Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Fantastic Four Vol. 7

March 22, 2019 ComicBookWire

Quick Summary

Pros: Some of the stories are as entertaining as ever. A number of the chapters help introduce new elements that are sure to play a part in the future. The artwork is gorgeous and may be some of the best work in this series thus far.

Cons: Many of this collection’s stories are just average and one even repeats plot points from previous arcs. The sexism in this volume is worse than before.

Overall: This collection is pretty average when it comes to storytelling but really stands out when it comes to artwork. The adventures contained here are average in most places and only contain a few truly memorable moments. They also contain a few problems that make them even less appealing. Luckily, beautiful artwork and setup for future comics help redeem this book and may make it worthwhile for some readers. Overall, this isn’t the best volume to read on its own but should still be decently entertaining for fans of the series.

Story

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 7, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, is alright but is not quite as impressive as its predecessors. The majority of the stories here are simply average and fail to capture attention in the same ways as previous stories. In addition, one of the arcs feels very repetitive and some unfortunate sexism persists throughout the book. On the plus side, there are still moments that stand out as exemplary and some story arcs help introduce future plot points. This book is still a decent read but is not likely to entrance readers as effectively as earlier volumes.

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The majority of the stories in Fantastic Four Vol. 7 are alright but aren’t particularly noteworthy. The fights against the Sandman, the initial moments of Alicia’s capture, and portions of the fight against Blastaar fail to capture the excitement and fun that have become synonymous with the Fantastic Four’s adventures. They aren’t necessarily bad; they simply aren’t as interesting as one would hope.

However, there are also moments where these stories really do take a step backwards in terms of quality. The volume’s final arc, in which the Thing falls victim to mind-control, feels far too close to when he fell victim to mind-control only two volumes earlier. Repetition like this really puts a damper on this entire conflict. Plus, the sexism which was close to absent in the last volume is back. At one point, Reed goes so far as to tell Sue that “Wives should be kissed – and not heard.” These problems present unfortunate complications in the book and prevent it from reaching the high-heights that were reached by previous collections.

Luckily, there are a couple of standout moments and chapters that help give this collection a bit more credibility. The moments leading up to Mr. Fantastic’s near death experience in the Negative Zone and Him’s first appearance are tense and very exciting. Meanwhile, cute moments between members of the main cast add a human element to the book and feel heartwarming when done right.

In addition, this collection includes some exciting progression for this series and the Marvel Universe as a whole. It introduces Ronan the Accuser, starts the progression toward Adam Warlock’s full reveal, and teases the greater importance of the Negative Zone. This collection also includes the announcement of Sue Storm’s pregnancy, which is a fantastic development for the series and a rather important moment in comic history. Though these events might not have as much historical importance as the events in previous volumes, they do manage to provide the setup for more significant developments in the future.

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Art

Though the storytelling in this series flatlines a bit in this volume, the artwork only gets better. Jack Kirby’s work in Fantastic Four Vol. 7 is some of his best yet and really does a lot to enhance the overall appeal of this book. Specific improvements include the depictions of various machines and calculations from Mr. Fantastic, which look more wonderous and complex than ever. Alongside this, depictions of cosmic worlds and other dimensions add to the science-fiction themes found here.

However, the best aspect of this collection’s visuals is the splash pages. This volume contains a number of gorgeous looking spreads that help set the scene on whatever page they grace. Specifically, the view into the Negative Zone in issue #62 may be my favorite artistic moment in this series thus far. These all help improve the visual quality of this comic and this series as a whole.