Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Fantastic Four Vol. 1

Quick Summary

Pros: Almost all of the stories here have significance in comic book history. Most of the stories are as entertaining as a modern comic would be and are highly engaging. The artwork looks great and is a perfect representation of this comic era.

Cons: The first few chapters struggle to find their groove. Some of the storytelling elements feel a bit dated.

Overall: Nearly all of the stories collected here do a remarkable job in standing the test of time and prove to be entertaining from a modern perspective. They detail a series of adventures that are massively important from a historical standpoint while still being entertaining. There are a few moments where the stories show their age but these moments are insignificant when compared to the number of charming moments that go alongside them. Anyone looking at Silver Age comics to read should consider reading this volume.

Story

The origin of the Fantastic Four and their series of initial adventures are often regarded as the creation of the Marvel Universe and are some of the most important comics in the history of comic books. What’s more, these stories are also surprisingly engaging and end up being incredibly fun to read, even in the present. This combination of historical importance and genuine interest makes this one of the most entertaining Silver Age comic books out there. Admittedly, it has some points where its age begins to show but these are minor and do not have a huge impact on the reading experience. Overall, Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 1, by Stan Lee, is still as worthwhile today as it was back then.

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Fantastic Four Vol. 1 starts out a little rough, as neither the narrative or characters have really found their sweet spot quite yet. This is particularly noticeable in the case of the Thing, who speaks in robotic sentences and has a strange crush on Sue.

However, readers may not even notice these minor problems due to the sheer significance of the stories being told in this portion of the book. These chapters detail the formation of the Fantastic Four, establish their initial relationships, and introduce or reintroduce adversaries who will go on to play an integral part in the Marvel Universe as a whole. These are narrative elements that go on to have a huge impact on modern day comics, so seeing their origins is very worthwhile.

From here, the quality of the storytelling also goes up. The Fantastic Four’s adventures go from interesting in a historical sense to downright interesting in general. The cause of this is mostly the growing levels of character development and the increased quality of the interactions between characters. Lee and Kirby really make these heroes feel like an organic family, with all of the bickering and appreciation that goes along with being a family. They also get more and more creative with the group’s powers in each issue, leading to some increased excitement from a storytelling standpoint. Essentially, Fantastic Four Vol. 1‘s second half is about as engaging as most modern comics, if not more so.

Granted, there are still places where the age of these stories definitely begins to show. Some of the concepts here are a little ridiculous and Sue Storm is tragically underused and underappreciated in general. One plotline is even predicated on the Fantastic Four hitchhiking to Hollywood after losing all their money in the stock market. However, these age-related problems are less significant in this series than they are in most other comics from this era and some even manage to give these stories a bit more classic charm.

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Art

The artwork in Fantastic Four Vol. 1 does a fantastic job in conveying the charm of the Silver Age while still looking good from a modern perspective. Jack Kirby’s work here is bold, dramatic, and structured in a way that significantly helps improve the reading experience. This means that scenes flow easily from one moment to the next and storytelling tactics, like close-ups, are used exactly when they need to be used. His work here is also highly successful in bringing the proper elements to characters and objects. This allows his work on characters like the Thing and Doctor Doom to visually convey their immense power, even if the reader had no clue what was going on in the story. Overall, Kirby’s work here is remarkable and should be easy to appreciate even from a modern perspective.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 1 is the first volume in the Fantastic Four series. Most of the characters are introduced here and no prior knowledge of them is necessary in order to understand this story.

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 2 (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Namor’s last comic book appearance, before the original release of these comics, was in Sub-Mariner Comics #42, now collected in Marvel Masterworks Presents Atlas Era Heroes Vol. 3.
  • His transition from this last appearance to his position here is explained later on in Sub-Mariner #1, now collected in Sub-Mariner Masterworks Vol. 2.
• In Fantastic Four #5, the Human Torch is seen reading The Incredible Hulk #1, now collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 1.