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Fantastic Four Epic Collection
Fantastic Four Epic Collection, Vol. 20: Into the Time Stream
Collects Fantastic Four (1961) #334-346 and Annual #23 and material from New Mutants Annual #6, X-Factor Annual #5 And X-Men Annual (1970) #14. It's sensational Simonson storytelling for Marvel's First Family! When the FF's Congressional hearing is disrupted by dozens of vengeance-seeking villains, the famous foursome must deal with Capitol chaos! And when a time anomaly sends them into the future, will the universe fall to Galactus while the FF are clashing with Kang and Nebula? As Sharon Ventura and the Human Torch face personal crises, the Fantastic Four find themselves on a parallel Earth battling cyborg dictators and displaced dinosaurs! And the temporal madness only gets worse when the adult Franklin Richards flees to the present from the "Days of Future Past" timeline - with Hound-master Ahab in hot pursuit! Guest-starring the Avengers, the X-Men, Spider-Man and Death's Head!
504 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
13 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Walter Simonson
1,263 books174 followersWalt Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' Thor from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned work Star Slammers, which he inaugurated in 1972 as a Rhode Island School of Design thesis. He has also worked on other Marvel titles such as X-Factor and Fantastic Four, on DC Comics books including Detective Comics, Manhunter, Metal Men and Orion, and on licensed properties such as Star Wars, Alien, Battlestar Galactica and Robocop vs. Terminator.
He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson, with whom he collaborated as penciller on X-Factor from 1988 to 1989, and with whom he made a cameo appearance in the 2011 Thor feature film.
He is married to comics writer Louise Simonson, with whom he collaborated as penciller on X-Factor from 1988 to 1989, and with whom he made a cameo appearance in the 2011 Thor feature film.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 30, 2021
Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol. 20: Into the Time Stream collects Fantastic Four #334-346, plus the four annuals that comprise the Days of the Future Present saga.
Back in the day, I had a subscription to Fantastic Four for years unnumbered. Now, years later, I'm buying up trade paperbacks of that Fantastic Four run so I can get rid of some of my 2400+ comics. I found this one a couple days ago on my first trip to a comic shop in two years.
Most of the stories in this book are written and/or drawn by Walter Simonson of Thor fame. Old Walt knows his way around a FantastiCar for the most part. The Acts of Vengence three parter that kicks off the book was drawn by Rich Buckler and Ron Lim and was fairly humorous. Simonson tackles the topic of registering super heroes with a realistic approach.
The second story, Into the Time Stream, is an overlooked masterpiece of the 1980s. The Fantastic Four with Iron Man, Thor, and a powerless Ben Grimm in tow, investigate a time anomaly in the future and wind up in a mess involving a Celestial, Galactus, the Cross Time Council of Kangs, Nebula, Gladiator, and Death's Head. From there, the Fantastic Four wind up in an alternate 1980s where Stalin is still ruler of Russia and Dan Quayle is POTUS, and end up on an island of dinosaurs before finally arriving back home. Days of the Future Present was okay but forgettable, the shifting creative teams in the four parts kind of jarring.
Simonson colors outside the Lee and Kirby lines quite a bit during his stint on the book, throwing a lot of big concepts into the mix and trying some new things. The Time Stream storyline in particular impressed the hell out of me. It's funny that Simonson's FF run is overshadowed by John Byrne's in the same way Simonson's Thor run overshadows everyone else's. I don't like Simonson's art here as much as I do on Thor but he's clearly picked up the Kirby baton and running with it. He doesn't shy away from gigantic machines or monsters and depicts the King's creations admirably.
Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol. 20: Into the Time Stream is a bombastic Fantastic Four collection that channels Lee & Kirby but still stands on its own merits. Four out of five stars.
Back in the day, I had a subscription to Fantastic Four for years unnumbered. Now, years later, I'm buying up trade paperbacks of that Fantastic Four run so I can get rid of some of my 2400+ comics. I found this one a couple days ago on my first trip to a comic shop in two years.
Most of the stories in this book are written and/or drawn by Walter Simonson of Thor fame. Old Walt knows his way around a FantastiCar for the most part. The Acts of Vengence three parter that kicks off the book was drawn by Rich Buckler and Ron Lim and was fairly humorous. Simonson tackles the topic of registering super heroes with a realistic approach.
The second story, Into the Time Stream, is an overlooked masterpiece of the 1980s. The Fantastic Four with Iron Man, Thor, and a powerless Ben Grimm in tow, investigate a time anomaly in the future and wind up in a mess involving a Celestial, Galactus, the Cross Time Council of Kangs, Nebula, Gladiator, and Death's Head. From there, the Fantastic Four wind up in an alternate 1980s where Stalin is still ruler of Russia and Dan Quayle is POTUS, and end up on an island of dinosaurs before finally arriving back home. Days of the Future Present was okay but forgettable, the shifting creative teams in the four parts kind of jarring.
Simonson colors outside the Lee and Kirby lines quite a bit during his stint on the book, throwing a lot of big concepts into the mix and trying some new things. The Time Stream storyline in particular impressed the hell out of me. It's funny that Simonson's FF run is overshadowed by John Byrne's in the same way Simonson's Thor run overshadows everyone else's. I don't like Simonson's art here as much as I do on Thor but he's clearly picked up the Kirby baton and running with it. He doesn't shy away from gigantic machines or monsters and depicts the King's creations admirably.
Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol. 20: Into the Time Stream is a bombastic Fantastic Four collection that channels Lee & Kirby but still stands on its own merits. Four out of five stars.
March 27, 2025
Walt Simonson's time on Fantastic Four was, well, fantastic. I love the big ideas he brought in and his artwork on those big ideas is very inventive and bombastic.
Begins with an Acts of Vengeance tie-in. The FF head to Washington to testify before Congress about the Superhuman Registration Act. It's really boring for the most part. Then they keep getting beset by D-level villains who keep appearing in the courtroom in trench coats and hats.
Then Simonson takes over the art as well as the writing. We get cosmic as Simonson brings in a story he wasn't able to use in Avengers. Reed discovers a time bubble in the future that could endanger all of time. So Thor and Iron Man tag along with the FF to head to the future to uncover what's happening. It's the Fantastic Four, so of course Galactus is involved. There's some fun stuff in this like Death's Head and the Council of Cross-Time Kangs. It's a good start to Simonson's time on the book.
Then there's a fill-in issue that has nothing to do with Walt Simonson's run. It's pretty terrible. Then the FF find out they returned home to an alternate dimension where the Cold War was still going on. Then the FF get trapped on a island out of time with some soldiers and a bunch of dinosaurs. Sharon gets a chance to shine after everyone loses their powers on the island.
Finally is Days of Future Present, a story that ran through the FF and X-annuals in 1990. I really like it. Future Franklin Richards from Days of Future Past returns to current time. He basically has the powers of a god and starts changing things to be like they were in his time line. Ahab, the leader of the Hounds, follows him back to the past and tries to kill all the mutants. Ahab's a cool character who makes his first appearance here. It's hinted at that he could be a future Cable. This is also where Cyclops and Jean Grey find out they are Rachel Summers parents. Art Adams draws the last annual and it looks absolutely great. I love his work from the 80's.
Begins with an Acts of Vengeance tie-in. The FF head to Washington to testify before Congress about the Superhuman Registration Act. It's really boring for the most part. Then they keep getting beset by D-level villains who keep appearing in the courtroom in trench coats and hats.
Then Simonson takes over the art as well as the writing. We get cosmic as Simonson brings in a story he wasn't able to use in Avengers. Reed discovers a time bubble in the future that could endanger all of time. So Thor and Iron Man tag along with the FF to head to the future to uncover what's happening. It's the Fantastic Four, so of course Galactus is involved. There's some fun stuff in this like Death's Head and the Council of Cross-Time Kangs. It's a good start to Simonson's time on the book.
Then there's a fill-in issue that has nothing to do with Walt Simonson's run. It's pretty terrible. Then the FF find out they returned home to an alternate dimension where the Cold War was still going on. Then the FF get trapped on a island out of time with some soldiers and a bunch of dinosaurs. Sharon gets a chance to shine after everyone loses their powers on the island.
Finally is Days of Future Present, a story that ran through the FF and X-annuals in 1990. I really like it. Future Franklin Richards from Days of Future Past returns to current time. He basically has the powers of a god and starts changing things to be like they were in his time line. Ahab, the leader of the Hounds, follows him back to the past and tries to kill all the mutants. Ahab's a cool character who makes his first appearance here. It's hinted at that he could be a future Cable. This is also where Cyclops and Jean Grey find out they are Rachel Summers parents. Art Adams draws the last annual and it looks absolutely great. I love his work from the 80's.
June 6, 2023
Quarteto Fantástico: No Fluxo do Tempo é o primeiro volume da coleção Epic Collection da Marvel que a Panini Comics traz para o Brasil. Trata-se de um volume de mais de 500 páginas com capa cartão. Aqui neste encadernado temos o começo da fase de Walter Simonson no Quarteto Fantástico, primeiro com desenhos de Rich Buckler e depois com arte do próprio Simonson. Começa com um arco ligado à saga Atos de Vingança em que vários supervilões classe Z atacam a principal família da Marvel durante um depoimento ao Congresso estadunidense. Depois, junto ao Thor e Homem de Ferro, a equipe fica perdida no fluxo do tempo em uma trama confusa que envolve o Guardião do Império Shiar, Nebulosa e Galactus. Perdidos numa outra realidade, onde Joseph Stalin continua comandando a URSS o Quarteto precisa acabar com a sua tirania. Mas será ele mesmo? Por fim, o Quarteto entra em uma ilha que está dividida em diferentes períodos geológicos, incluindo o cretáceo e o jurássico, e enfrenta dinossauros. Fora o arco principal, achei muito legal e divertido essa primeiro Epic Collection que a Panini trouxe pra o Brasil.
October 21, 2020
Simonson stories - 5/5
Days of future present - 1/5
Days of future present - 1/5
September 20, 2021
Cheguei, o busão tava lotado, mas, azar, vou sentar na janelinha.
Eu não sei porque, mas o Coisa deixou de ser coisa e virou humano, acho que é karma; afinal ele passou anos com uma coisa pedregulhosa se passando na Alícia, então agora que ele é humano, a Sharon "Dona Coisa" Ventura quer que ele passe na coisa pedregulhosa dela.
