{"id":33610,"date":"2025-08-31T08:00:42","date_gmt":"2025-08-31T08:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=33610"},"modified":"2025-08-29T17:08:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T17:08:16","slug":"fantastic-four-epic-collection-volume-11-four-no-more-1978-1980","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/08\/31\/fantastic-four-epic-collection-volume-11-four-no-more-1978-1980\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantastic Four Epic Collection volume 11: Four No More (1978-1980)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-bk-250x382.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"382\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-33615\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-bk-250x382.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-bk-150x229.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-bk-768x1173.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-bk.jpg 1005w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-frt-250x382.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"250\" height=\"382\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-33616\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-frt-250x382.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-frt-150x229.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-frt-768x1174.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-frt.jpg 1002w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><br \/>\nBy <strong>Marv Wolfman<\/strong>, <strong>Bill Mantlo<\/strong>, <strong>Len Wein<\/strong>, <strong>Keith Pollard<\/strong>, <strong>Roger Slifer<\/strong>, <strong>John Byrne<\/strong>, <strong>Sal Buscema<\/strong>, <strong>George P\u00e9rez<\/strong>, <strong>Bob Hall<\/strong>, <strong>John Buscema<\/strong>, <strong>Joe Sinnott<\/strong>,<strong> Pablo Marcos<\/strong>, <strong>Bob Wiacek<\/strong>, <strong>Dave Hunt<\/strong>, <strong>Diverse Hands<\/strong> (<strong>Al Milgrom<\/strong>, <strong>Frank Giacoia<\/strong>, <strong>Frank Springer<\/strong>, <strong>Marie Severin<\/strong>), <strong>Bob Budiansky<\/strong>, <strong>Jack Kirby<\/strong> &amp; various (MARVEL<br \/>\nISBN: 978-1-3029-6055-1 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n<p><em>This book includes <strong>Discriminatory Content<\/strong> from less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Win\u2019s Christmas Gift Recommendation: Utter Acme of All-Ages Adventure\u2026 8\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For Marvel everything started with <strong>The Fantastic Four<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Monolithic modern Marvel truly began with the eccentric monster \u2018n\u2019 alien filled adventures of a compact superteam as much squabbling family as coolly capable costumed champions. Everything the company and brand is now stems from that quirky quartet and the inspired, inspirational, groundbreaking efforts of Stan Lee &amp; Jack Kirby\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Cautiously bi-monthly and cover-dated November 1961, <strong>Fantastic Four<\/strong> #1 &#8211; by Stan, Jack, George Klein &amp; Christopher Rule &#8211; was raw and crude even by the ailing outfit\u2019s standards; but it seethed with rough, passionate, uncontrolled excitement. Thrill-hungry kids pounced on its dynamic storytelling and caught a wave of change beginning to build in America. It and every succeeding issue changed comics a little bit more\u2026 and forever. As seen in the premier issue, maverick scientist <em>Reed Richards<\/em>, his fianc\u00e9e <em>Sue Storm<\/em>, their close friend <em>Ben Grimm<\/em> and Sue\u2019s bratty teenaged brother survived an ill-starred private spaceshot after cosmic rays penetrated their ship\u2019s inadequate shielding.<\/p>\n<p>All four were permanently mutated: Richards\u2019 body became elastic, diffident Sue became (even more) invisible, <em>Johnny Storm<\/em> burst into sentient living flame and poor tragic Ben shockingly devolved into a shambling, rocky freak. After initial revulsion and trauma passed, they solemnly agreed to use their abilities to benefit mankind. Thus was born <strong>The Fantastic Four<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the 1960s it was indisputably the key title and most consistently groundbreaking series of Marvel\u2019s ever-unfolding web of cosmic creation: a forge for new concepts and characters. Kirby was approaching his creative peak: unleashing his vast imagination on plot after spectacular plot, and intense, incredible new characters whilst Lee scripted some of the most passionate superhero sagas ever seen. Both were on an unstoppable roll, at the height of their powers and full of the confidence only success brings, with