Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 5 (Hardcover)

~ Stan Lee (Author), Jack Kirby (Author)

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In the early 1960s, the Fantastic Four billed itself as "the world's greatest comics magazine," and issues 41-50, collected here in the FF's fifth volume in the Marvel Masterworks series, actually live up to that lofty claim. A trademark of the Stan Lee-Jack Kirby years was their epic sweep, and these 10 issues encompass three different story arcs that are themselves connected. Issues 41-43 feature the Frightful Four (the Wizard, the Sandman, the Trapster, and Madam Medusa) in an elaborate plot to brainwash the Thing into turning on his compatriots, including a battle with Reed Richards in the story memorably entitled "To Save You, Why Must I Kill You?" There's a timeout for a light-hearted break in Fantastic Four Annual no. 3, the marriage of Sue and Reed, in which the most dizzying array of supervillains and superheroes--almost everyone in the Marvel Universe--drops in for a page or even a panel in order to stop or save the wedding. When Medusa returns in issue 44, she's not simply a member of a supervillain group, but one of the Inhumans, super-powered beings led by the mighty Black Bolt, and the FF must follow them to the Great Refuge. If all that's not momentous enough, enter the most noble and tragic character of all, the Silver Surfer, the herald for the almighty Galactus, who consumes planets not because he's evil, but because he must in order to survive. In a 10-issue span, it's hard to imagine a similar wave of classic characters and mind-bending concepts, and yet Lee and Kirby also take the time to make their characters achingly human. Simply put, comics never got better than this, and this Masterworks edition reprints every issue in its full-color glory. --David Horiuchi

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785111840
• ISBN-13: 978-0785111849
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #628,132 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 5 in The Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Series.

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The F.F. meets the Inhuman, Galactus and the Silver Surfer, February 14, 2004

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four, Volume 5" is the highpoint in the history of the title that has proclaimed itself to be "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" for the simple reason that once you face down "God," which is basically what the F.F. does when it tackles Galactus, it is all down hill from there. Volume 6 is very good and represents the point where Jack Kirby's artwork was at its peak, but this volume, which collects issues #41-50 plus Annual #3 where Reed Richards and Sue Storm get married, is still just that much better.

The first three issues continue the on-going battle with the Frightful Four, showing the emphasis writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby had on multi-part story lines rather than rotating villains each month: #41 "The Brutal Betrayal of Ben Grimm" has the Thing, still reeling being transformed back into a monster, becoming the pawn of the Frightful Four in their ongoing battle against the F.F.; #42 "To Save You, Why Must I Kill You?" continues the story with a fight between the Thing and Mr. Fantastic; #43 "Lo! There Shall be an Ending" ends the epic battle between the good buys and the bad guys; we then interrupt our regularly scheduled comic for Annual #3, "Bedlam at the Baxter Builder," as Reed and Sue's wedding day arrives and so do all of the superheroes in the Marvel Universe and Doctor Doom along with a host of super villains. At least Sue does not wear her costume to the ceremony (although Reed does), and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents keep stan and Jack from crashing the reception. If Doctor Doom did not show up for the wedding this would have been the first of these volumes not to have a battle between the F.F. and the Lord of Latvaria.

The honey moon starts another storyline involving the Inhumans: #44 "The Gentleman's Name is Gorgon" starts off with Madam Medusa fleeing from Gorgon and asking the F.F. for help; #45 "Among Us Hide...the Inhumans" introduces us to Triton and Karnak; #46 "Those Who Would Destroy Us" has Black Bolt finally showing up and moping the floor with the Thing; and #47 "Beware the Hidden Land" concludes the battle on the Inhumans' home turf. However, this is just the prologue to what is to come: #48 "The Coming of Galactus" has the F.F. returning home to find the Watcher violating his oath not to get involved by trying to find a way of hiding Earth from the Silver Surfer who arrives and promptly summons Galactus; #49 "If This Be Doomsday" finds the F.F. scrambling to come up with some way of defeating Galactus, who is planning on eating the planet, while Alicia Masters, Ben Grimm's blind sculptress girlfriend befriends the Silver Surfer and convinces him to battle Galactus; and #50 "The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer" finds the herald turning on his master and the Watcher helping the Human Torch find a device that will get Galactus to leave the Earth alone. However, not before the Silver Surfer is exiled to the planet he chose to defend. This allows Johnny Storm to go to college and meet his new roommate, Wyatt Wingfoot.

If you take the wedding issue out of the equation then you have three story lines taking up the ten issues of "The Fantastic Four" included here, which is why these issues stand out more than your ordinary superhero fights a different villain every month comic book. The other thing that makes these stories stand out is that the villains get equal time throughout, exemplified by the Silver Surfer playing a key role in stopping Galactus from snacking on planet Earth. Of course the Inhumans turn out to be merely a misunderstood meta-race rather than mortal enemies, so that prevents the proceedings from deteriorating to the standard battle between good and evil. Meanwhile, Ben Grimm continues to suffer with the curse of being the Thing, Johnny finally heads off to college, and Reed and Sue try to build a happy home in the Baxter Building. You can date the point in time when this really was the world's greatest comic book magazine to a couple of issues before this point, when the Frightful Four stripped the F.F. of their powers and Daredevil helped them against Doctor Doom, but if you want to see them at their best, Volume 5 is the one that has those classic stories reprinted in color.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the greed of comic sellers, May 31, 2006

By	Mark L. Mckenzie (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This Masterworks is been redone with a remastered look so it will be released later this year I hear. Anyone willing to pay the greedy guys selling it for 4 times its worth, feel free to and then buy the better printed version later for $49.95 or lower. See what this sloppy printed version gets you then. It's certainly well written and one of Lee's best compilations. But they ruined Jacks artwork and thats why its a ripoff. Buyer beware !!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lee, Kirby, and Sinnott. 'Nuff said., October 16, 2005

By	Reader from the North (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews

Lee and Kirby reach the peak of their FF run and will stay there for a while. This volume has the Galactus trilogy and Kirby's introduction of the Silver Surfer. However they did it, Lee and Kirby created a new type of comic book. This, along with Ditko's Spiderman trilogy and Romita's Green Goblin finale, is the best of that era.