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Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four #7
Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four, Vol. 7
Written by Stan Lee Pencils by Jack Kirby The First Family of Super Heroes ushers in a new era of Marvel Masterworks with the addition of Fantastic Four Vol. 7 to the Masterworks Library! Showcasing the unmatched team-up of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this edition is a must-have! Hold on to your seats, True Believers, as the F.F. battle Blastaar, the Living Bomb-Burst, the Sandman, Ronan the Accuser and more! Also featuring the Silver Surfer, the incomparable Inhumans and the first appearance of Him, the man later to be known as Adam Warlock! Collecting Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #61-71 and Annual #5. VARIANT COVER EDITION IS LIMITED TO 1505 COPIES
300 pages, Hardcover
First published November 21, 2007
15 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lee
7,571 books2,352 followersStan 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 29, 2014
Finally getting into the cosmic stuff here, and Kirby's art just shines. He really was kicking it with Sinnot on inks. Stan still writes a rather mousy Sue Richards, but at least she was drawn to be pretty.
February 12, 2026
It's difficult for me to be objective about the stories collected in this volume. This Marvel Masterworks collection includes the first issues of the Fantastic Four that I bought, way back in 1967.
I had read mostly DC comics before then, and, instead of a review, I'll attempt to bring to mind what made this odd Marvel comic book with these unfamiliar characters so appealing to me and so different from the DC comics I was used to. The first Fantastic Four comic book that I bought, FF # 63, in restrospect doesn't have a particularly outstanding story. But perhaps that's what made it a good introduction to the Marvel Universe for me.
First off, the title of the story: "Blastaar, the Living Bomb-Burst!" in big letters on the splash panel. DC's titles just weren't as bombastic (couldn't resist), as this one. Also, the way the story starts off with action--something that I was to learn was characteristic of Marvel. Marvel stories often started right off this way, filling in the details later. DC stories tended to be carefully constructed, building up to the action.
Another thing about this story was the multiplicity of characters, not just the FF, but Triton and Crystal of the Inhumans appear, as well as two super-villains: the Sandman and Blastaar. The action scenes--drawn by Jack Kirby--were exciting and dramatic and used large panels. Sometimes only four panels to a page and there was even one full-page panel showing Blastaar. Visually, the book just grabbed me in a way that DC comics almost never did.
Next up, for me, was FF Annual #5, which took those concepts to even higher levels. It starts with a passed-out Susan Richards in Reed Richards' arms. Then it heads into thrilling action as the Human Torch and the Thing team up with the Inhumans and the Black Panther to battle a weird villain (The Psycho-Man). Plus, pin-ups of all seven Inhumans, plus a Silver Surfer solo story, plus other features. What did I care that something called Component Five in the first part of the FF story is called Component Four in the second part of the story? I was hooked.
For those not wallowing in nostalgia, this collection includes the two key stories that introduced the Kree to the Marvel Universe, with the first appearances of the the Sentry, the Supreme Intelligence and Ronan, the Accuser. FF#67 and #68 provide the origin of the character then just called "Him," who later became Adam Warlock. The collection concludes with a four-parter in which a "mystery villain" turns the Thing against the Fantastic Four.
Altogether, an outstanding collection, even without benefit of nostalgia.
I had read mostly DC comics before then, and, instead of a review, I'll attempt to bring to mind what made this odd Marvel comic book with these unfamiliar characters so appealing to me and so different from the DC comics I was used to. The first Fantastic Four comic book that I bought, FF # 63, in restrospect doesn't have a particularly outstanding story. But perhaps that's what made it a good introduction to the Marvel Universe for me.
First off, the title of the story: "Blastaar, the Living Bomb-Burst!" in big letters on the splash panel. DC's titles just weren't as bombastic (couldn't resist), as this one. Also, the way the story starts off with action--something that I was to learn was characteristic of Marvel. Marvel stories often started right off this way, filling in the details later. DC stories tended to be carefully constructed, building up to the action.
Another thing about this story was the multiplicity of characters, not just the FF, but Triton and Crystal of the Inhumans appear, as well as two super-villains: the Sandman and Blastaar. The action scenes--drawn by Jack Kirby--were exciting and dramatic and used large panels. Sometimes only four panels to a page and there was even one full-page panel showing Blastaar. Visually, the book just grabbed me in a way that DC comics almost never did.
Next up, for me, was FF Annual #5, which took those concepts to even higher levels. It starts with a passed-out Susan Richards in Reed Richards' arms. Then it heads into thrilling action as the Human Torch and the Thing team up with the Inhumans and the Black Panther to battle a weird villain (The Psycho-Man). Plus, pin-ups of all seven Inhumans, plus a Silver Surfer solo story, plus other features. What did I care that something called Component Five in the first part of the FF story is called Component Four in the second part of the story? I was hooked.
