Fantastic Four (1961-1998) #18

Fantastic Four (1961)

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (Artist), Dick Ayers (Inker)

The Skrulls send their ultimate weapon, the Super-Skrull, to battle the Fantastic Four!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Comic Book

22 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 1963

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

[Jon Nakapalau]

One of my favorite early FF issues - fast paced and action packed! Origin and first appearance of the Super Skrull (SS). When I was little I always liked the way the FF worked together as a team; Mr. Fantastic was always able to come up with a battle plan that would save the day! Really fond memories of reading comics with my friends all summer long!

[Shane Stanis]

My Marvelous Year Three: 1964 Extra Issues

Read for some skrull history before Secret Invasion hits the MCU. Also for some fun flame powers, skrull who still look like muppets, and … Sue Storm’s side job as her brother’s mid-battle nurse?

[Veljann]

Good to see the Skrulls back. I like it more when they shapeshift tough. This is villain is so strong that the way they defeat him has to be a bit dumb.

[luciddreamer99]

A fun story. Super Skrull is a worthy opponent, and the FF pull out all of the stops to fight him. The Skrulls are outright evil still, as they are for the better part of their history in the Marvel Universe. Only when Lyja comes along do they manage to gain some sympathy from readers. (Maybe some stories in the Silver Age, too). Lousy Skrulls! Recommended for Silver Age FF fans.

[Aidan Pedroza]

supa skrull

[Kacper]

P

[Mars Fargo]

FANTASTIC FOUR #11-20, Annual #1 (The Fantastic Four’s Second Arc)
*Note: a nifty READING ORDER has been provided at the end of this review

This serves as more of a transition point than a single narrative arc, being a series of issues very loosely connected by the fact they wrap up old arcs and set up new ones; It gives a definitive ending to the already existing character arcs, so that the slate is clean for them to start building their new ones.

I like that Lee really took the time to wrap up the ongoing love triangle between Reed, Sue, and Namor. He builds it up as a subplot overarching throughout these issues, culminating in a massive 58-page epic in Fantastic Four Annual #1. It ends this story arc without it feeling inconsequential or ending for the sake of ending. (And in wrapping up this pre-existing arc, it leaves a blank slate to start building the next arc…)

I like that they brought back Doctor Doom, and set him up for further potential character development. I like that they brought back the Skrulls, introducing them as another ongoing threat that the Fantastic Four will face. In doing this, Marvel wisely begins moving away from inconsequential one-off villains and into ongoing antagonists who evolve and grow just as our heroes evolve and grow with them.

I think the most important single piece of setup established in this group of stories is Uatu the Watcher: he is introduced, then made an ongoing supporting character, in these issues. It allows him to already be an established presence in the universe; he serves a role in this story, and as a side-affect is already a variable in place for the eventual “Lo, there shall be an ending” and “Coming of Galactus” story arcs almost 20-30 issues from now.

I can’t even reveal what is setup in Fantastic Four #19, because Stan Lee sets it up so subtly you don’t even realize it until Avengers #8. I will just say that someone appears in this issue who will go on to have a major cosmic affect on the entire Marvel Universe… and Stan Lee clearly knew it when he wrote this.

In fact, that's what this whole second arc mainly feels like. It feels like they're just trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible BEFORE moving onto their next big storylines. It serves as an effective transitions, conclusively wrapping up the story arcs we’ve already been invested in while also laying the foundation for the future of the series.

READING ORDER
-Fantastic Four #11
-Fantastic Four #12
-Fantastic Four #13
-Fantastic Four #14
-Fantastic Four #15
-Fantastic Four #16
-Fantastic Four #17
-Fantastic Four #18
-Fantastic Four Annual #1
-Fantastic Four #19
-Fantastic Four #20

[Max Solis]

¡SuperSkrull es un excelente villano! Me agrada la forma en cómo lo presentaron, muy acorde a lo que se vio como el precedente de sus compatriotas Skrull en el Fantastic Four #2. Me gustó cómo Reed resolvió las cosas y el relativo protagonismo de Sue al final de la pelea.