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Fantastic Four (1961) #241-250

Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne, Vol. 2

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Collects Fantastic Four (1961) #241-250.

Not since the days of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the trailblazers of the Marvel Universe, had someone so perfectly captured the intense mood, cosmic style and classic sense of adventure of Marvel's first family of super heroes. Writer/artist John Byrne launched the Fantastic Four into realms where few creators before had dared to go. Now, the collection of his classic run continues as the FF face off against two of their greatest foes: Galactus and Doctor Doom! Guest-starring the Black Panther, Thor, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, the Inhumans, the X-Men and more!

248 pages, Paperback

First published December 17, 2013

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About the author

John Byrne

2,955 books359 followers
Librarian 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.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Profile Image for Dan.
3,206 reviews10.8k followers
July 15, 2016
Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne, Vol. 2 contains issues 241-250 of the Fantastic Four, all written and drawn by John Byrne.

The Fantastic Four visit Wakanda, battle an ancient Roman soldier, fight Terrax, save Galactus' life, battle an adult version of Franklin Richards, help Doctor Doom reclaim Latveria, visit the Inhumans, and battle Gladiator when he comes to Earth pursuing Skrulls.

Byrne upped his game around this time. The art is as good as ever but the writing was better than before as he got more comfortable with the characters. The Galactus/Terrax story was the best of the book. There was a night character moment when Spidey and Daredevil were watching what was going on with Galactus, knowing they were well out of their league.

The Gladiator story was also pretty good, since it was the equivalent of the Fantastic Four fighting Superman, for all intents and purposes. It also was a fun moment since Byrne was recruited to revamp Superman years later. Another fun fact is that the first issue of this collection, #241, was the first Fantastic Four story I ever read.

This volume was quite good and it's awesome that John Byrne's run on the Fantastic Four is just getting started. Four out of five stars.
Profile Image for Chad.
10.3k reviews1,060 followers
March 13, 2022
John Byrne really begins to hit his stride in this second collection. The first collection was honestly kind of boring. Now we're getting to the kind of storytelling I expected with John Byrne writing and drawing the FF. The FF team up with the Black Panther, fight Terrax, save Galactus, Help Dr. Doom reclaim Latveria and fight Gladiator. It's stories like the Galactus one where Mr. Fantastic has to save Galactus's life and the FF realize Latveria was better off under Dr. Doom's control that make for interesting stories, turning readers' preconceptions on their sides.
Profile Image for David Dalton.
3,060 reviews
April 26, 2019
These John Byrne collections are just great (fantastic even). They remind me so much of the old Kirby / Lee adventures. Really captures the feeling of the classic FF.

Lots of good stories including the 250th issue. A milestone at the time. Comixology Unlimited has access to the first 3 volumes (free) and I will get started on Volume 3 real soon. Love these older stories.
Profile Image for Matt.
1,431 reviews14 followers
November 12, 2018
Classic comic-booky stuff. Reading this alongside contemporary comics is odd... "he's a walking dream with elbow patches./ with my luck he's probably gay."
Profile Image for Wes Benchoff.
213 reviews10 followers
December 14, 2018
3.5/5