Karma.
Enfim, as primeiras edições são uma bobagem sobre os Atos de Vingança e um depoimento na corte de registro de atividades super humanas, aquela velha meta-hsitória da Marvel sobre registrar poderes, mutantes e o escambau a quatro. É para ser engraçado, vários vilões de terceiro escalão atacando o Quarteto, porém se na sinopse da história aparece Metalóide, não dá pra levar a sério.
Depois o Simonson resolve usar o Quarteto para amarrar as pontas soltas dos Vingadores de ambas as costas, então o Quarteto, o Thor e o Homem de Ferro vão explorar a bolha do tempo. E vocês sabem quem tá preso lá, né? O personagem mais popular nos escritórios da Marvel nessa época. O cara do pijamão vermelho. O dono da careca mais lustrosa desse lado do império skrull.
Sim, ele. O único. O picareta-mor.
O inescapável mestre do oculto, Doutor Druida.
Sério, eu não aguento mais ler gibi com esse cara.
A história é meio cansativa porque tem muita bobagem científica jogada ao vento e na hora do que parecia um quebra-pau espetacular; Thor vs Gladiador vs Celestial Negro vs Galactus; a Dona Coisa interrompe a pancadaria porque todo mundo tem de ser amiguinho e não-sei-o-que-mais. Maior empata-foda.
Depois disso resolvido eles se perdem no tempo, realidades alternativas, fluxos temporais, dinossauros, mas o mais legal é que pelo meio do caminho eles perdem o Thor e o Latinha e fica por isso mesmo.
Os caras caem do trenó temporal e tipo... ah foda-se.
Depois temos aquela coisa horrível que é os Dias de um Futuro Presente, um cross-over entre o Quarteto, os Novos Mutantes, os X-Men e o X-Factor sobre o amor bandido de Franklin Richards e Rachel Grey fugindo da perseguição do Ahab, o mestre dos perdigueiros. Uma história para lá de tenebrosa e forçada no drama até não poder mais.
Olha, eu gosto muito do Simonson, o Thor dele é brilhante com suas joelheiras gigantes e seus épicos nórdicos, mas esse Quarteto ficou devendo, até porque se aparece o Totonho Druida já perde um milhão de pontos no meu livrinho.
Eu não sei porque, mas o Coisa deixou de ser coisa e virou humano, acho que é karma; afinal ele passou anos com uma coisa pedregulhosa se passando na Alícia, então agora que ele é humano, a Sharon "Dona Coisa" Ventura quer que ele passe na coisa pedregulhosa dela.
Karma.
Enfim, as primeiras edições são uma bobagem sobre os Atos de Vingança e um depoimento na corte de registro de atividades super humanas, aquela velha meta-hsitória da Marvel sobre registrar poderes, mutantes e o escambau a quatro. É para ser engraçado, vários vilões de terceiro escalão atacando o Quarteto, porém se na sinopse da história aparece Metalóide, não dá pra levar a sério.
Depois o Simonson resolve usar o Quarteto para amarrar as pontas soltas dos Vingadores de ambas as costas, então o Quarteto, o Thor e o Homem de Ferro vão explorar a bolha do tempo. E vocês sabem quem tá preso lá, né? O personagem mais popular nos escritórios da Marvel nessa época. O cara do pijamão vermelho. O dono da careca mais lustrosa desse lado do império skrull.
Sim, ele. O único. O picareta-mor.
O inescapável mestre do oculto, Doutor Druida.
Sério, eu não aguento mais ler gibi com esse cara.
A história é meio cansativa porque tem muita bobagem científica jogada ao vento e na hora do que parecia um quebra-pau espetacular; Thor vs Gladiador vs Celestial Negro vs Galactus; a Dona Coisa interrompe a pancadaria porque todo mundo tem de ser amiguinho e não-sei-o-que-mais. Maior empata-foda.
Depois disso resolvido eles se perdem no tempo, realidades alternativas, fluxos temporais, dinossauros, mas o mais legal é que pelo meio do caminho eles perdem o Thor e o Latinha e fica por isso mesmo.
Os caras caem do trenó temporal e tipo... ah foda-se.
Depois temos aquela coisa horrível que é os Dias de um Futuro Presente, um cross-over entre o Quarteto, os Novos Mutantes, os X-Men e o X-Factor sobre o amor bandido de Franklin Richards e Rachel Grey fugindo da perseguição do Ahab, o mestre dos perdigueiros. Uma história para lá de tenebrosa e forçada no drama até não poder mais.
Olha, eu gosto muito do Simonson, o Thor dele é brilhante com suas joelheiras gigantes e seus épicos nórdicos, mas esse Quarteto ficou devendo, até porque se aparece o Totonho Druida já perde um milhão de pontos no meu livrinho.
December 14, 2018
It pains me to be giving a Fantastic Four book only 1 star, but I just had to work SO hard to get through this. It was just so boring and I didn't care about anything happening. There are a couple of ok moments, but overall it was just a chore to finish.
December 5, 2014
Overall, I was disappointed by this volume. I'd heard great things about Simon's FF run, but it was just so-so.
Acts of Vengeance (334-336). A mediocre start to Simonson's run. The plot of pathetic villains attacking the FF goes on 3 issues too long, and the plot of superhuman registration ends up being dull and heavy-handed. Both had potential, but neither comes off well [5+/10].
