how much trouble he'll give the FF.
Oh, I forgot to mention my favorite scene, when the Thing is in the bathtub and Mr. Fantastic is shaving while the team is thinking hard about what next they should do about the gigantic being who is setting up machinery to devour the entire planet.

[Marko Perisic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic Four has reached its maturity, at least based on what everyone else has said about this period of Lee/ Kirby run. I can say that it's by far the best volume of FF Marvel Masterworks, and I am glad to have fought my way here.

Stories are no longer contained inside twenty pages, but they spread into trilogies and quadrilogies, with some of their elements continuing in following arcs. This new structure helps immersion immensely by giving certain importance to the events of the narrative by promising the growth of the characters and the world.

The opening Frigthful Four storyline is by far the weakest portion. Unimaginative and annoying villains which make me want to skip to the next issue. The Thing's character was done better in the Doom storyline from the previous volume.

Good thing that the next arc is more investing, with the unravelling of some cosmic mystery. I can't say I am the biggest fan of the Inhumans as their story only comes across as slightly upgraded story with the Atlanteans (at least for now), but I was glad to see the world of Fantastic Four expand and place itself on the cosmic scale, which will culminate in the following arc, the greatest story of the Silver Age according to some.

While I was reading, I didn't know when did each story arc start. Imagine how impactful was the moment when I read the last panels of the issue 47 with a generic villain activating a machine that he promises would destroy the human race and then I flip to the title page of issue 48 reading "The Coming of Galactus".

The Galactus saga combined Kirby's affinity for the cosmic and Lee's love of the melodrama into an investing small epic. The stakes and the world have never felt bigger. This trilogy was a great read, with some great built-up and unusual resolution. The compression did tarnish Silver Surfer's arc here. That could have been fleshed out much more.

Some other issues still persists, mainly in the writing department. I am getting used to Lee's long redundant descriptions, as sometimes they do read as Stan Lee's most genuine ways of emotional expression, but in action scenes those speech balloons are more of a nuisance. Deus-ex machina storytelling is still here, and sadly, Sue has almost gotten worst. She was changed from a emotionally fragile girl to a nagging wife. I still hope for the better.

Best: Besides the Galactus trilogy, my favourite issue here is Annual #3, Reed and Sue's wedding. It is just an incredibly charming scenario combining all villains and heroes from previous issues into a joyful celebration of Fantastic Four. I didn't need to turn a blind eye to some nonsensical plot points because they only made the story more of a blast.

Worst: Any of the Frightful Four issues, #42-43

[Molly Lazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories in this volume are epic in scope, and really serve to open up the world of the Fantastic Four. I found it surprising how much focus there was on other characters in this set of 10 issues. The FF almost become supporting characters in their own book once the Inhumans show up, and the team has very little to do with defeating Galactus (with the exception of Johnny's awesome flight to the other end of the universe). Despite my wish that the FF had more to do in these issues, my kids LOVED the Inhumans (going so far as to start playacting as Triton and Gorgon for a few weeks).

This was my first time reading the Galactus saga. While I am impressed with the story overall, I was surprised at how easily the Silver Surfer turns against his master. I knew that it was because of Alicia, but I didn't expect that just a few minutes of conversation with her would be enough to change his whole outlook on his mission. Alicia is awesome, of course, but still...

The storylines in this set of ten issues really bleed into each other, rather than being done-in-ones, making this volume feel more reminiscent of the decompression of modern comics. It works, though, since there is still a lot going on in each issue.

My one gripe is with ANNUAL #3. I was so excited to finally read Reed and Sue's wedding issue, but it turned out to have everything I hate about modern comics: every super hero in existence coming to fight every villain, resulting in little-to-no focus on the characters the issue is actually supposed to be about. I suppose that in its time, this was an impressive feat. But these days, when so many event comics are like this, I really wanted the focus to be on the Fantastic Four.

