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Rating:  -
If you only get one of the Fantastic Four Essentials, make it Vol. 3. The Frightful Four w/ evil Ben, the Inhumans saga, Galactus and the Surfer, the Black Panther, it's all here. It contains the single greatest issue of F.F. ever, #58, "Enter Doctor Doom" (the cover was lifted for this new Essentials cover, I see). #58 promises everything and it's King Kirby's single greatest drawing effort in my humble opinion. What are you waiting for, true believer??? BUY THIS!!!
Rating: -
When I was young, my parents shopped at a small grocery store where the owner was a very kindly man. While my parents were shopping, I was allowed to read the comics on the racks, so for years every Friday night I had the pleasure of devouring the comic books. Therefore, I was present at the creation of the Fantastic Four and all of the other stars of the Marvel Comics group.
This book was a nostalgic look back and the comics had made such a deep impression on me that I remembered some of the action, images and even dialog as I read through this book. It was a joyous trip through what was one of the best features of my childhood; no one ever outgrows the joy and excitement of Marvel Comics.
Rating: -
Regardless of when you first picked up a comic book, if you ever enjoyed a Fantastic Four comic, you must know about the stories reprinted in the "Essential Fantastic Four Volume 3". Stan Lee and Jack Kirby enjoyed perhaps their most creative period during this time, and comics were never the same again.
The Frightful Four. The Inhumans. The Silver Surfer. Galactus. Wyatt Wingfoot. The Black Panther. Blastaar and the Negative Zone. Quasimodo. The return of the original Human Torch. If this volume spanned four more issues and another annual, we would have also seen the first appearance of the Kree and their robotic sentry, the introduction of Psycho-Man and Sub-Atomica and the creation of Him, soon to be known as Adam Warlock (but I digress). All this plus the Watcher, Klaw, Doctor Doom stealing the powers of the Silver Surfer, and Reed and Sue's wedding. Writers, artists and now filmmakers have been making a career out of Stan and Jack's creations for decades, supported by the fact that the plot of the entire second Fantastic Four movie was clipped from the pages of Fantastic Four(s) number 48-50, 57-60, and the third annual.
Jack Kirby's art reached its peak during this period, supported by the vastly underappreciated Joe Sinnott. He polished Jack's pencils as no one else ever did and helped define Marvel's artistic (house) style along the way. One of the greatest comic artists of all was never greater than with this talented inker helping out.
And the stories... The FF met God (Galactus) and his angel (the Silver Surfer). The first black hero (not counting guys like Sgt. Fury's Gabe Jones) was seen. Reed's obsession with offering a defense against opponents who can travel faster than light led him to the Negative Zone and an encounter with Blastaar. And Doctor Doom was never more menacing than when he lulled the Silver Surfer into a sense of false security before stealing his powers.
And what about the Inhumans? In later years Dave Cockrum received much credit for his ability and willingness to invent and draw a virtual army of heroes (the Legion, X-Men, etc.), but Jack was there first with his visually stunning Inhumans. Black Bolt is graceful, powerful and regal, and the rest are also visually magnificent. Or should I say, fantastic?
This volume should be required reading for anyone that has ever leafed through the pages of a comic book. They demonstrate the potential the medium has, and one has to wonder how much the genius of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were taken for granted. Were they aspiring to lofty creative goals or simply putting food on the table for their families? Did they know at the time what type of legacy they were leaving for comic creators to build upon (or steal from), or were they just putting out stories they knew "kids" would like? Only Stan Lee could say now, but I would suggest that the stories contained in Essential Fantastic Four Volume 3 can be compared favorably to any comics of any era and hold their own. Whether the genius of these two creators was realized at the time or not, it was definitely on display.
If you collect the Marvel "Essentials" books to own the early stories, my advice is to get this one first. This will show you how it was meant to be done. This is what comics are supposed to be.
Enjoy.
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Spanning the years 1965-1967, the bulky 536 pages deliver the winning trifecta of writer Stan Lee and artists Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott in several of the best story lines ever for the Fantastic Four.
The appearances by characters like Galactus - "The Galactus Trilogy" - the Inhumans, Black Panther and the Silver Surfer provide incredible venues for the FF, but a means to provide springboards to future top guns in the Marvel Universe.
The FF was a flagship franchise during this time period and it was three individuals who combined their incredible talents to make the four simply fantastic.
Rating:  -
Lee and Kirby really hit their stride with Fantastic Four with the issues in this volume. They introduce the Inhumans, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, and the Black Panther, all mainstays to this day in the Marvel Universe. They also begin the process of carrying storylines out over many issues. After the Inhumans are trapped in their city, it's nearly a year's worth of issues before they are freed and the storyline wrapped up.
That's what makes these collections so much fun. You can follow these storylines quickly and see the resolution in a couple of sittings. I'd give this five stars except for the first couple of issues until the wedding of Reed and Sue is done. That's a rather blah event, despite all the cameos. Otherwise, the rest of the volume is very very good.
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