Fantastic Four #4

Credits listed only as “Stan Lee + J. Kirby”

SYNOPSIS:

This issue opens with Reed, Sue and Ben talking about Johnny, who had quit in a huff at the conclusion of the third issue. The three do the usual bickering that has quickly become a staple of this title, as Ben is reminded it’s his fault that Johnny ran off in the first place. The three remaining members of the FF split up and search for him, each being shown in a short little segment that shows their powers. In each issue of the series so far, Stand Lee and Jack kirby have done a great job of showing what each character is capable of right in the beginning of the book, making each issue an easy entry point for new readers.

After Sue and Reed have no luck, Ben plays a hunch and goes to the garage where Johnny was always working on hot rods whenever he had the chance. Johnny was shown working on car engines when we first met him back in Fantastic Four #1, and he is shown doing so again now in #4. Working on cars is a passion for Johnny throughout the characters history from this point on. It is while he is working on a car that the Thing bursts onto the scene and the two fight once again. During the fight, the Thing once again reverts to his human form. Overwhelmed with joy, Ben doesn’t care that the Torch takes this opportunity to fly away/ However, his happiness is short lived, as he once again reverts to the Thing. heartbroken, the Thing falls to the ground, upset and enraged that he is once again a monster after a few brief moments of humanity. The Thing is a character who has a great sadness underneath his gruff exterior. It is a big reason he is a lot of people’s favorite member of the Fantastic Four.

Johnny makes his escape to the Bowery, hoping to hide amongst the derelicts of the city and plan his next move. He finds himself in a flop house, where he discovers an old beat-up Sub-Mariner comic rom the 1940s. Johnny enjoys the comic and wonders what ever happened to the Sub-Mariner. He is informed that one of the bums in the building is as strong as the Sub-Mariner was said to be. The other tenants harass the bum, until the shaggy, bearded guy proceeds to beat them all up with ease. Johnny uses his flame to burn off the long hair and beard of the man, revealing him to be the Sub-Mariner himself! Realizing the Sub-Mariner is suffering from amnesia, Johnny flies him out of the building and dumps him in the ocean. The water revives him and gives him back his memory, just as the Torch predicted. Remembering who he is, Prince Namor swims to his undersea kingdom, only to find it has been destroyed by nuclear testing. Namor returns to the surface, yelling at Johnny and announcing that the human race will be destroyed in retribution for destroying his homeland.

Realizing he will need help to stop Namor, Johnny summons the other members of the Fantastic Four, just as Namor does some summoning of his own, awakening the largest creature on Earth, Giganto! Giganto, who looks like a gigantic whale with arms and legs, makes his way towards New York City, which is ordered to be evacuated for the first time in history. The Fantastic Four try to stop Giganto, but they are no match for the enormous beast. In a last ditch effort to save the city, the Thing gets a nuclear bomb from a military depot and straps it to his back. (Nuclear bombs are very easy to get in the early issues of the Fantastic Four.) Thing runs inside of the open mouth of a resting Giganto, setting the bomb and barely making it out in time as the nuclear weapon explodes, killing Giganto.

Namor is unfazed by this defeat. he proclaims that with his horn, he can summon countless creatures to do his bidding. As if on cue, the Invisible Girl runs up and grabs the horn from his grasp. Namor chases the floating horn, grabbing Sue, who turns visible while struggling with the Sub-Mariner. Namor, taken in by Susan’s beauty, says he will spare the surface world if she agrees to become his bride. The other three members attempt to save her, but Namor quickly knocks them all back with ease. Sue, realizing they can’t stop the Sub-Mariner and wanting to save mankind, agrees to become Namor’s bride.

The rest of the FF won’t stand for this, and Johnny springs into action. Flying high above Namor and  going in ever increasing circles, he creates a man made tornado that sucks not only Namor, but the gigantic, dead, radioactive carcass of Giganto out of New York and deposits them in the middle of the ocean, where Namor drops the sea horn, losing it forever. Without the horn, Namor can not control the hordes of sea creatures he was going to use to conquer the world. However, he still promises he will one day enact his revenge on the surface world and defeat the FF in the process.

COMMENTS:

This is the first issue that mentions the FF living in New York. In the first issue, they were said to live in “Central City.” No mention of the city’s name is given in issue #2 or 3. In #4, we have now entered a real life city, not the made up cities that were a staple of super hero comics to this point. While DC comics were taking place in Metropolis, Gotham, Keystone, etc, Marvel Comics were now taking place in New York City, making Marvel a universe that operated in something that more closely resembled the real world. It was a subtle, but important shift in super hero books, one that went a long way in Marvel’s quest to update and modernize a tired genre.