The King particularly eager to see how far the genre and the medium could be pushed\u2026 which is rather ironic since it was the company\u2019s reticence to give the artist more creative freedom that led to Kirby moving to National\/DC in the 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>Without Kirby\u2019s soaring imagination the rollercoaster of mindbending High Concepts gave way to more traditional tales of characters in conflict, as soap opera schtick and supervillain-tirades dominated Fights \u2018n\u2019 Tights dramas. With Lee &amp; Kirby long gone but their mark very much stamped onto every page of the still-prestigious title, this full-colour compendium reruns <strong>Fantastic Four<\/strong> #192-214 and <strong>Annuals<\/strong> #12-13, spanning March 1978-January 1980.<\/p>\n<p><em>What You Should Know<\/em>: After facing his own Counter Earth counterpart Reed Richards lost his stretching powers. With menaces like <em>Salem\u2019s Seven<\/em>, <em>Klaw<\/em> and <em>Molecule Man<\/em> still coming for him and his family, weary and devoid of solutions, Richards made the only logical decision and called it a day for the team\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Incoming writer\/editor Marv Wolfman, brought a new direction which closely referenced the good old days with #192 proclaiming <em>\u2018He Who Soweth the Wind\u2026!\u2019<\/em> (illustrated by George P\u00e9rez &amp; Joe Sinnott), as newly independent, fancy-free Johnny heads west to revisit his childhood dream of being a race car driver and unexpectedly meets old pal <em>Wyatt Wingfoot<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Back East, Ben and girlfriend <em>Alicia Masters<\/em> ponder options as Reed gets a pretty spectacular job offer from a mystery backer. Suddenly, though, Johnny\u2019s race career is upended when superpowered mercenary <em>Texas Twister<\/em> attacks at the behest of a sinister but unspecified stalker with a grudge to settle\u2026<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1915\" height=\"1345\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-1.jpg 1915w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-1-150x105.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-1-250x176.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-1-768x539.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-1-1536x1079.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><br \/>\nThe admittedly half-hearted assault fails, but when Ben offers his services to NASA a pattern begins to emerge after he and Alicia are ambushed by old foe <em>Darkoth<\/em> in <em>\u2018Day of the Death-Demon!\u2019 <\/em>(plotted by Len Wein &amp; Keith Pollard, scripted by Bill Mantlo, and illustrated by Pollard &amp; Sinnott). The near-forgotten cyborg terror is determined to destroy an experimental solar shuttle, but doesn\u2019t really know why, and as Ben ponders the inexplicable incident, in Hollywood<em>, Susan Storm-Richard<\/em>s\u2019 return to acting is inadvertently paused because alien shapeshifting loon <em>the<\/em> <em>Impossible Man<\/em> pays a visit. The delay gives Sue a little time to consider just how she got such a prestigious, dream-fulfilling offer so completely out of the blue at just the right moment\u2026<\/p>\n<p>At NASA, when Darkoth strikes again his silent partner is exposed as scheming alchemist <em>Diablo<\/em>, whilst in upstate New York, Reed slowly discovers his dreams of unlimited research time and facilities is nothing like he imagined. Finally, launch day comes and <strong>The Thing<\/strong> pilots the Solar Shuttle into space, only to have it catastrophically crash in the desert\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Joined by additional inker Dave Hunt, the creative pinch-hitters conclude the saga with <em>\u2018Vengeance is Mine!\u2019<\/em> as Ben survives impact and searing sandstorms, tracks down his foes and delivers a crushing defeat to Diablo and Darkoth, whilst in <strong>FF<\/strong> #195 Sue learns who sponsored her revived Tinseltown ambitions when <strong>Prince Namor, The Sub-Mariner<\/strong> renews his amorous pursuit of her. Embittered and lonely, he has fully forsaken Atlantis and the overwhelming demands of his people and state. Sadly, they have not done with him and despatch robotic warriors to drag him back to his duties in<em> \u2018Beware the Ravaging Retrievers!\u2019<\/em> (Wolfman, Pollard &amp; Pablo Marcos). Like everybody else, the metal myrmidons have utterly underestimated <strong>The Invisible Girl<\/strong> and pay the price, allowing the once-&amp;-future prince to reassess his position and make a momentous decision\u2026<\/p>\n<p>As Johnny links up with Ben &amp; Alicia, strands of a complex scheme begin to appear. In #196 they gel for self-deceiving Reed Richards as <em>\u2018Who in the World is the Invincible Man?