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The format of the Essential series is softcover, black and white (many times muddy), printed on cheap, pulpy paper. The classic stories in these books deserve better treatment by Marvel. Do yourself a favor and instead buy the Marvel Masterworks series, which are hardbacks, printed in color, on high quality paper. They are worth the difference in price.
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How much did these Lee/Kirby classics affect comics as we know them? Well, when FF#1 arrived on the scene, DC stories were likely to be Superman being turned into an Ant Superman or Lion Superman by red kryptonite, Jimmy Olson was turning into Turtle Boy, Lois Lane was constantly trying to trick Superman into marriage and Batman spent more time fighting aliens than he did fighting the Joker. When DC had a good story idea, they had to trumpet it on their cover with "Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story! Not an April Fool's gag!"--DC was the pits! Along comes Marvel (Atlas at the time) which specialized in Godzilla type monster stories. Armed with new concepts-humanized heroes, longer stories, & continuity-the company took off. This is where the Marvel Universe was born and although these stories are simplistic (FF fought to a standstill by a hypnotist!? defeats Impossible Man by ignoring him until he leaves?!), they are the bedrock of modern comics. Lee/Kirby deserve all the credit they get for rescuing the form from oblivion and raising the intelligence of the genre. I hope that the series continues at least through the first 100.
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Every few decades, a comic emerges which changes everything in the medium. Action Comics #1 with the emergence of Superman. Frank Miller's "Batman: The Dark Night Returns". And bisecting these two milestones? Fantastic Four #1, the comic which gave birth to the Silver Age.
This legendary issue is included, along with the 19 issues of the title which followed it, and the 1st FF annual, in "Essential Fantastic Four vol. 1". Each issue is absolutely packed with some of the most innovative characters and writing ever seen in comics. Aside from the truly radical members of the FF (a superteam that bickers? This ain't the Justice League), readers are treated to the first appearances of the Sub-Mariner, the shapeshifting Skrulls, and Dr. Doom.
This is a top-drawer collection which every comics fan should own.
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Both Marvel and DC Comics have been reprinting their classic tales, making them affordable and accessible to modern collectors, but Marvel deserves an extra kudos for their exceptional "Essentials" series which reprint entire runs of 20-or-so comics from Marvel's Silver Age in a black-and-white "phone book" format (no doubt inspired by Dave Sim's massive collections of "Cerebus" comics). How innovative are these first FF comics? Picture the early 1960s, where a superhero team comic meant the rather whitebread "Justice League of America" from DC...classic stories, of course, but somewhat lacking in scope and character development. Enter Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's first Marvel Comic: the heroes don't wear costumes (not until the third issue, at least), squabble and fight (not unlike a real family) and face truly hideous and grotesque monsters of true nightmare quality. Reading these stories I'm often surprised at the sheer amount of plot and action that Lee and Kirby manage to squeeze into a couple dozen pages for each story...although this is slightly before the incredibly innovative period of Kirby's blockbuster, knock-you-out layouts, there's still, for want of a better phrase, "never a dull moment." This book, and others created by Lee and Kirby and the other great artists of early Marvel, created comics that inspired a whole new wave in the industry. This isn't the single greatest Fantastic Four period--Kirby's knock-out run beginning around FF #45 and including the mind-blowing Galactus Trilogy is yet to come--but it's an absolute must-have for anyone who professes to love comics. Finally, *very* high praise for the Essentials series in and of itself: I've always wanted to read *all* these stories, not just the few that get often reprinted in other formats (FF #1, 5), and this is simply the best way to read a couple years worth of continuity at an exceptionally affordable price. Sure, these are reprinted in black and white rather than the original color, but that's a minor problem-Kirby's art is as dynamic and innovative even without colors. The "Essentials" series is a re-publishing program that is much needed, and I hope it continues (how about a collection of Ant-Man/Wasp stories? John Byrne's run on FF? Gulacy's Master of Kung Fu?). Although DC has made enormous strides in re-presenting their classic works for a modern audience in their Archives editions and the Millennium comic books, Marvel has shown that it can and will cover all ends of the market with comic book format reprints, color graphic novel compilations, their pricier color Masterworks collections, and these accessibly-priced and aptly-named Essentials. There's only one thing Marvel could do better: add a "created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby" line to every Fantastic Four comic, giving homage and credit where credit's due to not only Stan the Man but the one and only King of Comics.
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I have to say that this book is so cool! Jack Kirby was a genius and the way Marvel Nd Stan Lee tried to take credit for all of his creations was a shame! This book does Jack Kirby Justice! Even though it's in black and white, it still has that ol' Jack Magic. The Fantastic Four are really re-hash Kirby characters (The Challengers of the unknown) who were D.C. characters. I recommend this book to all comic book fans. When Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four , HE created something truly Fantastic!
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