A few great issues and at least one I didn't particularly enjoy. Also I cant stand Franklin's baby talk.
Profile Image for Marcelo Soares.
Author 2 books14 followers
January 1, 2021
Seguimos com o Byrnezão da massa fazendo de tudo no Quarteto.
Esse volume começa com uma história meio sem pé nem cabeça em Wakanda, afinal a sociedade mais avançada tecnologicamente do planeta nunca subiu num morro e descobriu uma cidade romana perdida e meio que fica por isso mesmo.
Depois temos uma ou outra bobagem e chegamos no grande momento da edição: Galactus.
Galactus tá de birra com o Terrax, o arauto do machado, e acaba gastando muita energia na perseguição, o arauto chega na Terra e pede pinico pro Quarteto, como o Quarteto só dá um beijinho no ombro e um sai daqui querida, o Terrax se emputece e rapta a ilha de Manhattan.
Repito, Terrax, com ajuda dos poderes cósmicos, sai com a ilha de Manhattan passeando pelo espaço.
Agora a porca torceu o rabo com força.
O que acontece é que o Senhor Fantástico, o Coisa e o Tocha Humana saem atrás do Terrax deixando a Frankie cuidando da Sue Richards que tá, literalmente, segurando as pontas. Aqui nós temos um movimento do Byrne em transformar a Sue num personagem casca-grossa mesmo, ela cria um campo de força enorme, envolvendo a ilha, para que ninguém caia no espaço. Porém algo incomoda Frankie Raye.
Não temos exatamente uma batalha, porque mesmo um Galactus lesionado, ainda é um Galactus, e no final Terrax é derrotado e a ilha volta pro lugar certo. Porém Galactus muito enfraquecido precisa se alimentar, e a Terra é o McPlaneta Feliz mais próximo. Agora sim, temos uma batalha, o Quarteto com a ajuda de alguns heróis que estavam por ali enfrenta Galactus, e, numa das imagens mais icônicas da fase, Galactus cai no meio de Nova Iorque. E agora fica a grande questão? Salvamos Galactus ou deixamos ele morrer?
Obviamente, como é gibi do Byrne do início dos anos 80, ainda numa época de heroísmo, Reed Richards salva Galactus e Frankie Raye se torna Nova, seu novo arauto.
Eu sinto uma certa saudade da Nova, um personagem que nunca teve nenhuma chance na hierarquia cósmica da Marvel.
Depois temos a volta da Doutor Destino, numa história que traz uma visão latveriana à trama em que o Von Doom é um herói latveriano injustamente deposto pelas maquinações do quarteto americano e seu substituto é um déspota ainda pior. Então o quarteto ajuda Destino a libertar a Latvéria. Eu acho muito divertido essa inversão de valores.
Esses são os grandes momentos de ação da história, tem mais alguns vilões esquecidos e uma aventura na Zona Negativa que também desafia nossos heróis a entender que, num universo gigantesco e imprevisível, os nossos valores ditos inquestionáveis nem sempre são absolutos.
Apesar de todos esses gloriosos momentos há dois desenvolvimentos que valem notar: primeiro a relação entre o Ben Grimm e a Alicia Masters, e depois, Sue Richards como a quem segura o forninho do Quarteto. Eu não sou um grande conhecedor do Quarteto, mas nessas edições eu reconheci a Sue como um membro integrante e essencial da equipe, quando a água bate na bunda, quem resolve é a Sue Richards, sem a força do Ben, sem a inteligência do Reed, sem o que quer que o Johnny tenha, ela tem a visão de unificar a equipe e fazer a coisa andar.
Profile Image for Alex Sarll.
7,056 reviews364 followers
Read
February 21, 2021
It's the look of this that still wows me, the layouts where someone gets punched down the full length of a page or across a spread, the intricacy of the backgrounds, the devices which are recognisably kin to Kirby tech but taken almost to a point of plausibility. Most of all, and on these the colourists deserve much of the credit, the grand vistas of space, especially in the scenes when Galactus' old herald arrives, or his new one departs. Set against which, in a sense the stories are fairly flimsy - the inklings of Byrne's later doctrine about the illusion of change, as against the fearless and lasting shake-ups of the status quo you can see in his Alpha Flight. But while they're underway, they grip, and play to the FF's strengths as explorers of the unknown more than superheroes per se, encountering Roman ghosts trapped in Wakanda by alien technology, or nightmare crystals in the hidden rivers of the Moon. Plus, this collection includes the first FF comic I ever owned or read, #247's This Land Is Mine! - which reads even better now I finally have the context. It probably goes a long way to explain my soft spot for Doctor Doom. Maybe even my scepticism towards revolutions too, though I think that one's probably more down to history.
Profile Image for Jefferson.
802 reviews7 followers
October 15, 2020
Another round of good stories and brilliant draftsmanship from John Byrne at the absolute top of his game.
228 reviews8 followers
September 11, 2025
När jag först kom i kontakt med John Byrne var det inte genom Fantastiska Fyran, utan hos frisören Ann-Christine i Åmliden. Medan jag väntade på min far (det tog inte så lång tid då han heller inte är begåvad med något imponerade hårsvall) hittade jag John Brynes nyversion av Stålmannen (i Sverige ett dubbelnummer, nummer 1-2 1987) Jag minns fortfarande hur slående det var – ett klassiskt superhjältespråk, men moderniserat, med ett allvar och en nerv som jag då upplevde som otroligt vuxet, samtidigt som det också var en klassisk serie. Skillnaden mellan Frank Millers ”The Dark Knight Returns” och John Brynes Superman var egentligen att den senare vågade hålla sig kvar i de färglada rötterna.

Det syns också i Brynes Fantastic Four.

