Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Fantastic Four (1961)

Fantastic Four (1961-1998) #50

Rate this book
The Silver Surfer takes on Galactus in an epic battle! Meanwhile, Johnny has received the deadliest weapon of all time--The Ultimate Nullifier!

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 1966

8 people are currently reading
45 people want to read

About the author

Stan Lee

7,567 books2,336 followers
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.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
45 (25%)
4 stars
67 (37%)
3 stars
55 (31%)
2 stars
9 (5%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
Profile Image for Tiag⊗ the Mutant.
736 reviews30 followers
February 26, 2022
The Galactus Trilogy starts with a lot of promise, but ends rather abruptly and without any consequence, other than Silver Surfer's release, which is easily the best thing to come out of the trilogy, and the reason I'm even reading these comics.
Profile Image for David Dalton.
3,060 reviews
May 10, 2024
To be truthful I first read these books way back in 1966, when I was not quite 12 yrs old. Sure wish I held onto them. I came across a DVD-ROM Collector's Edition that covers 44 Years of Fantastic Four. I could have started reading anywhere, but I chose the first appearance of Galactus/Silver Surfer. Comics were never the same after this trilogy.

Silver Surfer vs. Galactus! The big battle, with the Fantastic Four giving their all! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby both in their prime! This is why I have been a comic book junkie for over 50 years!
Profile Image for Sophia.
2,740 reviews384 followers
March 13, 2018
The grand finale of a three part story line that introduced us to the Silver Surfer, who is now stuck on Earth as Galactus, having been defeated by the FF (with the help of the Watcher - while the Silver Surfer did most of the actual battling), took SS' cosmic powers, leaving him trapped on Earth! Then after that story finished, they seemed to try to implant a new story line without really starting anything...or did they? The ending of this issue was slightly confusing and I guess would only make sense if you have read it (and even then, you might not get it - 'cause I sure don't!) Overall, it was a good story line that saw the FF face something they have never fought before. This story line also opened up the world to the stars, allowing the readers to imagine all kinds of possible story lines about the world's beyond the one that we see!
Profile Image for zach.
523 reviews
September 25, 2023
I may have missed 46 issues of potential character development, but silver surfer is far more interesting as a character than any of these fantastic four at this point, maybe with the exception of ben.

like i said in my last review, i’ll revisit this story at some point within the context of the entire run, but as it stands on its own, it really wasn’t my favorite.
Profile Image for Anna  Quilter.
1,677 reviews50 followers
July 2, 2025
THE STARTLING SAGA OF THE SILVER SURFER
May 1966

The Galactus story concludes as the Silver Surfer is banished/left on Earth...no longer Galactus Herald.

Johnny goes to Metro College and has a new room mate Wyatt Wingfoot.
Profile Image for Shane Stanis.
497 reviews5 followers
January 30, 2023
Reread for My Marvelous Year Five: 1966 pt1

Like the inhumans arc before it, the galactus arc has a lot going for it, but suffers from odd pacing.

Read for Johnny’s mind expanding trip, Silver Surfer v Galactus, a very sad Thing, and Johnny’s first day of school.
Profile Image for Ruben.
167 reviews
July 11, 2017
El gran final y un nuevo aliado para la tierra! sorpresiva incursión así como destacara participación de la antorcha humana para intentar hacer frente a Galactus.
Profile Image for Tobias.
30 reviews2 followers
April 14, 2025
Mostly solid but a bit too short of a finale.
Profile Image for Max's Comic Reviews and Lists.
264 reviews
April 17, 2018
The conclusion to the Galactus Trilogy! And it ends.....pretty quickly. The best thing about this issue is Johnny Storm flying through the other side of the cosmos and retrieving THE OBJECT. This is just such an amazing scene that continues from the last issue. Galactus makes some very eye-opening statements about the human race compared to himself. They do make sense and the Watchers claim that he is above evil or good reads true. This makes Galactus as a villain just a little more interesting. The Thing has two lines that just spoke to me!!! He calls out Reed Richards on two occasions for explaining whats happening on the panel!! Yup loved that. The way the Silver Surfer's arc raps up is efficient and just makes you want him to return soon, so good job on that aspect of his character. Here are my negatives. Everything after the thrown down with Galactus did not need to be and shouldn't have been in this comic. Why couldn't Stan and Jack have stretched out the fight and had a greater pay off by the end? Nope, instead, we get The Thing trying to regain his middle school type relationship, football practices, Reed and Sue having a really stupid fight, and Johnny Storm applying for college. Whoo.......hoo.... If this is to be the finale like issue #49 said, make it not only longer, but more action filled as well. Plus I don't know how long it was when all the goofy normal day life stuff was after Galactus left, but it never clarifies. If it was a few months sure I could buy it, but if it was a couple days, then I most certainly don't believe everything could go back to normal in a couple days. In the end, this issue was as good as #49 until it fell apart later in the issue. The Galactus Trilogy was a fun ride and I am really glad I finally read it. This was my least favourite issue unfortunately with #48 being the best. Nothing about the ending of this issue makes me want to read more, except I know what happens in issue #52. And that tips the scales a bit. Letter Grade: (C+)
Profile Image for Cybernex007.
1,981 reviews9 followers
August 4, 2025
Galactus: “Would you hesitate to tread upon an ant hill? These creatures are or no consequence to Galactus.”

