Customer Reviews

Fantastic Four, Vol. 2 (Marvel Masterworks)

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

 

 

Something about the graphics reproduction in this volume bothered me. It looks as if the graphics have been stretched to a larger page size -- though I'm not completely sure that's the cause. What happens is, all the lines look fuzzy or jagged, particularly the lettering. If you look at the "E"s in the lettering, you'll see the artifacts I'm talking about. The net effect is to make the printing and graphics fuzzy, and it annoyed me enough that I couldn't finish the book.

I have an older hardcover of Fantastic Four Vol 1, and both the line work and lettering look quite solid to me in that volume. Curiously, one of the pages reproduced toward the end of Annual #1 in this paperback edition looks exactly right, so it was possible to avoid the odd stretching effects. But somehow every page except that one (in this volume) seems to suffer from the the stretched or distorted reproduction.

To clarify, since the Amazon reviews sometimes get jumbled around, this review is for the _Paperback_ edition of Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four 2 TPB, the edition published in 2009.

Have to correct the other review here: This is the second volume and as such contains issues 11-20 and Annual 2.
These are the stories you will find:
1. F4 vs. the Impossible Man
2. F4 vs. the Hulk
3. F4 vs. the Red Ghost
4. The Sub-Mariner Strikes!
5. The F4 Battle the Mad Thinker and His Awesome Android
6. F4 and the Ant-Man battle Dr. Doom
7. F4 battle Dr. Doom
8. F4 battle the Super-Skrull
9. At the Mercy of Rama-Tut
10. The Molecule Man!

And the annual story included also features Dr. Doom as the villain.

These are wonderful stories that introduced a lot of long-lasting characters for the first time. It's not the artistic climax of the series, though. Kirby's artwork does not shine as much with Dick Ayers or Chic Stone as inkers, and Joe Sinnot is still a couple of Masterworks away.
Still, it's a lot of fun to read these. If you can't afford the rather hefty price tag and still want to know what happens, look for the reprint collections called Essential Fantastic Four which only cost a fraction. Those are in black and white and on cheap paper, but at least you won't feel the need to wear silk gloves everytime you read them like with this Masterworks treasure.

Securely contained in a flat mailer and shrinkwrapped, this hardcover volume arrived perfect and ready to be enjoyed. Oh, and the content is excellent, a genuine Cold War artifact.

Classic villians make their debut in Marvel's second FF Masterworks volume, and as a longtime reader and fan of Stan and Jack's fabulous foursome I thoroughly enjoyed this volume. The FF always seemed like some crazy amalgammation of DC's Challengers of the Unknown and the Justice League to me, and since there were elements of both these titles in FF that appealed to my imagination I have almost never read a disappointing issue collected within the first six volumes of this series.

However, that having been said, the first story in this volume featuring the Impossible Man is utterly ridiculous. Even though it introduces a character that will be handled well by other writers later on in the series, it does not have any of the verve and inventiveness apparent in the nine stories that follow it. Do not let this deter you from buying this collection. It features legendary encounters between the FF and the Hulk, as well as Ant-Man and Spider-Man in later issues. Doctor Doom appears at least twice, as well as the Sub-Mariner, The Mad Thinker and The Molecule Man, not to mention the Super Skrull.

What makes this volume worthwhile is the focus on character development and humour, which certainly makes for some entertaining reading (especially when the FF quarrel amongst themselves). Far better than volume one, this Masterworks collection will not disappoint any fan of the classic Marvel age of comics.

These are great compilation books! My husband is collecting them & he loves them! They are filled with glossy color pages inside & the book is hard cover with a dust jacket. You get 10 comics per book & it is a great way to collect these rare jewels. I will continue to purchase these books for my husband in the future.

If you haven't experienced the team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby yet, this book is a prime example of that team coming into their own as one of the major forces of 1960s comic books. Includes a memorable battle with Doctor Doom. Sheer magic!

Excellent for any Titanic True Beleiver (T.T.B.)and former members of the
M.M.M.S. Re-live the wonderful Silver Age of Marvel comics. Though simple
maybe even primitive by more contemporary standards, these are the stories
and the artwork that made comics great. Soft bound format makes this a book
you can enjoy for it's price point. We can all be reminded in these stories
of a simpler time, both for ourselves and for society.