Fantastic Four 1

In this issue:

The Fantastic Four!
13 pages :: Jack Kirby/George Klein/Christopher Rule
reprinted in Fantastic Four Annual 1

The Fantastic Four Meet the Mole Man!
13 pages :: Jack Kirby/George Klein/Christopher Rule
reprinted in Fantastic Four Annual 7

reprinted complete in Origins of Marvel Comics, Marvel Masterworks, Marvel Milestone Edition

I used to own a 1961 Fanzine where Don Thompson just lays into Fantastic Four # 1. According to his first impressions, Mister Fantastic is a pale imitation of Plastic Man, The Invisible Girl is a weak sister to The Invisible Scarlett O'Neil, The Human Torch is just nothing compared to the Golden Age version, and The Thing is another one of those Lee / Kirby monsters.

If you look at 100 pre-hero Marvels and then FF # 1, you can definitely see the point. If FF #1 was a one-shot, it would be another campy monster book. As it is, FF # 1 redefined the comic book and is one of the most important comics of all time.

My personal theory as to why FF # 1 and the early Marvel Superheroes sold so well is that Dell at the time was going through one of the most awkward and disasterous transitions in comic book history.

Dell raised the price of their comics from 10 cents to 15 cents, thinking others would soon follow suit. However, kids didn't buy fewer comics. Instead of millions of Dells, they bought millions of DC's, Archies, Charltons, ACG's, Harveys and Marvels.

At the time, Dell had several titles that sold over a million copies per issue. Most pre-hero marvels were lucky to crack 150,000. So when several million dimes were suddenly funneled from Walt Disney's Comics and Stories to Everything Else On The Newsstand, it must have seemed like everything the small publishers were cranking out was pure gold.

Eventually, Dell lost their comic book empire but they did achieve critical success in the Superhero genre with Brain Boy. In another old Fanzine, Don Thompson rips Showcase # 34 a new one while championing Brain Boy as some of the finest comic book art of the day.

Very interesting… It seems that of the fantasy comics issued in November 1961 - ALL had craggy orange monsters on their covers!

I love the graphics is there anyway to turn the pages, that would be out of this world looking back at Stan Lee history and the influence for a hell of alot of media nowadays got to keep it short
this is my brothers PC & he will want the use of it soon.

I think this book is beyond comment. It is the holy grail of comic books. It is the most important comic book of the past fifty years (unless someone else can nominate one that I haven't thought of). Is the story any good? Is the art any good? Who cares— this story efffected all of us in the exact same way that a butterfly flapping its wings in Tokyo can cause a hurricane in New York. If we are to judge FF#1 by its over all effect this Lee/Kirby masterpiece was almost without peer. I eventually bought a copy by selling my colour Wally Wood artwork on Ebay and using the money acrued. It cost me almost exactly $1000. It is the most valuable thing I own, when sentiment and influence are factored in. Did anyone read the story in Comic Book Marketplace a few years ago that centres around FF#1?

Okay, I get why the civilians are losing their balance, I get why the cop thinks pulling his .38 might help, sure I get why The Thing feels like smashing in the front of someones car, and I'll agree with Sue that everything would be alright if only she could turn invisible faster, but did a giant four fingered monster just burrow up out of the ground and tie Mr. Fantastic up with some rope that just conveniently happened to be laying around?

The fact that this is one of the greatest, most inflential and often copied comic book covers of all time makes people tend to overlook the fact that it's also one of the funniest. (I have it as a poster in my living room)

ok, its time for an explanation about that darned rope. What happened was, Reed used his stretching powers to grab some rope from a hardware store that was located on the block. He was using this to try to rope up the creature's hands, but the creature was too quick and instead Reed got tangled up in the ropes (hey, Reed was new at this stuff!).

Do I get a no-prize (or a monster blog prize) for this explanation, or can YOU come up with something better?

How about Reed was showing the other three his famous “Houdini Rope o' Death” escape trick when that darned monster decided to attack?
No?
OK, you win.

What I'd like to know is how a behemoth that is strong enough to tunnel through countless tons of solid rock can hold Sue so gently between its fingers without crushing her.

Even though there's no evidence to prove it (from the cover), I always assumed Reed was tied up by either the Mole Man or the Subterreaneans.

Since the FF was still unknown to the general public at the time, perhaps right before the cover scene occurred Reed was being lynched (for being a “freak”) and tied up by the very people who are seen running from the scene when Giant Monster bursts out of the street.

Or maybe Reed and Sue were having a little “fun” just before the monster came up out of the ground..hmm?