What a shell shock of an issue to go from besting Galactus to Johnny going to college, hahaha that’s such a wild turn. Unfortunately I already knew how they defeated galactus or this would have come as way more of a shock, but it was still hilarious to see these events unfold. The first few pages of this issue actually doesn’t help in defeating galactus too much, other than delaying him, as really it serves to benefit silver surfer. The surfer flies up and declares that he is betraying galactus because he has learned the power of empathy and killing a lot of people this way isn’t right! We do get a bit into the philosophical side of galactus this issue, as galactus is just acting in the natural order of the world and he is technically above good or evil as he just is, but we are trying to save the world so we can save that for later, lol. Basically galactus and silver surfer are able to go blow for cosmic blow because Galactus doesn’t want to fight. The surfer is able to try encasing galactus in special hardened energy and all manner of other blasts without any real effect. All the while Johnny has the device he was set out to find, and with the guidance of the watcher he is heading back through time and the cosmos back to the FF. Immediately upon breaking through he was ready to collapse from the weight of everything he just saw. Luckily the parts he wasn’t supposed to remember will soon fade from his mind as the human mind is incapable of retaining such concepts, but now Reed has the device at the watcher is there to guide him on how to use it. It’s a small device but it has the power to erase an entire solar system in a microsecond! The silver surfer is about out of time as Galactus grows impatient with this dig her and is ready to end it by ending the surfer! But before Galactus could kill the surfer…reeds stretched hand with the ultimate nullifier in hand! Galactus actually appears freaked out, he immediately blames the watcher for this. “You have given a march to a child who lives in a tinderbox!” I’m surprised he knows such concepts, but it doesn’t change the current situation. Either leave Earth or go down with it Galactus. Hahahaha, what an insane bluff! But even more insane is that galactus promises to drop Earth and leave as long as they hand back over the weapon. Luckily the watcher was there to advise them that Galactus world was true, as I would not trust that in the slightest. But before Galactus dips he does one more thing as he sends a single blast right into the super, stripping him of his space time powers! The surfer may live, but no longer will he be able to roam the galaxies! And with that Galactus leaves them behind. Immediately Reed and Sue rush Johnny downstairs to rest up, and suddenly Alicia runs upstairs toward the surfer! Ben tries to greet her but she doesn’t hear him and instead she starts talking to the surfer and thanking him for turning on Galactus. Unfortunately this is a case where Ben’s self doubt and inability to wait a moment creep up for the worse as he immediately assumes that she is ignoring him and just dumped him for the surfer. So Ben straight up leaves, if he would of just waited a moment he would of seen Alicia try and bring the surfer downstairs to meet everyone, especially Ben, and then see the surfer decide that this is not the place for him…and although he can’t explore the cosmos he can explore everything Earth has to offer and then he shall return. Which leaves Alicia on the roof, alone and confused wondering where Ben went…that breaks my heart that stone headed fool!

Everywhere news roars that the threat is gone, the daily bugle’s headline falls the entire thing a hoax, and elsewhere a bald man that looks a lot like Ben before he transformed is plotting the FF’s demise! I’m fairly certain that comes up next issue, but I won’t be reading that (for now, anyway). We get a glimpse on Ben as he roams aimlessly, kinda sad no one is looking for him, and as his self doubt is continually killed by every passerby that freaks out when they see him. Reed and Sue’s marriage has also hit a rough patch and it’s definitely Reed’s fault as he devotes all his time in the lab and doesn’t even notice when Sue walks in, not the only thing he isn’t noticing about their relationship. He really needs to step it up a bit. The rest of this issue is spent teasing Johnny’s college experience. We get a glimpse on the trouble of the football team, as their star football player is able to skip practice and push around their washed up football coach who wishes he could find some super star that he could build a nice legacy with. I’m not sure that will be Johnny as this issue also introduces us to a man named Wyatt Wingfoot who meets Johnny during admissions when they coincidentally bumbled into each other while both looking for the dean’s office. Luckily the Dean was able to find and bring them to the office where he made it clear they aren’t going to be able to keep his identity as the human torch secret and it will be more difficult for him. But right as the Dean was about to start talking about whatever Wyatt’s unique situation is, Johnny started to daydream. Wondering if it is possible for him to have a normal life when he has literally flown through the cosmos as the human torch and he can’t stop thinking about Crystal being stuck with the rest of the inhumans. I’m genuinely sad about Johnny and crystal, he went to college this quickly as a way to distract his mind from constantly thinking about her, I wonder if she has the same privilege to let her mind wonder. Well anyway, by the time Johnny had stopped day dreaming he had missed the rest of the meeting and was set off to go find a room with Wyatt. Huh, wish he heard what the Dean had to say, lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for cauldronofevil.
1,161 reviews4 followers
September 29, 2025

