This hardback volume collects "Fantastic Four" #1-#10 in full colour
Writer: Stan Lee
Artists: Jack Kirby (p) Dick Ayers, Sol Brodsky, Art Simek, Joe Sinott (i), Glynis Oliver (colours)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
"The World's Greatest Comics Magazine!"
These words may not have appeared on the cover until issue #3 of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four, but the intention was always clear: this book set out to revolutionise the superhero genre. To mix larger-than-life hero archetypes with more grounded real-world concerns seems like such an obvious idea to modern readers that we can't possibly appreciate the novelty of the approach when the first issue was published in November of 1961, but the very fact that the application of a high degree of verisimilitude to a superhero comic is such a conventional approach to the genre today means that we can certainly appreciate the incalculable influence that the book has had over its future offspring.
Although it's unclear exactly what proportion of the FF's creation can be credited to Lee and what proportion to Kirby (much like Spider-Man, there's a sense that Stan Lee applied his talents for adding depth and character to a pre-existing artistic concept), the collaboration of these two giants of the medium produces an obvious spark from the very first issue. The ease with which Lee's hyperbolic style of prose gels with Kirby's larger-than-life visuals is such that it's no surprise that the pair's uninterrupted tenure as writer and artist on the book lasted so long. As with the early issues of Amazing Spider-Man (collected in the first "Masterworks" of the series), it's impressive to see how fully-formed the FF's characters were even at this early stage. Whilst certain powers are yet to manifest (eg. Sue Storm's forcefields) and the looks of the characters are still evolving (the costumes take a while to appear, and The Thing is often disguised in a long raincoat, hat and glasses which make him look more like a predatory sex pest than a superhero), the dynamic of the family is much the same as the Fantastic Four that we read about today. In these first ten issues, we get the classic origin story of the Four, the introduction of Doctor Doom, the re-introduction of Namor the Sub-Mariner to the modern Marvel Universe, and the debuts of countless other characters and concepts which continue to be mined for stories today.
Despite the fact that these comics were first published almost half a century ago (which feels almost impossible to believe), much of the material remains relevant and thought-provoking today. Sequences which deal with the nature of celebrity or the dysfunctional nature of the family unit are woven into the cosmic storylines and exciting situations that the FF face, showing off Stan Lee's knack for peppering the fantastical with the real and introducing subtle elements of social commentary into what many perceived as simplistic stories for young children alone. Still, some of the details are likely to raise a smile for modern-day readers, with the recurring references to the global menace of communism and the questionable gender politics standing as inescapable anachronisms which date the issues far more than Kirby's Silver Age visuals.
Kirby manages to be just as inventive in his approach to the art as Lee managed to be in his approach to writing. Considering the importance that we place on the contribution of the writer to comics today, it's interesting to see Kirby - who was, even then, an experienced artist - really take the lead in the storytelling at a time when Lee was still finding his way and honing his approach. The collaborative "Marvel Style" of storytelling informs every page, and there's a definite sense that the plots of these early issues were as much driven by what Kirby wanted to draw as by what Stan the Man wanted to write (check out the numerous cutaway diagrams of the Baxter Building that Kirby manages to fit into several issues). Just as Steve Ditko was the defining and original Spider-Man artist, Kirby's FF is the FF, and the combination of his chunky, energetic and clear pencils with his inkers' heavy lines and his colourists' powerful primary shades creates a look and feel for the group that continues to inform creators working on the title today. Indeed, the vibrantly colourful hues are so important to the look and feel of Fantastic Four that anyone who has only experienced these early adventures through the black-and-white 'Essentials' collections is really missing half the story. It really makes you thankful that these Masterworks exist, preserving these highly important works of the medium for us to appreciate in their pure form. This volume also includes an introduction from Stan Lee which might not offer a huge amount of insight into the creation of the book, but outlines the inspirations for the characters and concept so charmingly that it's impossible not to enjoy.
This book is such a blast to reread that it almost makes you frustrated to think that even the very best of today's writers and artists can't come close to matching the raw imagination and inventiveness that was the engine of Lee-and-Kirby-era Fantastic Four. However, to compare any current creator to these gods of the medium is to find them wanting, as there never has been a team quite like it. Readers who are used to a diet of modern comics may dismiss these early stories as twee and old-fashioned, but they'd be denying themselves the chance to witness a piece of comics history. Perhaps even more so than Spider-Man, these characters embodied the spirit of Marvel comics, and these early issues are arguably some of the most important comics to ever have been produced. This is the birth of the Marvel Universe; the reinvention of the superhero genre; the first great creative success (of many) for Stan Lee; a defining piece of work in the career of Jack Kirby; and the dawning of a new age for comics. If only for those reasons, this collection demands to be read, and definitely deserves a place on your bookshelf.
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