\u2019<\/em> depicts the enigmatic Man with the Plan secretly subjecting Reed to the mind-bending powers of the <em>Pyscho-Man<\/em>, just as Sue rejoins Ben &amp; Johnny in New York City before being impossibly ambushed by a former FF foe. This time the man under the hood is not her father, but someone she loves even more\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Reunited with Reed, the horrified heroes are confronted by their greatest, most implacable enemy and the complicated plot to restore Reed\u2019s powers finally unfolds. <em>Victor Von Doom<\/em> craves revenge but refuses to triumph over a diminished foe, but his efforts to re-expose Richards to cosmic rays is secretly hijacked by a rival madman in <em>\u2018The Riotous Return of the Red Ghost!\u2019<\/em> (Wolfman, Pollard &amp; Sinnott). Of course there\u2019s more at stake, as Doom also seeks to legitimise his rule through a proxy son: planning to abdicate in his scion\u2019s favour and have Junior take Latveria into the UN and inevitably to the forefront of nations\u2026<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1905\" height=\"1347\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-2.jpg 1905w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-2-150x106.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-2-250x177.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-2-768x543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-2-1536x1086.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><br \/>\nFully restored and invigorated, <strong>Mister Fantastic<\/strong> defeats an equally resurgent Red Ghost before linking up with <strong>Nick Fury<\/strong> (senior) and <strong>S.H.I.E.L.D.<\/strong> to lead an <em>\u2018Invasion!\u2019 <\/em>of Doom\u2019s captive kingdom. Beside Latverian freedom fighter\/legal heir to the throne <em>Prince Zorba Fortunov<\/em>, Richards storms into Doomstadt, defeating all in his path and foiling the secondary scheme of imbuing the <em>\u2018The Son of Doctor Doom!\u2019 <\/em>with the powers of the (now) entire FF and exposing the incredible secret of <em>Victor von Doom II<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Months of deft planning (from Wolfman, Pollard &amp; Sinnott) culminate in epic confrontation <em>\u2018When Titans Clash!\u2019<\/em>, as Doom and Richards indulge in their ultimate battle (thus far), with the result that the villain is destroyed and the kingdom liberated. For now\u2026<\/p>\n<p>A post-Doom era opens in <strong>FF<\/strong> #201 (December 1978) as the celebrated and honoured foursome return to America and take possession of empty former HQ the Baxter Building. Unfortunately, so does something else, attacking the family through their own electronic installations and turning the towering \u201cdes res\u201d into <em>\u2018Home <span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">Sweet <\/span>Deadly Home!\u2019<\/em>: a mystery solved in the next issue when it subsequently seizes control of <em>Tony Stark<\/em>\u2019s armour to attack the FF again in <em>\u2018There\u2019s One Iron Man Too Many!\u2019<\/em>, with John Buscema filling in for penciller Pollard. The monthly mayhem pauses after #203\u2019s <em>\u2018\u2026And a Child Shall Slay Them!\u2019<\/em> wherein Wolfman, Pollard &amp; Sinnott reveal the incredible powers possessed by dying cosmic ray-mutated child <em>Willie Evans Jr.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>When the foremost authority on the phenomenon is called in to consult, Dr. Reed Richards and his associates &#8211; and all of Manhattan &#8211; face savage duplicates of themselves manifested from FF devotee Willie\u2019s fevered imagination\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Although the regular fun pauses here, two chronologically adrift King-Size specials follow, beginning with <strong>Fantastic Four Annual<\/strong> #12\u2019s <em>\u2018The End of the Inhumans\u2026 and the Fantastic Four\u2019<\/em> (Wolfman, Bob Hall, Pollard, Bob Wiacek &amp; Marie Severin. When Johnny\u2019s former flame <em>Crystal<\/em> &#8211; and gigantic Good Boi <em>Lockjaw<\/em> &#8211; teleport in seeking aid in finding the abducted Inhuman Royal Family, the team confronts ruthless Inhuman supremacist <em>Thraxon the Schemer<\/em> before exposing that megalomaniac\u2019s secret master: the immortal unconquerable <em>Sphinx<\/em>. Despite his god-like powers, the united force of the FF plus <strong>Blackbolt<\/strong>, <strong>Medusa<\/strong>, <em>Gorgon<\/em>, <em>Triton<\/em>, Crystal and former Avenger <strong>Quicksilver <\/strong>proves sufficient to temporarily defeat their foe\u2026 or does it?