{"id":33378,"date":"2025-07-21T14:52:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T14:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=33378"},"modified":"2025-07-21T14:52:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T14:52:11","slug":"fantastic-four-behold-galactus-marvel-select-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/07\/21\/fantastic-four-behold-galactus-marvel-select-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantastic Four: Behold… Galactus! (Marvel Select Edition)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Stan Lee, Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott<\/strong>; Lee, John Buscema & Sinnott<\/strong>; and John Byrne <\/strong>& various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-1887-3 (HB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

With today\u2019s World Premier of the latest cinematic interpretation of the \u201cWorld\u2019s Greatest Comics Magazine\u201d (Phew!!), here\u2019s a cool collected assemblage of the stuff we comics geeks tuned into seven decades ago – and with sequels! – to prove that it\u2019s never too late to catch up to the really good stuff…<\/em><\/p>\n

Cautiously bi-monthly, cover-dated November 1961, and hiding timidly amidst the company\u2019s standard monster \u2018n\u2019 aliens fare, Fantastic Four <\/strong>#1 – by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, George Klein & Christopher Rule – was crude and rough-hewn, but concealed on its pages a revolution of raw passion and uncontrolled excitement. Thrill-hungry readers pounced on it and the raw storytelling caught a wave of change starting to build in America. It and the succeeding issues changed comic books forever.<\/p>\n

In eight short years FF<\/strong> became the indisputable core and most consistently groundbreaking series of Marvel\u2019s ever-unfolding ridiculously enthralling web of creation, bombarding readers with ceaseless salvos of fresh concepts and new characters. Kirby was in his conceptual prime, unleashing his vast imagination on plot after spectacular plot. Clearly inspired, Lee scripted some of the most passionate superhero sagas that Marvel – or any publisher – had or has ever seen. Both were on an unstoppable roll, at the height of their creative powers, and full of the confidence only success brings. The King was particularly eager to see how far the genre and medium could be pushed. A forge of stunning creativity and endless excitement, Fantastic Four <\/strong>was the proving ground for dozens of future stars and mesmerising concepts, none more timely or apt than freewheeling cosmic wanderer and moral barometer The Silver Surfer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Collecting every cosmic crumb of pertinent material from Fantastic Four<\/strong> #48-50, 120-123, and #242-244, this compendium reprints a trilogy of landmark sagas of a morally ambiguous Stellar Sentinel, his globe-gobbling master and the greatest Explorers in Humanity\u2019s history, spanning March 1966 to July 1982. The epic opens with elucidation as Ralph Macchio offers background and appreciation in his Introduction to one the greatest comics sagas ever made prior to the tale again being told…<\/p>\n

Although pretty much a last-minute addition to Fantastic Four<\/strong> #48-50\u2019s Galactus Trilogy<\/em>, Kirby\u2019s scintillating creation quickly became a watchword for depth and subtext in Marvel\u2019s Universe, one Stan Lee kept as his own personal toy for many years to come. The debut was a creative highlight from a period where the Lee\/Kirby partnership was utterly on fire. The tale is all power and epic grandeur and has never been surpassed for drama, thrills and sheer entertainment, so you should really read it in all its glory.<\/p>\n

Here, without further preamble, the wonderment commences with ideas just exploding from The King. Despite being only halfway through one storyline, FF<\/strong> #48 trumpeted \u2018The Coming of Galactus!\u2019<\/em> with the Inhumans<\/strong>\u2019 saga swiftly but satisfyingly wrapped up (by page 6!) as the entire clandestine race were sealed behind an impenetrable dome called the<\/em> Negative Zone<\/em> (later retitled Negative Barrier<\/em> to avoid confusion with the subspace gateway Reed worked on for years). Meanwhile, a cosmic entity approaches Earth, preceded by a gleaming herald on a board of pure cosmic energy\u2026<\/p>\n

I suspect this experimental – and vaguely uncomfortable – approach to narrative mechanics was calculated and deliberate, mirroring how TV soap operas increasingly delivered their interwoven, overlapped storylines, and used here as a means to keep readers glued to the series. They needn\u2019t have bothered. The stories and concepts were more than enough\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2018If this be Doomsday!\u2019 <\/em>sees planet-eating Galactus setting up shop on top of the Baxter Building despite the FF\u2019s best efforts, whilst his coldly gleaming herald has his humanity accidentally rekindled by simply conversing with The Thing<\/strong>\u2019s blind girlfriend Alicia Masters<\/em>. Issue #50\u2019s \u2018The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer!\u2019<\/em> climaxes the epic in grand manner as the Surfer\u2019s reawakened ethical core and FF\u2019s sheer heroism buy enough time for supergenius leader Reed Richards<\/em> – Mister Fantastic<\/strong> – to literally save the world with a boldly-borrowed Deus ex Machina gadget\u2026
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\nOnce again, the tale ends in the middle of the issue, with the remaining half concentrating on the team getting back to \u201cnormal\u201d. To that extent, Human Torch<\/strong> Johnny Storm<\/em> finally enrols at Metro College, desperate to forget Inhuman lost love Crystal <\/em>and his unnerving jaunts to the ends of the universe. On his first day, the lad meets imposing and enigmatic Native American Wyatt Wingfoot<\/em>, who is destined to become his greatest friend\u2026<\/p>\n

Jumping to 1972 long after Kirby had moved to DC to create his New Gods<\/strong> saga, revamp Superman\u2019s Pal Jimmy Olsen<\/strong> and create new wonders such as Kamandi<\/strong> and The Demon<\/strong>, the Fantastic Four had carried on under Lee and a succession of more traditional illustrators. The Surfer had briefly enjoyed his own critically acclaimed but financially unhealthy title and been relegated to guest star status, especially if allegorical metaphors were required…<\/p>\n

