{"id":27045,"date":"2022-11-21T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T09:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=27045"},"modified":"2022-11-19T21:11:00","modified_gmt":"2022-11-19T21:11:00","slug":"mighty-marvel-masterworks-the-fantastic-four-volume-2-the-micro-world-of-doctor-doom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2022\/11\/21\/mighty-marvel-masterworks-the-fantastic-four-volume-2-the-micro-world-of-doctor-doom\/","title":{"rendered":"Mighty Marvel Masterworks – The Fantastic Four volume 2: The Micro-World of Doctor Doom"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Stan Lee<\/strong> & Jack Kirby<\/strong>, with Dick<\/strong> Ayers<\/strong>, Steve Ditko<\/strong>, George Klein<\/strong>, Sol Brodsky<\/strong>, Joe Sinnott<\/strong> & various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-3436-1 (PB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Properly Ultimate Comics Creations\u2026 10\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m partial to controversy so we\u2019re starting off by declaring that Fantastic Four<\/strong> #1 is the third most important American comic book in the industry\u2019s astounding history. Just ahead of it are The Brave and the Bold<\/strong> #28, which brought superhero teams back via the creation of the Justice League of America<\/strong>, and always at the top Showcase<\/strong> #4, which introduced The Flash<\/strong> and therefore the Silver Age. Feel free to disagree\u2026<\/p>\n

After a troubled period at DC Comics – National Periodicals as it then was – and a creatively productive but disheartening time on the poisoned chalice of the Sky Masters<\/strong> newspaper strip Complete Sky Masters of the Space Force<\/a><\/strong>), Jack Kirby settled into his job at the small outfit that used to be publishing powerhouse Timely\/Atlas.<\/p>\n

He generated mystery, monster, romance and western material in an industry and marketplace he suspected was ultimately doomed but, as always, did the best job possible. That quirky genre fare is now considered some of the best of its kind ever seen.<\/p>\n

However, his fertile imagination couldn\u2019t be suppressed for long and when the JLA<\/strong> caught the readership\u2019s attention, it gave him and writer\/editor Stan Lee an opportunity to change the industry forever.<\/p>\n

Depending upon who you believe, a golfing afternoon led publisher\/owner Martin Goodman ordering his nephew Stan to try a series about a group of super-characters like the one DC was doing. The resulting team quickly took fans by storm. It wasn\u2019t the powers: they\u2019d all been seen since the beginning of the medium. It wasn\u2019t the costumes: they didn\u2019t have any until the third issue.<\/p>\n

It was Kirby\u2019s compelling art and the fact that these characters weren\u2019t anodyne cardboard cut-outs. In a real and a recognizable location – New York City – imperfect, raw-nerved, touchy people banded together out of tragedy, disaster and necessity to face the incredible.<\/p>\n

In most ways, The Challengers of the Unknown<\/strong> (Kirby\u2019s prototype partners-in-peril project at National\/DC) laid all the groundwork for the wonders to come, but the staid, almost hide-bound editorial strictures of National would never have allowed the undiluted energy of the concept to run all-but-unregulated. The Fantastic Four<\/strong> was the right mix in the right manner at the right moment and we\u2019re all here now because of it. These stories are timeless and have been gathered many times before, so I\u2019m digressing to talk about format here.<\/p>\n

The Mighty Marvel Masterworks<\/strong> line was designed with economy in mind. Classic tales of Marvel\u2019s key creators and characters re-presented in chronological order have been a staple since the 1990s, but always in lavish, expensive collectors editions. These new books are far cheaper, with some deletions like the occasional pin-up. They are printed on lower quality paper and – crucially – are physically smaller, about the dimensions of a paperback book. Your eyesight might be failing and your hands too big and shaky, but they\u2019re perfect for kids and if you opt for the digital editions, that\u2019s no issue at all\u2026<\/p>\n