For those not wallowing in nostalgia, this collection includes the two key stories that introduced the Kree to the Marvel Universe, with the first appearances of the the Sentry, the Supreme Intelligence and Ronan, the Accuser. FF#67 and #68 provide the origin of the character then just called "Him," who later became Adam Warlock. The collection concludes with a four-parter in which a "mystery villain" turns the Thing against the Fantastic Four.
Altogether, an outstanding collection, even without benefit of nostalgia.
January 7, 2022
A decent slice of classic Fantastic Four. Kirby's art is amazing as always, particularly when the team heads off into a secret science base where a group of rogue scientists have faked their own death to lead a project to create the perfect artificial being: Him.
We also get the first appearance of Blastarr, a showdown with a Kree sentry and Ronan the Accuser, and a fun multi-parter where the Mad Thinker zaps The Thing with some ray that reverses his personality and prompts him to try to to kill Mr. Fantastic. (Who among us hasn't felt that urge?)
Stan Lee's writing is light and fun, and the book keeps things "real," even introducing a pregnancy for the Invisible Woman. It's good stuff, but also rooted in its era. If you enjoy classic Marvel, this is a solid volume to pick up.
We also get the first appearance of Blastarr, a showdown with a Kree sentry and Ronan the Accuser, and a fun multi-parter where the Mad Thinker zaps The Thing with some ray that reverses his personality and prompts him to try to to kill Mr. Fantastic. (Who among us hasn't felt that urge?)
Stan Lee's writing is light and fun, and the book keeps things "real," even introducing a pregnancy for the Invisible Woman. It's good stuff, but also rooted in its era. If you enjoy classic Marvel, this is a solid volume to pick up.
June 23, 2023
Collects Fantastic Four (Vol. 1) #61-71 and Annual #5 by Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby.
Fantastic Four 61
Fantastic Four 62
Fantastic Four 63
Fantastic Four 64
Fantastic Four 65
Fantastic Four 66
Fantastic Four 67
Fantastic Four 61
Fantastic Four 68
Fantastic Four 69
Fantastic Four 70
Fantastic Four 71
Fantastic Four 61
Fantastic Four 62
Fantastic Four 63
Fantastic Four 64
Fantastic Four 65
Fantastic Four 66
Fantastic Four 67
Fantastic Four 61
Fantastic Four 68
Fantastic Four 69
Fantastic Four 70
Fantastic Four 71
January 24, 2021
I read this with my four-year-olds, who are now just as big FF fans as I am. They particularly enjoyed Blastaar and seeing the Negative Zone, and they were pretty fascinated by the Adam Warlock introduction two-parter (which I also thought was superb). FANTASTIC FOUR has started to get much weirder by this point--and that's a good thing. While we start out with Sandman being portrayed as an actual threat, we then move on to the Negative Zone, the introduction of the Microverse, and a four-parter with the Mad Thinker that starts off as a rehash of the "Wizard turns Ben against the FF" storyline but ends somewhat differently. Sue reveals she is pregnant, which I'm sure was very exciting at the time it was published. Now, though, I'm kind of bummed that she's been sidelined just at the time when she was starting to come into her own as a member of the team. Crystal is around, but right now, that's just it. She's just...around. I'm hoping for more powerful females in the next volume*.
* I actually read this as part of the third Omnibus, but am putting the the review here as a way to track when we finish each set of 10 issues.
* I actually read this as part of the third Omnibus, but am putting the the review here as a way to track when we finish each set of 10 issues.
July 28, 2011
A fun look at the popular comic book series during its mid 60's heyday when it was written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. This volume covers issues 61 through 71 and Fantastic Four Annual #5, which includes some classic battles against second-tier villains such as the Mad Thinker and the Sandman, the first appearance of the genetically-engineered Christ-manque, "Him" (later called Adam Warlock in the 70's) and guest-stars the Silver Surfer and the Inhumans. Highly recommended.
August 12, 2022
Legend has it that the Lee/Kirby FF is a run of unbridled invention, character after character springing fully-formed onto the page and into the Marvel pantheon. Reality isn't quite that simple, as this collection shows, with periods of feverish, compressed innovation juxtaposed by stretches where the comic is visibly spinning its wheels.
