Fantastic Four (1961-1998) Annual #3

Fantastic Four (1961)

by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (Artist)

(Note: This 24-page digital comic features the original content from this issue, and does not include the reprints of Fantastic Four #6 & #11 that appeared in the 1965 print edition.)

The wedding of Sue and Reed!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Comic Book, X Men, Spider Man, Graphic Novels

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 1965

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true Marvel classic: the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm becomes the stage for Dr. Doom to finally get his revenge - his 'Emotion Charger' manipulates a group of super-villains to attack the FF - and the Marvel heroes respond to the challenge! Cap fighting against the Cobra and the Executioner is my favorite encounter, but chances are you will find your own favorite 'mini-battle' (3 to 4 panels). Check out who Nick Fury turns away at the door because they have no invitation! Also included are reprints of FF#6 and FF #11: two key early issues.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm! The beginning was kind of shaky, all these evil villains coming to kill the guests and wedding attendants, but the ever watchful Watcher comes to the rescue! The way the 'battle' ended was kind of like, "really?" but it had a happy ending with the most famous couple getting married! Overall, I loved seeing all these different wedding guests coming together because...awesome!!

[Marcin Rauf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slub gumowego z Sue. oczywiscie sporo nieproszonych gosci. a jednak to nadal lekko infantylne dzielko.

[Mars Fargo · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC FOUR #38-43, ANNUAL #3 (Lo, There Shall Be an Ending)

It would be misleading to call this a Fantastic Four story; Stan Lee certainly didn’t design it as such. Rather, he designed this as more of a MARVEL story, in that it provides a full-circle culmination of all the events in the Marvel Universe up to that point, and brilliantly so. His choice of doing this storyline in a Fantastic Four comic book is a meta-choice, since it was them that jump started the beginning of this fictional universe to begin with. Thus, by doing an intimate reflection on the past and growth of the Fantastic Four as characters, he’s really able to do a reflection on the past and growth of the Marvel Universe as a saga.

I really like how Lee chose to frame the core issues; as opposed to typical one-off villains, which we still get, the first issue of this arc and the last issue of this arc feature the same villains, thus allowing the actual arc to come full circle. It ends where it began, or at least that’s the idea the core 6 issues set up. That setup is incredibly effective, as it segues perfectly into Fantastic Four Annual #3, which comes full circle with the entire events of the Marvel Universe so far by ending where it began!

On that note, let’s talk about Fantastic Four Annual #3: It’s f%@#ing awesome, as they would say in comic book speech. The framework of the issue is incredible, in that it’s structured around the wedding of Reed Richards and Susan Storm. This is the ultimate show of growth for these characters, since their main conflict was an unstable and constantly warring and dividing familial unit. A marriage literally connects them more than they’ve ever been connected, thus showing such a growth since their first comic book all the way back half a decade ago.

The issue is also framed not just around the actual growth of the Fantastic Four, but the growth of the entire Marvel Universe. All the invitees are the various Superheroes that followed the Fantastic Four, the originals. Not only that, Stan constructs a plot that allows for all the various VILLAINS of the Marvel Universe to return for this issue as well! It really is the first time since the story of the Marvel Universe began that we’ve been given a story that fully captures the scale of the Marvel Universe… as the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Avengers, X-Men, Daredevil, and many more fight alongside each other in a single story. It effectively captures how the entire saga has grown from one insignificant familial unit to an entire connected universe of characters. The whole universal scale full-circle idea culminates in one of the greatest final panels in any comic book… which I won’t dare spoil.

Thus Stan Lee and Jack Kirby effectively end one massive chapter of the Marvel canon, while still laying the seeds for the next chapter to come…

[Al Gritten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Fantastic Four - annual that features the wedding of Reed and Sue and many, many guest villains and heroes. Stan Lee story. Jack "King" Kirby art. 'Nuff said.

[Sorcered · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ridiculous plot that crams dozens of heroes vs villains fights in 24 pages. I smiled more at the clumsy lines of text and horrible drawings than at the weak attempts at humor. No wonder people believed comics were just for primary grade children, back in the sixties...
(looking for the Beast in all the wrong comics, #1)

[Shane Stanis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Marvelous Year Four: 1965 pt2

Read for Reed Richards and Sue Storm’s long awaited wedding day, and for an absolutely over the top, epic crossover. FF annuals never disappoint!

[Sean Korzinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story but it seemed a little rushed. Doom uses a ray to make all the villains want to attack the good guys at the wedding. Almost all the heroes in the marvel universe sans Hulk show up to assist with the baddies. Namor even though a sometimes hero was too deep in the ocean to be effected by the ray. But his nemesis Attuma got hit not only with Doom's ray but also a truck with a bomb being driven by Daredevil. The Watcher steps in and allows Reed to use a device from his home sanctuary that returns all the villains back in time before they were hit with the ray and wipes their memories. The end is of course the wedding which actually takes place. Two guests are denied entry by Nick Fury. They end up being Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in a surprise cameo.

The villain plot takes up the whole of the issue. The actual wedding is literally the last page of the issue which since it is a 24 page story makes it a standard issue normal length page count. A few more pages should have been devoted to the wedding and some standard wedding hijinks and guest banter. This is an annual after all. King-Size no less. They fill the remaining pages of the print issue with reprints of 2 of the fantastic fours fan favorite issues. Those could of been replaced with more original content. Hence the 3 stars. Enjoyable but ultimately rushed and not really allowing the wedding to be more than a bookend for the hero on villain action.

[Max Solis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Por fin pude terminar de leer este tebeo. Es uno de los más importantes de la historia de los cómics, y me extraña que no sea tan mencionado. Se trata de nada más y nada menos que la boda de Susan y Reed. Como dice el propio escritor, es uno de los eventos más importantes de la Literatura Moderna. Me encantó cómo usaron el ingenio del Doctor Doom para darles una amenaza enorme a los Cuatro Fantásticos en tan poco tiempo, manipulando con magia a todos los villanos habidos y por haber. Y más aún, que utilizaran al Vigilante para solucionar la cuestión en un santiamén.

[Cory Donchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like cameos for the sake of cameos, this is your book. The whole thing read like it was a fever dream, which would have almost been more acceptable to me. This being the culmination of an event that's been built up to for... what, a year?... just didn't feel appropriate. I was looking forward to how this would all play out, but it was just too busy for my tastes, and the Fantastic Four felt like the supporting cast of their own comic. Meh.

[Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay and nothing more really. Lots of action if you're into that but too many characters involved to really feel like there was any kind of story going on whatsoever. I quite liked Stan and Jack's cameos though.

[Orange · Rating 2 out of 5]

Missed opportunity for Sue to kick ass in a wedding dress

[Emily Holladay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Fantastic Four and X-Men stuff is just weird to me.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Campy. But good in it's way. Is this the first uber Marvel crossover event...even though only one issue? Also, Stan and Kirby are cannon characters.

[Maddison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are the pros:
- I love the ending of Stan and Jack not being allowed in the wedding. Super funny.

Here are the cons:
- I wish we got to see more of the actual wedding.

Rating: 4.5/5

[Fanboying J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I HAVE to see this in live action. This was so epic?!! Made me realise how much I love these characters

[Karina Cortes · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many cameos!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

avengers endgame of the 1960s

[Nick Elsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor von Doom is one petty dude. I loved the part where Jack and Stan removed as wedding crashers!