In another first, this is also the first issue with the slogan “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” over the title. This would be used in practically every issue for decades from this point on. While that might be a bold claim, and seen as Stan lee’s famous hyperbole, the letters received from the previous three issues certainly show that some fans agree with this. The letters page is full of people who are amazed that their are actually super heros that behave more like real people, fighting amongst each other instead of acting like two dimensional do-gooders. People particularly liked when The Thing complained about wearing a costume, saying it was goofy kids stuff and he didn’t need one. It was a breath of fresh air for the comic book gnre, and one of the many little touches that put the Fantastic Four ahead of the curve when it came to modern, hip comics.

Last issue, the Human Torch underwent a drastic change in the way Jack Kirby drew him. In this issue, the Thing undergoes a bit of a change of his own. While it’s not quite as drastic as the change in the Torch’s appearance, Thing, over several issues, begins to more closely resemble the classic look he has had for the last fifty years. When he was first drawn in Fantastic Four #1, his skin was more lumpy than has been his usual look. As the issues go on, his skin tone looks more and more like interlocked bricks than the more solid rock-like look he had in his first appearance. It is a gradual change and one that gives his visual identity more personality. In another personality quirk, this is the first issue in which Johnny yells “FLAME ON!” when activating his fire based powers. It is something that will become a staple of the book, appearing in the vast majority of issues from here on out.

This issue also reintroduces Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, to the modern day marvel universe. A very popular character during the 1940s, Namor still had a place in modern day comics. Fantastic Four was the perfect place to bring him back. Not only was he a match physically for the foursome, his greatest opponent during his first run as a comic book character was against the original Human Torch. it was only fitting that the book the updated the Human Torch for a modern audience would be the place to bring Namor into the modern era as well.

The Sub-Mariner would go on to become a both a foe and an ally of the FF, as well as a major player in the Marvel universe as a whole. Sometimes a hero and sometimes a villain, Namor was a character with a great deal of depth and a personality that fit in perfectly with the new type of super hero book that marvel was putting out. After the forgettable Miracle Man from last issue, Namor was a huge step forward in the villain department for the Fantastic Four. However, the greatest leap forward of all was still to come.

Fantastic Four #3

The only credits given are a simple “Stan Lee + J. Kirby”

SYNOPSIS

The third issue the Fantastic Four opens with a magic show being performed by The Miracle Man. He is hovering above the stage and points out the four celebrities in the audience: Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Girl, The Thing and the Human Torch. He then proceeds to mock their powers, saying they are nothing compared to the miracles he can work. Miracle Man grows into a giant, turns into a cloud, controls lightning bolts, and says the FF are nothing next to him. The Thing flies into a rage and MM challenges him to a test of strength. Miracle easily wins, and even takes a right cross from the Thing that does nothing. The FF leave the performance in their new flying Fantasticar, saying they are grateful Miracle Man isn’t a criminal. As if on cue, Miracle Man is shown getting ready to commit a crime.

The FF arrive at their new skyscraper headquarters and we get a cut away view of the layout of the building. The FF have acquired a pogo plane, a helicopter, a missile that can reach any part of the world in minutes, an observatory, and various other gadgets and rooms. They are also revealed to own the entire building. Apparently they came into some huge money. Maybe they are making a fortune on milk from the Skrull cows in last months episode?

Once inside their new headquarters/home, the FF kick back and relax. Johnny turns on the world’s biggest TV screen to watch the premiere of a new movie called “The Monster From Mars,” which is showing at a nearby theater. The theater has a huge statue of a monster on display to help promote the film. As the three male members of the FF watch this, Susan shows up wearing a costume she made. She said if they are going to be a crime fighting team, they should look like a crime fighting team, and so made colorful costumes for each member. Just as the FF are trying on their new duds, the monster statue on TV comes to life and begins to terrorize the people outside the theater.

The FF spring into action, each taking a section of the Fantasticar, which splits into 3 separate flying vehicles. Mr. Fantastic finds the monster first, and traps him by turning his body into a giant net. However, The Miracle Man is there and he defeats Reed by hitting him with a brick. Seriously. Not the best start for the leader of the world’s greatest super hero team. As if that isn’t enough humiliation, the commissioner hauls Reed into his office and berates him for failing to apprehend the gigantic monster that is destroying the city. I wonder if he is this harsh with all of his police as well?