**NOTE: I actually read these issues with my four-year-olds as part of the second Omnibus volume that collects issues #31-60 and Annuals #2-4, but I'm reviewing them as though we were reading Masterworks to keep track of when we finish each set of 10 issues.

[Rocío · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le daría 5 estrellas, pero los issues 41-43, donde nos encontramos a los Frightful Four se me hicieron un embole y costó leerlos.

Lo interesante de estos 10 issues en particular es como se conectan las historias y lo bien que fluyen. Nos presentan a Medusa en los primeros 3, a partir de ahí sacan la conexión con los Inhumans y luego de eso Galactus y the Silver Surfer.

Los issues 44-48 me gustaron mucho. Se presentan a personajes que van a ser fundamentales en el futuro de los FF y de Marvel, los Inhumans. Ese insta-love entre Johnny y Crystal me dejó medio ¿?¿? porque se vieron 20 min y ya estaban terriblemente enamorados del otro.

Los issues 48-50 también estuvieron copados, se presentan a otros tres personajes importantes, Silver Surfer, Galactus y Wyatt Wingfoot, que queda bastante opacado en comparación a los otros dos. Toda esa conversación entre Alicia y Silver Surfer también me dejó media ¿?¿? porque el tipo es el Heraldo de Galactus pero dos palabras de una tipa que acaba de conocer y está dispuesto a enfrentarlo.

Me gustó la intervención de The Watcher y como se resolvió todo. Los FF quedaron medios relegados a un segundo plano, pero siento que eso demuestra el verdadero poder de Galactus, ya que si lo hubiesen enfrentado ellos solos hubiesen perdido.

La boda entre Reed y Sue media meh, pero después de casados el tipo empieza a tratarla como el orto a Sue y la pobre no se lo merece. Se vuelve peor con cada issue y espero que pare pronto.

[Sean Korzinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave most issues a 4 rating. But a few 5 stars. I gave the overall rating a 5 due to the fact that this is the first volume I would like to reread again in the future. The stories all had multi-issue continuing arcs. They flowed into each other very well. The Frightful Four, the Inhumans, the wedding of Sue and Reed, and finally Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Medusa, Crystal and Lockjaw were also standouts for me. I started FF Masterwork volume 1 specifically to get to this volume because I knew Galactus was the high point. He was a high point but I did not expect the rest of the stories to start engaging me to the point where I want to continue on reading to see if the Inhumans can escape the Negative Zone. Also Stan and Jack seemed to have hit a groove at this point with the flow of their stories that makes reading them a lot more enjoyable. The artwork is now super well defined compared to the start of the series and is easier to digest as a result.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well now the can of worms is truly open and asquirmin’. This is the mark of changing how I rate comics meaning that a select few 4-star titles should likewise be made 5 stars. While I have held out for the truly transcendent work, I realize I am failing to mark the stories that I do truly love as Goodreads claim 5 stars to indicate. Thus few if any are more deserving than the glorious peak of the Lee/Kirby years of the Fantastic Four.

In the introduction Stan Lee claims these comics to be his favorite of all comics. Now the man has never been shy of hyperbole, but I honestly think in this he is feeling the truth.

More to come...

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Several issues featuring the Frightful Four lead into the introduction to the Inhumans. And what do super heroes do when they meet for the first time? Of course they fight. Then we have the introduction of Galactus. Seems like Marvel was trying to decide how to design him and his look changes from one issue to the next. There's a wedding issue in the middle, and it marks a major new development. From that issue on, Mr Fantastic becomes a super prick whenever he speaks to his wife. I find that most of my entertainment here is reading how misogynistic he becomes with every passing issue.

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a mixture. This book included one of the worst FF comics I have read, #44, and a some of the best. Unfortunately, even the best suffers from Lee's new habit of wrapping up a story in the first pages of the next issue, followed by a few transitional pages, and those followed by several pages introducing a new menace, to be continued next issue. It is true that such enduring characters as the Inhumans, the Silver Surfer, and Galactus are introduced this way, but issues are more fulfilling to me as a reader if there is closure at the end of an issue. Another problem with this issue: the godawful Frightful Four stories. Blech. Overall, though, good enough to rate three stars.