<\/p>\n<p>A year later, <strong>Annual<\/strong> #13 offered a more intimate and human tale from Mantlo, Sal Buscema &amp; Sinnott as <em>\u2018Nightlife\u2019 <\/em>revealed how New York\u2019s lost underclass was systematically being disappeared from the hovels and streets they frequented. With cameos from <strong>Daredevil <\/strong>and witch queen <em>Agatha Harkness<\/em>, the tale reveals a softer side to the FF\u2019s oldest enemy and a return to addressing social issues for the team.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1910\" height=\"1350\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-3.jpg 1910w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-3-150x106.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-3-250x177.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-3-768x543.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-3-1536x1086.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><br \/>\nIn monthly<strong> FF<\/strong> #204, Wolfman, Pollard &amp; Sinnott detail <em>\u2018The Andromeda Attack!\u2019<\/em> as Johnny goes out gallivanting and governess\/guardian Agatha Harkness picks up little <em>Franklin Richards<\/em>, just as &#8211; with only grown-ups in residence &#8211; the building\u2019s supercomputers pick up an astral anomaly, and materialise an alien princess in the lab. She\u2019s instantly followed by a Super-Skrull who blasts her before falling to the FF\u2019s counterattack. Interrogating the wounded woman, they learn she has come seeking help for her shattered world and near-extinct civilisation of Xandar\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Already illicitly supported by a <em>Watcher<\/em> breaking his oath of non-intervention, the last survivors of Andromeda\u2019s most benign culture have been reduced to a quartet of domed stations linked together and careening through space, defended only by the last of their peacekeeper <em>Nova Corps<\/em>. Now the fugitives are being targeted for extinction by rapacious Skrulls and desperately need someone\u2019s\u2026 anyone\u2019s\u2026 assistance\u2026<\/p>\n<p>The FF are keen to help <em>Suzerain Queen Adora<\/em>\u00a0return and happy to help the Xandarians, but the Human Torch has a new girlfriend and opts to stay behind for now to woo enigmatic <em>Frankie Raye<\/em>. He\u2019s also set on finally following up on his long-postponed higher education commitments and has enrolled in specialist academic institution Security College. Naturally, Johnny promises to catch up later, but no sooner do his partners beam out to the stars than he\u2019s attacked on campus by an old foe\u2026<\/p>\n<p>For #205, <em>\u2018When Worlds Die!\u2019<\/em>, Reed, Sue &amp; Ben\u2019s arrive with Adora at New Xandar finds the planetary remnants under attack by a Skrull war fleet, they join the Nova Corps to repel the assault, consequently driving closely-monitoring <em>Skrull Emperor Dorrek<\/em> insane with fury. Although Xandar\u2019s physical resources are almost gone, he actually wants their greatest asset and treasure &#8211; a repository of their knowledge and power stored in an awesome array of superprocessors linking countless generations of expired citizens together: the <em>Living Computers of Xandar! <\/em>Chief administrator <em>Prime Thoran<\/em> and severely wounded <em>Nova Centurion Tanak<\/em> have been holding back the storm with ever-diminishing forces, but now need the FF to turn the tide, while back at Security College, Johnny has stumbled into mystery and peril too, as a strange force seizes control of the students\u2026<\/p>\n<p>In Andromeda, his family\u2019s first foray against the Skrulls leads to their defeat and capture. Humiliated, tortured and put on display in a cruel show trial, they are ultimately blasted with a ray that will inescapably result in <em>\u2018The Death of\u2026 The Fantastic Four!\u2019<\/em>, rapidly aging them to the end of their natural lifespans in a matter of days. Dorrek\u2019s gleeful gloating is spoiled, however, by the arrival of his terrifying, ambitious wife <em>Empress R\u2019kylll<\/em>, the increased resistance of the Xandarians and, inevitably, the escape of the fast-aging Fantastic Four\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Ordering all-out assaults on the battered prey, Dorrek is further frustrated by Prime Thoran who gains astounding power by merging with the Living Computers of Xandar and the arrival of a colossal ship from Earth\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Here the saga dovetails with another Wolfman series that had recently ended its run on a cliffhanger.