Into the Time-Stream (337-341). This arc has some great cosmic ideas and beautiful Simonson art. The plotting is unfortunately a bit plodding once you get past those big ideas, and Iron Man and Thor detract from this being a particularly good FF comic by stealing a lot of the screen time. It's still an interesting read [6/10].
Burnout! (342) I guess if you're doing this complete "Epic" collections, you reprint everything, but this fill-in is really shockingly bad. Horribly cliched dialogue, an after-school special plot, and pretty much nothing of interest [1/10].
Nukebusters (343-344). This visit to a Cold War Earth has a few amusing bits: the FF's interactions with the alternate world, and the ending. But the rest of it is a pretty staid action adventure [5+/10].
DInosaurs (345-346). Fun with dinosaurs, and some strong characterization for Sharon, but ultimately another story that's pretty shallow [6/10].
Beyonder Tales (Annual). These two shorts are kind of interesting because they go beyond the FF cast, but neither is that great. The tale of Volcana [4/10] is a big fight, while the tale of the cube [1/10] is a boring stroll through the Marvel cosmos. Ah well.
Days of Future Present (Annuals). This crossover is full of great ideas. We get a return to the Day of Future Past, but with things changed to reflect changes in the timeline. We get new characters like Ahab (who is hinted as a future Cable) and a totally new New Mutants. Meanwhile, there's some critical revelations, when Scott and Jean learn they're Rachel's parents, and X-Factor and the X-Men all meet. But sadly, much of the potential is wasted. The first two issues focus on the conflict when Franklin creates dream images, and the last two have random fights with Ahab, who just escapes anyway. The result is a lot of wasted potential.
Acts of Vengeance (334-336). A mediocre start to Simonson's run. The plot of pathetic villains attacking the FF goes on 3 issues too long, and the plot of superhuman registration ends up being dull and heavy-handed. Both had potential, but neither comes off well [5+/10].
Into the Time-Stream (337-341). This arc has some great cosmic ideas and beautiful Simonson art. The plotting is unfortunately a bit plodding once you get past those big ideas, and Iron Man and Thor detract from this being a particularly good FF comic by stealing a lot of the screen time. It's still an interesting read [6/10].
Burnout! (342) I guess if you're doing this complete "Epic" collections, you reprint everything, but this fill-in is really shockingly bad. Horribly cliched dialogue, an after-school special plot, and pretty much nothing of interest [1/10].
Nukebusters (343-344). This visit to a Cold War Earth has a few amusing bits: the FF's interactions with the alternate world, and the ending. But the rest of it is a pretty staid action adventure [5+/10].
DInosaurs (345-346). Fun with dinosaurs, and some strong characterization for Sharon, but ultimately another story that's pretty shallow [6/10].
Beyonder Tales (Annual). These two shorts are kind of interesting because they go beyond the FF cast, but neither is that great. The tale of Volcana [4/10] is a big fight, while the tale of the cube [1/10] is a boring stroll through the Marvel cosmos. Ah well.
Days of Future Present (Annuals). This crossover is full of great ideas. We get a return to the Day of Future Past, but with things changed to reflect changes in the timeline. We get new characters like Ahab (who is hinted as a future Cable) and a totally new New Mutants. Meanwhile, there's some critical revelations, when Scott and Jean learn they're Rachel's parents, and X-Factor and the X-Men all meet. But sadly, much of the potential is wasted. The first two issues focus on the conflict when Franklin creates dream images, and the last two have random fights with Ahab, who just escapes anyway. The result is a lot of wasted potential.
March 5, 2018
I liked but didn't love the Steve Englehart run on Fantastic Four (which hasn't been collected so I haven't written a Goodreads review), so I was excited to see what Walt Simonson could do with the FF toy box that Englehart (and Byrne before him) had left; the band is back together but Ben Grimm is de-powered and Sharon Ventura is in the Thing role. Simonson clearly wants to be writing the classic FF, but rather than actually re-Thing-ing Ben and de-Thing-ing Sharon, he keeps Sharon around to mostly punch stuff (and have the occasional character moment) while Ben does his Thing thing but as a normal guy in a trench coat and fedora with a big goofy gun or while wearing his old robotic Thing-suit.
Issues 334 through 336 are a transition period. Simonson is writing but not drawing and the arc is part of the Acts of Vengeance crossover. There's a lot of goofy villains attacking the FF and that has a certain level of entertainment value, but it doesn't add up to much. The stuff with the FF opposing the Superhero Registration Act in front of Congress is pretty blah, but again there's a few decent jokes. I do like the way it wraps up with Dr. Doom and the Super-Adaptoid, though.
Issues 337 through 341 are the main attraction of this collection (and the source for the title). Simonson both writes and draws and it's easily the most exciting the book has been since peak Byrne (if not before that). It's more a science fiction story than a Fantastic Four story, but it still really works. There's lots of timey wimey stuff and nonsense technobabble. There's multiple Kangs and Iron Man and Thor are around for really no reason. The character stuff is mostly absent and the story doesn't make that much sense if you think about it too long, but it has a breathless speed to it and has lots of opportunities for Simonson to draw crazy stuff like the Celestials or Galactus's ship. And it all ends with a great alternate timeline cliffhanger.
