Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 2

Essential Fantastic Four

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

Four friends braved the unknown dangers of space together in search of the secrets of the universe! But then, the unthinkable happened -- the spacecraft carrying the adventurous foursome was bombarded by cosmic rays. Forced to crash-land back on earth, the quartet found themselves in possession of astonishing powers! Together, they are Marvel's First Family, the Fantastic Four!

Collects: Fantastic Four #21-40

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Fiction, Comic Book, Sequential Art

528 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 1965

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

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Silver Age Fantastic Four! Within the space of two years, debuts included the Inhumans - Medusa, Gorgon, Crystal etc, and Diablo, Attuma and the Trapster. This period also sees the first Fantastic Four marriage and the great first ever Hulk vs Thing battle. Continues the novel idea of an extended family becoming a slightly dysfunctional superteam! Excelsior! 7 out of 12, Three Stars.

I read the 1964-1965 Fantastic Four comic books #22 to #45 covered by this volume.

2014 read

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are the stories that started to make the FF “ the worlds greatest comic magazine.” Jack Kirby’s art is coming into his classic look. There are a number of crossovers among these issues that create the “Marvel Universe” - the Hulk, Avengers, the X-men, Daredevil. The last four issues were the ones getting reprinted in Marvel’s Greatest when I started reading comics and hold a soft spot for me.
It’s these stories (and the John Byrne run later) that made me an FF-fan.

[Μιχάλης · Rating 3 out of 5]

Για την εποχή τους, οι 4 Φανταστικοί ήταν σίγουρα αριστούργημα, αλλά πλέον έχουν κακογεράσει, ειδικά οι ιστορίες από τα τεύχη 20-30. Μετά το δίδυμο Lee-Kirby σα να βρίσκει το ρυθμό του και γράφει μερικά πραγματικά καλές ιστορίες, ενώ σταδιακά επεκτείνουν και το ρόστερ των αντιπάλων, κάτι που βοηθάει καθώς δεν έχουμε τους ίδιους κακούς συνέχεια. Επίσης, προς το τέλος, οι ιστορίες σταματάνε να είναι αποκλειστικά σε ένα τεύχος, κάτι που προσδίδει ενδιαφέρον.

Νομίζω κάπου στο τεύχος 35 αρχίζει να γίνεται αυτό που σήμερα ξέρουμε ως Marvel.

Το μεγάλο μου πρόβλημα ήταν το ότι οι ήρωες χρησιμοποιούν ένα σωρό τεχνομαραφέτια που ΔΕ ΒΓΑΖΟΥΝ ΚΑΝΕΝΑ ΝΟΗΜΑ (και που κάποιες φορές η ύπαρξή τους κάνει τις ιστορίες να μη βγάζουν νόημα).

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big big fun, watching artist and creator Jack Kirby tell these episodic stories, many issues of which I had not read, as I started on these with the 1970-1971 reprinting in Marvel's Greatest Comics, skipping a few.
Watching the ink line change from inker to inker is also instructive and fun.
Highly recommended.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's alright. The story isn't very cohesive, but I enjoyed it. 3/5.

[B.J. Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great.

[Adam Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a Fantastic run that was chronicled in Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 1, this book begins off strong with Issue 21 featuring the first appearance of Nick Fury after World War II. Up to this time, he'd only been seen fighting with his Howling Commandos as they battle the Hate Monger turning the FF against each other.

Issues 22 and 23 were pretty weak despite featuring Mole Man and Dr. Doom and Issue 24 was silly with an alien infant wreaking havoc.

Issue 25 features a great Thing v. Hulk battle, but is continued in a less than stellar entry which featured the Avengers. The two groups of heroes incessantly got in each other's way in a not so satisfying comic book.

Issue 27 featured the return of the Sub-mariner and guest starred Doctor Strange as he once again attempts to woo Sue Storm via kidnapping. The Strange cameo works quite well.


Then Issue 29 features the Fantastic Four's return to Yancy Street and facing off against the Red Ghost in a surprise return appearance. Things really pick up with Issue 30 when Diablo is introduced and takes control of thing.

Dr. Doom returns and triumphs (or so he thinks) in Fantastic Four Annual #2 which also includes a solid 12-page origin story for the bad doctor.

Issue 31 features a much better Mole Man story and also an injury to Sue that brings a surprise visitor. Issue 32 features Sue and Johnny's father acting strangely and escaping from prison to emerge with all the FF's powers. What's really going on?

Issue 33 features the Fantastic Four fighting on the side of the Sub-mariner in a well-done story set in Atlantis. Issue 34 is another Fantastic Four turns against each other battle, but Lee and Kirby put a little different spin on the reason.

Issue 35 tells the most "okay" story in this book with Diablo's return and Reed Richards finally popping the question. Then in Issue 36, we're introduced to the Frightful Four, a great villain team to battle the FF. In Issue 37, after having fought the Skrull numerous times, the FF take the fight to the Skrull themselves to settle a score. Issue 38 features the FF's defeat at the hands of the Frightful Four, costing them their powers and setting up a two part battle with Doctor Doom with an assist from guest star Daredevil in Issues 39 and 40.

