Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Fantastic Four Vol. 6

Quick Summary

Pros: The stories here are all exciting and interesting. A few of the stories have some significant historical importance. The sexism problem improves in this volume. The artwork looks as beautiful as ever.

Cons: The banter between characters isn’t as great as it used to be.

Overall: This is another classic hit for the Fantastic Four series. In this volume, Lee and Kirby further refine their skills, ensuring that every story has something going for it and that all of the artwork has some beauty. In addition, this volume introduces the world to Black Panther and continues the interesting story of the Inhumans, both of which should be worthwhile to any modern fans. Readers who have enjoyed the Fantastic Four’s Silver Age adventures so far or readers who are looking for a consistently high-quality example of their Silver Age adventures will find a lot to enjoy in this book.

Story

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 6, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, continues to see the refinement of the storytelling tactics that have made this series so enjoyable. While the previous volume introduced the successful implementation of longer story arcs, this one improves upon this improvement by ensuring that each new story arc is as exciting and fun as the last. Alongside these higher quality and more consistent stories, this volume also contains the first ever appearance of Black Panther and a significant continuation of the Inhuman storyline, giving the collection some historical weight as well. All in all, this collection is fun and interesting, even from a modern point of view.

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The quality of the storytelling in Fantastic Four Vol. 6 is strong all the way through. It seems as if at this point in time, Lee and Kirby saw the merit in crafting longer and more significant narratives and decided that these stories would play a larger role in the series. Nearly every story here is either a multi-part narrative or receives setup in earlier chapters, which allows for a more significant generation of excitement and anticipating. This helps craft adventures that feel important and, in turn, leads to more satisfying finales.

The only problem is that it feels like the focus on clever storytelling and exciting action slightly takes away from the personal appeal that the members of the Fantastic Four had in previous collections. Their banter used to be one of the main draws to this series, yet it is barely a feature in this volume. This isn’t a huge problem, as these characters are all still great, but it is something I’m hoping will change in future collections.

Alongside improved quality levels, Fantastic Four Vol. 6 also tells a number of stories that are simply worthwhile from a historical standpoint. This collection introduces the world to Black Panther and begins to integrate his character into the Fantastic Four’s life. It also further refines the past and present of the Inhumans by releasing them from their prison and altering Black Bolt’s powers. Witnessing the origin behind elements that have a huge impact on the future of comic books makes this a more satisfying read.

This volume also improves on the problematic sexism that has been present throughout the series. Sue has plenty of moments where her character truly acts equal to her teammates. At one point, she risks her own life to trick Doctor Doom and save the Fantastic Four, which may have been one of my favorite individual moments in the collection. In addition, narration equating femininity with weakness is far less prevalent and the role of women feels more equal in general.

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Art

The art in Fantastic Four Vol. 6 is just as good as it was in Fantastic Four Vol. 5(Review). Jack Kirby’s work here looks great and helps tell the story of this comic. Specifically, in this volume, Kirby does an awesome job with creating locations that suit the environment. The technological wonders and lavish palaces seen in Wakanda are distinct and different from the old-world designs seen in Latveria. This helps in creating a more interesting and cohesive world, in which the Fantastic Four’s adventures take place. In this end, this collection sees Kirby takes the same creativity and detail he used before and use it to, once again, craft a great looking book full of innovative artwork.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 6 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 5 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 7.

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

• The android Human Torch seen in this volume is the original Human Torch. His origin here appears to be the same as his origin from Marvel Comics #1.