Years ago, probably the mid sixities, Golden Records released a 33 1/3 record alblum with a dramatic reading of the Fantastic Four number 1. I must have played a hundred times as a kid and could almost remember it line for line. It did have a big impression on me. I didn't have the comic that came with it but it'd be worth a forturne if it did.

I did buy the Peter Pan book and super hero record sets ten years later in 1975. I only wish that there were more. Other memories of good Marvel material in the seventies is Spider Man “From Beyond the Grave” …a story about the Kingpin asking Peter Parker to finish Spidey for good; while he holds aunt May hostage. It also had a guest appearance by Dr. Strange and too me it was the best adaption I ever heard of a Marvel comic ever……Does anyone ever remember this stuff or am I the only one old enough to remember?

Enjoyed reading the comments on F.F. #1. The tied up Reed fiasko on the cover is rather interesting, `cause in the second part of the FF story it shows a partial splash page similar to the cover and Reed is stretching around the hand of the mole creature. Why they did`nt have him stretch on the cover is anyone`s guess ? probably no big deal. ( Reed could`nt stop that creature no matter what he did, unless of course he had the ultimate nulifier) A decision was probably made to have him tied up in the scene and the rest is history.

I do agree that this is one of the greatest covers ever. The Thing is actually portrayed the way he should be, a deformed monstrosity by the one and only Kirby ! And especially the way he looks on page six crashing through the mens store.( many artists have drawn the Thing many different ways over the years, but Kirbys` rendition is still the best).

There are plenty of monsters galore for us Kirby monster lovers once the FF gets to Monster Isle. Then we get another bonus, we get to meet the Mole Man. (another underrated villain as only Kirby could draw him).( We`ve seen the proto to this villain before from stories in Strange Tales, Tales To Astonish, etc…a physically deformed individual that is mocked and laughed by society , who abandons civilization but eventually finds a strange civilization and that accepts him for what he is).

Naturally The Mole Man is beyond that point, he`s not the nice guy we all knew before he went underground, found an army of monsters to do his bidding and realized that it was pay back time. He will not kindly forget about the way he was misstreated before. He will now have revenge upon the whole world. And if he did`nt there would`nt be much of a story to tell now would there.?

So there you have it, a better than average cover, many interesting charactors, monsters,etc. a beautifully rendered story by the one and only Kirby! After all these years you can still read it show it to your kids and not worry about offending anyone. How many comics can you say that about in todays` time ?

ff #1 is one of the best comics i've ever read amazingly i am just 9 years old saying this. kirby's art is so great!! it really stinks that the king only used that style of drawing the human torch that way for two issues, it looked much better than the style he used first in number three. it's to bad that ditko never got to illustrating the ff

I think that the Fantasic Four is one of the best comicbook series EVER! I herd that there is going to be a movie on it. I cant wait for it to come out so I can see it.I no its not going to be as good as the comics but its still going to be kool.Also I was looking for some pictures of the Fantastic Four for my wall paper but I cant find any,so do u think that u can put some realy kool pictures on this website? If not its ok. Thaks for everything.

The first silver age comic book i even touched was FF#1 and I found it in the garbage. (sept. 20040
I almost gave it to the neighborhood kids along with the JLA #3 Casper #1, 2 & 3 and about 30 more.
I don't even collect comics. Just glad that a friend of mine did-I CGC the book at 2.0 sold it for $1100.00
and Love this book more than anyone could know-I ate t-bones EVERYDAY for a month!

can you tell me what this comic book is worth at this time,thank you so very much…….marsha

Marsha - on an online price guide (www.comicspriceguide.com), FF#1 ranges from $160 in poor condition to $40,000 in mint condition, with prices even higher if it is CGC certified.

Anyone have any idea why some images of the cover show a cop in the background and some (like a refrigerator magnet that includes everything else, even the “IMD”) do not?

Is the identification of Christopher Rule and George Klein as the inkers based on confirmation, or is it still just guess work? I'm guessing that this identification is based on some of the speculation I saw in CBM a few years ago, but if there has been a new development concerning Rule and Klein, I would love to hear about it.

I can tell you that Timley/Atlas expert Michael Vassallo has examples of both artists in a binder and has been studying the styles of both artists for years. He has made comparisons between the two and is convinced that the majority of FF 1 is by George Klein.

Having seen the vast binders of tons of obscure Atlas artists in his house, and having a fairly good artist eye myself, I conclude that Klein (perhpaps with either Rule or Brodsky assisting in places) was the inker of FF 1. Hopefully, Michael will put all his conclusions (with examles) into an article one day soon, but in the meantime, if anyone wants to see some examples, go to Yahoo Groups and join the Kirby-L list.

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