My first edition copy also contained a Spidey-Human Torch meet up in Strange Tales Annual #2 which features Spidey needing the Torch's help to clear the name while the Torch is determined to bring Spidey to justice because he envies Spider-man's media coverage.

Volume 1 was easily an overall 5.0 rating. This book is a little bit more of a mixed bag. If you can get by with weak stories in FF #22-24, and 26 and the more okay stories like X-men crossover in #28, this is a great book that I'd give a 4.5 rating to. These are some great adventures and in addition to featuring the Richards-Storm engagement, we also see Susan develop her invisible forcefield power which makes her perhaps the FF's most powerful member after struggling with reader acceptance in the past.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lee and Kirby's run on Fantastic Four are more than just great comics, it is the foundation on which the whole Marvel universe is built.
These stories are super hero comics in their purest form. Big adventures, funky sci-fi ideas, noble heroes, despicable ( yet cool) villains and monsters, romance, lots of super hero guest stars and a goofy sense of humor.

As someone who has been reading comics since Moses was a baby, so it's a lot of fun to read stories from when all this was new and most of these stories are a first appearance for some character, place or item that is still showing up in comics today.

[John Gentry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is where the Fantastic Four really get going. Lees writing becomes less forced, the plots become more focused and the characters really become themselves. The art really becomes great as Kirby finally gets an inker in Chic Stone who matches his style perfectly. I've read other reviews that go into more detail about the individual issues and their ups and downs but I don't think that's necessary. Of course some issues are going to be over the top campy, that was the era. No matter what this is 60's Marvel at its finest and well worth the read.

[Harriet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly sexist writing, and they're a pretty awful team considering all they do is bicker and physically attack each other. There's very little variation in plot across these twenty-odd issues. Doctor Doom is the team's main villain, and he is tedious, with a boring origin.

I'd give it a star and a half really, because there's some attractive flowing inking over Kirby's lines, and some cool (if horribly reprinted) collage-type pages, but I rounded the last FF book I read up, so I'm rounding this one down.

[Rich Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good volume of Marvel Essentials, with Jack Kirby just starting to hit his stride on the book. This one covers Fantastic Four #21-40, along with a couple of stories from annuals. The only downside is that the Spidey-Torch tale from the Strange Tales Annual is reprinted from the actual comic and not the original black-and-white artwork. Highlights include Dragon Man, Diablo, the Frightful Four, Daredevil, and Dr. Strange.

[Jemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I literally do not know why I enjoy reading these comics.
The characters are annoying (apart from Thing), and despite the fact that it's not as racist as the rest of the comics, it is very sexist.

Sue Storm: 'I feel like a fool!'
Reed Richards: 'Don't worry, you can't help it. You're female.'

On the other hand, I find the way the characters have to describe their every action rather amusing if a little cheesy. And the Thing was hillarious

[Frank Taranto · Rating 3 out of 5]

The legend continues to grow. We learn where Dr. Doom, one of the great villians in the Marvel Universe, comes from. We get Reed and the Dr's scientific rivalry. We see the Thing as his indonitable best in a fight with Dr Doom where he just won't give up. We also see more of the Submariner's nobility come through.

[Holden Attradies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much better improvement than the first volume. The artwork improves steadily as well as the complexity of the stories. The sexism is still pretty bad, there were a few groan out loud moments where Sue was explained away as a mere woman, but her role as a member of the team was increased. It was in this volume that she "discovered" that she could turn others invisible and make force fields.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit that, prior to starting to read through Lee and Kirby's work, I hadn't read much more than a half-dozen FF stories or so. What's amazing about that is how instantly familiar the melodrama and adventure felt - this is in a lot of ways the groundwork that every other (superhero) comics writing has been building off of since.

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

In questo ciclo di storie inizia davvero a divenire la miglior testata di fumetti del mondo: Stan Lee veramente ispirato nelle storie, Jack Kirby ai disegni e finalmente Geo Bell aka George Roussos termina la sua run sulle chine del RE. Perché purtroppo la Cosa non gli è mai venuta bene, e se vogliamo essere sinceri, aveva diversi difetti come inchiostratore.

[Matt O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Kurby/Lee combination. Explains so much about the Marvel Universe that I had been fuzzy on: the Negative Zone, the Black Panther, Wyatt Wingfoot, Klaw, Annihulus, the Inhumans.

This is a MUST READ for any Marvel comic reader.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have much to say about this that I didn't say about the first volume. Some of these stories haven't aged very well, but the art is still good, and it really has a strong sense of character. I kind of don't like the black and white format, but for the price, it cannot be beat.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

About half way through the whole thing starts taking off, not that it wasn't already. This reprints issues 21-40 and Annual 2, after #21 and the big reveal of who the villain is there is a notable change in the characterization of the Four. Just. Freaking. Awesome.

[Robert Bowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It just doesn't get much better!!!