<strong> The Man Called Nova<\/strong> was in fact a boy named <em>Richard Rider<\/em>, a working-class nebbish in the tradition of <em>Peter Parker<\/em>, except he was good at sports and bad at learning, attending Harry S. Truman High School, where his strict dad was the principal. His mom worked as a police dispatcher and he had a younger brother, <em>Robert<\/em>, who was a bit of a genius. There were many more superficial similarities and cosmetic differences to <strong>Spider-Man<\/strong>. For more, you can either check out our numerous reviews or better yet, the actual comics tales, best seen in <strong>Nova Classic<\/strong> volumes #1-3. The 2-year saga culminated with Nova joining despised enemies <em>The Sphinx<\/em> (last seen battling the FF and <strong>Inhumans<\/strong> in<strong> Annual <\/strong>#12), Chinese superbrain-in-a-robot-body <em>Doctor Sun<\/em>, dastardly thug <em>Diamondhead<\/em> and hero-team <strong>The New Champions <\/strong>(<em>The Comet<\/em>, <em>Crime-Buster<\/em> and Xandarian refugee <em>Powerhouse<\/em>) aboard a pre-programmed, out-of-control spaceship hurtling towards Andromeda. <strong>Nova <\/strong>volume 1 ended with #25, with the unhappy crew lost in space and attacked by very angry Skrulls\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile back at this review, those newcomers\u2019 arrival piled on the pressure and concatenated the chaos as both the magical ancient immortal and futuristic Sino-cyborg abandoned ship, each determined to take the limitless power of Xandar\u2019s Living Computer network for their own. Back on Earth for #207, Wolfman, Sal Buscema &amp; Sinnott tune in on the Torch and favourite frenemy <strong>Spider-Man<\/strong> as they unite to expose the scandals of Security College, deprogram its students and almost fall foul of the sheer destructive <em>\u2018Might of the Monocle!\u2019<\/em>, after which the Torch joins his team in Andromeda. Aghast at the ongoing death sentence they\u2019re enduring, Johnny is just as helpless before <em>\u2018The Power of The Sphinx!\u2019<\/em> (Sal B &amp; inking cavalry \u201cD Hands\u201d AKA Al Milgrom and Franks Giacoia &amp; Springer) is boosted even further by stealing all the wisdom of the Living Computer system. With hyper-energised Prime Thoran busy battling Skrulls, the Sphinx soon solves the eternal secrets of the universe and heads back to Earth, resolved to turn back time and prevent his agonising eons of existence even happening, whilst seeing all reality endangered, increasingly elderly Reed has only one gambit to try\u2026<\/p>\n<p>John Byrne began his first tenure on the <strong>Fantastic Four<\/strong> with #209 (August 1979) as the reunited quartet seek to enlist the aid of cosmic devourer <strong>Galactus<\/strong>, pausing only long enough for Reed to construct &#8211; with Xandarian aid and resources &#8211; an all-purpose assistant. The result is the <strong>H<\/strong>umanoid <strong>E<\/strong>xperimental <strong>R<\/strong>obot, <strong>B<\/strong>-type, <strong>I<\/strong>ntegrated <strong>E<\/strong>lectronics (latterly, <strong>H<\/strong>ighly <strong>E<\/strong>ngineered <strong>R<\/strong>obot <strong>B<\/strong>uilt for <strong>I<\/strong>nterdimensional <strong>E<\/strong>xploration; don\u2019cha just love nominative deterministic acronymics?).<\/p>\n<p>At this time, an FF cartoon show had rejected fire hazard Johnny for a cutely telegenic robot, and Wolfman cheekily made that commercial rejection in-world canon here, dividing fans forever after, as the bleeping bot is pure Marmite in most readers eyes\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Riding the mile-long starship Nova &amp; Co arrived in, the FF\u2019s search takes them across the universe before leaving them <em>\u2018Trapped in the Sargasso of Space!\u2019<\/em> to face murderous aliens determined to use the new vessel to escape their stasis hell. Meanwhile, the New Champions and Xandar\u2019s forces prepare to face their final battle, just as impatient R\u2019kylll divorces her husband with a single ray gun blast and changes the course of history\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Despite odd, inexplicable increasingly hazardous incidences, the FF continue <em>\u2018In Search of Galactus!\u2019<\/em> and at last locate him, causing chaos in his colossal world-ship. Ultimately, they convince the Devourer to stop the Sphinx, but only by rescinding the vow that prevents Galactus from consuming Earth, and if the humans first bring him a new herald\u2026<\/p>\n<p>That occurs in <em>\u2018If This Be Terrax\u2019<\/em>, on a distant world enslaved by brutal despot <em>Tyros<\/em>, when the pitiless killer is painfully subdued by the heroes and converted by Galactus into a being who will rejoice in finding worlds to consume irrespective of whether civilisations will be consumed with them\u2026<\/p>\n<p>In #212, Earth trembles as the Devourer unleashes his herald to cow humanity whilst his master faces The Sphinx, but <em>\u2018The Battle of the Titans!