{"id":33933,"date":"2025-10-06T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T08:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=33933"},"modified":"2025-09-30T16:37:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T16:37:44","slug":"fantastic-four-marvel-masterworks-volume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/10\/06\/fantastic-four-marvel-masterworks-volume\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantastic Four Marvel Masterworks volume"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" \"\"
\nBy Doug Moench<\/strong> & Bill Sienkiewicz<\/strong>, John Byrne<\/strong>, Roger Stern<\/strong>, Joe Sinnott<\/strong>, Al Milgrom<\/strong>, George P\u00e9rez<\/strong>, Tom Sutton<\/strong>, Jerome Moore<\/strong>, Chic Stone<\/strong>, Jon D\u2019Agostino<\/strong>, Mike Esposito<\/strong>, Pablo Marcos<\/strong>, Frank Giacoia<\/strong>, George Roussos<\/strong>, Jim Novak<\/strong>, Irving Watanabe<\/strong> & various (MARVEL)
\nISBN: 978-1-3029-1027-3 (TPB\/Digital edition)<\/p>\n

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

For Marvel everything started with The Fantastic Four<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Monolithic modern Marvel truly began with eccentric monster \u2018n\u2019 alien filled adventures of a compact superteam as much squabbling family as coolly capable costumed champions. All that Modern Marvel is, company and brand, stems from that quirky quartet and the inspired, inspirational, groundbreaking efforts of Stan Lee & Jack Kirby\u2026<\/p>\n

Cautiously bi-monthly and cover-dated November 1961, Fantastic Four<\/strong> #1 – by Stan, Jack, George Klein and\/or Christopher Rule – was raw and crude even by the ailing publisher\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 revealed in that premier issue, maverick scientist Reed Richards<\/em>, fianc\u00e9e Sue Storm<\/em>, close friend Ben Grimm<\/em> and Sue\u2019s bratty teen brother survived an ill-starred private spaceshot after cosmic rays penetrated their ship\u2019s inadequate shielding.<\/p>\n

All were permanently mutated: Richards\u2019 body became elastic, diffident Sue became (even more) invisible, Johnny Storm<\/em> burst into living flame and tragic Ben shockingly devolved into a shambling, rocky freak. After the initial revulsion and trauma passed, they solemnly agreed to use their abilities to benefit mankind. Throughout the 1960s The Fantastic Four<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s moving to National\/DC in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Without Kirby\u2019s soaring imagination the rollercoaster of mindbending High Concepts lost out to traditional tales of characters in conflict, with soap opera leanings and supervillain-heavy Fights \u2018n\u2019 Tights forays abounding. With Lee & Kirby long gone but their mark very much still stamped onto every page of the still-prestigious title, this full-colour luxury compendium collects Fantastic Four<\/strong> #219-231 and Annual<\/strong> #15, spanning June 1980-June 1981, wherein editor Jim Salicrup sanctioned a bold new look and direction for the Hallowed team. The call for and upshot of all that is discussed by incoming writer Doug Moench who recalls fan-fright paralysis and jumping in full throttle in his Introduction<\/em> \u2018The Big-Kid Stuff Cold Turkey Fail\u2019<\/em> prior to a distinctly spookily toned and frequently supernaturally themed change of pace commencing.<\/p>\n

What You Should Know<\/em>: After being rejuvenated and repowered in an extended space-spanning saga, the Family FF are getting used to being back on earth even with supervillains all over the place. Now Read On…<\/p>\n

Penciller John Byrne, having served out his first term of duty on the series he was to soon make his alone was officially and ostensibly only temporarily replaced for FF <\/strong>#219. Ably augmented by Joe Sinnott, stalwart \u201cGuest-Team\u201d Doug Moench & Bill Sienkiewicz were parachuted in for monster mash-up \u2018Leviathans\u2019<\/em>, on the back of huge success and acclaim for their vigilante thriller Moon Knight<\/strong>, bringing with them a whole new look and sensibility, as well as far faster pace to the stories.<\/p>\n

Here, modern day pirate Cap\u2019n Barracuda<\/em> steal the fabled Horn of Proteus from Atlantis and unleashes a wave of giant monsters on New York City. Thankfully, this is a subject the mighty Sub-Mariner<\/strong> and Mr. Fantastic can agree on and their combined forces are soon stomping beasties and taking names (like Giganto!<\/em>) to restore order and stop a piratical plunder ploy without peer…
\n\"\"
\nByrne was back writing & pencilling in #220 as \u2018…And the Lights Went Out All Over the World!\u2019<\/em> sees the Avengers call in Reed and his team when all of Earth suffers a catastrophic power-outage. Science! soon sends the explorers to the arctic where they encounter an astounding and unbelievable obelisk being constructed by beings of utterly alien appearance…<\/p>\n

