Customer Reviews

Fantastic Four Omnibus, Vol. 1 (v. 1)

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3 star:		(1)
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These are stories that created the foundation for the Marvel Universe, and much of modern comics in general. This is the foundation for both the style of writing and art of superhero comics for over forty years now. Not only that, they're just good superhero stories.

Of course, if you're considering buying this, you probably already know that. Not many people are going to plunk down $70 for this collection if they're not serious fans of comics and the Fantastic Four. But if you are a serious fan, this is well worth the money.

The first thirty issues of the FF, plus the first annual, on archival quality paper, oversized and hardbound. And with extras! To be fair, many of the extras are reprints of Stan Lee's introductions to the Marvel Masterworks volumes, but there's more extras than that. Perhaps most interesting to me is that the original letters pages are reprinted (though, sadly, not reprodused at the quality the rest of the books are.) Its kind of amusing to see letters from then-young fans who went on to be major names in the comics industry, like Roy Thomas and the late Mark Gruenwald.

Flaws? Well, this does not represent the absolute best of the Lee-Kirby Fantastic Four. That comes in the (hopefully) second omnibus volume, when, in about a dozen issues, we get the the Black Panther, the Inhumans, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, and the classic tale of heroic sacrifice, "This Man, This Monster" from issue #51. But there are still great stories.

The art, to be fair, looks a little crude by modern standards. Remember, though, that Kirby was drawing several books a month -- he just didn't have the time modern artists have. Nor did he have high-end coloring techniques. His style was what revolutionized the industry. Yes, it had its quirks (square fingernails, for instance), but Kirby revolutionized how comics are drawn.

The stories, too, seem a little crude by modern standards. There's not a heck of a lot of continuity between issues -- certainly not by the modern standards of multi-issue, multi-title epics. But there's a lot here that had never been seen before -- characters who really seemed human, despite having super-powers, rather than the almost-perfect paragons of virtue that were the standards up until that time. They argued with each other. They had financial troubles. One of them didn't even want to be a superhero.

This is not a volume for a casual purchase. However, any serious comics fan should acquire one.

an earlier reviewer mentioned that it's better/easier to read these issues through the DVD-Rom and I would disagree with that because it's never as comfortable to go scrolling up and down each page of a book like this when you can have each issue reproduced in mint condition and read them all at your liesure in a comfy chair or in bed and appreciate the early brilliance of Lee/Kirby. It simply does NOT get better than this. Cannot recommend it highly enough. My question is when does the next TWO F.F. Omnibuses come out? We desperately need F.F. #31 thru 65 and then #66 thru 100 to wrap up the entirety of the Lee/Kirby run. Marvel, HURRY!

This includes the first 30 issues of FF plus the first annual. The book itself is hardcover, high quality glossy pages with each issue in the order it was released. The book is over 800 pages and each page is comic book size. Each issue is reprinted with the cover page and the letters page. At the back there are some alternate covers for certain of the issues, an original plot outline for the first story, as well as essays from Lee, Thomas and others.

For me, I prefer this to the dvd alternative, but that comes down to your own personal preference of reading pages or a screen, plus space to keep books as well as cost. I would love to see the entire series out in this format, even if it would run around 15 volumes. Hopefully, Marvel will at least issue a few more volumes, though.

This is the series that launched the Marvel Age of Comics. You get to see the first 30+ issues of the Kirby/Lee masterpiece in one wonderful volume. One of the secrets to Marvel's success was Stan's ability to make the readers feel like they are a part of the family. This volume allows you to experience this due to its reprinting of all of the original letter pages.

The amount of creative energy in these 30 issues is amazing, with Jack creating characters as quickly as we can process them. At the Amazons price, you get to experience the first amazing issues in a premier edition for less that 1.50 per issue. I only hope that Marvel releases the entire Kirby/Lee run in these formats.

The book itself is great, with strong bindings which feel like they will hold up to many readings. Go buy this volume now!