Johny Storm is the next member to encounter the beast. he leaps out of the Fantasticar and flames on, only to be grabbed by the monster. However, since the monster is only made of wood, it quickly burns to ashes. Why this weakness wasn’t evident when bullets were bouncing off of it is not explained. Seeing the Torch save their new atomic tank from capture, the army thanks Johnny by shooting him with chemical foam and extinguishing his flame. The FF members get yelled at when they fail and attacked when they succeed. Looks like the poor guys can’t catch a break.

Susan and Ben show up on the scene, Thing ripping his shirt apart and tossing off his helmet for better mobility. He attacks Mircale Man, telling Sue to hide in case he needs her later. Thing then charges MM, but is quickly dispatched when the ground opens up and swallows him.  Sue decides she has to handle this on her home and turns invisible, sneaking into the stolen tank as Miracle Man makes his escape.

Back at the FF headquarters, the other three members await Susan’s signal as Thing once again recaps their origin from the first issue. Reed says fate was good to them and they have the ability to fight evil. Thing counters that fate was kind to the other three members, but he himself has been turned into a monster. He wants to look like himself again, in the hopes that Sue will look at him the way she looks at Reed. Johnny gets upset at this remark and once again Thing and Torch fight. Reed yells at them and they break it up, but Johnny gets mad and storms out while reed wonders what’s wrong with them.

Meanwhile, Miracle Man brings his shiny new atomic tank to a junkyard and proceeds to cover the tank with old cars to hide it. Sue sees all of this from her invisible hiding spot, but a dog catches her scent and alerts MM to her presence. Miracle Man hypnotizes her and forces her to turn visible, then summon the rest of the FF so he can defeat them once and for all.

Mr. Fantastic and The Thing arrive at the junkyard, but The Miracle Man fights them off with a machine gun. He tries to make his escape, but The Human Torch arrives and the three give pursuit in an antique race car that they find at the junk yard. They lose a tire, but reed takes the shape of one and becomes a spare as the Torch flies on ahead, increasing his flame and blinding Miracle Man.

With his eyesight gone, Miracle Man is now powerless. It turns out he is not a true Miracle Man, he is just a master of mass hypnosis. Reed knew that a real Miracle Man wouldn’t have needed to steal jewels, he could have just conjured them from thin air. He also wouldn’t have fled from the FF, he could have easily dispatched them. With the threat over, Thing and Torch begin arguing once again, and TJohnny announces he has had enough and quits, flying off into the distance. Reed wonders what they could do if he decides to turn against them?

COMMENTS:

Issue #3 of the Fantastic Four is a mixed bag. The villain himself is very forgettable. Unlike the adversaries from the first two issues of the comic, I don’t believe Miracle Man ever makes another appearance, while the Mole Man and the Skrulls appear in Fantastic Four, along with other Marvel comics, to this day. However, in every other way, Fantastic Four #3 is a huge step forward for an already great comic book.

It is in this issue that the Fantastic Four come as close as they ever will to embracing the qualities of a true super hero team. They get a high tech headquarters, suped up vehicles, and even costumes in this issue. The costumes were so iconic that they remained basically the same design as this one for he next 50 years. The Human Torch also underwent a visual change in this issue. In the first 2, he was drawn as a human shaped mass of flame, with no real form to him. In this third issue, he is drawn with a much more refined look. He no longer looks like a burning Christmas tree with arms. Now he is drawn in a clearly human shape, colored red with black lines to indicate the flame. This is the way Johnny will be drawn in his “flamed on” appearance for the vast majority of the next 50 years.

While the Fantastic Four are now clearly a super-hero book, they never quite completely embrace the specific traits of the super-hero genre. Yes, they are a crime fighting team with colorful costumes, but they stop just short of being totally formulaic. They still fight amongst themselves, which is actually mentioned as something realistic and refreshing in the first ever Fantastic Four letters page in this issue. Also, while they wear bright costumes, they don’t maintain secret identities. If you have ever seen the original pencils by Jack Kirby, you know that the FF were originally supposed to wear masks. In between the pencilling stage and the inking/coloring stage, somebody changed their mind, and the FF never got secret identities. They are publicly known right from the start. In fact, the beginning of this story is the first inkling that not only are the Fantastic Four known by their civilian as well as their super hero names, they are also celebrities in their own right. This is something that will be expounded upon a lot in the future, as the Fantastic Four become almost America’s equivalent to the Royal Family in later years.