Issue 342 is a fill-in issue that's a follow-up to the Byrne issue where a kid killed himself by imitating Johnny Storm. That issue was the worst the FF had ever been and this one might be even worse. It's just awful.
Issues 343 & 344 are the FF in a world on the brink of war between the USA and the USSR. It has some great Top Gun style action art from Simonson. But the highlight is JOSEPH STALIN IN A ROBOT SUIT. Actual, the real highlight is that .
Issues 345 & 346 see the FF flub the return to their own world by landing in a dinosaur island for some reason. It never makes a great deal of sense, but it has the FF fighting dinosaurs so I'm not going to complain. It also has some actual Sharon/Ben character development. There's also a fantastic little epilogue with a time bureacracy that's a great tease.
It wraps up with the Days of Future Present crossover that spans Fantastic Four Annual 23, New Mutants Annual 6, X-Factor Annual 5 and X-Men Annual 14. It's drawn by a bunch of different people, but the FF is written by Walt Simonson, the New Mutants and X-Factor is written by Louise Simonson and the X-Men is written by Chris Claremont. Given that Walt & Louise were married collaborators and all three had collaborated on books for years, you'd expect this to be a clear coherent crossover. Instead it's a total confusing mess. Other than Franklin Richards (or *a* Franklin Richards at least?) traveling from the future to harass Rachel Summers, I have no idea what actually happened and if it meant anything. Claremont's X-Men Annual was the best, but it was still utterly confusing. At least it had a really cool looking Sue Storm Hound. There's some surface level entertainment value here, but that's it.
The FF Annual also had two additional stories. There's a Doom/Volcana story that is pretty good but the art looks traced from porn. There's also a Kubik/Kosmos (a Beyonder of sorts) that's really bad.
Issues 334 through 336 are a transition period. Simonson is writing but not drawing and the arc is part of the Acts of Vengeance crossover. There's a lot of goofy villains attacking the FF and that has a certain level of entertainment value, but it doesn't add up to much. The stuff with the FF opposing the Superhero Registration Act in front of Congress is pretty blah, but again there's a few decent jokes. I do like the way it wraps up with Dr. Doom and the Super-Adaptoid, though.
Issues 337 through 341 are the main attraction of this collection (and the source for the title). Simonson both writes and draws and it's easily the most exciting the book has been since peak Byrne (if not before that). It's more a science fiction story than a Fantastic Four story, but it still really works. There's lots of timey wimey stuff and nonsense technobabble. There's multiple Kangs and Iron Man and Thor are around for really no reason. The character stuff is mostly absent and the story doesn't make that much sense if you think about it too long, but it has a breathless speed to it and has lots of opportunities for Simonson to draw crazy stuff like the Celestials or Galactus's ship. And it all ends with a great alternate timeline cliffhanger.
Issue 342 is a fill-in issue that's a follow-up to the Byrne issue where a kid killed himself by imitating Johnny Storm. That issue was the worst the FF had ever been and this one might be even worse. It's just awful.
Issues 343 & 344 are the FF in a world on the brink of war between the USA and the USSR. It has some great Top Gun style action art from Simonson. But the highlight is JOSEPH STALIN IN A ROBOT SUIT. Actual, the real highlight is that .
Issues 345 & 346 see the FF flub the return to their own world by landing in a dinosaur island for some reason. It never makes a great deal of sense, but it has the FF fighting dinosaurs so I'm not going to complain. It also has some actual Sharon/Ben character development. There's also a fantastic little epilogue with a time bureacracy that's a great tease.
It wraps up with the Days of Future Present crossover that spans Fantastic Four Annual 23, New Mutants Annual 6, X-Factor Annual 5 and X-Men Annual 14. It's drawn by a bunch of different people, but the FF is written by Walt Simonson, the New Mutants and X-Factor is written by Louise Simonson and the X-Men is written by Chris Claremont. Given that Walt & Louise were married collaborators and all three had collaborated on books for years, you'd expect this to be a clear coherent crossover. Instead it's a total confusing mess. Other than Franklin Richards (or *a* Franklin Richards at least?) traveling from the future to harass Rachel Summers, I have no idea what actually happened and if it meant anything. Claremont's X-Men Annual was the best, but it was still utterly confusing. At least it had a really cool looking Sue Storm Hound. There's some surface level entertainment value here, but that's it.
The FF Annual also had two additional stories. There's a Doom/Volcana story that is pretty good but the art looks traced from porn. There's also a Kubik/Kosmos (a Beyonder of sorts) that's really bad.
February 21, 2024
Con esto de utilizar los crossover de Marvel como hitos para ir cambiando de serie, pasa que a veces el material de estos tomos se queda como descolgado, pero bueno... es que en algún sitio hay pausar las lecturas para pasar de una colección a otra. Estos números, del 334 al 346 van a recoger la mayor parte de la etapa de Walter Simonson al frente de la colección, tanto en guiones como en dibujo. Y Simonson, uno de los autores más reconocidos y reconocibles del mundo del cómic (insisto en que su dibujo no es exactamente bonito, pero tiene una fuerza arrolladora), va a aprovechar su paso por Cuatro Fantástico para continuar las tramas que había abierto durante su paso por Vengadores, donde se había encargado de desmantelar el equipo antes de Inferno, con aquella saga de Nébula en la que la villana había seducido al Doctor Druida y a través de él se había hecho con el control del equipo para intentar obtener un arma situada en el futuro y en una burbuja en el centro del Universo.
