Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 4

Fantastic Four Omnibus

by Stan Lee, Archie Goodwin, Jack Kirby (Visual Art)

Celebrate 60 years of the World’s Greatest Comics Collaboration! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby conclude their record-setting tenures on the FANTASTIC FOUR, the book that birthed the Marvel Universe! In Kirby’s final issues, Doctor Doom lurks in the shadows, the FF save Apollo 11 from an alien threat, and the Sub-Mariner and Magneto team up to attack our heroes! Then, Stan Lee is joined by Marvel art legends John Romita Sr. and John Buscema to forge a new future for Marvel’s first family! Along the way, the Thing battles the Hulk, the Surfer is taken captive by Galactus, and the Overmind menaces Earth — leading to the strangest event in Marvel history: Doctor Doom joins the FF?! Guest-starring Black Panther, the Inhumans and more!

COLLECTING: Fantastic Four (1961) 94-125, Fantastic Four: The Lost Adventure (2008) 1, material from Fantastic Four Annual (1963) 8-9

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels

816 pages, Hardcover

First published May 30, 1972

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

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 4 collects issues 94-125 of Fantastic Four.

I don't follow a lot of super teams since a lot of the time, it doesn't make much sense for them to team up. "Okay, Iron Man, Thor, you guys take on Galactus. Cap, Hawkeye, I think there's a bank robbery going on down the street if you want to keep busy." Anyway, I have a soft spot for Marvel's First Family and I've been getting these omnibuses.

Issues 94-102 feature Lee and Kirby for the last time. Jack isn't contributing new characters anymore but the art is as dynamic as it every was. Stan Lee's dialogue is as corny as ever.

No two ways about it, the book takes a shit after Kirby leaves. John Romita does a decent Kirby impression and John Buscema was Marvel's top guy when Kirby left but they just aren't The King. Romita puts in the effort. Big John does as well, even though his Johnny Storm looks about ten years older than Kirby's. Kirby's absence is really felt in the plots. There are lots of rehashes of old plots and even Stan Lee bails when he feels the Kirby-shaped void.

They aren't bad comics once Kirby leaves, just suffering by comparison. There's fun to be had with the rest of the FF teaming with Doctor Doom once Reed is being controlled by the Overmind, some conflict with the Inhumans, a clash with Diablo, The Silver Surfer and Galactus return to stick in the collective craw of the Fantastic Four. Agatha Harkness gets a lot more page time than I ever would have thought. Maybe Stan Lee and Archie Goodwin had a soft spot for her?

Honestly, I wonder if the Fantastic Four would have been better off fading into the background after Kirby left. I'm a big FF fan but they've had their share of stinkers in the last fifty years. Better to leave people wanting more than running everything into the ground but that's DC and Marvel for you.

Anyway, Fantastic Four Omnibus Volume 4 wasn't a bad read but I was glad when it was over. 3 out of 5 stars.

[Tomás Sendarrubias García · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues última etapa de Stan Lee al frente de Los Cuatro Fantásticos, y ya con algunos cambios importantes a nivel narrativo y gráfico. Esta última etapa de Lee abarca los números 93 a 125, pero ya en ellos hay algunos números en los que el creador de la mayoría de los héroes de Marvel se aparta de los guiones para ser sustituido por Archie Goodwin y Roy Thomas, aunque debido a la forma de trabajar de Lee, este último ya llevaba tiempo encargándose de los diálogos de los cómics de Cuatro Fantásticos, aunque no estuviera acreditado en los títulos. Y más o menos hacia la mitad de esta etapa, Kirby finalmente dejó la colección, siendo reemplazado por John Buscema, otro de los míticos de la historia del cómic, lo que daría una imagen muy diferente al equipo, aunque el entintado estaba en manos de Joe Sinnot, que había entintado a Kirby durante muchísimo tiempo. Y por supuesto no voy a decir nunca si el dibujo es mejor o peor, creo que ambos son dos titanes del dibujo. Desde mi perspectiva, los que Buscema pierde en expresionismo lo gana en ligereza de trazo y en flexibilidad, pero con dibujantes de este nivel esto ya es una cuestión de gustos personales.

