Back Issues: "Fantastic Four" #1 (1961)

- by Ninja Ross, 19 November 2014

Prepare to be amazed! In this edition of Trash Mutant’s Back Issues, I take a look at a classic from Marvel’s vaults! One of the greatest fiction families to ever hit the comic book stands! The Fantastic Four!

Click to enlarge.

Since 1961, these four have been entertaining us with their impossible adventures! So, let’s take a look at where the whole thing started. All the way back to issue numero uno.

The issue opens with Reed Richards shooting a flare gun that somehow writes “Fantastic Four” in the sky. This is to signal to the other three that he needs them to meet him. Because screw phones when you have a magic flare gun.

When Sue Storm, Reeds’ fiancée, sees the signal, she turns invisible and gets a taxi. She just sits there and waits for the driver to get bored and drive by her destination. She just sits there waiting. And then she tries to PAY HIM. And she’s surprised when he panics!

Meanwhile, Ben Grimm is shopping for clothes in his size when he sees the magical flare. At the time, he’s being told the shop doesn’t have clothes in his size. But that’s ok! He’s just going to wear his underwear, now that Reed wants him. And Grimm is surprised when police officers start shooting him!

What a weird reaction.

Johnny is getting his car fixed up when he notices the signal. He decides it would be a good idea to turn into fire, melt his car and fly around. And this guy is surprised when aeroplanes begin shooting at him. These people are idiots and should not have super powers.

Somehow, they all manage to meet up with Reed Richards. I suppose they’re smart enough to follow a flare gun. But this is the perfect time for an origin story! And that’s just what we get!

You know this stuff already, right? Reed convinces everyone to sneak into a “secure” facility and steal a rocket in order to fly into space and do space experiments. Because it’s a nice night, I guess.

In 1961, NASA's equal opportunity job plan for deafblind security guards backfired horribly.

Sue turns invisible, which is nice. Maybe she’ll walk into a road. But the crash, the cosmic rays and the resulting super powers cause Ben to get real angry as he begins to change into The Thing. Not realising he’s changing, he grabs a tree in order to smack the stupid out of Reed Richards. Of course, not knowing he has super strength implies he would have tried to pick up a tree anyway.

To be honest, we catch ourselves trying to hit people with trees every friday night.

Luckily, Reed subdues him with stretchy powers. Meanwhile, Johnny Storm is on fire and can fly! 

Now back to the meeting! Reed has gathered them all together because atomic plants are falling through the earth, leaving big holes. Not really a normal thing. Possibly something you’d check out if you had super powers. After a little bit of research from Reed Richards, they’re lead to Monster Island, a place that probably has monsters on it.

After falling through the ground, Reed and Johnny stumble across the lair of... The Mole Man! A short fat guy with trendy glasses! Mole Man is a guy who just wants to rule the world because people called him ugly. Is that so bad? He was rejected by society because of his looks and now he has mastered the mole people. Somehow. Somehow he just... mastered them.

He charmed his way up to the top?

Then there’s a fight! And everyone goes home.

While nobody can take away the importance of this first issue, it does seem to be a book about stupid people doing stupid things. Here we have a scientist who thinks stealing a rocket is a good idea. A pilot who thinks he can pick up trees without super strength. an invisible woman who’s doesn’t really seem to do much of anything and a guy who can melt cars.

I’ve never really liked Jack Kirby’s art; everything seemed to kind of look flat and ugly. But, after reading this, I’m actually kind of warming to his style. I still think the people he draws look weirdly flat (is it really just me? [Yes. - Ed.]) but it’s not bad work.

Despite how much I disliked this first issue, I quite like the Fantastic Four in general. There are some great FF stories out there. And, let’s face it: nothing in the original series can be as bad as Victor Domashev.


So there's that! Please remember that the views of Ninja Ross do not reflect the views of the entire Trash Mutant staff! Feel free to leave awful comments! Excelsior!

Tagged: comics, Back Issues.

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