Den här samlingen plockar upp Fantastic Four nr 241–250, en period då Byrne både skrev och tecknade och verkligen satte sin prägel på Marvels första superhjältegrupp. Här möter vi inte bara Doctor Doom och Skrull-imperiet, utan också kosmiska giganter som Galactus och Gladiator. Till och med X-men.

För nya läsare fungerar När Galactus kallar... som en perfekt introduktion. Man behöver inte ha läst åratal av gamla nummer för att förstå – Byrne lyckas skriva berättelser som både är tillgängliga och djupgående. Han skapar en balans mellan vardagliga konflikter och det storslagna kosmiska. Det är just den kombinationen som gör att Fantastiska Fyran blir något mer än bara en superhjältegrupp – de är en familj i centrum av universums största dramer.

Om man gör en lite djupare analys är dom förvånansvärt… konstiga. Dr Doom blir en mycket underlig skurk och hans diktatorskap i Latveria försvaras, Sues kvinnlighet blir ifrågasatt på en talkshow. För mig är det fortfarande ganska unikt och underhållande.

Att läsa dessa berättelser idag är också att sätta dem i kontext till de filmer som dominerat bioduken under året. Filmer som Superman och Fantastic Four har varit fulla av färg, action och spektakel. Byrne skulle passa ganska bra in i dagens filmklimat men mer karaktärsdrivna historier, men ändå fylld av samma storslagenhet. Det påminner oss om att superhjältehistorier inte bara är visuella fyrverkerier – de är också berättelser om identitet, ansvar och mänsklighet mitt i det kosmiska kaoset.

 

Fantastic Four – När Galactus kallar... är därför inte bara en återutgivning, utan en kulturgärning. Den gör en klassisk era tillgänglig på svenska i en lyxig samlad form. För den som aldrig läst Byrne tidigare är det här en port in till en av Marvels mest definierande perioder. För oss som en gång satt hos frisören och bläddrade i hans Stålmannen är det en välkommen påminnelse om varför vi föll för superhjältar från första början.
Profile Image for Michel Siskoid Albert.
591 reviews8 followers
March 10, 2024
Collecting issues #241-250, Fantastic Four Visionaries: John Byrne Vol. 2 sees the writer-artist find his groove around issue 246, with a Doctor Doom two-parter that restores him to Latveria's throne and introduces Kristoff, his to-be-adopted son. After this (inclusively), the action is ramped up significantly, and Byrne seems to have more fun with the big, giant concepts. My impression is that he tried and failed to play with the toys as they were before this point (despite some strong adventures collected in the previous volume). A deposed Dr. Doom needed to be fixed, but what really drains the early issues in Vol.2 is the inherited character of Frankie Raye, a possible member after he gives her powers, but as part of a longer game to create his own Silver Surfer. She is irritating as all get out. The Thing reverting to a mud monster goes nowhere, as if he had to walk back this change when readers responded badly to it (he just never found a way to draw this version of Ben in an engaging way - just looks like an old man who lost his dentures. The "Outer Limits" style one-and-dones are middling. Where Byrne is more confidant is when involving powerful antagonists like Doom, Galactus and Gladiator. I started collecting the FF in the middle of his run, and the Visionaries collection is only now starting to show the promise of the issues that made me a fan.
249 reviews2 followers
October 29, 2021
Some of the most free thinking and original superhero comics I've ever read. Byrne's handle on the FF characters, as well as their allies and enemies, is just so damned perfect. He perfectly understood them and how they operate.

The reader gets stories that range from political intrigue, to weird science, to super powered action SmackDowns, and even those have some interesting twists and turns. I definitely agree this is one of the great comic runs, and I'm not even that deep in!
3,013 reviews
September 21, 2020
This volume is almost exclusively about Nova becoming a herald of Galactus.

The whole thing where all the heroes feel they have to save Galactus because he's just like a wild animal who has to eat makes no sense. What about if a lion that breaks into your house and east your children? No, it has to be, like, a "cosmic balance" rationale but they don't use it.
Profile Image for Gary.
10 reviews
January 5, 2025
Excellent Stories & Artwork!

Very good collection of a great era!
The writer, also being the artist creates some interesting stories.
I may buy this in hard copy because it is a great collection.
I liked so many panels with great perspectives and imagination converted into settings.
Highly recommend for an example of one of the best FF eras and sources of FF lore origins.
2,247 reviews5 followers
April 13, 2019
It's amazing how quickly Byrne made this book his own. He builds on storylines of the past, but he takes them in new and more interesting directions, and he has the personalities of the characters down pat. These are great issues and the book is heading into it's true Golden Age.
Profile Image for Michael Craft.
45 reviews1 follower
August 9, 2018
Top of his game!

