Hoping to break out of a sales slump at
Marvel in the early 1960s, veteran comic creators
Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby
hit on the idea of doing a super team. Kirby, who thought superheroes
were due for a revival after 15 years of being pushed aside by romance,
horror, and war comics, saw it as smart business. Lee just once wanted
to “do the type of story I myself would enjoy reading.”
The Fantastic Four forever changed their careers, their lives, and the comic book industry. Some of the most iconic moments in
Marvel
history are here, starting with Reed Richards, his girlfriend Sue
Storm, his best friend Ben Grimm, and her little brother Johnny Storm
crash landing their rocket after it has been hit cosmic rays and
discovering they have been transformed into Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible
Girl, the Thing, and the Human Torch in issue No. 1. They were
emotionally complex characters, who weren’t always sure whether their
powers were a benefit or burden. Stories were set in New York City, not
some fictional stand-in, and
Marvel heroes regularly crossed over into each other’s books. The art was dynamic and the writing conversational and engaging.
Lee and Kirby were like the Lennon and McCartney of comic books. Where the talents of one ended and the other began was not always clear, but together one plus one equaled three.
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