”The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer!” starts with the Silver Surfer telling Galactus that he cannot destroy the human race.

They fight. Silver Surfer wraps Galactus in a cosmic cocoon. Galactus breaks out. They talk about killing lesser beasts for food.

The Watcher appears and mentally summons the Human Torch home. But Johnny’s a little shook up.
”We’re like ants… just ants… ants!!

Reed takes the device that Torch brought. Watcher warns him not to turn it up to 11.

Reed threatens Galactus with the device.

”The Ultimate Nullifier!!! in the hands of…. A human!!

That’s what you get for leaving it lying around.


”Can’t you ever git struck speechless, like the rest of us??!”

I love that the Daily Bugle calls the whole thing a hoax!


There is a weird bunch of stuff that happens after the main event. A future villain is foreshadowed (I don’t recognize him) and we go to a football game where the star quarterback flakes out of practice. Then the coach who feels like a has-been.

Sue once again goes off on Reed for taking her for granted.

”You’re too busy talking to those crazy test tubes of yours!”

Ben is still moping about Alicia when he bumps into a woman.

”Forgive us if your tale seems to ramble….”

That’s not wrong.


Johnny is enrolling in Metro college when he bumps into someone - Wyatt Wingfoot.

The Dean warms Johnny that being the Torch will cause problems for him in college.

”But then, as so often happens with young people, Johnny Storm’s thoughts begin to wander…”

For all the overwrought dialog in this issue, it’s actually quite nice how it doesn’t seem as padded as modern comics seem to be these days. Even after the story ‘ended’ there were new hooks dropped for pages afterwards. They were writing a soap opera and one thing just lead to another. Another masterclass in writing - pulpy perhaps - but good writing still.

5 stars
220 reviews1 follower
November 6, 2022
5 stars for the first half of issue with Galactus. 3 stars for the back half where they are setting up stuff for the next issues. Averaged out to 4 stars for this issue.

First half is the Surfer battling Galactus. The Surfer is not a match. Galactus ends up dismissing him as his herald. Then removes his space/time traveling abilities. Johnny gets back from traveling the cosmos with the Watcher's guidance and retrieves the ultimate nullifier. The mere sight of it gets Galactus to stand down and leave the planet. The Thing goes into a downward pity spiral after Alicia thanks the Surfer for confronting Galactus.

The back half of the issue is some panels that will make sense in another issue as they are setup for villains. The rest is Johnny's first day at college. He meets Wyatt Wingfoot who most likely will become his roommate for future issues.

Galactus looks most like what I know of him from gleaning him on covers through the years with the purple scheme. Issue 48 had him with red. Issue 49 I believe switched to purple but had a lot of exposed skin. Issue 50 kept the purple but added more cloth to cover him up which makes him look more imposing. Less exposed. I also liked Galactus' interactions with the Surfer. He spoke to him almost as an equal and traveling companion and even gave the Surfer a chance to drop his defiance and continue as his herald. I didn't expect that at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Joselyn.
62 reviews
August 15, 2025
Estos tres números que siguen la primera aparición de Galactus y Silver Surfer me parecieron excelentes. No solo de acuerdo a los estándares de la época sino que, aún hoy en día, es razonable apreciarlos y encontrarlos entretenidos y profundamente maravillosos.

El dibujo es lo que más resalta, pues cada número está lleno de propuestas interesantísimas, atrevidas e innovadoras. La construcción y el diseño de personajes es brillante, cuyo impacto y creatividad hacen de ambos autores unos completos genios. Sus preocupaciones, sus motivos, sus defectos y virtudes, etcétera, hacen de estos personajes unos muy interesantes y provechosos de leer.

