Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Fantastic Four Vol. 2

Quick Summary

Pros: The stories contained here are interesting and filled with great moments. Creativity is on display through this entire read, in both new characters and new concepts. The interactions between the members of the Fantastic Four are even better than before.

Cons: Sue’s character still isn’t that compelling on her own.

Overall: With growing pains in the past, this collection capitalizes on what made the first volume great while also managing to minimize its flaws. This leads to a number of compelling adventures, each enhanced by the individual motivations driving the members of the Fantastic Four. In general, this feels like a more refined take on the team, one that holds up very well even today. All in all, this comic is one of the better representations of this era and is still a solid read.

Story

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 2, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, continues the captivating storytelling from the previous volume while also managing to make some improvements. It features imaginative plots, the return of some great villains, and a general continuation of everything good about the first volume. Alongside all of this, the characters’ interactions become even more charming and their adventures are genuinely thrilling. Even from a modern standpoint, these stories are interesting to read, making this a solid choice for readers interested in these characters or this age of comics.

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Fantastic Four Vol. 2 contains the same high levels of imagination and charm that the series started out with. The exploits here are daring and exciting while the execution of the Fantastic Four’s powers continues to happen in wonderfully creative fashions.

This volume also continues the first volume’s penchant for introducing wondrous concepts into the series. The Watcher is introduced, the Molecule Man makes his first appearance, and the Fantastic Four is opened up to superhero team-ups in general. By the end of the book, it feels as if a ton of progress has been made from both a narrative and a metatextual standpoint.

Alongside continuing the successes of the previous volume, Masterworks Vol. 2 manages to make some improvements over its predecessor. The characters and relationships in this book seem far more stable than they were in previous volumes. In the first few Fantastic Four issues, it seemed as if the members of the Fantastic Four were just coworkers, rather than real friends. It also seemed as if the Thing truly despised Mr. Fantastic. This volume improves upon all of that and makes it clear that the teasing that takes place between these characters is as lighthearted as the teasing that takes place within any real-life family. It also improves on other minor relationships, like the Thing’s rivalry with the Yancy Street Gang or his romance with Alicia. All of these small changes lead to a more entertaining and rewarding reading experience.

Despite the improvements, there are still a few small places where this series still could still use some changes. Specifically, Sue is still underused as a character and her “love” for Namor lacks sufficient justification. These story elements play out better than they did in the last volume but still need a bit more work.

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Art

Like the story, the quality of the artwork in this volume seems to have grown since the previous volume. Within this book, Jack Kirby has more opportunities to demonstrate fantastic and imaginative environments than before. This leads to some great moments on the Moon, under the sea, and even back in the Baxter Building. It also helps that Kirby’s artwork here is just as dramatic and dynamic as it was before, which helps add additional excitement to an already entertaining story. Overall, this is a good looking book with a lot to offer in terms of visuals.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 2 continues the story from
Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 1 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 3 (Review).

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• Based on Bruce Banner’s use of a Gamma Ray Projector, the Fantastic Four’s team-up with the Hulk must occur sometime after The Incredible Hulk #2, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol. 1.
• An editor’s note mentions that the Wasp started working with Ant-Man back in Tales to Astonish #44. This issue is collected in Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man/Giant-Man Volume 1.