Summary
- Fantastic Four: Life Story provides a unique glimpse into family dynamics over time.
- Fantastic Four #5 introduces eternal enemy Doctor Doom in a pivotal issue.
- Fantastic Four #48-50 features a cosmic-level threat testing the team's mettle.
The Fantastic Four is the longest-standing family of comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, The Fantastic Four exploded onto the comic book scene in 1961 in an epic story that would see scientists reach for the stars and become victims of forces they did not understand. Reed Richards constructed a vehicle capable of entering deep space. Unfortunately, his permission to use the craft was denied, and Richards was forced to sneak aboard the shuttle with his family and perform an illegal takeoff. Reed, his wife Sue Storm, his brother Johnny Storm, and Sue's brother Ben Grimm were all hit by intense waves of negative radiation. This altered their bodies, granting them enhanced physical traits and abilities.
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The Fantastic Four rose to national fame and served as one of the greatest superhero teams ever created. Through many decades, they have also become the most complex group of heroes. They must not only protect their universe and beyond, but as a tight-knit family, they must also deal with internal struggles and complicated chemistry. With the new film being announced, The Fantastic Four will soon debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For newcomers, there are a number of stories to catch up on to get a board course in the history of The Fantastic Four. Here are some of the best comics for beginners.
5 Fantastic Four: Life Story 1-6
A Rare Realistic Telling Of Adventures
- Release Date: 2022
- Credited Creators: Mark Russel, Sean Izaakse
Most comic book universes stick to one timeline where all heroes are retained in their prime, and the clock winds constantly back and forth. However, in Fantastic Four: Life Story, fans get a unique opportunity to explore how the family of heroes changes over the years of their illustrious superhero career. Each member of The Fantastic Four shares the focus and has their own choices and hardships explored as they age and mature.
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Decades of fighting supervillains, aliens, and cosmic beings alike created a highly different team of individuals in the present day from their original debut in the sixties. Mark Russell and Sean Izaakse melded together perfectly as writers and artists in this six-part miniseries that tells a remarkable story of The Fantastic Four's life from beginning to end.
4 Fantastic Four #5
First Appearance Of Doctor Doom
- Release Date: 1961
- Credited Creators: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
No comic fan can read the origin of The Fantastic Four alone and get a good sense of the trials and tribulations that they've had to experience over the years. To get the complete picture, Fantastic Four #5 is a must-read that introduces the eternal enemy of The Fantastic Four: Doctor Doom.
In a story by the great Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, The Fantastic Four go on a wonderous adventure that included facing off against pirates and finding Blackbeard's treasure. However, mixed in with the light-hearted tale was a dark introduction to The Fantastic Four's greatest villain. The story takes readers down the road of Victor Von Doom joining a university and meeting Reed Richards for the first time. In addition, it explores the events that pushed Doom down a road to villainy and dictatorship.
3 Fantastic Four #48-50
Galactus Tests The First Family
- Release Date: 1966
- Credited Creators: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Fantastic Four #48 through #50 collects one of the greatest comic book stories ever. As one of The Fantastic Four's greatest triumphs and a budding introduction to Reed Richards as the world's smartest man, these three issues feature the first cosmic-level threat that seeks to devour the entire planet.
A series of global anomalies lead The Fantastic Four to suspect something is approaching. With little information, they get a glimpse of the horrors to come as both the Watcher and The Silver Surfer make their first appearances as they foreshadow the coming of Galactus. Pillars of the Marvel Universe were created in these three issues, which still stand the test of time even in Marvel's modern era of comic books. This three-part sci-fi epic is the peak of Fantastic Four storytelling and defines the characters for decades to come.
2 Fantastic Four: Full Circle #1
The Fantastic Four Into The Negative Zone
- Release Date: 2022
- Credited Creators: Alex Ross
Full Circle is a focused tale of The Fantastic Four that follows them on a trip to the unknown. When an otherworldly swarm of parasite-like insects invades the Baxter building, The Fantastic Four are caught off guard by this infestation from another dimension.
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Acting quickly, the family of heroes discovers that the insects come from the negative zone, using human hosts to grow and invade. The Fearless Four must venture into the breach to find the source of the invasion and put a stop to it. But the task is easier said than done. This story is a classic adventure written and drawn by the phenomenal Alex Ross, a comic legend for his one-of-a-kind art style.
1 Fantastic Four #1
The Legendary First Appearance Of The Fantastic Four
- Release Date: 1961
- Credited Creators: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Fantastic Four #1 is the best first stop for any comic book fan looking to get into the first family of Marvel Comics, explore their origins, and watch them in action at the very beginning. The first issue where The Fantastic Four debuted tells the story of their origin, discovery of their powers, and formation as a team.
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this issue is a coveted piece of fiction that some argue pushed the entire Marvel universe forward as a whole. While this book is incredibly pricey to get physically, Marvel Comics has a dedicated digital library with this issue and the other issues on this list in their Marvel Unlimited app.
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