Y sobre lo que ocurre en esta etapa... pues la verdad es que creo que es cierto que los 4F les venía ya bien un cambio de aires. Según se fueron acercando al número 100 la cosa fue cayendo en picado, volviendo a los números autoconclusivos, con un número 100 bastante... flojucho, y las historias continuaron siendo redundantes. Más Doctor Muerte, más Cuatro Temibles, una historia rarísima sobre el Hombre Topo... Quizá lo más destacable de esta etapa a nivel argumento fuera el nacimiento de Franklin Richards y la aparición de su niñera, Agatha Harkness, uno de los personajes más interesantes que jamás haya creado Marvel. Por lo demás... pues más de lo mismo, más "ilusión del cambio pero sin el cambio", las escenas de siempre, los diálogos de siempre... Quizá una de las cosas más llamativas fuera que durante más de cien números Stan Lee había mantenido a los Cuatro Fantásticos lejos de cualquier tema político complejo (más allá del conflicto con los rusos que se había materializado en varios enfrentamientos con, por ejemplo, el Fantasma Rojo), y en solo dos números, Roy Thomas metió a los Cuatro Fantásticos y a la Pantera Negra (brevemente renombrada como Leopardo Negro) en Sudáfrica y en todo el tema del apartheid. Para el final de su etapa en Cuatro Fantásticos, Stan Lee se reservó el regreso del que probablemente sea el personaje más poderoso que había creado en la serie, una nueva llegada de Galactus a la Tierra en busca de Estela Plateada y con un nuevo "heraldo", Caminante Aéreo, que parece sumir el mundo en el caos al presentarse como el ángel Gabriel.

En fin, aunque al final haya ido cayendo la historia (insisto, sobre todo alrededor del número 100, luego la cosa mejoró, con momentos como el descubrimiento de que la contaminación envenena a los Inhumanos fuera de Attilan, o el Doctor Muerte uniéndose brevemente a los Cuatro Fantásticos para derrotar a un malvado Reed Richards), no deja de ser una etapa creativa que es historia del cómic, y de la que hay que disfrutar como se disfruta de los clásicos de la literatura.

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stunning volume of the Fantastic Four. (Though admittedly I'm TOTALLY biased as the FF remains my favorite series as it has since I started reading comics many years ago!)

While this volume brings to a close the end of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era, the series doesn't lose its footing, as we see new heroes and villians introduced, and old villians and heroes return (including the now-focal character of Agatha Harkness as Franklins nanny!!)

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic Four Omnibus vol.4 collects issues 94-125 of the book, completing both Jack Kirby's and then Stan Lee's historic run. And it's where it all falls apart. Kirby, tired of his treatment at Marvel, jumps ship in the middle of a storyline (after 102), surely in the wake of a full issue being rejected on the grounds that it wasn't exciting enough - an issue they then cannibalize to create a confused story (#108), compare yourself since the restored story is in the Omnibus as "The Lost Adventure". John Romita tries to then draw in the Kirby style (with unhelpful inks until Joe Sinnott is reassigned to the book), followed by John Buscema who eventually finds his own way of telling exciting FF stories. But on the writing end of things, everyone's scrambling. After all, Kirby was doing most of the work, so Stan (or still the artists?) has to rush in with recycled Greatest Hits. There's a big chunk of the book that doesn't even credit Stan Lee on plot or script, with the likes of Archie Goodwin and Roy Thomas pinch hitting because "The Man" was off working on a movie project. Stan briefly returns at the end (justifying the collection going to #125), before becoming publisher and dropping all writing duties. There's every sense that without Kirby, everyone's struggling, and even the characters are exhausted (there's literally a story where Reed is hospitalized for it), everyone's angry and unreasonable... It feels like the 90s extreme before the 90s extreme. An interesting historical document, but a disappointment overall.

[Kirby Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this volume covers the years that I started collecting comics (and my favorite title at that time), it's a bit sad to admit that this era of the FF (and thus this volume) was not as strong as the ones that preceded it. This omnibus covers the end of Jack Kirby's artistry (which happens early in this run) and Stan's writing (which, with some exceptions, goes to the last issue here). We see signs that behind-the-scenes manipulations may have played a role in this, as many issues offer stand-alone stories (an important change from the series-defining issues in the second and third volumes), and the covers reveal rising prices that I remember suffering from as a kid. Still, it's great fun to revisit the Over-Mind storyline in glorious color!

[Andrew Seaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big John did his best, and as amazing as his art was you can feel the absence of Kirby in the stories. A lot of recycling of past ideas without very much development. It was still a fun trip with the First Family of Comics, but I would have loved to see more new stories.

One thing that irritated me was several times stakes were raised that were never really resolved. For example, the people turning against them, and the health issues with the humans. Interesting concepts that never really went anywhere and never had any real impact.

[Rumi Bossche · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 4th Fantastic Four omnibus by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby the one where Kirby left for the distinguished competition, and shortly after Stan Lee aswell, they did a iconic 102 issues together not including annuals, thats amazing. John Romita fills in for a couple issues after Kirby's departure just like when Ditko left Spider-Man, and after that we get John Buscema and even Archie Goodwin, talking of a couple legends together in one book ! The stories never reach the epitome that was the Galactus trilogy but they are still lots of FFun to read..

[Jimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a favorite, with the addition of Agatha Harkness, these stories not only saw the end of Kirby's art and influence but also added Buscema and Thomas and Goodman.
The stories range from small to world-ending, including Galactus, Aniallus, Diablo, Doom and more.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end of Kirby's era. Sad to see him go but his creativity was reigned in or chose not to throw in his great ideas which are to come in Fourth World/New Gods.

[Cody Wilson]

This is a strange collection of Fantastic Four comics. Roughly the first third of the collection features artist Jack Kirby’s final stories for the title, FF #94 - 102. While far from Kirby’s best (his work following FF #67 is generally less inspired due to tension with Marvel and Stan Lee), these stories are still enjoyable. Readers get the first appearance of Agatha Harkness as Franklin’s babysitter in FF #94 (a very different character from her MCU counterpart). It’s also exciting to read the FF’s reaction to the moon landing in FF #98 given the space race is integral to the team’s origin. These last few Kirby issues are fascinating because they’re largely self-contained, single-issue stories rather than the multi-issue epics that dominate the latter half of his run.

As much as I love Kirby, I get the impression from these final few issues that his departure from FF was for the better. By all accounts, his subsequent work at DC is much more innovative and creatively fertile than his later stories on FF. But, while Kirby’s work improves with his departure from Marvel, the Fantastic Four title does not.

Like he did after Steve Ditko abruptly quit Amazing Spider-Man years earlier, artist John Romita steps up at first to fill Jack Kirby’s shoes on FF. Also similar to his first few issues of ASM, Romita attempts to imitate his predecessor. While the art is clearly Romita’s (his female characters are far more attractive than Kirby’s), he does an admirable job of mimicking Kirby’s energetic poses and panel compositions. The art does slightly suffer from inks by John Verpoorten, which are professional but don’t suit the work like when Romita inks himself.

Notably, Romita only lasts four issues on FF, likely because unlike on ASM, he doesn’t seem to get the hang of plotting FF adventures. In this era, Marvel artists typically did heavy lifting for plotting, and Stan Lee later wrote dialogue for the pages. With his background in romance comics, Romita leans into soap opera on FF, but he struggles to convey the team’s unique brand of sci-fi adventure that Kirby made look so effortless. Ultimately, Romita was not suited for this book.

John Buscema succeeds Romita and draws the majority of this FF collection. Buscema is likewise reverent to Kirby with his focus on dynamic action and exaggeration. However, Buscema is a better draftsman than Kirby with a more naturalistic approach to human anatomy. Although his early issues on the title are an awkward negotiation between Kirby’s style and his own, Buscema settles into a groove with a distinctive look for the book. It helps that Joe Sinnott, Kirby’s longtime inker who is well-known for his smooth (but slightly overbearing) linework, helps ease the transition between Kirby and Buscema.

Nevertheless, Buscema - like Romita - fails to capture Kirby’s raw creativity and innovation in his plots. For the most part, Buscema retreads similar ground as earlier FF adventures. Ben Grimm is once again brainwashed to fight the team, Galactus returns to retrieve the Silver Surfer as his herald (again), and Reed gets trapped in the Negative Zone another time. Frankly, I often found myself getting bored reading this material. The shadow of Kirby looms large over FF, and Buscema struggles to do anything new or interesting with the title. Melodrama takes center stage in this era at the expense of the sense of adventure and high concepts that elevate the title’s best stories. The newly introduced villains – Nega-Man (who is partly a Kirby creation), Over-Mind, the Air-Walker – are lame and forgettable. For his part, Stan Lee keeps the characters’ voices consistent through his scripting, although they seem a bit crueler to each other than they did when Kirby was on art.

The stories that merit interest in this volume are scripted by authors other than Stan Lee. Archie Goodwin writes the first begrudging team-up between the FF and their arch-nemesis, Dr. Doom, offering an early indication of how the characters’ relationship later evolves. Goodwin also scripts a six-page story in which the Thing visits an alternate dimension where Reed transforms into the Thing instead and finds himself in a state of abject self-hate. I get the impression Goodwin was more involved with plotting than Lee was, and it’s a shame he only scripts four issues. Roy Thomas also scripts an excellent story in which the Black Panther (who awkwardly changes his name to Black Leopard to avoid association with the political group) carries out a mission in Rudyarda, a fictional country with an apartheid regime reminiscent of South Africa. Some of Thomas’s attempts at political commentary have aged poorly (Avengers #73 – 74 is particularly ghastly) but his statement on segregation in this FF story is well-conveyed.

Altogether, this omnibus is for hardcore FF fans only. It consists of Kirby’s less enthusiastic FF work and a few years of stories that awkwardly fail to recreate the magic of Kirby’s work on the title. Most can comfortably skip these stories without missing much. Still, I enjoyed analyzing these comics from a technical standpoint if nothing else.