The high tech headquarters, the imaginative vehicles, the classic uniforms, the public identities, the fame and celebrity, the over the top villains, the in-fighting between the group, almost all of the elements that make the Fantastic Four so special are already in place by the third issue. Almost every single staple of the FF over the last 5 decades can be traced back to the first three issues of the title, specifically the third one. Stand and Jack clearly have a vision for this title and in this issue, it has become almost fully formed.

The Fantastic Four #2

No official credits given in this issue.

Stan Lee: captions and dialogue

Jack Kirby: pencils.

Lee and Kirby: co-plotters

SYNOPSIS:

As the issue begins, we are treated to scenes of members of the Fantastic Four committing various crimes. The Thing destroys an off-shore oil tower, The Invisible Girl steals a diamond valued at $10 million, the Human Torch melts a priceless statue at it’s big unveiling and Mr. Fantastic stretches his arm out into a power plant and flips a switch, knocking out power in the entire city. It is revealed that these acts were not, in fact, committed by the FF, but by a group of shape shifting aliens called the Skrulls. The Skrulls have plans to invade Earth and feel the only thing standing in their way is the Fantastic Four. In order to eliminate the threat of the FF, the Skrulls decide to use their shape shifting ability to make the people of Earth believe the Fantastic Four are criminals. After the humans hunt down the FF, there will be nothing standing in the way of the Skrull invasion.

Meanwhile, in a remote hunting lodge, the Fantastic Four learn that they are being hunted as criminals. Realizing they are being framed, they begin to speculate on how it’s even possible for anybody to pose as them. The Thing does not take the news well and goes on a bit of a rampage, before being subdued by the others. Reed claims it is his fault they are the way they are, and we get a brief recap of their origin from the first issue.

With the explanation out of the way, the FF begin to plan their next move when they are surrounded by the US military. Not wanting to fight the entire army, the FF go along quietly, each member confined to a special cell. It doesn’t take long before each member breaks free of their prisons, giving the reader a chance to learn their powers, and make their escape.

Hiding out in one of their secret apartments, the FF formulate a plan. A new rocket is being tested and Johnny decides that if he tries to sabotage it, the other impostors might think he is one of them and come to help him. Thing says he should be the one to do it, since Johnny is just a kid and the two argue over it until Reed breaks it up. Ben bemoans his fate as Johnny goes to the launch site. Once there, he melts an unfinished launching platform and is quickly picked up by the Skrulls, who think he is one of them. They bring him back to their hideout and quickly discover he is the real Human Torch, but not before Johnny can shoot off a flare gun, alerting the other three members of the FF to his presence.

Torch fights off the Skrulls, when the fourth member of the alien group arrives, stopping Johnny. They are about to shoot him when the rest of the Fantastic Four arrive. The FF quickly subdue the aliens, then learn of the Skrull invasion force ready to invade Earth. Pretending to be the aliens, the FF members go to the Skrull mother ship and tell the Skrull leader the Earth defenses were far more advanced than originally expected. Realizing they could not defeat the humans, the Skrulls prepare to leave. The FF, still posing as the Skrulls, offer to stay behind and erase all evidence of their coming to Earth. Moved by their sacrifice, the Skrull leader gives them a military award for honor and leave the Earth.

As they pass through outer pace, the Thing begins to change, reverting again to the human form of Ben Grimm. Upon landing on Earth, the FF are met by the police and Ben has a moment of joy as he realizes he is no longer a monster. However, his happiness is short lived, as he quickly reverts back to his monstrous Thing form. The cops arrest the FF, but Reed asks for a chance to explain. He brings them to their apartment, where the Skrulls are being held captive. Seeing the shape changing aliens try to escape and be subdued once more by the FF, the Fantastic Four’s name is cleared.

The only loose end is what to do with the Skrulls. Since they can change shape and size, it would be practically impossible for any cell to hold them. The Skrulls, totally defeated and cowering for their lives, claim they hate being Skrulls and would live contentedly as anything else. Reed hatches a plot that will insure the Skrulls live out their and cause no more trouble. Reed has them transform into cows and the hypnotizes them into forgetting they are Skrulls. Believing they are actual cows, the Skrulls are last seen in a field, munching on grass as the FF wonder what is in store for them next.

