Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol 1

 

As I revisit these fun stories from the early 60's that I grew up with (but whose originals are long gone), one of the first things that I notice is how much wanton destruction even the heroes do to the cityscape - often for no real reason - it makes me glad that super beings do not really exist! There are also plenty of plots and subplots that really wouldn't fly in today's world - in pretty much every series from this time period there is a practically helpless woman who pines for the main character - in this case it is Sue Storm (who would later become one of the strongest characters in the Marvel universe, but here, her only trick is turning invisible), who actually cares for both Reed Richards and Namor, the Sub-Mariner - as one glaring example. But, if you can get past some of those cringe-worthy moments, there is plenty of fun to be had.

It is striking how the physicality of the characters evolved, as well - the Thing is particularly more grotesque early on and the Human Torch initially was drawn in the style of the earlier, Golden Age, Human Torch. But, right from the start, the foursome's iconic villains appear - the Mole Man, Dr. Doom, the Sub-Mariner, the Miracle Man, The Skrulls, the Puppet Master (who, funnily enough, lives in a dilapidated apartment but has the money to create endless puppets, including a giant robot that could fight the Thing!) and more! Wow! What a creative team at work back then, creating characters that live on 60 or so years later! 

Yes, life in the comic universe was simpler back then, but it was still quite enjoyable. I'll certainly be getting more of these are they are released.