John Byrne’s famous run writing and drawing the FF! Love how he developed the major and minor characters of Marvel’s first family!
Profile Image for Todd.
984 reviews14 followers
October 9, 2018
There is a reason Byrne is considered a visionary. These stories are awesome and the dialogue isn’t too stilted or annoying. Can’t wait to keep going with his run.
420 reviews2 followers
February 26, 2020
A fun cheesy read that never gets too dull. Each issue has a new threat plot and everything moves at a fairly quick pace. It gets outlandish and fantastical but that's where Fantastic Four shines.
Profile Image for Eric.
1,497 reviews6 followers
August 24, 2023
3.5 stars but I'm rounding down cause the last issue made an X-Men appearance dull. But I liked a lot more of the issues in here than the previous volume.
Profile Image for Jackson Pope.
41 reviews
July 7, 2024
Byrne majorly improved from his work in the first volume. The stories were raised to a whole other level
Profile Image for Eric Burton.
229 reviews2 followers
January 28, 2025
Just as good as volume 1, if not better. I particularly loved the stories featuring Terrax, Galactus, Frankie Raye, Doctor Doom and Gladiator.
Profile Image for Printable Tire.
831 reviews134 followers
June 18, 2015
Finished this very morning. Byrne's impressive run of FF continues here, back when comic books were allowed to be slow and have pacing. Some favorites in this collection are Johnny Storm losing his girlfriend to Galactus (the only time I can remember feeling any emotion caused by an FF comic book); the Thing's twisted monster/victim psychology; Invisible Girl being interviewed by Barbara "Walker," a rather unflattering and mean-spirited caricature of a 70's feminist, which included some relevant meta-critiques and rebuttals of Invisible Girl's place in the comics; and likewise the meta-nightmare Reed Richards has an issue later, in which he channels all the fanboys who love to write into the letter pages, nitpicking the pseudo-science of comicbookdom, in order to save the group from an evil crystal-moon-laden hallucination. 'Nuff said.
Profile Image for Maurice Jr..
Author 6 books39 followers
February 1, 2018
Starting with a team-up with the Black Panther, this fast-paced volume covers a pitched battle with first Terrax the Tamer and then Galactus (with help from the Avengers and Dr. Strange), the return of Dr. Doom, a side trip to Attilan to see the Inhumans and a knock-down-drag-em-out battle with Gladiator and a quartet of Skrulls (with help from Spiderman and Captain America).

I enjoyed this stretch of the FF- action end to end. Here is where Frankie Raye ended her time with the Fantastic Four and became Nova, newest herald to Galactus. Here is where Franklin shut his power down before it raged out of control and gave himself a chance to be a child again. Here is where the FF was at its best- action on top of action.
Profile Image for Michael.
193 reviews3 followers
March 8, 2010
Byrne's run continues. Highlights of this story include the two parter involving Dr. Doom restoring his monarchy in Latveria, and the battle with Gladiator. The production values are improved immensely, as the coloring has been redone to take advantage of modern techniques. Although there are some purists who may complain, it is nice to see the coloring for this volume did not use the "dots" format used in comics for decades.
Profile Image for Ondra Král.
1,451 reviews122 followers
August 30, 2015
Dal jsem dalších 10 sešitů a věru nechápu, proč je Byrnův run tak opěvovaný. Příběhy jsou dosti průměrné a nové postavy otravné. Sice občas připomínají ty ze šedesátek od Stana, ale od dvacet let staršího komiksu bych čekal něco víc.
Druhá dvacítka je rozhodně lepší jak ta první, vyčnívá hlavně příběh z Latvery, ale furt je to takového "meh".
138 reviews
July 11, 2016
If you were a comic book collector during the '80s and you liked John Byrne's style then this is a tasty little snack. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect it to be with some interesting (by '80s standards) stories and fun artwork. Fun surprise: I didn't realize when I was young how much of an overbearing douche Reed Richards was.
Profile Image for Ed.
746 reviews13 followers
February 2, 2017
Byrne continues his fun run on FF. This set might be slightly inferior to the previous one, as there's a few duds like the aged up Franklin issue and the Wakanda issue. Still, the stuff with Galactus, Doom and Gladiator was all great.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews

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