Scan barcode
adammuly's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first stab at any comics and my most overt action of delving into geek culture
alexrobinsonsupergenius's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting to see the roots of the Marvel Universe but the stories are a little too silly to really be enjoyed outside the context of nostalgia and cultural anthropology.
asparkofc's review against another edition
5.0
This was so fun! It went beyond my expectations of older comics and a great introduction to the Fantastic four. Like sure it’s cheesy, but it’s still very fun.
The fact that they named themselves the Fantastic four is funny. Even more so that Reed named himself Mr Fantastic. The team dynamics are great.
Loved Doom. Any time he showed up was great. He was just having a great old time during the body swapping plot.
The fact that they named themselves the Fantastic four is funny. Even more so that Reed named himself Mr Fantastic. The team dynamics are great.
Loved Doom. Any time he showed up was great. He was just having a great old time during the body swapping plot.
thejenjineer's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, I didn't even plan on reading this book, much less liking it. I bought it for my brother, who has a weakness for the classics. But after two weeks I realised I just can't stand having a unread comic book laying around. I picked it up and started leafing through the bright, minimally coloured pages.
There are certain quirks about the style of these comics, which Wikipedia tells me are called "silver age" comics, that I've always found a bit annoying. Like how every character will tell you exactly what they are thinking and describe what's happening around them. People don't talk like that, they never have. Nothing really bad ever seems to happen, at least never to the heroes. Things will work themselves out in a few pages if you're just patient. The plots and their solutions are incredibly unbelievable (by that I mean more so than the comics I'm used to reading). But it was that last part that won me over. Yes, they're crazy, but crazy is just another of way of saying really imaginative. After the first couple of issues, I just got into the fun of reading about far-off planets and underwater cities and time travel and all that wonderful nonsense.
It was also nice from a comic history perspective. It's pretty fascinating seeing a glimpse of how comics used to look like half a century ago. Not just with the writing and art, but also the real life they reflected. Sue Storm isn't in a 1960's costume, she's in her actual clothes.
There are certain quirks about the style of these comics, which Wikipedia tells me are called "silver age" comics, that I've always found a bit annoying. Like how every character will tell you exactly what they are thinking and describe what's happening around them. People don't talk like that, they never have. Nothing really bad ever seems to happen, at least never to the heroes. Things will work themselves out in a few pages if you're just patient. The plots and their solutions are incredibly unbelievable (by that I mean more so than the comics I'm used to reading). But it was that last part that won me over. Yes, they're crazy, but crazy is just another of way of saying really imaginative. After the first couple of issues, I just got into the fun of reading about far-off planets and underwater cities and time travel and all that wonderful nonsense.
It was also nice from a comic history perspective. It's pretty fascinating seeing a glimpse of how comics used to look like half a century ago. Not just with the writing and art, but also the real life they reflected. Sue Storm isn't in a 1960's costume, she's in her actual clothes.
samanthaa_32's review against another edition
4.0
ima be honest, this was a bit of a chore to read at times. the characters were a bit annoying, only because they’re not always acting the way I know them to act from reading more modern iterations. and of course, the exposition-y 60s writing.
but nonetheless, this book has a lot of charm. you can definitely see why it was a hit back in the day. stan had a real knack for writing unique and exciting stories with one-off villains. even when villains came back, the stories felt fresh. I enjoyed this one a lot, and can’t wait to read more.
but nonetheless, this book has a lot of charm. you can definitely see why it was a hit back in the day. stan had a real knack for writing unique and exciting stories with one-off villains. even when villains came back, the stories felt fresh. I enjoyed this one a lot, and can’t wait to read more.
ploominator's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jbleyle63's review against another edition
5.0
With Jack Kirby's birth centennial in 2017 and Stan Lee's passing in 2018, I started reading the Marvel Masterworks series mostly with an eye to skimming through them quickly just to get a taste for both during their peak collaborative years together. I've wound up going through every panel of these wonderful collections. This volume featuring the first ten issues of The Fantastic Four is really where Marvel got its start. Sure the stories are pretty campy but the imagination of Lee and Kirby still holds up today. Especially loved the meta "The Return of Doctor Doom" from issue #10 where the two creators appear as their comic creating selves. Also a plus in this volume are the introduction and afterword essays by Stan Lee where he recounts not just the creation of the Fantastic Four but also provides a historical survey of the comic book industry from its Golden Age beginnings to the Silver Age.
miamollekin's review
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Loved seeing there early days as a team.
readerturnedwriter's review against another edition
4.0
Full disclosure: I haven't read many comic books and I'm very new to the scene. That being said, this was my kind of comic book.
I loved the cheesey, over the top atmosphere, it really worked for me. The dynamics between the fantastic four were fun and interesting. It got silly see points, but I didn't mind (I thought it fit well with everything else). Because it was made for kids, it was light hearted and I loved that. I also actually really enjoyed how obvious it was, with telling us what was going on, etc. I find comic books really hard to follow sometimes and I never felt that with these.
They were parts of the plot that felt very contrived. One example, a bad guy trapped the four in their house, then demanded they send Sue up as a hostage and for some reason they agreed. Wouldn't it have made more sense for the bad guy to wait for Sue to leave, trap the other three, and then kidnap Sue? I noticed many moments throughout like this.
Overall, I found it to be very fun and light. I very much enjoyed it and would recommend it, especially as one to read with kids.
I loved the cheesey, over the top atmosphere, it really worked for me. The dynamics between the fantastic four were fun and interesting. It got silly see points, but I didn't mind (I thought it fit well with everything else). Because it was made for kids, it was light hearted and I loved that. I also actually really enjoyed how obvious it was, with telling us what was going on, etc. I find comic books really hard to follow sometimes and I never felt that with these.
They were parts of the plot that felt very contrived. One example, a bad guy trapped the four in their house, then demanded they send Sue up as a hostage and for some reason they agreed. Wouldn't it have made more sense for the bad guy to wait for Sue to leave, trap the other three, and then kidnap Sue? I noticed many moments throughout like this.
Overall, I found it to be very fun and light. I very much enjoyed it and would recommend it, especially as one to read with kids.