Rating:  -
Byrne's famous run begins in '81 with great stories yet slightly-on-the-crude-side artwork (by today's standards), in part because he inks himself consistently for the very 1st time. If you can get past this initial element, the characters & stories here are colorful, lively & fun.
If people need proof that Byrne *could* draw better than this, check out his Avengers 189, 190 & 191, inked by Dan Green, circa 1979. It seems like it's inking that makes the difference as these 3 issues are some of my favorites Byrne's ever done. In any case, my favorite issue in this 1st volume is the attractive looking #238, featuring the Human Torch, Frankie Raye, the Thing, and even Herbie(!). I consider this to be the 1st landmark visual improvement in Byrne's highly successful run.
It seems Byrne has a thing for the original, Invaders era Human Torch, as he consistently deals with this character in his work all throughout the eighties. We see it in this 1st volume in his FF, as well as his runs on Avengers West Coast, Namor, and briefly in his She-Hulk series too. It's a common thread in his eighties/early nineties work, and I like this consistency in artistic vision.
-Printing Quality-: The first two volumes in this series had inferior reproduction in their 1st printings, creating a very dated, dot-matrix look in various flat areas of color throughout. Second printings of these volumes corrected this with high-quality color reconstruction. Online ordering *may* result in getting a 1st printing instead. Buying in person is the best way to be sure in what you're getting. (I actually have a 2nd printing of volume 2; I haven't yet seen a 2nd printing of volume 1. They may not have issued it yet.)
Included in this volume:
*Issue #232- John Byrne writes & pencils; Bjorn Heyn inks (Byrne pseudonym)
*Issue #233- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #234- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #235- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #236- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #237- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #238- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks... my favorite here
*Issue #239- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #240- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
Rating:  -
I read all the great Marvel titles in the late 70's and early 80's. This book chronicles the beginning of John Byrne's masterful run with the Fantastic Four. Byrne's art was revolutionary at the time and still hold up well today, his stories were just as good. This masterful book includes Doctor Doom, the Puppet Master and the introduction of a second human torch; only hotter this time. :)
The only Marvel run that compares to Byrne's FF was his collarobration with Chris Claremont on the X-Men IMO. I absolutely loved this, I've already ordered volume 2!
Rating:  -
I am still not much of a FF fan. Fun use of some of the Marvel staff in here though. The Trial of Reed Richards is certainly cool. Many cosmic entities thrown in for cameos, and that sort of thing. This is just more out and out Fantastic Four silliness, and some really really bad Johnny Storm clothes.
Rating: -
I've already got John Byrne's FF run in original comic book format, so this review is more about his entire run than this specific collection.
Way back in the 80s through to the early 90s, I've been a fan of John Byrne's, notably of these issues, which I found extremely entertaining. I'm currently re-reading the run, and while they are still entertaining, they otherwise don't hold up that well (and I can't say I'm as big a fan anymore). For example, there are some throw-away or filler issues in the early part of his run that would not have been missed; and later on, there are some ethically questionable issues that have to do with Reed Richards saving the life of Galactus (a being who takes his sustenance from habitable planets, leaving the planets and its inhabitants destroyed) and his justification for doing so (there's even an issue where Richards is held on trial). Otherwise, it's fairly solid entertainment throughout.
Overall, the main reason these stories look as good as they do is because they're allegedly better than what came before. Certainly, John Byrne brought a unity and cohesiveness to a book that seemed to lack it before he took over. Byrne stayed on the title for 5 years, so the mag enjoyed a fairly coherent vision for a while. I think that, in itself, helps put the work in a better light.
Rating:  -
This book came highly recommended to me, and I have to admit, nothing about it was significant or spectacular.
My two immediate conclusions for why this book recieves such rave reviews are fan nostalgia, and that the creators who immediately proceeded Byrne really botched things up.
I tend to dislike a book more than I otherwise would when a book fails to live up to high expectations. Unfortunately, this is the case here.
Not to say that this is a bad read. It isn't. Byrne is at the top of his game here, and it shows on every page. But modern comics have inevitably eclipsed this material (compare the Fantastic Four vs. Ego to the modernized version of The Authority vs. "God"). Sometimes it's not the novelty of a story that makes it great, but the way it's told.
I'll say this: buy this book if, and only if, you are a Fantastic Four completist. Otherwise, you're gonna be walking in on someone else's show.
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