Review of
Fantastic Four (1961) #1
Published:
November 1961
Reviewer Rating:
Avg User Rating:
(3.67)
Warning: do not approach with a modern mindset.
In our post-modern world where every superhero trope has already been twisted, dismantled, dissected, and rebuilt, the first Fantastic Four issue will look like a very naive story. But it's a story from a different time and aimed at different audience, where the characters' traumas, moral choices, or even a pretense at scientific explanations were not as important as the awe-inspiring heroic struggles with unbelievable foes.
This is basically what superheroism is at its core: a form of modern mythology. So those early issues from the 60s will present little value for a casual reader, but will provide invaluable insight into Stan Lee's vintage storytelling, full of head-on action, as well as "amazing" and "extraordinary" adjectives.
For now, we can't say much about characters' psychology or their motives. Even Reed Richards' reasons to go out into space is left unexplained. We only know that they want to do this before the "commies". He doesn't even bother to address Ben's concerns about cosmic rays. And he really doesn't have to. Sue easily convinces Ben to make the most fateful mistake of his life by simply calling him a "coward".
That being said, Ben Grimm definitely is the most interesting character of this first issue. He adds a nice dynamic to the team with his sarcastic remarks and animosity towards Reed. All in all, he is the one that suffered the most cruel transformation because of Reed's stubbornness. I'm personally hoping this will be further developed in the next stories.
For now, I'm giving it a 3 star rating for its historical value. On to the next issue.
In our post-modern world where every superhero trope has already been twisted, dismantled, dissected, and rebuilt, the first Fantastic Four issue will look like a very naive story. But it's a story from a different time and aimed at different audience, where the characters' traumas, moral choices, or even a pretense at scientific explanations were not as important as the awe-inspiring heroic struggles with unbelievable foes.
This is basically what superheroism is at its core: a form of modern mythology. So those early issues from the 60s will present little value for a casual reader, but will provide invaluable insight into Stan Lee's vintage storytelling, full of head-on action, as well as "amazing" and "extraordinary" adjectives.
For now, we can't say much about characters' psychology or their motives. Even Reed Richards' reasons to go out into space is left unexplained. We only know that they want to do this before the "commies". He doesn't even bother to address Ben's concerns about cosmic rays. And he really doesn't have to. Sue easily convinces Ben to make the most fateful mistake of his life by simply calling him a "coward".
That being said, Ben Grimm definitely is the most interesting character of this first issue. He adds a nice dynamic to the team with his sarcastic remarks and animosity towards Reed. All in all, he is the one that suffered the most cruel transformation because of Reed's stubbornness. I'm personally hoping this will be further developed in the next stories.
For now, I'm giving it a 3 star rating for its historical value. On to the next issue.