Los primeros números de la etapa de Simonson van a contar con dibujos de Rich Buckler y se van a desarrollar en paralelo a los Actos de Venganza de Byrne en Vengadores, y curiosamente, son la única manifestación que he leído de algo de lo que en Vengadores se habla mucho pero se refleja muy poco: la crisis que los superhéroes atraviesan con el gobierno de los EE.UU, y que es aquí donde se manifiesta, con los 4F declarando ante el Congreso mientras son atacados por enemigos a los que nunca se habían enfrentado (y enemigos muy absurdos además, como el Escarabajo, el Hombre Planta o el Puercoespín, pero una vez capeado este temporal, Walt Simonson tomaría también los lápices, y como he dicho antes, daría un volantazo a la historia que había comenzado en Vengadores para concluirla aquí. Y es que el equipo que entrará en la burbuja, tal y como habían previsto los Kangs, no serían los Vengadores, sino los 4F (que en estos momentos eran cinco: Míster Fantástico, la Mujer Invisible, la Antorcha Humana, Miss Marvel y un Ben Grimm sin poderes que a veces utilizaba un exoesqueleto con la imagen de la Cosa) junto a Thor y Iron Man quienes entraran en la Burbuja. Con Nébula dominando a la Antorcha Humana a través del Doctor Druida, los 4F van a tener que hacer frente (con la ayuda de los Shi'ar y los ya mencionados Thor y Iron Man) a un Galactus enloquecido en pleno corazón de la burbuja, y un Celestial que había permanecido dormido y que se va a manifestar ahora, para complicar más las cosas.
Y de vuelta a casa... pues se van a dar cuenta de que no están en casa. Un desvío en la burbuja temporal va a llevar a los 4F primero a un mundo paralelo en el que está a punto de estallar la Tercera Guerra Mundial entre EE.UU y la URSS con un apocalipsis atómico, y una vez solventada esta crisis, van a dar con una isla llena de dinosaurios y de la que tendrán que apresurarse a salir si no quieren desvanecerse en el tiempo.
Y es que si hay algo que caracteriza esta etapa de Simonson, además de su dibujo, es un sentido de la aventura y la maravilla imparable, en el que parece que siempre hay hueco para algo más, en el más puro estilo de los 4F de Lee y Kirby. ¿Imperios galácticos? ¡Claro! ¿Entidades celestiales? ¡Póngame media docena! ¿Dimensiones alternativas? ¡Cómo no! ¿Viajes en el tiempo? ¡Por supuesto! ¿Culebrón? ¡Sin límite! Así que.... sí, una etapa que no da respiro alguno.
Los primeros números de la etapa de Simonson van a contar con dibujos de Rich Buckler y se van a desarrollar en paralelo a los Actos de Venganza de Byrne en Vengadores, y curiosamente, son la única manifestación que he leído de algo de lo que en Vengadores se habla mucho pero se refleja muy poco: la crisis que los superhéroes atraviesan con el gobierno de los EE.UU, y que es aquí donde se manifiesta, con los 4F declarando ante el Congreso mientras son atacados por enemigos a los que nunca se habían enfrentado (y enemigos muy absurdos además, como el Escarabajo, el Hombre Planta o el Puercoespín, pero una vez capeado este temporal, Walt Simonson tomaría también los lápices, y como he dicho antes, daría un volantazo a la historia que había comenzado en Vengadores para concluirla aquí. Y es que el equipo que entrará en la burbuja, tal y como habían previsto los Kangs, no serían los Vengadores, sino los 4F (que en estos momentos eran cinco: Míster Fantástico, la Mujer Invisible, la Antorcha Humana, Miss Marvel y un Ben Grimm sin poderes que a veces utilizaba un exoesqueleto con la imagen de la Cosa) junto a Thor y Iron Man quienes entraran en la Burbuja. Con Nébula dominando a la Antorcha Humana a través del Doctor Druida, los 4F van a tener que hacer frente (con la ayuda de los Shi'ar y los ya mencionados Thor y Iron Man) a un Galactus enloquecido en pleno corazón de la burbuja, y un Celestial que había permanecido dormido y que se va a manifestar ahora, para complicar más las cosas.
Y de vuelta a casa... pues se van a dar cuenta de que no están en casa. Un desvío en la burbuja temporal va a llevar a los 4F primero a un mundo paralelo en el que está a punto de estallar la Tercera Guerra Mundial entre EE.UU y la URSS con un apocalipsis atómico, y una vez solventada esta crisis, van a dar con una isla llena de dinosaurios y de la que tendrán que apresurarse a salir si no quieren desvanecerse en el tiempo.
Y es que si hay algo que caracteriza esta etapa de Simonson, además de su dibujo, es un sentido de la aventura y la maravilla imparable, en el que parece que siempre hay hueco para algo más, en el más puro estilo de los 4F de Lee y Kirby. ¿Imperios galácticos? ¡Claro! ¿Entidades celestiales? ¡Póngame media docena! ¿Dimensiones alternativas? ¡Cómo no! ¿Viajes en el tiempo? ¡Por supuesto! ¿Culebrón? ¡Sin límite! Así que.... sí, una etapa que no da respiro alguno.