I really didn't expect to enjoy these early FF issues as much I did! I loved them! In fact, I had no idea what a visionary brilliant writer Stan Lee was or what he accomplished in the sixties, before I was even born! Nay, I only read the eighties stuff, but I always wanted to read back from the beginning.

Well, these omnibus editions give you the best way of catching up on the classic runs you missed out on. And I am seriously impressed with Stan the man, I had no idea how good this stuff was. Brilliant in fact, and far better than a lot of stuff that followed, and yet, even as good as these beginning foundation issues were, there was still all the great stuff coming 20 plus years later.

I highly recommend if you want to get full runs you missed. Binding is great on this volume so far, though I have had problems with some other marvel omnibus books like Tomb of Dracula and Secret Wars II.

Of course FF omnibus vol 2 is where it really gets good.

Great to be able to get so many issues in one volume and this book is heavy. It's best to read on a solid surface. I also like the letters section but would have liked to see some of the old advertisements. I hope they do another volume continuing where they left off and I also would like to see other Marver characters get the big book treatment.

On a side note, in a preview of the FF movie, critic Richard Roeper stated that no one would care about the FF as they were not popular and "who even heard of them." Shows how much he knows about Marvel comics. I meant to drop him a line but didn't make time to do so. According to Stan Lee, the FF were one of the top three popular comics.

I've read most of these comics in their original form, and was surprised when I picked this volume up by how... RIGHT... it felt. This is a handsomely packaged product, a bit hefty perhaps, but it has the real feel, the sense of excitement and wonder that you'd hope for in an FF mega-reprint... Somehow it evokes the feel of the original books, the giddy, explosive creativity, the sense of vibrancy and sheer fun -- it's a lot like reading the old comics themselves. The inclusion of the old letter columns is nice as well; too bad they didn't see fit to also inlude some of the other graphics of the time (Marvel monthly checklists, etc.) but overall, this is a really classy package. I never went for the "Marvel Masterworks" series (although I appreciate the effort), but this gigantic tome has a special feel. It's cool.

I am not a comic collector, but find as I get older I revisit my memories of reading "The Fantastic Four" comics back in the 60's. I can remember getting a few cents together by collecting soda bottles and turning them in for enough money to buy some Banana or Cherry Popsicles and one or two comic books. I would go home and enjoy those comics for hours - especially the advertisements. So, I purchased this Omnibus Volume One and have been enjoying reading the stories - so much has changed since the 60's! If you enjoy "going back in time" you may like this selection - but the original ads are not there ... The binding and printing are very good and this is a book you can enjoy for a long time!

I read a lot of comics online, but don't buy many in hard form. I bought this to get Kirby's art onto my bookshelf. And I have no regrets ... the volume is well-bound, the paper solid and glossy (resulting in a HEAVY book), the vivid coloring is nice I think. And Kirby's art is awesome. It's less distinctive and intricate than his later works, but I don't think it's any less great. The worlds that he and the inkers create here are awesome.

As to the comics as a whole, well you can't find material more seiminal than this. The Marvel Universe starts here. In these issues and even moreso during the coming years, Lee/Kirby are creating heroes and villians month by month that have gone on to endure. Bunches and bunches of them. The style with which Kirby created their look has a lot to do with that.

The comics themselves might seem dated to casual readers. There's a definite science-fiction bent to this title. It is less inherently juvenile than the other early Marvel titles from this period, probably less character-driven (Lee's dialogue got sharper and more outstanding as time went on) and usually about some sci-fi concept. There's camp here and there's high art I think, mixed together in one big swirl.

Classic Marvel. Classic Fantastic Four.
I am an avid collector of comic books and Marvel Omnibus series allows me to build my collection with ease. This volume contains Fantastic Four #1-30 and Annual #1 and details the very first stories and adventures of the superhero team.
There is a second volume as well which has already caught my eye. I hope Marvel continues releasing such collections for people like me to collect the classics in. I am in my mid 20s and possibly could not have read the original comics or even the reprints for that matter and this is a great way for me to collect and finally read them.