\u2019<\/em> is subject to mission creep when the immortal Egyptian wizard sees his new knowledge as a way to restore his own past glories. With his master fully occupied in cosmic combat, Terrax the Tamer seeks to settle scores with the humans who toppled Tyros\u2019 kingdom, only to fall <em>\u2018In Final Battle!\u2019<\/em> for a ploy devised by Reed and executed by H.E.R.B.I.E. It\u2019s the last hurrah and a massive \u201cHail Mary\u201d ploy as Reed joins Sue and Ben in cryo-suspension, seconds from death, and barely aware that Galactus has triumphed, but at immense cost\u2026<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1900\" height=\"1357\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-4.jpg 1900w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-4-150x107.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-4-250x179.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-4-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Fantastic-Four-Epic-Collection-vol-11-illo-4-1536x1097.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><br \/>\nTragedy becomes triumph in closing episode <em>\u2018\u2026And Then There Was\u2026 One!\u2019<\/em> (<strong>FF <\/strong>#214, January 1980) as Johnny frantically seeks a cure for his family. When S.H.I.E.L.D., <strong>The Avengers<\/strong> and any others all prove helpless, a fortuitous attack by vengeful cyborg <em>Skrull-X <\/em>offers a grain of hope, but one necessitating a huge gamble: defrosting Reed and hoping he can use what the defeated alien revealed before rampant decrepitude ends the Smartest Man on Earth\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Of course, it all works out, but for what comes next you\u2019ll need the next volume&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Here the compilation concludes with bonus material supplementing all those fabulous covers by P\u00e9rez, Sinnott, Giacoia, Pollard, Marcos, John Buscema, Steve Leialoha, Kirby, Milgrom, Dave Cockrum, Walter Simonson, Byrne, Ron Wilson, Joe Rubinstein and Rich Buckler. It includes House ads for comics and the TV cartoon; editorial corrections; Cockrum\u2019s cover rough for #197; Kirby &amp; Sinnott\u2019s original cover art for #200 and the covers for <strong>Marvel Treasury Edition<\/strong> #21 by Bobs Budiansky &amp; McLeod.<\/p>\n<p>Also on view are Budiansky\u2019s pencils for the cover of <strong>F.O.O.M.<\/strong> #22 and the printed final result from Autumn 1978 as inked by Sinnott, plus interior features <em>\u2018HERBIE the Robot Blueprints!\u2019<\/em> and <em>\u2018Stan Lee Presents: The Fantastic Four Cartoon Show\u2019<\/em>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Although the \u201cWorld\u2019s Greatest Comics Magazine\u201d never quite returned to the stratospheric heights of the Kirby era, this collection offers an appreciative and tantalising taste-echo of those heady heights and a potent promise of fresher thrills to come. These extremely capable efforts are probably most welcome to dedicated superhero fans and continuity freaks like me, but will still thrill and delight the generous and forgiving casual browser looking for an undemanding slice of graphic narrative excitement.<br \/>\n\u00a9 2025 MARVEL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Marv Wolfman, Bill Mantlo, Len Wein, Keith Pollard, Roger Slifer, John Byrne, Sal Buscema, George P\u00e9rez, Bob Hall, John Buscema, Joe Sinnott, Pablo Marcos, Bob Wiacek, Dave Hunt, Diverse Hands (Al Milgrom, Frank Giacoia, Frank Springer, Marie Severin), Bob Budiansky, Jack Kirby &amp; various (MARVEL ISBN: 978-1-3029-6055-1 (TPB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/08\/31\/fantastic-four-epic-collection-volume-11-four-no-more-1978-1980\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Fantastic Four Epic Collection volume 11: Four No More (1978-1980)&#8221;<\/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":[94,18,85,317,189,120,117,79,174,234,219,107,155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-avengers","category-captain-marvel","category-daredevil","category-doctor-doom","category-inhumans","category-iron-man","category-jack-kirby","category-marvel-superheroes","category-nick-fury","category-nova-graphic-novels","category-s-h-i-e-l-d","category-science-fiction","category-sub-mariner"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8K6","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33610","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=33610"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33617,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33610\/revisions\/33617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}