Customer Reviews

Fantastic Four, Vol. 2, Nos. 21-40 (Marvel Essentials)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another excellent tome in the "Essential" collection, this one covers the "mid" years of the Lee/Kirby run, between the outstanding inventiveness of the earliest material and the legendary run in the #40-#60 range that introduced Galactus, the Inhumans, etc. So what's the highlight here? Well, #20-#40 pretty much are reprinted, and even in black and white they mostly shine - the best stories include the origin of Dr. Doom, a slam-bang battle between the FF, the Hulk and the Avengers, an awesome confrontation between a powerless FF and Doom, and the introduction of the Frightful Four! Woo! Great stuff! I'm only knocking this down one star because of the hideous inking Kirby's pencils got on the first five or so issues included in this collection - it's slapdash and sketchy, awful stuff compared to Chic Stone's great inking in the last 2/3 or so of this mammoth book. Buy it!

While this issue also contains many great classics such as the introduction of the Frightful Four,a fab X-Men crossover and a couple great Dr. Doom tales,it proudly re-produces the greatest comic-story ever told. FF#25 is,in my opinion,the greatest fight ever produced by the twin towers of Lee & Kirby(I, by the way have,over the years,read every issue of all Avengers,Spiderman,FF,Thor,Hulk,X-Men...all the way down to Dazzler,Spiderwoman and even (ouch) Eternals,titles marvel has come out with, as a great family friend founded and still owns the main comic/book store in St.Paul,Mn.-my hometown). The whole issue is one big knock-down drag-out between aunt Petunias favorite nephew bashful benjamin and old jade jaws, the likes of which has rarely been approached and never equaled in all of comic-dom. Face Front True Believers- this one is a can't miss!

This book has better plotted stories than the 1st "Essential FF". However, the idea of the group fighting/breaking up recurs too many times as a plotline. Other than that, we get several excellent Dr. Doom stories-his origin and the "Battle of the Baxter Building" are classics. The Baxter Building story has a poignant moment when Reed Richards must decide whether to turn Ben Grimm back into the Thing (possibly forever). The Hate Monger, in his 1st appearance is a very provacative character for the era. The stories featuring Dr Storm and Gideon are pure melodrama best read only by completists. Plus we get 5 crossovers with other characters (4 in a row at one point)-Most of them carried by the misunderstanding that leads the FF to battle other heroes. However the Daredevil crossover is a classic. These stories function as filler before the next volume which should feature the premiere appearances of Galactus, Silver Surfer, the Black Panther and the Inhumans.

Marvel Comics provides another great look at the early years of the Fantastic Four. It is a black and white collection of issues 21- 40, along with FF Annual #2. These comics were originally published in the 1960s.

As these stories are almost five decades old, they provide a fascinating insight into another time. The reader will soon notice that many men are wearing hats. A style of dress that is clearly outs of sync with today's fashions. In addition, many of the reporters are using old style 8-mm movie cameras. The still photography is done using old style cameras with big flash bulbs.

This book provides the readers with some classic origin stories. The most notable is the origin of Dr. Doom, the FF's greatest adversary. In addition, the reader will find the origin of Diablo and the first appearance of the Frightful Four. One story contains an early post war appearance of Nick Fury. He is introduced as a Colonel with the CIA. This is a change from his own comic as a World War II sergeant and before his more significant role as the Director of SHIELD. This book also contains the usual assortment of other characters such as the Mole Man, Namor, Super Skrull, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers to name a few.

One nice aspect of this book is that it provides some fascinating insights into the FF themselves. In particular, the reader will find the first appearance of Sue Storm's force field. Originally, she only had the power of invisibility. Only after this comic series ran for a couple of years did the writers decide to give her an additional power. Another interesting back-story is the fate of the Storms' father. It turns out he was in jail. In true Marvel fashion, he gets a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his children, Sue and Johnny. Unfortunately, he is eventually killed by the Skrulls.