The story includes an updated origin for the quartet and guest shot for Canada\u2019s finest (that\u2019s Vindicator<\/strong> of Alpha Flight<\/strong> in case you were wondering) and the issue halts with a pinup\/possible rejected cover by inker Sinnott (the Torch battling a flaming Skrull) before #221\u2019s concluding chapter \u2018Tower of Glass… Dreams of Glass!\u2019<\/em> – after the usual misconceptions and rash clashes reveal three aliens shipwrecked for half a million years who just need their myriad mobile mechanisms to reverse the planet\u2019s magnetic poles so that they can return home at last. Thankfully, Reed has a less end of human civilisation-y solution that leaves everyone involved happy and safe…<\/p>\n

Now officially the latest regular creative team, Moench & Sienkiewicz return to prep for Halloween in FF<\/strong> #222\u2019s \u2018The Possession of Franklin Richards!\u2019<\/em> as the kid is targeted from beyond the unknown by the exiled soul of Nicholas Scratch<\/em>, son of Agatha Harkness<\/strong> and the kind of warlock who gives witchcraft a bad name. Having made the boy his conduit back to reality, Scratch terrorises and tortures his hated enemies, who with Doctor Strange<\/strong> unavailable, must call on the dubious gifts of self-doubting failed horror hero Gabriel the Devil Hunter<\/strong> and his sexy morally ambiguous familiar Desadia<\/em> (as mostly seen in the Marvel monochrome magazine line such as Haunt of Horror <\/strong>and Monsters Unleashed<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

Apparently acquiescing, the team agree to liberate the dead diabolist\u2019s minions of magical cult Salem\u2019s Seven<\/em> in \u2018That a Child May Live…\u2019<\/em> but their instant assaults on humanity are an acceptable risk and consequence in a long plan that sets the worlds to rights for all but the defeated devil…<\/p>\n

Fantastic Four Annual<\/strong> #15 swiftly follows, wherein Moench & George P\u00e9rez, abetted by Chic Stone, Jon D\u2019Agostino & Mike Esposito, renew hostilities between the FF and the Skrull empire when the shapeshifters target Reed\u2019s latest energy-casting breakthrough in \u2018Time for the Prime Ten!\u2019 <\/em>Infiltrating the Baxter Building, negating his teammates and almost banishing Mr. Fantastic to the tender mercies of Annihilus<\/em> in the Negative Zone, the sneaky killers are actually seeking to end their millennial war against stellar rivals The Kree, but have underestimated Reed\u2019s brilliance, his team\u2019s tenacity and the sheer power and cosmic awareness of Earth-loving Kree Exile Captain Mar-Vell…<\/p>\n

A back-up tale by Moench & Tom Sutton takes us to recently liberated Latveria for the opening of proposed series \u2018The Return of Doctor Doom!\u2019<\/em> with only episode \u2018The Power of the People!\u2019<\/em> showing how restored monarch King Zorba<\/em> failing to live up to his democratic promise and discovering how excessive taxation really upsets subjects, at around the same moment crazed and catatonic Victor von Doom goes missing from the most secure dungeon in Doomstadt…<\/p>\n

Sadly, the impending crisis never materialised and was only addressed by John Byrne in Fantastic Four<\/strong> #247…<\/p>\n

Over in FF <\/strong>#224 & 225, fresh calamity unfolds in Moench, Sienkiewicz & Pablo Marcos\u2019 \u2018The Darkfield Illumination\u2019<\/em> as an eerie radioactive red mist blankets Manhattan and plays hob with the team\u2019s powers. Tracing the cloud\u2019s origin point to an icy dome in the Arctic, the FF discover a lost colony of technologically advanced Vikings utterly dependent upon a mutated immortal giant. \u2018The Blind God\u2019s Tears\u2019<\/em> supply heat, light, food materials from the outside world and immortality, but now Korgon<\/em> is dying and demands the explorers save him and the people who worship him…<\/p>\n

Always eager to help, the team strive hard and succeed in saving the God, only to see him betrayed by his most trusted ally. As Korgon rages madly in response, the situation escalates as Thor arrives to investigate Viking worshippers who have abandoned their true god for a false one…
\n\"\"
\nBruce Patterson joins Marcos inking Sienkiewicz as Moench takes the opportunity to bring closure to fans of his old Shogun Warriors<\/strong> series next. In their own title the former pilots of monster-fighting mega-mecha Dangard Ace<\/em>, Raydeen <\/em>and Combatra<\/em> had been recruited by an ancient order to defend humanity, but had ultimately retired when their machines were destroyed. That epic sacrifice had come when evil enemy Maur-Kon<\/em> had targeted the Fantastic Four and attempted to kill Reed.<\/p>\n

Now a new giant mecha rampages and robs and the teams reunite with Ilongo Savage<\/em>, Richard Carson<\/em> and Genji Odashu<\/em> aiding the battle against \u2018The Samurai Destroyer\u2019<\/em> and the unworthy soul exploiting its power for profit….<\/em><\/p>\n

