Rating:  -
Since volumes 4 & 2 currently share the same reviews listing, I'll be giving two separate reviews here:
5 stars... Volume 4: Best of Byrne's team with Thing
This is it- the very best of Byrne's Fantastic Four with fan-favorite Thing on the team. In volumes 5-8, She-Hulk has taken his place. And in the 1st three volumes Byrne was just starting to get really good. Here he's firing on all cylinders! So if the Thing is among your favorite characters, I recommend this volume in the series above all else.
Where to begin? How about the very 1st issue, with a detailed double-page spread of Dr. Doom's kingdom. This is another visual landmark for Byrne in this series. Even the cover of this 1st issue is brilliant, with a reflection of Doom on his own armored glove as he tears away the cover. But as good as that is, the next two issues are even better: it's the 2-part Terrax/Tyros fight including Dr. Doom and the Silver Surfer by the local Shop-Rite, with pedestrians all around(!). This is a signature event in Byrne's run on the series; easily one of the most memorable, and one of my personal favorites. It's the best 2-issue battle since the Gladiator fight in volume 2. We then move on to Assistant Editor's Month, and the Trial of Reed Richards, featuring Galactus & a cameo by Byrne himself. After that is a 2-issue event involving the Thing & Johnny, a racecar, and a very odd type of fantasy island. I also enjoyed the infiltration of FF headquarters by the Trapster, and for those who remember it: this paperback then coincides with the events of the 1st Secret Wars & introduces She-Hulk to this team. A very human story with Mr. Fantastic & Dr. Octopus finishes all this- in a very unexpected way.
I keep turning to the Terrax/Tyros fight everytime I open this paperback. Issue 260 is my favorite here: it's a near perfect introduction to this team for those who may be familiar with the big-screen movies, but not so much with the comics. In fact, this is one of the all-time best volumes on the Fantastic Four by *any* writer or artist, which, given the history of this comic, is really saying a lot. 5 Stars!
Included in this volume:
*Issue #258- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #259- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #260- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks... my favorite here
*Alpha Flight #4- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #261- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #262- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #263- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #264- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Thing #10- John Byrne writes; Ron Wilson pencils; Hilary Barta inks
*Issue #265- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #266- John Byrne writes & inks; Kerry Gammil pencils
*Issue #267- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
4 stars... Volume 2: Improving his figure drawing
In this paperback, Byrne's figure drawing takes a noticeable step in the right direction from volume 1. Figure drawing isn't everything though: there's also characters, content, backgrounds, composition & layouts to consider. Taking all these elements together, I actually mostly prefer the visuals in that less-refined 1st volume in this series. Having said that, issues 249 & 250 here are some of Byrne's best-ever work. I can honestly recommend buying this TPB just for these two issues(!).
Byrne is partially famous for his work on a certain Man of Steel in '86. Interestingly, four years earlier in '82, he actually gave us a kind of preview to this work in FF issue 249(!), tellingly entitled "Man and Super-Man". In it, the Fantastic Four are up against a super-man of sorts: the alien Kree warrior called Gladiator. Anyone who takes the time to compare this issue with Byrne's Man of Steel work can readily see the similarities. It's a classic, no-holds-barred, cityscape battle of epic proportions. And the artwork here is simply amazing! It's easy to forget what a landmark issue this was in Byrne's lengthy career. Gladiator lifting the Baxter building is one of Marvel's best single panels ever. The detailed schematic of the FF's headquarters is crystal clear. And who could ever forget the fight between Gladiator and the Thing!? And that's just issue 249- I haven't even started on 250 yet. Together, they're a titanic 2-part story that's not to be missed. If you only buy this paperback for these two issues, I'd say it's worth the entire price.
-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 #241- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #242- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #243- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #244- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #245- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #246- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #247- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #248- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
*Issue #249- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks... my favorite here
*Issue #250- John Byrne writes, pencils & inks
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