Fantastic Four<\/strong> #1 (bi-monthly and cover-dated November 1961, by Lee, Kirby, George Klein & Christopher Rule) was crude: rough, passionate and uncontrolled excitement. Thrill-hungry kids pounced on it. That ground-breaking premier issue saw maverick scientist Reed Richards<\/em>, his fianc\u00e9 Sue Storm<\/em>, close friend Ben Grimm<\/em> and Sue\u2019s bratty, teenaged brother in an ill-starred private space-shot after Cosmic rays penetrated their ship\u2019s inadequate shielding\u2026 and mutated them all into beings unlike any others.<\/p>\n

Richards\u2019 body became elastic, Sue became invisible, Johnny Storm<\/em> could turn into living flame and poor, tragic Ben devolved into a shambling, rocky freak. Despite these terrifying transformations, before long the quartet had become the darlings of the modern age: celebrity stalwarts alternately saving the world and shamefully squabbling in public\u2026<\/p>\n

This second full-colour compendium spans February to November 1963, collecting Fantastic Four<\/strong> #11-20 plus the first Annual<\/strong>, and we open sans preamble with more groundbreaking innovations as FF<\/strong> #11 offers two short stories instead of the usual book-length yarn. \u2018A Visit with the Fantastic Four\u2019<\/em> provides a behind-the-scenes travelogue and examination of our stars\u2019 pre-superhero lives, after which \u2018The Impossible Man\u2019<\/em> proves to be a baddie-free, compellingly comedic tale about facing an unbeatable foe.<\/p>\n

FF<\/strong> #12 featured an early example of guest-star promotion as the team are required to help the US army capture \u2018The Incredible Hulk\u2019<\/em>: a tale packed with intrigue, action and bitter irony as the man-monster was actually being framed by a Russian spy for acts of sabotage. It\u2019s followed by an even more momentous and game-changing episode.<\/p>\n

\u2018Versus the Red Ghost and his Incredible Super Apes!\u2019 <\/em>is another cold war thriller pitting the heroic family against a Soviet scientist in the race to reach the Moon: a tale notable both for the moody Steve Ditko inking of Kirby\u2019s artwork (replacing adroit Dick Ayers for one glorious month) and the introduction of the oxygen-rich \u201cBlue Area of the Moon\u201d as well as the omnipotent, omnipresent cosmic voyeurs called The Watchers<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

As the triumphant Americans rocket home, issue #14 touts the return of \u2018The Sub-Mariner and the Merciless Puppet Master!\u2019<\/em> – with one vengeful fiend made the unwitting mind-slave of the other. The romantic triangle of Reed, Sue and Namor added lustre and tantalising moral ambivalence to the mighty Sea King who was to become the company\u2019s other all-conquering antihero in months to come\u2026<\/p>\n

That epic is followed by \u2018The Mad Thinker and his Awesome Android!\u2019<\/em>. <\/em>wherein a chilling war of intellects between driven super-scientists results in a cerebral duel and yet all-action clash with plenty of room for smart laughs to leaven the drama. There\u2019s a pin-up extra this time: a candid group-shot of the entire team.<\/p>\n

Fantastic Four<\/strong> #16 explores \u2018The Micro-World of Doctor Doom!\u2019 <\/em>in a spectacular romp guest-starring new hero Ant-Man<\/strong> whilst also offering a Fantastic Four Feature Page<\/em> outlining the powers and capabilities of elastic Mister Fantastic<\/em>. Despite his resounding defeat, the steel-shod villain promptly returned with more infallible, deadly traps a month later in \u2018Defeated by Doctor Doom!\u2019<\/em> Of course, they actually weren\u2019t and soon sent the sinister tyrant packing\u2026<\/p>\n

The shape-shifting aliens who challenged the team in their second adventure returned with a new tactic in #18 as the team tackle an implacable foe equipped with their own powers. \u2018A Skrull Walks Among Us!<\/em>\u2019 is a <\/em>potent prelude to greater, cosmos-spanning sagas yet to come\u2026<\/p>\n

