Fantastic Four Epic Collection, Vol. 6: At War with Atlantis

Fantastic Four Epic Collection

by Stan Lee

Certifiably the World's Greatest Comic Collaboration, the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby FANTASTIC FOUR run stands as one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of comics. Together, Stan and Jack's FF laid the foundation of the Marvel Universe and birthed more amazing concepts and characters than any series before or since. Here, in the final issues of their run, expect plenty of explosive action and family drama, including: the Mole Man, an interstellar gladiatorial arena, Doctor Doom, a mission to save Apollo 11, the Inhumans, the Sub-Mariner, Magneto and more! To top it off, we're including the completed version of Stan and Jack's "lost" FF issue.

COLLECTING: FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) 88-104, ANNUAL (1963) 7; FANTASTIC FOUR: THE LOST ADVENTURE (2008)

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Graphic Novels Comics, Collections

416 pages, Paperback

Published October 27, 2020

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

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing sidelined after Franklin's birth was obnoxious, but otherwise, this is a delightful close to the 100+ issue Stan/Jack run on FF, one of the all-time greatest achievements in comics. Plus Agatha Harkness at her oldest and creepiest! Which of course turned me on immensely.

[Zack! Empire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally, an FF collection with Kirby's name on it is going to be five stars from me. However, this is the end of the Jack and Stan run, where Jack was trying his best to not give Marvel any more golden geese. You end up seeing how "good" of a writer Stan Lee was as we get such super forgettable stories like, A man that has a camera, and a creature from a murky lagoon! It really is a shame to see this run end in such a downer way because there is so much great stuff that came for those 102 issues.
Still, Kirby is, to me, at his peak art wise. There is just some mind blowing artwork in here. One page that is simply Johnny's face really made me pause and just admire it!

[Doug Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a weird one, because while none of the stories really stand out too much, I really enjoyed the overall package. The only story that stood out was the war with Atlantis at the end. The artwork was nice, I've come to realize that I really like John Romitas artwork and this book reinforced that. Solid collection overall.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final issues of the Lee/Kirby run on FF aren't their strongest. But it's still probably the most important run of superhero comics of all time. Even bad Lee/Kirby is better than no Lee/Kirby at all... as the next decade of the series sets out to prove.

[Marco Nacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a burst of creativity a few years earlier, a series of pedestrian stories from Lee and Kirby. Kirby himself leaves the FF (and Marvel) towards the end of this volume.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last volume was definitely a comedown from the crazy energy the previous volumes had. Reading the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby Fantastic Four, I didn't come away being a fan of the FF, but I am a fan of this run. It's just a shame it ends as a whisper compared to what came before.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection has the final issues of the great Lee-Kirby team run, but it was not their most inspired work. I like the Agatha Harkness and Torgo issues best.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume opens up with the new parents having decided to move out of the Baxter Building for the safety of their new born son. But the house they’ve chosen is not all what it seems. This 2-parter, featuring the return of the Mole Man, transitions right into another 4-part story that has the Thing kidnapped by a Skrull slaver to be sold off as a gladiator in an arena inspired by 1920s gangster films (which seems very reminiscent of, and perhaps even inspired by, the Star Trek episode A Piece of the Action). It’s a weird, other-worldly epic that only Jack Kirby could pull off. Although there are some weird jump cuts that quickly press the narrative forward without fulling explains how the FF got from B to E, skipping over C & D in the process. Perhaps we’re seeing the effect of Kirby’s growing disappointment with working with Stan Lee, who was taking so much more of the credit than he deserved. Then we meet Agatha Harkness for the first time and the Frightful Four make a surprising reappearance. Beginning with this story and continuing for the next eight issues, Kirby delivers some fast paced one-and-done stories. While these are fun, what’s missing now is the endless creativity of new characters and new concepts. Had Kirby run out of ideas? Hardly. Clearly, the working relationship between Stan and Jack was strained and perhaps (pure speculation on my part here) Jack was tired of creating character after and character and Stan taking most of the credit for them. So Kirby delivered entertaining stories, but he was holding his boundless creativity at bay. Nonetheless, Kirby was still bringing in new characters: the aforementioned witch Agatha Harkness, the terrorist and spy known as the Monocle, and the “monster” from Lost Lagoon grace these issues, as well the return of familiar faces such as the Mad Thinker, the Frightful Four, the Inhumans, the Puppet Master, a Kree Sentry, and there is even a tribute to the Apollo 11 landing on the moon from the previous year. What was the final straw that drove a wedge between Stan and Jack? There are lots of answers. But in the end, the glory days were gone. This volume concludes with a three-part epic featuring the FF against Namor and Magneto, but Jack only contributed to the first issue (John Romita Sr. provided the art for the last 2 portions), and topping off the volume is a reconstruction of Kirby’s final and unfinished issue of the Fantastic Four (initially rejected by Lee). It’s a bit of a melancholic ending, a bit of a disappointing conclusion to one of the single greatest runs by two of the giants of the industry. No big bang of an ending, just a sigh and a bit of whimper.