Movie-toned terror in the heartland follows as a meteor crashes in rural Pennsylvania resort Lost Lake just as the FF head out to the Boonies for a break. Their encounter with \u2018The Brain Parasites\u2019<\/em> infesting hosts and reverting them to earlier evolutionary forms is by-the-books horror fun from Moench, Sienkiewicz & Patterson, and readily fixed by little Franklin\u2019s unreliable mental powers. This sets the scene for the next issue where further tests by professional head shrinkers and brain benders only unleash uncontrollable chaos, possessing bystanders and an adult super-powered version of the lad. Thankfully loving parents and uncles allow Franklin to exorcise his deadly \u2018Ego-Spawn\u2019<\/em> (Sinnott inks)…
\n\"\"
\nThe experiment in alternative tale-telling ends on a 3-part saga that opens with #229\u2019s \u2018The Thing From the Black Hole\u2019<\/em>. After it homes in on Reed\u2019s latest invention, Earth soon totters on the edge of destruction as a living, sentient singularity made of antimatter disrupts physical laws. Desperate Richards makes contact with its cosmic equivalent and uncovers a tale of love lost in service to scientific exploration. The mobile extinction event was once a sentient being whose love for a fellow astronaut turned them both into creatures of uncanny forces. Thankfully \u2018Firefrost and the Ebon Seeker\u2019<\/em> reach an understanding that saves the world, but as a consequence a section of Manhattan – including the Baxter Building – is marooned inside the Negative Zone.<\/p>\n

With panic amongst the hordes of abducted New Yorkers barely suppressed, the FF search for a solution \u2018In All the Gathered Gloom!\u2019<\/em> (by Moench & Roger Stern with art from Sienkienwisz, Jerome Moore, Sinnott, & Frank Giacoia) even as new antimatter menace Stygorr <\/em>zeroes in on the intruding enclave. The last thing the FF need is bullying big business plutocrat Lew Shiner<\/em> telling everyone his money puts him in charge. After his posturing triggers a riot, tragedy is guaranteed, and the heroes barely beat the alien invader in time to return everyone surviving back home…<\/p>\n

With covers by Sienkienwicz, Byrne Sinnott & Bob McLeod, the extras here include a Sinnott Thing<\/strong> pinup from FF<\/strong> #219, Sienkievich\u2019s rejected cover-turned-pinup as printed in #224 original art pages\/covers inked by Marcos, Bruce Patterson, Sinnott, and original colour-guides painted by George Roussos.<\/p>\n

Although never quite returning to the stratospheric heights of the Kirby era, this truly different collection represents a closing of the First Act for the \u201cWorld\u2019s Greatest Comics Magazine\u201d, and palate cleansing preparation for the second groundbreaking run by an inspired John Byrne. These extremely capable efforts are probably most welcome to dedicated superhero fans and continuity freaks like me, but will still thrill and delight casual browsers looking for an undemanding slice of graphic narrative excitement – especially if this time the movie continues to deliver on its promise\u2026
\n\u00a9 2018 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

To Be Continued\u2026<\/p>\n

Today in 1918 artist John Forte<\/strong> was born. He\u2019s most fondly remembered for costumed charm, as best seen in Legion of Super-Heroes: The Silver Age volume 1<\/a> <\/strong>. We don\u2019t have nearly enough collected material for UK visionary comics stalwart Ron Embleton <\/strong>who was born today in 1930. If you think you\u2019re old enough, you could look at Oh, Wicked Wanda!<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Indomitable weekly anthology Valiant <\/strong>began its stellar 712 issue run today in 1962. Inside was the magnificent Steel Claw<\/strong> whom we comprehensively covered in The Steel Claw: Invisible Man<\/a><\/strong>. Yes. Well done, the modern invisible man could be seen from the start…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Doug Moench & Bill Sienkiewicz, John Byrne, Roger Stern, Joe Sinnott, Al Milgrom, George P\u00e9rez, Tom Sutton, Jerome Moore, Chic Stone, Jon D\u2019Agostino, Mike Esposito, Pablo Marcos, Frank Giacoia, George Roussos, Jim Novak, Irving Watanabe & various (MARVEL) ISBN: 978-1-3029-1027-3 (TPB\/Digital edition) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. For Marvel … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Fantastic Four Marvel Masterworks volume”<\/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":[191,244,351,94,18,317,158,54,146,72,79,396,242,107,155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-alpha-flight","category-apes-monkeys","category-avengers","category-captain-marvel","category-doctor-doom","category-dr-strange","category-fantastic-four","category-marvel-horror","category-marvel-masters-masterworks","category-marvel-superheroes","category-monsters","category-pirates","category-science-fiction","category-sub-mariner"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8Pj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33933","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=33933"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33939,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33933\/revisions\/33939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}