So here we get the wild four issues where Kirby goes on a sci-fi tear and gives us the Sentry, the Kree, Ronan The Accuser and the origin of "HIM" (later Adam Warlock). Followed immediately by another four issues where... the team fight the Mad Thinker. This latter is, by 60s Marvel standards, outrageously decompressed: there's a whole issue of Baxter Building horseplay before we even get to the "Thinker turns Ben evil" set-up. It's also the first time in a couple of years of the comic where Lee and Kirby are blatantly re-doing an old story, the far more fun and twisty "Torch joins the Frightful Four" tale from c. issue 40.
As we now know, there were backstage reasons for this. The partnership between Lee and Kirby was on the verge of breakdown, partly because of the HIM two-parter in this collection. Kirby's idea for the comic was to make the scientists who create HIM well-intentioned but foolish - having created the perfect being its alien morality would find them wanting. Lee ignored Kirby's plot and wrote the scientists as the usual world conquering madmen and HIM as a newborn naif. Kirby's idea is more interesting but you can see why Lee chafed: it doesn't leave a huge amount for the FF to do (and as it is they're stuck in a lab most of the issue while Kirby draws the hell out of a super-science base). The disagreement soured an already strained partnership, though - according to people on Kirby's side of the story, this was where he started putting his newer ideas aside (for his eventual 70s DC gig).*
On the page, all this manifests as a fairly sudden shift in gears. The Kree Sentry/Ronan story - which sees both Stan and Jack at their best - leaves so much unresolved that you have to imagine Kirby had some wider cosmic epic in mind. We don't get it - instead the FF snaps back to the feuding-family model of the earliest issues, complete with old favourites like "Sue's self-doubt", "Sexist Reed" (Lee is on particularly abominable form for this), "Ben doubting Alicia" and even "Johnny shows off his hot rod".
It all still looks great - Joe Sinnott inking Kirby is the definitive 60s Marvel look for a reason (nobody has done Ben's face better, which helps on a Ben-centric story), and even when Jack's more Jaded than Jolly he can storytell in his sleep. But there's still a real drop-off here between the strong opening, the exceptional middle and the will-this-do back end of this volume.
*(The best counter-argument is probably to note that the stuff he was creating at this point wasn't all great. The Kree and Warlock feel important because of later developments more than what's actually on the page, and the other big creations this volume are much-used but entirely generic tough guy Blastaar, The Living Bomb-Burst and the Psycho-Man, he of the FEAR-DOUBT-HATE buttons, who is so obviously corny that I assumed he'd first appeared ages before.)
So here we get the wild four issues where Kirby goes on a sci-fi tear and gives us the Sentry, the Kree, Ronan The Accuser and the origin of "HIM" (later Adam Warlock). Followed immediately by another four issues where... the team fight the Mad Thinker. This latter is, by 60s Marvel standards, outrageously decompressed: there's a whole issue of Baxter Building horseplay before we even get to the "Thinker turns Ben evil" set-up. It's also the first time in a couple of years of the comic where Lee and Kirby are blatantly re-doing an old story, the far more fun and twisty "Torch joins the Frightful Four" tale from c. issue 40.
As we now know, there were backstage reasons for this. The partnership between Lee and Kirby was on the verge of breakdown, partly because of the HIM two-parter in this collection. Kirby's idea for the comic was to make the scientists who create HIM well-intentioned but foolish - having created the perfect being its alien morality would find them wanting. Lee ignored Kirby's plot and wrote the scientists as the usual world conquering madmen and HIM as a newborn naif. Kirby's idea is more interesting but you can see why Lee chafed: it doesn't leave a huge amount for the FF to do (and as it is they're stuck in a lab most of the issue while Kirby draws the hell out of a super-science base). The disagreement soured an already strained partnership, though - according to people on Kirby's side of the story, this was where he started putting his newer ideas aside (for his eventual 70s DC gig).*
On the page, all this manifests as a fairly sudden shift in gears. The Kree Sentry/Ronan story - which sees both Stan and Jack at their best - leaves so much unresolved that you have to imagine Kirby had some wider cosmic epic in mind. We don't get it - instead the FF snaps back to the feuding-family model of the earliest issues, complete with old favourites like "Sue's self-doubt", "Sexist Reed" (Lee is on particularly abominable form for this), "Ben doubting Alicia" and even "Johnny shows off his hot rod".
It all still looks great - Joe Sinnott inking Kirby is the definitive 60s Marvel look for a reason (nobody has done Ben's face better, which helps on a Ben-centric story), and even when Jack's more Jaded than Jolly he can storytell in his sleep. But there's still a real drop-off here between the strong opening, the exceptional middle and the will-this-do back end of this volume.
*(The best counter-argument is probably to note that the stuff he was creating at this point wasn't all great. The Kree and Warlock feel important because of later developments more than what's actually on the page, and the other big creations this volume are much-used but entirely generic tough guy Blastaar, The Living Bomb-Burst and the Psycho-Man, he of the FEAR-DOUBT-HATE buttons, who is so obviously corny that I assumed he'd first appeared ages before.)