COMMENTS:

The second issue of the Fantastic Four is even stronger than the first, building on themes that were touched on in the debut story. We see Thing as a bitter, angry man, who hates the fact that he has been transformed into a hideous monster. His quick temper boils over several times in this issue and he fights with his fellow teammates, especially Johnny. We also get our first glimpse of Reed’s tremendous sense of guilt, since it was his rocket that was improperly shielded from the cosmic rays that transformed them into the Fantastic Four. What makes it even worse is that Ben was the one who warned Reed about the cosmic rays, but Reed, in his arrogance, didn’t listen, and it was Ben who suffered the worst fate of the four as a result.

Once again, the FF are not in costumes, which was very unusual for a super hero book.  The book also didn’t present itself as a full-blown super hero book for the second issue in a row. Instead it is almost more of a science-fiction/adventure book, as the FF face not a super-villain, but an alien invasion force. This issue also introduces the Skrulls, who will make many, many more appaerences, not only in the Fantastic Four but in other Marvel titles as well. The Skrulls have been a mainstay of the Marvel Universe since their very first appearance and have played a major role in several very famous story lines throughout the fifty year history of Marvel comics.

This second issue of the Fantastic Four was a very strong continuation of the first, proving that the first issue was no fluke. The characters are beginning to how the personality traits that have made them favorites with readers for five decades. I also really like the “cow solution” to the Skrull problem. It’s fun and original and not the kind of thing you usually see. it’s a good testament to the creativity of Lee and Kirby. This issue showed that  The Fantastic Four comic book was a legitimate great title in it’s early stages and there was nowhere to go but up.

The Fantastic Four #1

No official credits given in this issue.

Stan Lee: captions and dialogue

Jack Kirby: pencils.

Lee and Kirby: co-plotters

SYNOPSIS:

As the issue opens, a flare gun is fired in the air, leaving beyond the words “The Fantastic Four” in enormous letters over the sky in what we are told is “Central City.” The gun has been fired by the leader of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards. it is the first time he has ever had to summon his teammates to him. We are introduced to the members of the team one by one as each answers the call.

First, Sue Storm, the Invisible Girl, turns invisible and rushes past a crowd of people into a cab. Being invisible most likely makes this simple task far more difficult than it needed to be, but it is an excuse to show us her power. From there, we are introduced to Ben Grimm, The Thing, who is bundled up in a huge trench coat and hat, looking for clothes his size. He is told that there are no clothes his size in the store, and Thing complains that he is too large to fit in with our world. When the signal is brought to his attention, he throws off the coat, revealing his orange, rocky hide. If I were the Thing, and I found clothes my size difficult to attain, I probably wouldn’t just throw the few garments I had on the floor, especially since being nearly naked doesn’t make running to the meeting place any easier. But again, it is more dramatic if his appearance is revealed to us after the disrobing.

Thing’s journey to his destination is far more eventful than Sue’s invisible ride in a cab. After smashing through the doorway of the store, citizens of central City run away in terror, thinking Grimm is a Martian invader. The police fire on him and Thing makes his escape by ripping a manhole cover out of the ground with his bare hands. he then travels through the sewers to what he thinks is the predetermined spot. There is no manhole cover above him, so he just smashes through the ground into the street, totally an oncoming car and yelling at the frightened pedestrians and motorists around him, calling them “Lily-livered cowards.” This is our first inkling that the Fantastic Four is not your normal comic book, and the FF are certainly not your normal heroes.

We are next introduced to young Johnny Storm, The Human Torch, working on a car in a local garage. When Johnny sees the words, he bursts into flames, melting the car he has just spent his time working on and taking to the air. The United States government, getting reports of a flaming man soaring through the air, sends out the air force to engage him. Johnny asks them to stay back, but they don’t listen and come too close to him, their planes melting from the intense heat he generates. As the men parachute to safety, a missile is launched at the Torch. it’s a heat seeking missile with a nuclear warhead. I’m not sure where central City is supposed to be, but it seems the US government isn’t too concerned about delivering nuclear annihilation to it as long as they get the flame covered man in the sky in the process. As the missile is about to strike Johnny, killing him and most likely everyone else in the city, a pair of arms stretches out and grabs the missile, tossing it into the ocean, where it harmlessly explodes. Harmless, that is, unless you are the marine life who are now irradiated with nuclear energy. The Human Torch, his flame extinguished, falls from the sky, only to be caught by a stretching Reed Richards.