Joined by inker Joe Sinnott, Fantastic Four<\/strong> #120-123 (cover-dated March-June of that year) rather overplayed the biblical allusions for a blockbuster 4-parter. The \u2018The Horror that Walks on Air!\u2019<\/em> heralded the bellicose arrival of a seemingly omnipotent invader claiming to be an angel sent to scour and scourge Earth. Utterly unstoppable, this he does before revealing himself as the new herald of Galactus and declaring humanity doomed.<\/p>\n

The tale vividly yet laboriously continues in \u2018The Mysterious Mind-Blowing Secret of Gabriel!\u2019<\/em> with the recently divided but now reunited quartet utterly overmatched in their resistance and only saved by the late-arriving Silver Surfer, before facing off against world-devouring \u2018Galactus Unleashed\u2019<\/em>, who rampages like Godzilla<\/strong> through the city\u2019s streets before an unexpected end comes and humanity survives another day thanks to Reed Richards who again outsmarts the cosmic god and prevents the consumption of \u2018This World Enslaved!\u2019<\/em>
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\nA lot can happen – and did – in ten years, and the last story here (from #242-244, May-July 1982) is another spectacular and rather revolutionary epic, as crafted by John Byrne soon after he took total creative control of the Quirky Quartet.<\/p>\n

\u2018Terrax Untamed\u2019<\/em> sees the team and Johnny\u2019s new girlfriend Frankie Raye<\/em> (who has fire powers mimicking his own) attacked by Galactus\u2019 most recent herald – someone who quite justifiably bears them a grudge as the FF formerly dethroned him from the world he had conquered before handing him over to the Planet Devourer to use as his cosmic food-finder. Now, still possessing the \u201cPower Cosmic\u201d all heralds share, Terrax hits Earth like an extinction event and, after causing immense destruction across the city, uproots and maroons Manhattan Island 100 miles above the rest of the planet…<\/p>\n

Terrax\u2019s demand is simple and clear cut. Galactus is currently starving and depleted, so unless the FF kill him, the fugitive tyrant will drop the most populated rock on Earth with catastrophic effect…<\/p>\n

The crisis takes a crazy turn next as the reluctant assault leads to the defeat and downfall of Terrax instead of Galactus and a surprise restoration of New York. Events evolve and go bad quickly however as the cosmic consumer runs out of power and seeks to refuel by eating the world to save himself. The question \u2018Shall Earth Endure?\u2019<\/em> is shockingly answered when an army of superheroes topple Galactus and watch aghast as the space god begins to expire…<\/p>\n

They are even more astounded when Richards and Captain America successfully argue that they must all save his life and allow him to continue predating planets – if not necessarily civilisations – leading to triumph and, for Johnny, more tragedy in \u2018Beginnings and Endings\u2019<\/em> and a raft of star-borne consequences to come…
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\nA perfect primer for beginners and welcome reminder for the faithful, this bombastic breviary comes equipped with plenty of art extras including cover reproductions for 1972 reprint title Marvel\u2019s Greatest Comics<\/strong> #33-37 by John & Sal Buscema, Gil Kane, Frank Giacoia & Sinnott; back over art from Essential<\/strong> Fantastic Four <\/strong>vol. 3 (2007 by Kirby & Ian Hannin) and Essential<\/strong> Fantastic Four <\/strong>vol. 6 (2007 by John B & Hannin); composite cover art for 2002\u2019s Wizard Ace Edition: Fantastic Four <\/strong>#48 (Mike Wieringo, Karl Kesel, Paul Mounts); the wraparound cover for 1992\u2019s Silver Surfer: The Coming of Galactus!<\/strong> (Ron Lim, Dan Panosian & Mounts); Kirby & Dean White\u2019s painted cover based on FF <\/strong>#49 (from Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four<\/strong> vol. 5) and Jos\u00e9 Ladr\u00f6nn\u2019s cover for The<\/strong> Fantastic Four Omnibus vol. 2<\/strong> HC <\/strong>(2007).<\/p>\n

Completing the iconic art odyssey are the covers from Marvel Treasury Editions<\/strong> #21 by Bobs Budiansky & McLeod and Byrne\u2019s cover for 1989\u2019s Fantastic Four: The Trial of Galactus<\/strong> TPB.<\/p>\n

Epic, revolutionary and unutterably unmissable, these stories made Marvel the unassailable leaders in fantasy entertainment and remain some of the most important superhero comics ever crafted. The verve, conceptual scope and sheer enthusiasm shines through on every page and the wonder is there for you to share. If you\u2019ve never thrilled to these spectacular sagas then this book of marvels is the perfect key to another – far brighter – world and time.
\n\u00a9 2019 MARVEL. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Stan Lee, Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott; Lee, John Buscema & Sinnott; and John Byrne & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-1887-3 (HB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. With today\u2019s World Premier of the latest cinematic interpretation of the \u201cWorld\u2019s Greatest Comics Magazine\u201d (Phew!!), here\u2019s a cool collected assemblage of … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Fantastic Four: Behold… Galactus! (Marvel Select Edition)”<\/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":[94,74,85,158,239,54,189,120,79,225,107,157,39,100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-avengers","category-captain-america","category-daredevil","category-dr-strange","category-drama","category-fantastic-four","category-inhumans","category-iron-man","category-marvel-superheroes","category-mystery","category-science-fiction","category-silver-surfer","category-spider-man","category-thor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8Gm","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33378","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=33378"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33384,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33378\/revisions\/33384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}