July 25, 2021
A chunky compilation of Fantastic Four comics from Walter Simonson's run in 1989-1990. Included are:
- a tie-in storyline with the Acts of Vengeance crossover, featuring the FF testifying against a superhero registration act (contrast this with Reed's stance during Civil War) and many guest villains
- the "Time Bubble" arc, teaming the FF with Thor and Iron Man, and featuring some other unexpected guest appearances
- a non-Simonson filler story featuring Johnny Storm
- the FF vs. the Soviet Union
- the FF vs. dinosaurs
- the Days of Future Present storyline, a crossover with New Mutants, X-Factor, and X-Men, featuring a future Franklin Richards
The Simonson material is the best stuff in this collection; not among the greatest FF stories ever, but solidly entertaining. The Soviet storyline is probably the highlight of Simonson's stuff; the Acts of Vengeance material and especially the "Time Bubble" arc would have worked better if they were a bit shorter.
As for the rest... the filler story is OK. Days of Future Present is a bit disappointing, as the premise is solid and it starts off fairly well with the FF tie-in. (The FF tie-in also includes some neat backup stories.) Unfortunately, the middle two parts feel very unfocused. The finale does at least improve on the middle parts, but only manages a functional conclusion. (B+)
- a tie-in storyline with the Acts of Vengeance crossover, featuring the FF testifying against a superhero registration act (contrast this with Reed's stance during Civil War) and many guest villains
- the "Time Bubble" arc, teaming the FF with Thor and Iron Man, and featuring some other unexpected guest appearances
- a non-Simonson filler story featuring Johnny Storm
- the FF vs. the Soviet Union
- the FF vs. dinosaurs
- the Days of Future Present storyline, a crossover with New Mutants, X-Factor, and X-Men, featuring a future Franklin Richards
The Simonson material is the best stuff in this collection; not among the greatest FF stories ever, but solidly entertaining. The Soviet storyline is probably the highlight of Simonson's stuff; the Acts of Vengeance material and especially the "Time Bubble" arc would have worked better if they were a bit shorter.
As for the rest... the filler story is OK. Days of Future Present is a bit disappointing, as the premise is solid and it starts off fairly well with the FF tie-in. (The FF tie-in also includes some neat backup stories.) Unfortunately, the middle two parts feel very unfocused. The finale does at least improve on the middle parts, but only manages a functional conclusion. (B+)
June 17, 2024
This actual collection doesn't make much sense - why keep the shitty fill-in issues (my god, Marvel had far, far worse bullpen pencilers/inkers than DC did during the 80s) but not wrap up the time stuff with the FF's escape from the TVA in #354? - so I merely read all the issues Simonson wrote for the FF.
It's clear that Simonson was the best domestic artist/writer of the 80s: he killed it on Thor the way Peter David and Macfarlane/Keown/et al. did on Hulk, had an underrated dark run on the Avengers, and concluded all those Thor/Avengers storylines (he seriously mapped out a decade of Marvel stuff, and drew most of it!) here with a) the best time travel stories in Marvel history (so good that, like Jim Starlin's stuff, the MCU is still mining it for bullshit, watered-down live-action content for the NPCs), b) the best Dr. Doom story (top 5, at least) in FF history, and c) the best angular Kirby-meets-Akira sci-fi art you'll find anywhere.
There's a camp sensibility to this, but it's high camp...Simonson never thought he was making Art, merely good Space Fantasy work, and the payoff is impressive. At any rate, don't buy and read this actual collection; use something like Anna's Archive to pull all the Simonson FF issues and read those. Highly recommended.
It's clear that Simonson was the best domestic artist/writer of the 80s: he killed it on Thor the way Peter David and Macfarlane/Keown/et al. did on Hulk, had an underrated dark run on the Avengers, and concluded all those Thor/Avengers storylines (he seriously mapped out a decade of Marvel stuff, and drew most of it!) here with a) the best time travel stories in Marvel history (so good that, like Jim Starlin's stuff, the MCU is still mining it for bullshit, watered-down live-action content for the NPCs), b) the best Dr. Doom story (top 5, at least) in FF history, and c) the best angular Kirby-meets-Akira sci-fi art you'll find anywhere.
There's a camp sensibility to this, but it's high camp...Simonson never thought he was making Art, merely good Space Fantasy work, and the payoff is impressive. At any rate, don't buy and read this actual collection; use something like Anna's Archive to pull all the Simonson FF issues and read those. Highly recommended.
February 25, 2023
Not as good as Simonson's Thor, but contains some moments of genius.
The first three issues (#334-336) where the FF has to testify before Congress are goofy kind of fun. I rate them at 3.5 stars.
The titular arc of Into the Time Stream with its aftermath (#337-341, #343-346) starts out great, but drags out a bit too long. The issues with the dinosaur island start to border on the boring. Anyway, 3.0 stars for the whole arc.
The first issue of Days of Future Present by W. Simonson starts out interestingly, but the next issues with other writers and various X-teams starring get progressively worse, on the level of X-Men: Inferno. This whole arc should be forgotten, as it rightfully has been by 2010s. Jonathan Hickman's version of the adult Franklin is much more exciting and logically grows the character. I'll give 2.0 stars for the arc, mainly because of the first issue. The last issues are closer to 1.0-1.5 stars.