Reed informs the Fantastic Four, including the Thing, who is somehow fully clothed again, that they have a fearful task awaiting them. Before we learn what that task is, we are let in on the secret origin of the Fantastic Four. In one of the most famous origin stories in all of comics, Reed Richards, the brilliant scientist who designed the space ship the United States planned to use to beat the Communist Russians into space, along with ben Grimm, the test pilot who has agreed to fly the ship for his best friend, sneak onto the spaceport and steal the ship. They don’t have time to wait for official clearance, as conditions are just right on this night. Susan Storm tags along, as she is Reed’s fiance, and she goes where he goes. Johnny Storm also tags along with Susan, because that’s what annoying kid brothers do, even if it means getting onto a space ship with zero qualifications or training to do so. Try not to think about it too hard. The foursome race past the one guard in the entire place, and steal the ship, blasting off into outer space.

Once in space, the ship is bombarded with cosmic rays, beams of light that penetrate the bodies of the adventurers. Ben had warned Reed that the ship didn’t have enough shielding from the rays, but Reed was hearing none of it. Even in his first appearance, Reed Richards was an arrogant man who never took anyone’s opinion seriously. Since he was the smartest guy on the planet, clearly they couldn’t possibly know something he didn’t. He is eerily similar to a man who will be introduced a few issues from now.

As the cosmic rays bombard the ship and it’s crew, each person begins to feel different symptoms. Johnny’s body heats up and he feels like he is on fire. At the same time,ben’s body feels so heavy he can’t even lift himself off the floor of the ship. The ships autopilot engages and the shuttle crash lands back on Earth, where the four escape the wreckage relatively unharmed, except for the cosmic rays that bathed their body. Sue begins to feel strange, turning invisible before their eyes and then reappearing. Ben yells at Reed as he himself transforms, his skin turning orange and rocky. Ben rips a tree out of the ground and swings it at Reed, who’s body stretches out of the way. He uses his elastic arms (and equally elastic clothing) to wrap Ben up, subduing him. Johnny freaks out, his body erupts in flames, and he takes to the air, causing a small fire.

As Johnny returns to the earth, the four realize they have immense power, power that they must use to help mankind. Johnny decides to call himself The Human Torch, presumably after the original Human Torch, who was one of the three signature characters for Marvel comics predecessor, Timely Comics, along with Captain America and Namor, the Sub-Mariner. Sue Storm takes the name The Invisible Girl, and Ben calls himself what Susan called him in her panic stricken state, The Thing. Reed Richards, once again showing that humility is not among his super powers, calls himself Mr. Fantastic. The Fantastic Four has been formed.

The flashback ended, we are brought back to the current day, where Reed tells the others the situation. Atomic power plants all over the world have been sinking into the ground after seemingly impossible earthquakes. Reed’s instrumentation tells us that another earthquake is coming, and we are brought to the scene of that disaster, somewhere in Africa. A hole opens up, swallowing the plant, and a gigantic reptilian creature emerges from the ground. Bullets bounce off of this monster, and he tears a path of destruction through the army, easily crushing tanks with one hand. The creature is stopped only when a voice orders him to. We are told the voice belongs to the creature’s master, The Mole Man.

Reed’s equipment pinpoints the origin of the quakes, an island known as Monster Island. The FF rush off the Monster Island in their private plane, where they are met by, you guessed it, monsters. Using their super powers, the Fantastic Four fight off the monsters, but not before another earthquake sends Reed and Johnny falling to the earth below, where they are captured by the Mole Man.

The Mole Man recounts his own origin story for Reed and Johnny. The surface world mocked him wherever he went because he was ugly. Being spurned by women who found him repulsive, turned down for jobs because he was too ugly,a nd just harassed by jerks on the street was too much for the poor Mole Man. He ran away from society, looking for the famous center of the earth. He found it, but there was an earthquake (a recurring theme in this issue), and the Mole Man was trapped underground. the fall almost completely blinded him, but he developed other abilities to compensate, much like Daredevil would much later. Showing off his fighting prowess, the Mole Man is seemingly unbeatable, as he proves he can never be taken by surprise, and no blow can land on him.

In the middle of his tirade explaining how he will take over the world that scorned him, Sue and Ben enter, looking for their teammates. Mole Man summons his horde of giant monsters to attack them, and Reed grabs a hold of Mole Man, disproving all of the things we have just been told mere panels earlier. Johnny burns a path out of the underground cavern, allowing the FF to escape. Reed, showing once again he isn’t nearly as smart as he thinks he is, let’s go of the Mole Man in the escape, claiming he won’t bother anyone ever again. Apparently, insane victims of abuse with plans for world domination give up after being grabbed one time by a guy with stretchy arms. As the four make their escape, the island explodes, sealing the Mole Man and his creatures underground. The four hope that he has found peace and that they have seen the last of him, as we readers are told we have not seen the last of…..The Fantastic Four!

