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mollylazer's review against another edition
5.0
This set of 10 issues (and one annual) is definitely a step up from the previous 10, with fewer self-contained storylines and more subplots that bleed from issue to issue. I am not a fan of super-decompressed storytelling in comics, and Stan and Jack manage to keep things moving here while still letting events from previous issues impact the next one. The three-part storyline from issues #38-40 are a great example of this, with two different villains/villain groups, a guest star, and the introduction of yet another subplot that will carry the characters into #41. (The pages on which Ben turns back into the Thing are really something to behold. What pathos!)
Plus, we have Reed and Sue FINALLY getting together at the end of issue #35. It's interesting that, for a couple that is rightly considered Marvel's first couple, they really don't act like they're together at all for 33 issues (I'm not counting issue #1, when Sue reminds Reed she's his fiance). Sue's force field powers have made her an essential member of the team now, as well. Despite still being relegated to more "womanly" roles and being portrayed as physically weak on a fairly regular basis, she has saved the day on multiple occasions, which, as a female reader, I find to be a positive change.
*Fun fact: My father has an original copy of issue #32 ("Death of a Hero"), which I read when I was 6 or 7 years old. I distinctly remember being alone in my room and reading the page on which Johnny and Sue's dad dies repeatedly until I cried. Then I came out of my room a sobbing wreck, and my mother wondered what was wrong with me.
**I actually read these issues with my four-year-olds as part of the second Omnibus volume that collects issues #31-60 and Annuals #2-4, but I'm reviewing them as though we were reading Masterworks to keep track of when we finish each set of 10 issues.
***My four-year-olds LOVE Paste Pot Pete. We were all bummed when he became the Trapster.
Plus, we have Reed and Sue FINALLY getting together at the end of issue #35. It's interesting that, for a couple that is rightly considered Marvel's first couple, they really don't act like they're together at all for 33 issues (I'm not counting issue #1, when Sue reminds Reed she's his fiance). Sue's force field powers have made her an essential member of the team now, as well. Despite still being relegated to more "womanly" roles and being portrayed as physically weak on a fairly regular basis, she has saved the day on multiple occasions, which, as a female reader, I find to be a positive change.
*Fun fact: My father has an original copy of issue #32 ("Death of a Hero"), which I read when I was 6 or 7 years old. I distinctly remember being alone in my room and reading the page on which Johnny and Sue's dad dies repeatedly until I cried. Then I came out of my room a sobbing wreck, and my mother wondered what was wrong with me.
**I actually read these issues with my four-year-olds as part of the second Omnibus volume that collects issues #31-60 and Annuals #2-4, but I'm reviewing them as though we were reading Masterworks to keep track of when we finish each set of 10 issues.
***My four-year-olds LOVE Paste Pot Pete. We were all bummed when he became the Trapster.
edcorcoran's review against another edition
4.0
This is where Fantastic Four starts really cooking again. I thought Volume 3 was a big step down from Volumes 1 & 2, but Volume 4 is almost all hits. I found the Moleman story pretty weak, but beginning with issue 32 there are almost no misses. This is a trend that continues for as far as I've read in Fantastic Four (which is #54 at present). Some highlights: Annual #2, like Annual #1, is a great villain showcase; the serial nature of the comic gets amplified; the characters' interpersonal relationships start to evolve; we see Kirby's first experiments with collage; the trip to the Skrull homeworld is wonderfully stylish, the Frightful Four are fun and legitimately threatening and the Thing's demolition of Dr. Doom is one of the better action sequences I've seen.
s_l's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
michaelclorah's review against another edition
4.0
Getting caught up with foru volumes - way too many firsts to go into detail, but these stories are terrific. Okay, the awkward bits, like Reed telling Sue that she's "only" a female, don't age that well, but seeing the entire cosmology of the FF established, and develop (naturally and organically) is powerful stuff. The plot are adventurous and fun, and the character work still better than most superhero comics today.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
murphyc1's review against another edition
4.0
I admit that should one really read the stories, they become fairly tedious before very long. Jack "the King" Kirby's artwork, however, never does! The stories are dated, sure, but they provide a hit of sweet nostalgia that hits the spot.
poorsun's review against another edition
3.0
First foray into the FF. Started strong with the intro to Dr. Doom which was cool but then fell off in the middle. Really? A guy with a glue gun? I'm glad he got an upgrade a few issues later.
Also, WTF Mr. Fantastic, just changing Ben back into the Thing against his will.
Also, WTF Mr. Fantastic, just changing Ben back into the Thing against his will.
angrybooklady's review
4.0
I remember skimming through the last couple of these trades, but this one actually has some interesting stories that are integral to the Fantastic Four's history. The origin of Doctor Doom, the reveal of Sue and Johnny's father, Sue and Reed's engagement, etc. There's also the formation of the *snicker* Frightful Four. Sue finally realizes she can do things with her powers besides be invisible, but she gets kidnapped a lot so as not to upset the male:female power ratio.
Speaking of which, the issues in this trade are also very sexist. I'm not going to spend a lot of time complaining about it, because it was the mid-1960's. But there's a lot of your standard "Oh, my poor woman's heart, so filled with love and confusion that I just don't know what to do!" Also Reed is just an unabashed sexist, and it's harder to forgive in him because I already don't like him.
Reed is especially terrible in this because
Speaking of which, the issues in this trade are also very sexist. I'm not going to spend a lot of time complaining about it, because it was the mid-1960's. But there's a lot of your standard "Oh, my poor woman's heart, so filled with love and confusion that I just don't know what to do!" Also Reed is just an unabashed sexist, and it's harder to forgive in him because I already don't like him.
Reed is especially terrible in this because
Spoiler
after the Four lose their powers in a freak plot contrivance, he restores Ben Grimm back to The Thing without his consent. His excuse is that they needed The Thing to defeat Dr. Doom, but I don't buy it. I'm starting to think that Reed has never intended to restore Ben to his former self, and that he dangles hope in front of him as a form of manipulation. The book ends with the newly-Thinged Ben telling Reed and the rest of the Fantastic Four to f*&k off, which I don't blame him for at all.howiedoowinfam's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jbleyle63's review
4.0
Continuing my survey of the early days of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and the other creative contributors from Marvel comics covered so marvelously and comprehensively in the Marvel Masterworks series. This volume bookends two stories featuring arch nemesis Dr. Doom including his origin. I found it entertaining if not necessarily the most sophisticated examples of storytelling.
rayaan54's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25