June 20, 2023
So many non-stop fights in this book. It feels like Stan Lee decided that more action made things more interesting. Maybe he is a little right. But the real draw here is the sci-fi strangeness. There are a couple of glimpses of the Negative Zone. Not really sure what it is, or why it's dangerous. But it is. A golden-skin science freak appears and then vanishes. He apparently has the ability to destroy everything. But we don't know how and he doesn't try. The Thing is made evil by the Mad Thinker. Now this could have been interesting if he kept it to himself and quietly hatched a plot, over time, to destroy all the people that he really loves. Maybe five or six issues could use this as a side plot, while they get into fights with other super-villains. But instead, Ben Grimm shouts out his evil intentions and tries to punch Mr Fantastic to death. I'll give away the ending. He tries unsuccessfully to punch his former allies and tells them they deserve to be punched. None of them blame him, because that would have had too much emotional impact. Instead, they keep making excuses for evil Ben Grimm until he dances in front of the one machine that can reverse the effects and blamm, zzzot, conflict resolved.
Kirby is by now at his peak, while Lee clearly is better at plotting than actual writing. I'm sure the next volume will be better.
Kirby is by now at his peak, while Lee clearly is better at plotting than actual writing. I'm sure the next volume will be better.
August 3, 2020
The Fantastic Four family is starting to grow, and its members are anxious. Crystal is a good addition to the cast, though Stan Lee's skill at writing female characters hasn't improved enough to make her a particularly memorable part of the plot. The Negative Zone gives Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott plenty of opportunities to draw cool space stuff and those are the clear highlights of this volume. Though there are villains aplenty in this volume the core driving force is still the Fantastic Four themselves and their conflicts with one another- often exacerbated by villainous plots. Aside from the few appearances of the Negative Zone this volume lacks the adventure of previous stories, and the multi-part "evil Thing" arc is drawn out even though it makes for a great ending to the collection.
August 25, 2020
3.5 stars. A step down from the heights of the previous volume, with a certain sense of treading ground we've covered before--especially in the "By Ben Betrayed" arc with its Thing-down-and-out framing and tired Mad Thinker villainy. Still, we do have our first superhero pregnancy here, that I know of, anyway, and interesting additions to the Marvel mythos in Psycho-Man and Him-who-will-be-Adam Warlock. (I liked the sense that, you know, "what monstrous creature is going to emerge from that cocoon" only for expectations to be subverted with the beautiful, golden-skinned Him. I wonder how much more effective it would have been if I hadn't already known the punchline?)
February 3, 2019
More of the same, although you can clearly see that Kirby's influence on the title continues to grow.
January 19, 2020
Gems include debuts of Blastaar & the Negative Zone, the Kree, Psycho-Man, & Adam Warlock
January 14, 2023
Classic
Not usually a FF fan, but read this for the Adam Warlock (Him) intro.
Classic art and story, epic for its time, and still great today !
Not usually a FF fan, but read this for the Adam Warlock (Him) intro.
Classic art and story, epic for its time, and still great today !
July 4, 2023
I have great memories from rereading these classic FF stories. Lee and Kirby were Kings!! Such a joy to reread these thrillers. First appearances of several characters.
March 23, 2023
The first family of Marvel continues to not only build characters and introduce new ones. But, add to the deep lore of what is to become the powerhouse of imagination we know and love today. From the Negative Zone to Adam Warlocks Cocoon, your Fantastic Fix is here!
October 20, 2023
The Sandman has escaped from prison and he’s after gadgets to help free the Wizard as well, gadgets he can get at the Baxter Building. It’s an epic fight that leads us readers into a tale of Mr Fantastic being trapped in an antimatter reality (what will become confusingly called the Negative Zone, Stan Lee clearing forgetting that this was what he’d named the barrier imprisoning the Inhumans) where (inexplicably) only Triton can rescue him. And this leads to the introduction of Blastarr who follows the heroes back to earth where he teams-up with the Sandman. Yikes! And this is only the beginning?! Ah, a breather, the Fantastic Four decide to take a much needed and long overdue vacation, but the island in the South Pacific they choose is also the location of an ancient alien base belonging to the Kree and guarded by Sentry-459. But defeating the Sentry, only brings the wrath of Ronan the Accuser on our beleaguered heroes. Then we get the introduction of the Beehive and the birth of Him (not a very auspicious introduction for the character who will become known as Adam Warlock, but there he is). Next up is a tale pitting the Fantastic Four, the Inhumans AND the Black Panther against the menace of the Psychoman from the microverse (aka the Quantum Realm) and there’s even a short story featuring the Silver Surfer all on his own; both of these are from the pages of Fantastic Four Annual #5. And wrapping up this volume is an epic 4-part battle royal with the Mad Thinker pitting the Thing against the world. Yep, Jack Kirby is firing on all pistons with this one.