Me parece maravilloso como muchas de las ideas y reflexiones que se plantean en esta trilogía se mantienen aún muy vigentes y son capaces de impactar en el lector favorablemente. Si bien, es cierto que tiene defectos, como el personaje de Sue que es completamente desaprovechado y relegado a un personaje de fondo, sigue siendo una lectura recomendable y valiosísima. El día en que se publicaron estos números, sin duda fue uno muy bueno para la ciencia ficción.
Profile Image for Jacob Almonte.
4 reviews
July 24, 2025
Calificación: ⭐️⭐️ ½

Con esto concluye la trilogía de Galactus. No ha estado mal. El primer capítulo siembra bien la tensión y el peligro de la situación. El segundo se toma el tiempo de desarrollar y preparar todo para el épico final y creo que ahí entra mi conflicto.

¿Fue un épico final? Me parece que no del todo. Todo concluye de una forma muy abrupta y anticlimática, dejando un sabor agridulce.

Aún así este capítulo confirma lo que dije en el anterior. Lo mejor de esta trilogía fue Silver Surfer, no hay debate.
Profile Image for Austin.
48 reviews
February 25, 2018
Review of Fantastic Four #50

This was a great conclusion to Galactus' introduction! The tale of the Silver Surfer is also a great one! I also liked the after story setting up new adventures for the Fantastic Four! All In all, this was a great read!
Profile Image for Rangga Sukmawijaya.
1,510 reviews8 followers
October 16, 2021
Nomor ini adalah penutup cerita ancaman Galactus terhadap planet Bumi dan kehidupan di dalamnya. Sepertinya di buku ini pula untuk pertama kalinya senjata bernama Ultimate Nullifier muncul di jagat Marvel. Ini buku dengan terbitan paling lama yang saya temukan yang menyebutkan Ultimate Nullifier.
Profile Image for Mikey Baker.
560 reviews1 follower
July 22, 2025
Galactus is defeated by a threat of a weapon from his home. His fight with Silver Surfer was pretty cool. definitely a dated storyline, but a very iconic one and very fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Riley Sipes.
58 reviews
July 23, 2025
It did ramble and jump around a bit too much for me but Silver Surfer is awesome as always
Profile Image for C.Lakin.
168 reviews
July 24, 2025
Watched the new Fantastic Four (2025) and it’s safe to say that I will be reading about the Silver Surfer.
Profile Image for ruby.
19 reviews
August 8, 2025
i love johnny so so so much, you have no idea, he's my baby. poor kid is still traumatized over crystal and going to space. AND NOW HE'S IN COLLEGE. :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Max Solis.
1,119 reviews2 followers
December 11, 2025
Galactus derrotado gracias a Johnny. Siempre es genial cuando le dan protagonismo a laguien que no sea Reed.

Silver Surfer llega para tratar de impedir que su maestro destruya la Tierra. Sin importar cuanto lo intente, es incapaz de detener a Galactus. No obstante, la confrontación le da a Johnny Storm el tiempo que necesita para regresar de la nave de Galactus en el espacio profundo con la única arma que puede detener a Galactus: el Nulificador Supremo. Cuando Reed Richards amenaza con usarla contra Galactus, este acepta perdonar a la Tierra y marcharse si Reed le devuelve el arma.

Fiel a su palabra, Galactus se retira, pero no antes de relevar a Silver Surfer de sus deberes de heraldo y despojarlo de los poderes espacio-temporales. Silver Surfer es exiliado en el planeta que juró salvar y ya no es capaz de vagar por las galaxias. Después de la batalla, Alicia llega para agradecerle a Silver Surfer por su ayuda, haciendo que Ben Grimm piense que ella está eligiendo a Silver Surfer por encima de él y se va tranquilamente sintiendo nada más que rechazo. Silver Surfer también se retira, jurando regresar una vez que haya recorrido el planeta entero.
Profile Image for Philmore Olazo.
Author 6 books4 followers
September 27, 2023
Fantastic Four, chapters #48-50. The Galactus Trilogy.

This is indeed one of the most celebrated Fantastic Four stories. Mainly because it's the introduction to Galactus and the Silver Surfer, two of the most popular Marvel characters.

How can the FF defeat an invincible enemy? Who is the mysterious Silver Surfer? Will the planet be destroyed?

All of these are interesting questions that the book does tell us when the herald of Galactus arrives on Earth and the powerful space god follows behind looking for a planet to feed on.

Even the mighty FF aren't strong enough to call the attention of the giant and it's needed the help from the Watcher to end in a stalemate with Galactus.

This is a very cool story that also gives us some characters that will become very popular later on.

If there is something I don't like that much is Stan's writing. It takes time to get used to, he's very repetitive and redundant in situations we can see what's going on.
Profile Image for Kris Ivy.
1,248 reviews49 followers
December 7, 2016
Johnny Storm is in college. He talks to the dean(while daydreaming about Crystal) along with a young American Indian student called Wingfoot. They decide to dorm together.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.