COMMENTS:

Fantastic Four #1 was the first comic book published under the Marvel Comics company banner. Super Heroes had done huge business in the 1930s and 1940s, but by the 1950s, their best days were behind them. Other genres moved to the forefront of the comic book industry, as westerns, war stories, crime stories, romance stories, horror stories and comedy books rode the tops of the sales charts. For most of the 1950s, Superman and Batman were the only super heroes to retain a large audience. However, as the decade of the 50s came to a close, suer heroes started to have a bit of a comeback, starting with the introduction of a more modern version of an old hero, The Flash. The appearance of the new Flash was a big success and super heroes started to make a comeback. All of these new heroes were teamed up to form the Justice League of America, a book that was a huge seller.

Martin Goodman, the publisher of Timely Comics and Atlas Comics, the predecessors to Marvel Comics, was famous for following trends. Whenever a company had success with a book, Goodman would demand his staff create a version of that book for him. When he saw how many copies Justice League of America was selling, Goodman ordered Stan Lee, his top editor and writer, to create a team of super heroes. Accounts vary as to who was actually more responsible for the creation of the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee or Jack Kirby. Both men tell different versions of how the book came about. However, anyone familiar with the work of either man can see what each individual brought to to the creation process.

Jack Kirby’s design work is all over the Fantastic Four. The creatures the Mole Man commands, as well as the Thing, are pure Kirby. The dialogue and character traits are classic Stan Lee. Lee was tired of super heroes who were flawless and perfect as they fought crime. He felt it would be far more interesting is the super heroes in his world had human flaws and emotions. His team bickered with each other and showed jealousy and anger and bitterness. Yes, their powers and appearances were outlandish and larger than life, but at their heart, they were far more human than super.

Lee’s belief that people wanted to read more realistic super hero comics turned out to be true, as Fantastic Four was a huge success. Fifty years later the book seems hokey and corny, but when it was released, it was leaps and bounds more serious and realistic than what the competition was doing. The Justice League never argued with each other or fought amongst themselves. Superman was never fired on by the air force as he flew over Metropolis. It was only in Fantastic Four that the heroes acted even remotely like people would if this situation actually happened to them.

An interesting historical note is that Fantastic Four is almost a super hero book in disguise. In 1961, when this book was published, super heroes had begun to become more popular, but they hardly were the top genre in comics. When Lee and Kirby created a super hero book, they did their best to not go all the way with it. In fact, the first issue of the Fantastic Four is more of a science-adventure/monster book with super hero elements than a full fledged super hero book. In this issue the Fantastic Four do not fight a traditional super-villain, they do battle with gigantic monsters. Monster books were very popular at the time, and the famous cover image is much more indicative of that type of book than a super-hero book. The thing himself also resembles the monsters so popular at the time. Super hero costumes, a staple of the genre up to this point, don’t even appear in this story.

Whether people thought they were buying a monster book or a super hero title, the fact is they bought it and in huge numbers. Fantastic Four was a huge success. It was unlike any other comic book on the racks in those years. This initial issue was just a beginning. In the coming months and years, Fantastic Four would go on to make Marvel comics a force in the publishing industry, as well as change the way comics were written and drawn from that point on.

The Marvel Age of comics had begun and the world of super heroes would never be the same again.

I have been reading comic books for as long as I can remember. They are the first thing I remember reading as a small child and they are what I read most often to this day. One of the things I love most about comic books is the wide array of genre’s within the art form. Virtually any type of story has been translated to the comic form at one time or another. However, as much as I enjoy reading a spy thriller, or a historical crime novel, or a slice of life drama, it is super heroes that I always return to.

There’s just something about the super hero genre that appeals to me. I love the larger than life personas and the creative character designs. The struggle of good vs evil is one that never seems to get old. The elaborate plans of the villains and the heroes solutions to the problems are always a lot of fun. Mostly, super hero stories are the ultimate form of escapism.

All you have to do is turn on the news for five minutes to realize we live in troubled times. The real life evil in the world is far scarier than any plot ever devised by a super villain. All too often, the bad guys get away with their crimes, too. In the world of super heroes, however, when somebody preys on the weak, there are people in the world who notice, people with the power to make a difference. People with the power to fight evil and even defeat it. It’s a fun world o escape to and feel reassured for a little while.