June 8, 2015
I sadly gave up on waiting for a third Omnibus volume to follow the first two volumes and switched to the Masterworks publication series, which I slightly regret now that a third Omnibus volume (essentially covering Masterworks volumes 7-9) has seen the light of day, with letter pages and all.
Still, despite size difference and a lack of letter pages, this volume obviously continues the always stellar Lee and Kirby run on The Fantastic Four. This time we are introduced to Blastaar from the Negative Zone, a Kree Sentinel and Ronan the Accuser himself, as well as the enigmatic Him, who would later become Adam Warlock in the hands of Roy Thomas and then raised to new heights by Jim Starlin in the 1970s and beyond.
All in all, another worthwhile chapter in a very good run.
Still, despite size difference and a lack of letter pages, this volume obviously continues the always stellar Lee and Kirby run on The Fantastic Four. This time we are introduced to Blastaar from the Negative Zone, a Kree Sentinel and Ronan the Accuser himself, as well as the enigmatic Him, who would later become Adam Warlock in the hands of Roy Thomas and then raised to new heights by Jim Starlin in the 1970s and beyond.
All in all, another worthwhile chapter in a very good run.
April 7, 2014
King Kirby at his best! Mehr geht nicht, die 10 in diesem Band enthaltenen Hefte sind randvoll mit "Kirby-Tech" und "Kirby krackle". Bei Kirbys gigantischen Maschinen mussten die armen Inker, die nach Seiten bezahlt wurden, reichlich Überstunden machen.
Und überhhaupt: intergalaktischer als in diesem Sammelband kann es kaum zugehen. Die FF bekommen es unter anderem mit der Negativen Zone und den Kree zu tun, und alles in allerbester Marvelaction. Außerden bekommt das Ding eine Krise, weil Reed Richards es nicht dauerhaft in Ben Grimm zurückverwandeln kann, und fühlt sich Alicias nicht würdig.
Intergalaktisch, menschlich, kirbyesk: ein Höhepunkt in der Geschichte der FF!
Und überhhaupt: intergalaktischer als in diesem Sammelband kann es kaum zugehen. Die FF bekommen es unter anderem mit der Negativen Zone und den Kree zu tun, und alles in allerbester Marvelaction. Außerden bekommt das Ding eine Krise, weil Reed Richards es nicht dauerhaft in Ben Grimm zurückverwandeln kann, und fühlt sich Alicias nicht würdig.
Intergalaktisch, menschlich, kirbyesk: ein Höhepunkt in der Geschichte der FF!
December 1, 2011
There is a line in here where Mr. Fantastic explodes to his wife the Invisible Woman (notably still called the Invisible Girl here, trying to hide the new mini-skirt costume she made so she can show it off to her husband...) about "darling! you can't KILL a mindless android! It's a robot, it's not alive!" that makes me wonder how Stan Lee has a wife.
May 8, 2015
This reprint of issues 61 to 71 and annual number 5 features some pretty standard FF stories, but that doesn't make them any the less fun. There's confrontations with the Sandman and The Kree, and Thing continues his search for a cure to his condition.
February 9, 2016
The Marvel Masterworks volumes are fantastic reprints of the early years of Marvel comics. A fantastic resource to allow these hard to find issues to be read by everyone. Very recommended to everyone and Highly recommended to any comic fan.
May 30, 2012
Lee and Kirby at their finest.
July 25, 2015
The issues with Reed in the Negative Zone and the Him story are peak Lee/Kirby. The surrounding issues are mostly good but the Mad Thinker's return in issues 68-71 is relatively weak.
Read
September 3, 2018Kirby's energy-exploding art is impressive.
August 21, 2017
The storyline about the super scientists and "Him" was pretty interesting.
I can't say Lee and Kirby were phoning it in at this point, or actually repeating themselves. On the other hand, the characters were not really growing more real, nor the plots, the fights, the villains, any more 'trippy'-- looking at that last cover, the faceless super-android, just made me sigh with boredom... harsh, I know.
I can't say Lee and Kirby were phoning it in at this point, or actually repeating themselves. On the other hand, the characters were not really growing more real, nor the plots, the fights, the villains, any more 'trippy'-- looking at that last cover, the faceless super-android, just made me sigh with boredom... harsh, I know.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews