In all of our talks in recent weeks about the Golden and Silver Ages and the early days of Marvel, we’ve been somewhat remiss in discussing the book that started it all, the book that was labeled “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” by Stan Lee as a tongue-in-cheek boast, but which history would later prove […]
Tag Archives | Fantastic Four
Fantastic May Be a Bit of an Understatement
By Scott Tipton With all of us having nothing but time on our hands as we Shelter in Place, I just can’t resist the chance to go back and look at our discussion from July 2005 (just as the Tim Story-directed version was hitting theatres), of the first time someone brought the Fantastic Four to […]
Marvel Firsts: Fantastic Four #5
Five issues into The Fantastic Four, the heroes meet the supervillain that will become their arch-nemesis. (And, er, also the guy who kinda becomes Iron Man in 2017.) Introducing the dastardly, the deadly, the diabolical, the douchey… Doctor Doom. While the Fantastic Four are horsing around in the Baxter Building, a mysterious foe tosses an […]
Marvel Firsts: Fantastic Four #1
Today, my journey through Marvel’s most iconic first issues takes me to 1961, which saw the debut of Marvel’s first family with The Fantastic Four #1. The Fantastic Four #1 is, of course, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. While The Avengers #1, last Marvel debut I covered, brought together Earth’s mightiest heroes as a […]
Neither Fantastic Nor Four
In its first weekend out, the latest 20th Century Fox offering for slaughter racked up $25 million, coming insecond to Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, which was in its second week. That’s with 3995 theaters. Given three days, Friday to Sunday, and 30 sessions all up, that’s at best about 20 people per session on […]
Looking Up to Reed Richards
I might just admire Reed Richards more than any other superhero. He’s likable, he’s intelligent on a level few of us can comprehend, he’s loyal to his team, he’s protective of his family, he’s kind – he has an everyday guy sort of vibe despite his talents. He could so easily be arrogant or bitter. […]
World’s Greatest or Earth’s Mightiest?
Whether it’s for poker or an all-out slugfest, when the Avengers and the FF cross paths, it’s always crazy: And the first time it happened was in FANTASTIC FOUR #26: And you can own it! Just click here to buy!
And Then There Were Three
Like all of us, every now and then I’m completely wrong about something. And it’s even better when the thing you’re wrong about impresses the hell out of you. I hadn’t been reading FANTASTIC FOUR a couple years back when Jonathan Hickman was writing it. Not out of any specific disdain or dislike of Hickman’s […]
No Need to Fear, They’re Here
The first season of the 1990s FANTASTIC FOUR animated series is widely considered…well, awful. Which it is. It does, however, have a very jaunty theme song.
Hulk Smash
It’s one of the most iconic rivalries in the Marvel Universe: The Hulk vs. the Thing: And it happened first in FANTASTIC FOUR #25, from 1964! And now it can be yours! Click here to buy!
Chin Up
The first appearance of the green-skinned, bony-chinned shapechanging alien enemy known as the Skrulls came surprisingly early in the FANTASTIC FOUR run: issue #2, in fact! And you can own that historic issue! Click here for all the details!
A Breath of Fresh Air
I tend to catch up on most of my television on Netflix these days. I pick one of the many series from my “to-watch” list (it’s embarrassingly long) based on what I’m in the mood for and how many seasons the show lasted. If I like it, I’ll watch episode after episode. I inhale them […]
The Comic That Started It All
There are collectibles in the world of comics, and then there are genuine pieces of history. Like this, for example. FANTASTIC FOUR #1, from November 1961, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The comic that literally began the Marvel Universe. The comic that changed comics forever. In the immortal words of Rene Belloq, you and […]