Classic Review: Marvel Masterworks- Fantastic Four Vol. 8

Quick Summary

Pros: Most of the stories collected here are exciting and fun. The emotions developed through the Silver Surfer and the Thing’s actions are great. The pregnancy here is an incredible moment in comic history. The artwork is beautiful and creative throughout this book.

Cons: Some of the stories collected here are just alright. Sue is absent from most of the book.

Overall: This collection sees a slight upswing in the quality level from the previous collection, which means the storytelling is mostly positive and the artwork is incredible. The adventures collected here take the Fantastic Four on thrilling journeys through wonderfully crafted worlds. The only real problem here is that a few of these adventures are a bit lackluster. This collection will likely appeal to readers already familiar with the Four’s Silver Age adventures, as long as they are alright with Sue’s absence.

Story

The quality of the story in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 8, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, ends up being slightly better than the quality of the story in the previous collection (Review). Many of the stories here stand out as something special and a few of the arcs achieve some significant successes. However, other stories just feel average and fail to draw in interest. In addition, Sue is absent from the majority of this collection, which makes the team’s adventures feel as if they are missing something from the mix. Luckily, the positives here still outweigh the negatives and allow this collection to serve as another entertaining entry in comic history.

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The positives in Fantastic Four Vol. 8 start early and go right to the end of the book. The Silver Surfer’s compelling struggle to understand humanity kicks the book off and, thematically, leads directly into his role in the Galactus arc, which is also a compelling story. From here, Ben Grimm’s struggle between being the Thing and being a regular human being is focused on again, though it is handled far better here than it ever was before. Then, the collection closes with the birth of Sue’s baby, which is a short but amazing moment in comic history, and the addition of Crystal to the team’s roster, which is a great recognition of her character’s importance to the book. This solid presentation of stories manages to be fun to read and important to the history of comics.

However, not every story here is a winner, some of them are just alright. The team’s adventure with Wyatt Wingfoot is pretty forgettable and their foray into the Microverse feels strange considering it happens right in the middle of a battle with Galactus. In addition, the Fantastic Four’s entire battle with Daredevil and the other heroes feels forced and seems tremendously out of character for Reed Richards, who had recently been stuck in the exact same situation as Daredevil back in Fantastic Four #10. These stories aren’t a pain to read but they are all also pretty forgettable and are unlikely to entertain most readers in a significant way.

This collection also tragically underutilized Sue Storm. Throughout this entire comic, Sue is pregnant yet the reader has almost no idea what she is doing or how the pregnancy is going. Considering she has headlined this book for over seventy issues before this point, I was expecting more interest to be shown for her character. However, she ends up only appearing on a very rare basis and Crystal is forced to fill in for her at the conclusion of the collection. This feels like an unfortunate oversight of a very interesting time in a hero’s life.

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Art

The artwork in Fantastic Four Vol. 8 is easily the greatest and most consistent positive feature in this book. Jack Kirby’s work is as gorgeously designed and well-laid out as ever. However, in this specific book, he really gets the chance to show off some of his more creative abilities. The dive into the Negative Zone, brief looks into space, and the actions of some powerful villains all give Kirby a chance to show off his skills. This leads to some absolutely fantastic splash pages and some well-executed collages. All in all, this is another visual win for the series and a great example of artwork in this era of comics.

Continuity

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 8 continues the story from Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 7 (Review).

The story here continues in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 9 (Review).

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

• Daredevil mentions recently swapping bodies with Doctor Doom. This happened in Daredevil #37-38, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 4.
• Thor’s appearance here takes place between Thor #149 and #150. Thor also mentions recently losing his mighty powers, which happened in Thor #145. All of these issues are collected in Marvel Masterworks: Thor Vol. 6.