I have had the idea for a long time to do a blog where I read an entire run of a comic book and comment on each issue, one by one. I felt it would be a great challenge, as well as an interesting one to document as I did it in the form of a blog. There were many choices for which title to use for this endeavor. Preacher is my favorite story ever written. Sandman is a modern day classic and the closest comic books have ever  come to being taken seriously as literature. However, both of those series were very short, just 66 and 75 issues respectively. For this challenge, I wanted something much longer, something with decades of history. I had entertained the thought of using Cerebus as my topic, but changed my mind. While the 300 issues chronicling the adventures of Dave Sim’s Aardvark would have made a fascinating conversation piece, I felt the story would eventually fall to the background as the controversial nature of Sim’s beliefs would become more and more the focus of the blog. I didn’t want that kind of overtone to my experience. I wanted something that would be, at its heart, done for the fun of it.

I knew that the title I picked would have to be a super hero story. While most of my favorite individual stories are not super hero stories, super heroes do still remain my favorite genre and the one I read most. I couldn’t just pick any super hero book, however. I needed one that was important. I needed one that was influential and important in shaping the way comics are made today. I needed The Fantastic Four.

As of this writing, The Fantastic Four is almost an after thought in the comic book world. While Spider-Man, the X-men and Batman are all still wildly popular, The FF is seen as something of a nostalgia book. The characters and their stories are looked at as being old fashioned and unhip. While long-time favorites like Superman, Iron Man and even Captain America are being reinterpreted and reimagined for a more modern era, the Fantastic Four remain largely unchanged. It is rare that anyone tries to make real change to the core ideas behind the book. As a result, the Fantastic Four is seen as something of a throwback title, something published more for the legacy of the book than any real demand to read further adventures of Marvel’s First Family.

I find this to be somewhat of a puzzling position for the book to be in. The Fantastic Four is one of the single most important titles in the history of comic books. In my opinion, only Action Comics was more important in the creation of the core principles and potential of what super hero comic books could be. Fantastic Four wasn’t just the first Marvel comic, for many years, it was also the best Marvel comic. Fantastic Four was the comic book for readers who wanted to be on the cutting edge. it was the book with the most outlandish ideas, the most current characters, the most relevant stories. It was the most mature comic book, the one that made it OK for college kids to enjoy funny books as much as little kids. Fantastic Four was the book where Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were making history, with Kirby’s timeless character designs, Lee’s groundbreaking emotional depth and pathos, and artwork by Kirby so influential, it is still being used as inspiration 50 years later.

The Fantastic Four was the comic book that all other comic books wanted to be. it had terrific characters, conflict, drama, insane creative concepts, top notch artwork, and unforgettable stories. Fantastic Four breathed new life into a stale genre, bringing super hero comics to a new level and ushering in the Marvel Age of Comics.

Fantastic Four was so groundbreaking, so successful, so beloved, that Stan Lee, in one of his usual acts of hyperbole, actually printed the book for many years with the tag line “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” right on the cover above the title. This time, Lee wasn’t exaggerating. FF really was the world’s greatest comic for a long, long time.

Gradually, that started to change. Fantastic Four went from being the coolest comic around to an also ran. Many comics books were more highly held in the public opinion than FF. Spider-Man replaced the FF as Marvel’s flagship character. the X-Men were much hotter sellers. The Avengers had more big time adventures. Even the Defenders had more of the in-fighting and arguing amongst team mates that had made Fantastic Four so unique in it’s early years.

Every so often, a creator or creative team would take over on Fantastic Four and remind hardcore fans why “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” was still printed on the cover each month. The most famous of these instances was John Byrne’s now legendary run on the title. Byrne left his mark on the FF like no creator since Lee and Kirby first introduced the world to the FF. Walt Simonson had a run on the book that is remembered very fondly. Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo had a run on the book that was much loved by those of us who read it. Currently, Jonathan Hickman is attempting to revamp and update the title, giving it the most drastic overhaul it has ever received in it’s 50 years being published.

In honor of “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” I will be doing “The World’s Greatest Blog.” It is a celebration of The Fantastic Four as I embark on my journey into the rich history of this great comic book. I have given myself the challenge of reading every single issue of the Fantastic Four and commenting on each one. I think this will be a very educational trip through comics history as I make my way through 50 years of a single comic book. Along the way, I expect to see a lot of groundbreaking, influential work, a lot of great characters and classic stories, and a whole lot of fun. I love the Fantastic Four. I always have. I believe I always will. I’m hoping this experiment not only strengthens that love, but spreads it to new readers who wonder why the Fantastic Four is still being published after 5 decades.