Bottom line: this is a great book for any fan of the Fantastic Four. The stories are timeless and entertaining despite the passage of nearly fifty years. The reader will not be disappointed.

Emblazoned upon the top of every Fantastic Four comic book isthe banner that says "World's Greatest Comic Magazine".These are some of the stories that often earned that distinction as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hit their stride. Am axnoiusly awaiting vol 3, which will contain the first appearances of the Silver Surfer and Galactus. These are the kinds of stories which formed the basis of the Marvel Comics Universe.

Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 2 is, well, essential for any fan of the Fantastic Four who doesn't have the time or money to compile the originals or even the reprints of the 22 issues presented here (Fantastic Four No. 21-40, Fantastic Four Annual No. 2 and Strange Tales Annual No. 2). Stan Lee and Jack Kirby continue to build on their revolutionary first stories about the Fantastic Four by presenting the origin of Dr. Doom, more adventures with the Sub-Mariner (giving him a complicated characterization for the times) and the returns of such villains as the Red Ghost and the Puppet Master. But they don't just rerun things -- they continue to introduce new characters such as El Diablo and the Hate-Monger. This edition also includes what I've always considered the best Thing-Hulk fight, a two-parter that guest-starred the early Avengers. The Strange Tales story is an interesting Human Torch adventure that shows how Kirby drew Spider-man, much different than the way the character was drawn by Steve Ditko in Spidey's own comic! Highly recommended. For a more in-depth look at this book, check out my review on the Squidoo website by searching for goldenrulecomics.

As some other reviewers have commented, this second volume of the World's Greatest Comic Magazine doesn't come close to the first. Stan Lee hammers home the bickering elements of Marvel's First Family and the "O, woe is me" element of the Thing. Plus, Reed always seems to have a gadget lying around to save the day. You can tell that Lee was starting to get overworked by this stage of Marvel's development, though I know when I get volume three, I'll see some of the really good stuff!

Comics fans usually date the Silver Age of the medium from the first appearance of the Fantastic Four in FF#1. By the time the issues collected in "Essential Fantastic Four vol.2" appeared, however, the magazine had lost quite a bit of its initial steam. Jack Kirby's art still retained its powerful punch, but Stan Lee's writing began to show the strain as he tried to crank out multiple Marvel titles every month.

As a result, the FF went through a number of odd mood swings, such as when Sue Storm joined the Thing and the Human Torch in trying to oust her own fiance as leader of the group because he spent too much time working on scientific projects. The stoic Mr. Fantastic responds to this leadership challenge with all the grace of a three-year-old. While the Torch and Thing's bickering has always been part of the formula, Lee usually plays Richards and Storm with some nuance.

There is plenty of good stuff here as well. The first appearance of Dragon Man is a keeper, as are Dr. Doom's appearances (including the legendary "Battle of the Baxter Building"). Of particular interest is a story wherein in the aftermath of a battle with the Frightful Four, the FF lose their powers and develop alternate means of taking the fight to their enemies.

I recommend this collection to die-hard FF fans (like they don't already have it) and Jack Kirby fans interested in the very beginnings of his cosmic style. For all others, pick up the first volume instead.

The book was fine, however, in no way did you reference that you carried the first printing of the book. No one has this first printing, and as such it looks extremely awkward in my collection, in the future when selling these comics it is good to inform people if the comic comes in the first printing since only about 10 different comic books were released in that format.

The Marvel Essential series of books leaves me with a bittersweet feeling. While I love the stories, think it's great that we get twenty issues reprinted per volume, and can't deny that the price is right, there is always the spectre of the superior Marvel Masterworks series hanging overhead.

Here are the facts: With the Essential series you get about twenty comics reprinted in a paperback format, with black and white artwork, on what seems to be pulpy acidic paper.

The Masterworks series, which cost about three times as much, give you (usually) ten comics reprinted in hardback format, with color artwork, on glossy paper.

The choice is clear for me: Make Mine Masterworks!