[Adam Fenderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fun run of issues! Some fun returns in Frightful Four and Dragon Man, and big introductions with the Inhumans and Galactus and the Silver Surfer; the big crossover for the wedding issue was enjoyable to see. Some of the coloring seemed off on the villians (like green in Galactus' original appearance), and the samples of Kirby's art at the end look far better than the colored pages overall. Reed seems harsher on Sue than he should have been, even looking back at a much earlier era of feminism, but the personalities of the characters are developed well over the run.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting caught up with foru volumes - way too many firsts to go into detail, but these stories are terrific. Okay, the awkward bits, like Reed telling Sue that she's "only" a female, don't age that well, but seeing the entire cosmology of the FF established, and develop (naturally and organically) is powerful stuff. The plot are adventurous and fun, and the character work still better than most superhero comics today.

Highly recommended.

[Chris W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silver age goofiness at a new high with the Fantastic Four. Out of all the classic Fantastic 4 volumes this is the best one by far. Most imaginative, many guest/new characters and some honestly great ideas that would utilized better by later writers (Buziek in Marvels and Hickman throughout his run). But overall, this is goofy and often times clunky but it has it's charm.

[Zachary Miller]

Doesn’t feel right to give this one a rating as I only read the last 3 issues. Still having a hard time enjoying FF with it’s more classic/flat appearing art style and cliche characters. Also, Stan Lee does too much with his hyperbole! However, it was really cool to be acquainted with intros for characters like Black Bolt, Galactus, and Silver Surfer. I might just read the next volume.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone raves about the Galactus saga, but I find it underwhelming. That being said, it does mark the turning point, where the art opens up and this book finally starts to become about big ideas, crazy machines, and Kirby becomes more influential on the title.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how this issue had more of a continuous story rather than a bunch of one-offs. Galactus seemed kind of like a let-down, there didn't really seem to be much of a threat with him, maybe I'm missing something.

[Kyle Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume five is all killer and no filler. You get an epic showdown with the Frightful Four, the wedding of Reed and Sue Richards, the first appearance of the Inhumans, and the crown jewel of this collection: the coming of Galactus!

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is where the art goes from good to great.

[Patricio Sureda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calificación: 6

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gems include the Wizard brainwashing Ben & Johnny into joining the Frightful Four, Sue’s & Reed’s wedding, the Inhumans Saga, & the Galactus Trilogy

[Ernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great new characters. I feel they really hit their stride in this set of issues.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty incredible. Three arcs, two of which introduce characters who’ve echoed through the MU for decades, plus a wedding. In 11 issues. That’s efficiency of storytelling.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Kirby art, the first appearance of the Inhumans, first appearances by Galactus and the Silver Surfer, the marriage of Reed and Sue AND Sue gets a new hairdo! What is not to love?

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reed Richards continues to be a jerk but I've got to admit Sue Storm is written to be rather deserving of Reed's demeaning verbal abuse. Grow a backbone, woman. Grow it now.

[Deacon D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the Inhumans stuff pretty boring, but I dig Galactus.

And Reed Richards really acts like a dick, for the most part.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

--3.5 stars rounded up--

THIS REVIEW IS ONLY FOR #48-50

After reading most of the first two volumes of Fantastic Four, I couldn't really stand anymore and skipped ahead to these famous issues.

Issue 48 was brilliant and really built the suspense for the coming of Galactus. I enjoyed the whole comic, which is the first time that's happened with an FF comic since issue 12 or something like that.

Issues 49 and 50 were good too, although definitely weaker, especially 50 which completely fizzled out after Galactus as Stan & Jack started setting up the plotlines for the coming issues. Still, I enjoyed everything up to that point, which is a big change for me as I've really tired of the FF in general now.

I'll leave this series alone now and maybe pick up a few recommended issues from the 70s or 80s at some point, and see how I get on.