The unused cover to Fantastic Four Annual<\/strong> #1 precedes the one that actually fronted one of the greatest tales in comics history. The colossal summer special comic book was a spectacular 37-page epic by Lee, Kirby & Ayers as – after finally reuniting with their sea-roving prince – the armies of Atlantis invade New York City and the rest of the world in \u2018The Sub-Mariner versus the Human Race!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

A monumental tale by the standards of the time (and today!), the saga saw the FF repel the initially overwhelming undersea invasion through valiant struggle, brilliant strategy and technological innovation, as well as providing the hidden history of the secretive Homo Mermanus<\/em> race and even an origin for the surly Sub-Mariner,,,<\/p>\n

Nothing was really settled except a return to the original status quo, but the thrills are intense and unforgettable\u2026<\/p>\n

Also included are rousing pin-ups and fact file features. Interspersed by \u2018A Gallery of the Fantastic Four\u2019s Most Famous Foes!\u2019 <\/em>(potent pin-ups of The Mole Man<\/em>, Skrulls<\/em>, Miracle Man<\/em> and Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner)<\/em>. You can also enjoy by learning in \u2018Questions and Answers about the Fantastic Four\u2019<\/em>: a diagrammatic trip \u2018Inside the Baxter Building\u2019<\/em>, before the rogue\u2019s gallery resumes with pin-ups of Doctor Doom<\/em>, Kurrgo, Master of Planet X<\/em> and The<\/em> Puppet Master<\/em>, and a bemusing short tale \u2018The Fabulous Fantastic Four meet Spider-Man!\u2019 <\/em>This is an extended re-interpretation of the first meeting between the two most popular Marvel brands, extrapolated from the premiere issue of the wallcrawler\u2019s own comic. Pencilled this time by Kirby, the dramatic duel was graced by Ditko\u2019s inking to create a truly novel and compelling look.<\/p>\n

One last dose of villainous mug-shots highlights The Impossible Man<\/em>, Incredible Hulk<\/em>, Red Ghost and his Indescribable Super-Apes<\/em> and The Mad Thinker and his Awesome Android<\/em>, before we return to the regular run as – cover-dated October 1963 – Fantastic Four<\/strong> #19 introduced another remarkable, top-ranking super-villain after the quarrelsome quartet travel back to ancient Egypt and become \u2018Prisoners of the Pharaoh!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

This time-twisting tale has been revisited by so many writers that it\u2019s considered one of the key stories in Marvel Universe history; introducing a future-Earth tyrant who would evolve into three overarching time menaces: Kang the Conqueror<\/em>, Rama Tut<\/em> AND Immortus<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n

The vintage wonderment concludes here with one last universe-rending, keystone foe debut with the threat again overcome by brains not brawn. FF <\/strong>#20 (again preceded by another Kirby cover that didn\u2019t make the final cut) shows how \u2018The Mysterious Molecule Man!\u2019 <\/em>briefly menaces New York before being soundly outsmarted and removed\u2026<\/p>\n

Some might argue that these yarns might be a little dated in tone, but they these are still classics of comic story-telling illustrated by one of the world\u2019s greatest talents approaching his mature peak. Fast, frantic fun and a joy to read or re-read, this comprehensive, joyous introduction\/reintroduction to these immortal characters is a wonderful reminder of just how good comic books can and should be\u2026
\n\u00a9 2021 MARVEL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, with Dick Ayers, Steve Ditko, George Klein, Sol Brodsky, Joe Sinnott & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-3436-1 (PB\/Digital edition) Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Properly Ultimate Comics Creations\u2026 10\/10 I\u2019m partial to controversy so we\u2019re starting off by declaring that Fantastic Four #1 is the third most important American comic book … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Mighty Marvel Masterworks – The Fantastic Four volume 2: The Micro-World of Doctor Doom”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[222,54,72,79,155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ant-man","category-fantastic-four","category-marvel-masters-masterworks","category-marvel-superheroes","category-sub-mariner"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-72d","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27045"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27049,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27045\/revisions\/27049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}