Fantastic Four Masterworks Vol. 1

So, I'm finally here. After previously hinting (well, not hinting as downright admitting) that this was the way I was going to go, and after over a year since having received it as a birthday gift from my mother (and that's not the last birthday, but the one before), I have turned my attention to possibly one of the most prized comic trades in my collection.

I read Fantastic Four Masterworks Volume 1!!

I'll admit, I've had quite a tumultuous relationship with this comic. While I'm a tremendous fan (if this happens to be your first time reading here) of the Fantastic Four, I only started at issue 551 before going back to the Heroes Return issue 1. As such I've never read the original Lee/Kirby run.

Therefore, in 2016, I decided that I would invest in this first Masterworks volume. This was something made easier when I was let go from my job at the time and I gained a £30 Amazon voucher. However, that voucher was needed elsewhere and it took another 18 months before my ever reliable mother and Step-father stepped up and supplied me it for my 34th birthday.

Now, I'm not going to spend long recounting this book as there isn't much to tell. This first volume of Masterworks provides the first 10 issues of the World's greatest comic magazine, not only introducing us to the First Family of Marvel Comics but also a number of their big name villains and beyond. In essence, it's ten one-shots giving us a different story about the (Very) early adventures of these, my favourite heroes.



My copy of Fantastic Four Masterworks
Vol. 1, one of the jewels in my collection!!

I have to be honest, I wasn't sure what I'd be expecting as I started this book. The Lee/Kirby run is considered one of the, if not the most, all time great runs on this series. However, with recent reads of first issues from 90's series like Darkhawk and Sleepwalker (which, being nineties comics, might not be the best barometer) not having impressed me about pre-2000 comics, I was concerned that my assumption that older comics wouldn't appeal to me would be correct. That said, when all was said and done, I did realise that it was more about the experience and to see where the characters came from rather than the quality.

Therefore, I dove right in.

For me, Masterworks was something of a struggle as I got started. The biggest issue for me was the characters, as they all feel like they were radically different to what I know and love today. Maybe this was down to the fact that I'm a whole generation (or two?) from those who first read this and, therefore, the world is (obviously) a vastly different place now, but I felt that all four characters were incredibly 'old fashioned'.

The thing which bothered me most was the relationship between Mr Fantastic and the Thing who, instead of being best friends, felt more like enemies stuck together by circumstance. Meanwhile, Sue seemed so 'Damsel in distress' at times, a far cry from the all-powerful Invisible Woman of present day. The only thing about the four which seemed to have stuck over 60 plus years was the petty squabbling of the Thing and the Human Torch.

However, almost like a new suit, I found myself easing into this book as I continued to read on. The entire 10 issue run had this real Batman '66 sensibility to it thanks to the narration boxes accompanying the story. In fact, as I read it, I could actually hear William Dozier's (the Narrator on that show) voice speaking the words in my head. As a result, I found myself enjoying Lee's quirky, over the top ideas a lot more as I continued, finding them an enjoyable bout of fresh air to some of the current day's darker, more serious tones.

This enjoyment really kicked in once the Sub-Mariner arrived, with the early issues 'differences' of what I know making way for characters feeling more heroic, although there continued to be some questionable characteristics. Nonetheless, by issue 10, I was totally in a groove enjoying this series, with the read feeling a lot more fluid, entertaining and quick in the latter issues compared to the earlier ones. I think a thing which helped this was, without a doubt, Doctor Doom who felt like the villain he later becomes, even at this early start.

I haven't said much about the art and I'm not sure what to say. Kirby's art is Kirby's art. Much like my opinion of Watchman as a story (something I should maybe talk about another time), the art in this series I'm not sure compares in my opinion compared to some of the talents around today. However, it does possess this elegant beauty to it and the ideas are as wacky as any I've seen anywhere. Of course, I'm no artist and so I'm aware that my opinion isn't really something to be treated as gospel given that I'm woefully underqualified to critique anyone's art, let alone the King's.

Still, regardless, of the problems I had with this series, I'm happy to say that I actually really enjoyed this first Masterworks volume. I'm not quite sure if I want to pick up the next one yet (although I am tempted) but I'm glad that I took the time to read the origins of my favourite Superhero comic and get to know their origins as well as better appreciate who they are now.