Books : Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials)

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Rating:

- Fantastic Four Merely OK...
Comics fans usually date the Silver Age of the medium from the first appearance of the Fantastic Four in FF#1. By the time the issues collected in "Essential Fantastic Four vol.2" appeared, however, the magazine had lost quite a bit of its initial steam. Jack Kirby's art still retained its powerful punch, but Stan Lee's writing began to show the strain as he tried to crank out multiple Marvel titles every month.

As a result, the FF went through a number of odd mood swings, such as when Sue Storm joined the Thing and the Human Torch in trying to oust her own fiance as leader of the group because he spent too much time working on scientific projects. The stoic Mr. Fantastic responds to this leadership challenge with all the grace of a three-year-old. While the Torch and Thing's bickering has always been part of the formula, Lee usually plays Richards and Storm with some nuance.

There is plenty of good stuff here as well. The first appearance of Dragon Man is a keeper, as are Dr. Doom's appearances (including the legendary "Battle of the Baxter Building"). Of particular interest is a story wherein in the aftermath of a battle with the Frightful Four, the FF lose their powers and develop alternate means of taking the fight to their enemies.

I recommend this collection to die-hard FF fans (like they don't already have it) and Jack Kirby fans interested in the very beginnings of his cosmic style. For all others, pick up the first volume instead.

Rating:

- Fantastic stories at a great price!
Another excellent tome in the "Essential" collection, this one covers the "mid" years of the Lee/Kirby run, between the outstanding inventiveness of the earliest material and the legendary run in the #40-#60 range that introduced Galactus, the Inhumans, etc. So what's the highlight here? Well, #20-#40 pretty much are reprinted, and even in black and white they mostly shine - the best stories include the origin of Dr. Doom, a slam-bang battle between the FF, the Hulk and the Avengers, an awesome confrontation between a powerless FF and Doom, and the introduction of the Frightful Four! Woo! Great stuff! I'm only knocking this down one star because of the hideous inking Kirby's pencils got on the first five or so issues included in this collection - it's slapdash and sketchy, awful stuff compared to Chic Stone's great inking in the last 2/3 or so of this mammoth book. Buy it!

Rating:

- The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!
Emblazoned upon the top of every Fantastic Four comic book isthe banner that says "World's Greatest Comic Magazine".These are some of the stories that often earned that distinction as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hit their stride. Am axnoiusly awaiting vol 3, which will contain the first appearances of the Silver Surfer and Galactus. These are the kinds of stories which formed the basis of the Marvel Comics Universe.

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