Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four, Vol. 3

Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four #3

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby

Celebrate Marvel's 70th anniversary by experiencing the tales of the world's most-famous super heroes from the very beginning! The Marvel Masterworks have brought readers deluxe hardcover collections of Marvel's classics from the Golden Age, Atlas Era, and the mighty Marvel Age, and now you can join in the Masterworks excitement with Marvel's new, monthly Marvel Masterworks trade paperbacks.

While testing an experimental spacecraft Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and Sue and Johnny Storm were exposed to a bombardment of mysterious cosmic rays. Upon their return to Earth, they found that they had gained wondrous abilities, the likes of which had never been seen before. That voyage was the first of many extraordinary adventures for these friends, who became known to the world as: Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, The Human Torch, and The Invisible Girl - The Fantastic Four!
Collects Fantastic Four #21-30.

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

234 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

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

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that one must consider somewhat in the context of the time in which the individual stories appeared, December of 1963 through September of 1964. The right hand corner of each cover has the Comics Code Seal of Approval, the left hand corner has the faces of the FF characters over the twelve-cents-a-copy price, and, with typical Marvel modesty, the banner at the top in the middle proclaims: The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!, which was quite accurate in those early days of the Johnson administration. Written by Stan The Man Lee and illustrated by Jack The King Kirby, each issue packed in so much plot that they'd use twelve issues across three titles to tell the same story today. From Yancy Street to The Moon, from Atlantis to Transylvania, not to mention all points in between, the F.F. fought super villains galore (and occasionally each other, not to mention other heroes when the occasion called for it.) Sue (who developed new powers and tried new hair styles), Johnny (who had a Spider-Man dart board), Reed (whose thought-projector invention showed that a more-robust-than-the-original Sue wearing a bathing suit was what was on his mind), and Ben (who, oh dear, promises to give Jean Grey the spanking of her life), are aided by more exclamation points than you've ever imagined in their adventures. We also have Nick Fury (without the patch), Hulk (who is named Bob Banner for some reason), The X-Men, The Avengers, Namor, The Watcher, Alicia Masters, Doctors Doom and Strange, the Mole Man, the Mad Thinker, Puppet Master, Diablo, The Red Ghost, and a whole lot more... not to mention Adolph Hitler. These were the times before their reputation was diluted by bad films, before the substitutions and impersonations, back when when you still thought the neighbors were unreasonable for complaining that Reed kept an ICBM in his apartment. These were the times... What time? It's clobberin' time, True Believer!

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects 21-30, another fun set of comics that does slightly elevate the material from the second volume - but mostly just silly stories.

21 - The Hate-Monger. Another villain of the week story, but this guy is wearing a purple KKK mask spreading hatred and fear.
22- Mole Man returns
23 - Doctor Doom captures the gang
24 - Infant Terrible - an alien child with unimaginable powers wrecks havoc. Pretty cool to have a non-villain threat.
25/26 - Hulk and The Thing have a fight. The Avengers show up too.
27 - Sub-Mariner kidnaps Susan Storm in an attempt to court her.
28 - The Puppet Master takes over Professor X and get the X-men to fight the Fantastic Four.
29 - A wild adventure takes the F4 from NYC's Yancy Street to The Watcher's base on the Moon
30 - The fantastic four are on vacation in Transylvania... for some reason... and get lost but find an ancient castle. This is one where I think Lee lost the plot, at one point a character is telling the F4 they shouldn't be here, the castle is haunted etc, and the next panel the F4 are welcomed into nice bed chambers with fresh sheets. They fight a dude called Diablo.

[Tom Ewing · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ‘63-‘64 stretch of the Lee/Kirby FF is one of the dullest. In a relative sense - every issue is packed with incident, but invention is thin on the ground. The wild hybridity of the earliest issues, with their gradual transformation of monster mag tropes into superhero ones, has ebbed, and what we have left is the elements of the FF formula but not yet a sense of momentum or connection.

