Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 3 - It Started On Yancy Street

by Stan Lee

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby set the standard for out-of-this-world imaginative adventure with the Fantastic Four! Now, with all the Marvel Universe's super-heroic players in place, it's time for the FF to run the gauntlet! The Thing throws down with the Hulk in a battle so huge it takes the combined might of the FF and the Avengers to stop it! The Sub-Mariner makes a play for Sue Storm! The FF tangle with the X-Men! Nick Fury drops by in the story that set the table for his debut as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Even Doctor Strange makes an ever-so-astral appearance! And there are villains, too - from the Mole Man and Doctor Doom to the Mad Thinker, Red Ghost and the outer-space Infant Terrible! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #21-29.

216 pages, Paperback

Published November 7, 2023

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

[Gary Sassaman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume reprints Fantastic Four #s 21-29 and as such, it’s an early low point for the title. Almost all these issues (#s 21 through 27) are inked by George Bell (aka George Roussos) and … well, let’s just say he makes Vince Colletta look good. Stan Lee seemed to schedule an inker for a year or so on Kirby, inking just about all the books Jack was pencilling at the time. I think Bell was also inking Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos at this point (issues #4 through 7, if memory serves me right), and I know he did Avengers also (including the classic issue #4 with the return of Captain America). His inking on all these books is careless to the point that it just looks like he was cranking it out to get it done. Thankfully Chic Stone comes on with issue #28, and also took over inking Kirby on Avengers (#s 5 through 8, when Kirby left the book), and the Captain America stories in Tales of Suspense. This is also a run famous for its crossovers, as the Marvel Universe was being born: Nick Fury, now a CIA Colonel is in issue #21, the Avengers in #26, Doctor Strange in #27, and the X-Men in #28. The stories—with the exception of the epic Thing/Hulk battle in issues #25 and #26—are mainly forgettable, but I have a soft spot for #29’s story: “It Happened on Yancy Street,” with that incredible Kirby FF with the Watcher cover. Don’t worry … things will get better in the next volume, starting with issue #36 and the introduction of the Frightful Four.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out rough.
The Thing and Human Torch fighting all the time is one thing, it is like brotherly rivalry, but Reed Richards was just down right nasty in the first several issues. Just uncharacteristic of him for the first four issues.
Then in #25 we get to The Hulk and stories improve from there.
Side note: The Hulk was mistakenly called Bob Banner in this issue, which led to The Hulk's name being changed to Robert Bruce Banner later to fix the mistake. Hahah.
On to the next book. Whatever it may be.