The first three issues (#334-336) where the FF has to testify before Congress are goofy kind of fun. I rate them at 3.5 stars.
The titular arc of Into the Time Stream with its aftermath (#337-341, #343-346) starts out great, but drags out a bit too long. The issues with the dinosaur island start to border on the boring. Anyway, 3.0 stars for the whole arc.
The first issue of Days of Future Present by W. Simonson starts out interestingly, but the next issues with other writers and various X-teams starring get progressively worse, on the level of X-Men: Inferno. This whole arc should be forgotten, as it rightfully has been by 2010s. Jonathan Hickman's version of the adult Franklin is much more exciting and logically grows the character. I'll give 2.0 stars for the arc, mainly because of the first issue. The last issues are closer to 1.0-1.5 stars.
March 3, 2025
I found this collection at a comic store while visiting Phoenix, AZ. The guy in the shop said it was one of his favorite storylines. I was drawn to it being mostly written and illustrated by Walt Simonson, and for having Thor and Iron Man on the cover. Also these issues came out right before I got into comics as a kid.
The FF time stream stuff is great. The team battling dinosaurs without their powers except Ben Grimm who also doesn’t have his powers but he does have a Thing exoskeleton is just top tier comic book nonsense.
The last third of the book that collects the “Days of Future Present” storyline was kind of a mess plot-wise but fun to get teamups with some characters I had largely forgotten about. And the last issue featuring Art Adams on pencils was a blast.
The FF time stream stuff is great. The team battling dinosaurs without their powers except Ben Grimm who also doesn’t have his powers but he does have a Thing exoskeleton is just top tier comic book nonsense.
The last third of the book that collects the “Days of Future Present” storyline was kind of a mess plot-wise but fun to get teamups with some characters I had largely forgotten about. And the last issue featuring Art Adams on pencils was a blast.
February 5, 2023
Walt Simonson is a great comic books writer, so the first 300 or so pages of this book are great. The next 250 pages? Not great, and some pages are turgid and terrible. There kicks off one of Marvel's crossover stories that runs through four annuals. The idea for the story is excellent: the lives of some of the children of Marvel heroes, but the execution is lacking in all four parts of the crossover. Stop reading at p. 308 and you will have no regrets.
December 14, 2024
There's a story arc here with a time bubble, a black hole and a woman (Sue Storm) saying: "If we don't stop him, It means the end of our universe and the death of our son". This can't be a coincidence...
Some of the imagery is striking, but a lot of the times faces do look weird.
Some of the imagery is striking, but a lot of the times faces do look weird.
November 21, 2017
The Acts of Vengeance issues felt pointless and the time stream story seemed a little long for what it was? This volume was ok.
February 9, 2019
This was such drudgery to read I didn’t even finish the book.
December 17, 2024
3.5 stars.
July 29, 2025
Péssima história de entrada pra quem quer começar a ler Quarteto, aventura até que entretem.
October 23, 2016
Sarà perché stravedo per le storie e i disegni di Walt Simonson, ma non posso fare a meno di considerare questa prima parte del suo ciclo sui FF come la migliore sequenza di storie dai tempi di Lee & Kirby. Migliore anche di quella ottima della gestione di Byrne, e di certo migliore di qualsiasi altra gestione, compresa quella da me molto apprezzata di Hickman, che però ci ha impiegato un pò per carburare.
Grandi storie epiche ma anche familiari, con tutti i personaggi al posto giusto e che fanno le cose che questi personaggi dovrebbero fare: essere una famiglia, più nel bene che nel male; esplorare lo spazio e il tempo; affrontare misteri e minacce.
Grandi storie epiche ma anche familiari, con tutti i personaggi al posto giusto e che fanno le cose che questi personaggi dovrebbero fare: essere una famiglia, più nel bene che nel male; esplorare lo spazio e il tempo; affrontare misteri e minacce.
December 12, 2014
All the crossover with the X-Men drags it down a bit, and I didn't feel very strongly about Acts of Vengeance, but the Walt Simonson time-wimey stuff is a hoot! A benefit to the Epic collection is having all the bits and pieces of other comics that finish out the storylines- and Art Adams contribution to the Days of Future Past is most welcome. Thanks, Ron, for a fine birthday present!
January 5, 2017
I'm hardly well versed in the Fantastic Four comics, but of the ones I have read, this run of Walter Simonson's might be the best. Pulpy, fun, and funny, Simonson's FF is just delightfully weird in ways both small (a human Ben Grimm running on adventures in a trench coat and fedora) and large (an alternate universe where the Soviets have keep Stalin "alive" to the public via a theme park robot).
March 5, 2016
This probably doesn't hold up. But it felt like it was moving the whole time. It had a really fun start ("And that someone is me!")
A lot of exciting things happened. I'm not sure I could keep reading a series like this (so wordy!), but it's very serviceable in doses.
A lot of exciting things happened. I'm not sure I could keep reading a series like this (so wordy!), but it's very serviceable in doses.
September 5, 2015
Probably the most underrated FF run of all times. Not as brilliant as Simonson's Thor, yet full of spectacularly beautiful madness.
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