The family bicker, Ben bemoans his fate, Johnny is hotheaded, Reed is stand-offish to Sue, Sue sighs over Namor, the Yancy Street Gang play pranks and every villain has a set of individual traps for the FF’s members. For hardcore fans this is the very essence of Fantastic-dom; but there’s also a powerful sense of wheels spinning while Stan and Jack stretch their talents across a burgeoning comics line. The centrepiece story here is a two parter with the Hulk and the Avengers, but it illustrates one of the collection’s problems - this period of the FF is a parade of guest stars, and while these crossovers were surely thrilling at the time, they’re as much infomercials as stories.

The final story here, introducing Diablo, is a snapshot of the book’s highs and lows. It’s Kirby drawing Gothic Horror, which is always enjoyable, and Diablo’s ancient castle is impressively monumental. It has some fine action sequences. But it’s also a rushed hotch-potch of incidents which are forgotten about within a page (Diablo has bought an enormous private army but is then pretty much alone in his lair). Within a year everything will snap into focus - but at this point you wouldn’t have bet on it.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic Four #21-30 (1963-1964)

First Appearances: the Hate-Monger (though given his secret identity you could argue he famously appeared in the Golden Age being punched in the face), Moloids, the Infant Terrible, and Diablo.

Also appearing: Mole Man, Doctor Doom, the Hulk, the newly formed Avengers, Doctor Strange, Namor, the also newly formed X-Men, the Mad Thinker, the Puppet Master, and the Red Ghost and his Super Apes.

Issue #25 is a landmark event. The use of rising tension with visceral art all to drop a to be continued on their unsuspecting readers denoted new understanding of how they could use their serial medium. And just the thrashing their heroes would take but still striving toward heroism, marked a heroism far greater than any the Distinguished Competition could muster in their perfected heroes.

Of course by today’s standards, most readers would be nonplussed or perhaps malplussed, but you see Kirby stretching his wings and laying claim to what a Marvel hero is.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, this was a lot of fun.

Sure, it's hard to measure up to modern books, but if yo can turn that off an enjoy some Silver Age history, I think you're in for a good time.

Set in the first few adventures of the FF, I picked this wanting an early Dr. Doom story. This volume certainly contains a lot more with the Thing squaring off with the Hulk for the first time, the FF meeting to O.G. X-Men, Sue learning how to make a force field...goofy stuff like that.

Nothing too serious here, but considering the first story they take on the Hate-Monger, it certainly still has a place in today's society.

Lots of 60s kookiness and fun in here.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third volume of Fantastic Four Masterworks includes Fantastic Four #21-30 by the incomparable team of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. And their collaboration is reaching a polish that will shortly become legendary. This collection starts off with the threat of the Hate Monger (who could just as easily be a stand-in for any of today’s authoritarian despots like tRump or DeSantis) and new menaces like the Infant Terrible and Diablo. But there are plenty of returning villains too, with the likes of the Mole Man, Doctor Doom, the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, the Mad Thinker, and the Puppet Master. And a whole host of glorious guest-stars adorn these pages as well: Nick Fury, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Doctor Strange, the Watcher, the original uncanny X-Men and, in what is likely the first big company-crossover event in Marvel history, we get a sprawling two-part, battle-of-the-century, free-for-all featuring not only the Human Torch, the Invisible Girl, Mister Fantastic, and the Thing against the Hulk, but the Avengers join in as well: Captain America, Giant-Man, Iron Man, Thor, the wondrous Wasp and Rick Jones. Yep! Jack and Stan certainly deliver your money’s worth with this one.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mixed bag of early Fantastic Four issues with a few installments where you can see the creators falling back on old monster-book tropes when, presumably, deadlines loom. The opener with the Hate Monger is generically boring, and some follow ups with the Mole Man, Doctor Doom and an alien super baby are nothing special.

A two-issue brawl with the Hulk is fun, though, offering muscleman The Thing some nice lines as he soldiers on despite being outmatched. Beyond that, "It All Started on Yancy Street," a cosmic tale with the Red Ghost and his super apes, is probably the highlight of the collection. It explores the weirdness of the cosmos with the Watcher and his futuristic home on the Blue Area of the moon, using the disparate personalities of the Fantastic Four to keep the story approachable. Still, while the Silver Age series continues to explore new turf--and offer foundational fun for Marvel fans--the storytelling is often hasty and simplistic.

Read digital issues.

[Alex Andrasik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was in the middle of reading the last issue in this collection this afternoon when I learned that Stan Lee had passed. Excelsior, sir.

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: Dr. Doom returns with one of his sillier schemes (his Master Plan, no less), in which he overpowers three average criminals to ensnare the FF. The Mole Man makes his first reappearance since the FF's first issue with a plot to lower the world's cities into subterranea via giant-sized hydraulics. The Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master return and team up, withe the former managing to overlook a very obvious possible pitfall in his genius plan. And the FF meet (and accidentally free from century-long imprisonment) Diablo, whose Transylvanian alchemy manages to tempt the Think away from his partners. And, of course, the Yancy Street Gang goes down in history as one of the team's bitterest enemies by dropping hot garbage on Ben Grimm's head. All this and Hitler too.

LADYWATCH: Sue Storm continues to be more frivolous a presence than her later character development supports. In one memorable moment, she's interrupted in that most All-American pastime of trying on a plethora of wigs alone in her bedroom. But there are hints of a deeper characters here, as she demonstrates spunk and inventiveness in a number of battles, and displays a variety of reactions to the peril of various men in her life (not just mooning after Reed, but expressing sisterly concern for brother Johnny, as well as demonstrating good insight into Ben and Alicia's star-crossed relationship). What's more, Stan and Jack allow her powers to increase, probably in direct reaction to readers' criticisms about the efficacy of invisibility as a superhuman ability; now she can project invisible force fields and turn other objects invisible, though doing so requires greater concentration than, say, Johnny's flame power. She also gets to offer what is perhaps the most nuanced and human emotional response to a personal conflict I've yet seen in a Marvel comic: in an otherwise fairly ridiculous story in which Reed and Namor are fighting over her like a couple of rhinos in heat, Sue puts a stop to the battle and drops some hard truth on the Sub-Mariner--"I'm sorry, Namor! Sorry if you misunderstood the sympathy I felt for you--yes, even the affection I felt...Sorry if you thought it was love! But I realize now--Reed is the only man for me...Nothing can ever change that!" Prince Namor MacKenzie, Imperius Rex, and first anti-hero banished to the Friendzone.

COSMIC ENCOUNTERS: The Watcher returns in the course of another run-in with the Red Ghost, and he takes a minute to humblebrag about all the advanced tech in his pad that so cool, even he doesn't know what they all do. Plus, the FF face the Infant Terrible, an interstellar toddler who ends up on Earth somehow and wreaks havoc with his incredible reality-bending powers and his ridiculous, if faintly adorable, character design. E.T. phone home, with a little help from Reed Richards.

HOSTS OF HOGGOTH: Dr. Strange makes an appearance, using his magic to help the team track down Namor, and invoking all the Vishantis and Dormammus he can utter. Diablo's alchemical "magic" turns out to be so much poppycock.

SUPERHERO TEAMUP: This one has it all! The Avengers! The X-Men! Hulk! Namor! Dr. Strange! There's a slight sense of professional conviviality between the FF and Earth's Mightiest, and, after the obligatory hero fight, the FF have a heart-warming moment where they say of the X-Men, basically, that those kids will be going places. If they only knew. Incidentally, this collection ALMOST features the first meet-up between future Defenders teammates Dr. Strange and Namor, though the two are technically never mutually aware of each other's existence in the issue in which they both appear.

CONTINUITY NOTES: You start to get a sense of the knit-together fabric of the Marvel Universe, though it's fairly implicit, as though Stan and Jack WANT to be constant cross-promotors, but don't want to go whole-hog for fear of alienating readers. FF #25-26 essentially continue from Avengers #1-4, forming, in a way, the first multi-issue, multi-title comics crossover. Stan seems to begin to realize his characters might last for more than a few years, and begins making reference to past events in vague "months ago" terms, tightening up the internal timeline in a canny way, heading off reader criticism that the heroes never seem to age. (It's months and years for us real people, but usually only days and weeks for the characters.) When discussing the catalog of the X-Men's exploits (in convenient order of publication history), the FF mistakenly swap out the mutants' teleporting second issue baddie, the Vanisher, with the Avengers' teleporting second issue baddie, the Space Phantom (it must have been hard on Stan and Jack to keep all those weirdos straight). It's unclear how anyone in the outside world could have heard of some of the X-Men's exploits, particularly their battle with the Blob, wherein the whole point was that the team brought the new mutant home to their mansion and then had to wipe his memory of the experience before he could reveal the location of their HQ--an explicitly private affair. (Nor, for that matter, is it clear how the Puppet Master could create a puppet that only vaguely resembles Professor X that still works to control his will, but then never tries to replicate the feat with the powerful telepath or any other useful being.)

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one collects Fantastic Four 21-30, basically the 1964 run of the title. By the end of 1965, it would be living up to its slogan of being The World's Greatest Comics Magazine, but these issues are much more spotty.

The amazing thing about the comic book business in those days is that the creators knocked out so many pages of story and art every single month. It's no surprise that some are better than others. And then sometimes the Sub-Mariner randomly decides to kidnap Sue Storm and give her twenty-four hours to figure out if she loves him on the same day that Reed Richards buys an engagement ring.

Then there's the Hate Monger issue, with its clear anti-bigotry message at the same time that Nick Fury brings the FF into some South American country that the US is trying to prop up. It's mixed messages, for sure.

In issue 22, the Invisible Girl gained new powers, leading her up to becoming a top tier superhero later when she decided to call herself a Woman. It was clear for a couple months there that Stan and Jack were trying hard to give her a greater role in the group.

Lots of guest stars in these issues - the Avengers, the Hulk, Dr. Strange. The Marvel Universe was being knit together. The stories would soon start to make it all worth the effort. In the meantime, these are pretty fun, and most of them I hadn't read before.

[Sean Korzinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

The issues with Hulk, Avengers, X-Men, and Sub-Mariner guest starring were the highlights. Anytime they have The Things girlfriend Alicia in an ish is always a plus. Well drawn, sympathetic and The Thing doesn't act as much of a stubborn ass when she is around. Also when she is in danger The Thing acts like a stubborn ass in just the right way to get her out of harms way.

Issues without big guest stars are well drawn just overall bland adventures that are even harder to get through since one thing Stan Lee does NOT do in any situation is use LESS words to describe anything. Stan may have created any awesome universe but quick succinct dialogue and exposition balloons apparently are not something he learned until several years later at Marvel publishing.

I am sticking around to Masterworks Volume 6 to get to the arc with Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Then it is probably onto different Masterworks that grab me a little more unless something compels me to continue.

For now the X-Men, The Hulk, and oddly The Sub-Mariner are the Masterworks I want to read the most of after smattering through a bunch of characters first Volumes.

[Gordon Mcghie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another round of FF comics read - this time it is Issue 21 to 30. Finally the stories are starting to find their feet, a few returning characters (Puppet Master, Doom) and we get a Hulk story, the X-Men pop up as do the Avengers.

This ia much more like it. The big stories are starting to come through and the series now seems to be finding its feet. The team still like to squabble amongst themselves, which I tired of around issue five, but Reed is slowly accepting his love for Sue and she seems happy to wait for him to act upon his feelings while rebuffing Namor whenever he pops up to kidnap her to make her his Queen.

It's classic comic fare but I am enjoying seeing how the team are cementing their place in the Marvel legacy. Now it is time to embark upon issues 31 to 40. I am deliberatly not reading ahead to see what may be coming down the line - this is a mission to discover these stories for the first time and it is a treat to be able to read them consecutively rather than try to pick up on different threads out of chronological order.

[Molly Lazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my four-year-olds, who especially enjoyed issues #24 (The Infant Terrible), #25 (Thing vs. Hulk) and #26 (appearance by the Avengers).

There are some standout issues here: #21's Hate Monger story is still resonant today, and #25's Thing vs. Hulk battle was probably the most fun I've had reading an FF issue out loud so far. Sue begins to develop her force field powers, a welcome change that makes her much more useful to the team. But there are a few issues here (#23, #29, and #30 in particular) that didn't do it for me as much, as the bad guys were dispatched a bit too easily, I thought. Still the team dynamics among the fabulous foursome are always enjoyable to read, especially as their characters develop as the issues go on.

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like the previous ten issues, this group of ten (#21-30 of the comic magazine) continues to rely on standard formula: constant bickering between Torch and Thing, misunderstandings between Reed and Sue, and repeating villains who can’t learn from their previous encounters. It’s hard to look at these and discover what was so exciting about this comic, but that’s because the next group of ten was to start to move into new territory as Lee began to expand the soap opera elements of his stable of characters. This volume could likely be skipped, unless you’re a completist like me.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half the draw of reading these old collections is watching Kirby's art evolve. There is a big milestone in issue 29 "It Started on Yancy Street". This is one of the most popular issues from this time, and I don't think it has as much to do with the story as the art. It is much more detailed than all other issues in this collection. Kirby puts a lot of effort into his famous imaginary electronics and space-age looking designs. What changed? Did the inker make a difference? I don't know, but it's a real indication of much more detailed work to come.

[Rocío · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pesar de que siguen sin ser geniales, se nota bastante como mejora todo a medida que pasan los issues.

Me gustó la evolución en los poderes de Sue, los nuevos límites de sus poderes la hacen mucho más valiosa para el equipo y aunque todavía está el eventual secuestro, participa mucho más en las peleas.

Siento también que el arte de Kirby está mejorando y es algo que está copado ver.

Creo que lo más interesante de estos comics no son tanto los villanos en si, sino las dinámicas familiares que se pueden encontrar y como de a poco exploran cada vez más cosas del universo.

[Mr. Derek Dietz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some more Silver Age stories that are all at least moderately entertaining. The best of the bunch are Issues #25 and #26 containing the first big brawl between The Hulk and The Thing. The conflict is phenomenally rendered, with each monstrous figure landing impressive blows on their opponent. The battle is so intense that it fills up two issues - the first time in Fantastic Four history that such a cliffhanger was utilized. It feels momentous, a choice that will change this medium of storytelling forever.

[Michael · Rating 4 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.

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sue Storm manages to develop new powers as she's able to project force fields, making her just a tad bit more valuable to the team. Reed Richards continues to be the galaxy's biggest asshat. Seriously, why did they write him that way? Numerous cameos are made in this collection, including Car 54 Where Are You? (Did anyone else catch that? Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?), the Incredible Hulk, the Avengers, the X-Men and the Sub Mariner.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lee and Kirby's Fantastic Four is always imaginative and worth reading, but this volume stands out for including the FF's portion of arguably Marvel's first crossover event, though it wasn't heralded that way. It's a sprawling story around the Fantastic Four, the fledgling Avengers, and even the mysterious, new team known as the X-Men as they try to figure out what to do with each other as well as the random destructiveness of the Hulk and Sub-Mariner. And it's quite good.

[Jdetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This comic is slowly improving, but it's very slow, and there's not really a classic issue anywhere in this collection.

[Keith Gerlach · Rating 4 out of 5]

My continuing quest to read the history of Marvel....

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gems include debuts of Hate-Monger, Doom's Terrible Trio, & Diablo; FF's 1st encounters w/ Avengers, Dr. Strange, & X-Men; & Red Ghost & Super-Apes haunting Yancy St

[Raymond Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could see the Thing going from angry, I want to destroy the world to the lovable guy he is today all thanks to Alicia. It was nice to read.

[Elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weakest so far with no really interesting villains or stories

[JW David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic Four #21-30.

[Arjun Rajkumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could barely get through this volume !

[c · Rating 4 out of 5]

shouted out FINALLY when sue gained her force field powers. in other news, im sick of namor

(read in single issues)

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the paperback.

[Isaac Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hate-Monger and The Diablo are some of my all time favorite FF issues so far but man I don’t care for the crossovers

[Sadiel Giron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Kirby artwork all throughout, the writing was a bit of a drag to get through. Solid volume with appearances from the Avengers and the OG X-Men.