Description: For
decades, Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and
the Thing have stood together as comics' first family of super
heroes! But even a family of heroes needs help, and the FF have often
bolstered their ranks with friends and allies from throughout the
Marvel Universe! Crystal! Medusa! Luke Cage! She-Hulk! Ms. Marvel!
Spider-Man! Wolverine! Hulk! Ghost Rider! Ant-Man! Black Panther!
Storm! Namorita! Witness the debuts of the Fantastic Four's fill-in
members!
Collects:
Fantastic Four (1961) #1, #81, #132, #168, #265, #307, #347, #384,
Fantastic Four (1998) #42
Authors: Stan Lee, Roy Thomas,
John Byrne, more
Artists: Jack Kirby, John Buscema,
Glynis Wein, more
Published By: Marvel
Published
When: 2011-03-09
Parental Rating: PG
Review:
"The Fantastic Four is a family, not a team. There is no
official roster." - Black Panther in Fantastic Four #544
That family focus of this fantastic foursome is a long and
well-established feature of the series. The close-knit bonds between
this quartet, consisting since day one in 1961 of husband and wife,
of brother and best friend, is a recurring theme.
Through the years, authors and artists have crafted stories that
play on the strength and intimacy of these relationships. On the
flip-side there have been many tales based in the strains and
tensions and, well, life, that affect a family's bonds of affection.
This TPB provides a fascinating collection of moments, from their
60+ years of FF history, in which the makeup of that family needed to
change, at least for a time. From Sue Richards aka Invisible Woman
stepping aside for a pseudo-maternity leave, to members being
separated for extended periods of time by their adventures in other
dimensions of time and space, the core four adds new members as
needed, at least temporarily.
In this collection you will find such diverse characters as
Crystal, Medusa, Luke Cage, She-Hulk, regular old Hulk, Spider-man,
Wolverine, Storm, Black Panther, even Ghost Rider donning the famous
"4" at least metaphorically, if briefly. Sometimes they
become new members of the family, there for an extended stay, other
times it’s a one-issue cameo appearance.
These stories were originally published between 1961 and 2007. So
reading them here all together, collapsing those decades into 232
pages, it is hard to miss how central Sue Richards is in causing the
changes in membership.
In one tale she is stepping away to look after her children. In
another, she is clearly not an active member, and starts out the tale
tending to domestic duties in the kitchen. In at least two others,
she is almost pulling Reed Richards into some time away, a second
honeymoon or time off.
It is also impossible to miss the invisible force-field box of the
times, that traps Invisible Woman into traditional gender roles,
super-powers or no. Reed is off in his lab creating great things for
the team and for humanity. Sue is in the kitchen, creating the next
meal for her hungry family. A disappointing contrast in 2022, and
glaring when the stories are gathered in one place as in this
collection.
The evolution of Invisible Woman's outfit is also fascinating to
trace through the years in this collection. Starting from a simple
jumpsuit in issue #1, matching those of her fellow astronauts-to-be,
it evolves into a form-fitting spandex suit that matches the others,
with the exception of her female shape. Then she's a
sleeves-rolled-up 80's-hair beauty in the '80s.
Mike Madrid, in his book "The Supergirls: fashion, feminism,
fantasy and the history of comic book heroines" describes the
1990s as ‘The Babe Years’ and Invisible Woman is caught up in the
era's sexed-up heroines. Her outfit of the time, with its high-cut
thighs, bare midriff, over-the-knee boots and cleavage showing
through a cutaway "4" in her chest, may have suited the
mood of the decade. And it fits with the other women in that issue
(FF #384 from Jan 1994), with the scantily-clad villain Malice the
she-devil, or Lyja showing lots of leg in one panel, and a low-cut
negligee in the next.
But in this collection, alongside more demure and domestic
representations of Sue Richards and Invisible Girl, the 1990s outfit
is more shocking and jarring than any of the villainous revelations
or surprise new teammates. It is impossible to miss the contrast,
causing one to wonder if, perhaps, Sue might be due another getaway
break with her family; with the art of the day hewing so strongly to
sexy fashion trends, she is arguably not herself.
The production quality of this volume is not up to snuff, with
perhaps the worst gaff being the wrong words in the balloons of one
page from Fantastic Four (1998) #42. When I scare up a copy of the
original comic, they appear correct, so it is puzzling how they were
messed up in this reprint collection.
 |
| Original words (L) do not match words on this page in the collection (R) |
Overall, though, this is a decent collection that
serves a useful purpose of gathering in one place many of the
guest-membership moments in FF history. I give it 3.5 capes out of 5.
ISBN-10: 0785153039
ISBN-13:
9780785153030
Language: English
Pages:
232
