Stan Lee didn’t want to write superheroes. Although he wrote Captain America stories when he started working for his Uncle-in-Law Martin Goodman’s companies Timely, and later Atlas Comics, the bursting of the superhero bubble after World War II allowed him to focus attention on sci-fi and teen melodrama stories. But after Justice League of America became a hit for DC Comics, Goodman wanted to give the cape and cowl set another shot.
Lee and artist Jack Kirby, one of the greatest minds in comics history, took tentative steps toward the genre. Fantastic Four #1 introduced a team of scientists and explorers who gained superpowers as a result of an accident: Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic; Sue Storm (later Sue Richards), aka Invisible Girl; Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, and Ben Grimm aka the Thing.
Even as the team developed a rogues gallery and started wearing costumes, they still functioned more like explorers than standard superheroes. Thanks to that spirit of wonder and exploration, Fantastic Four comics have acted as the conduit through which Kirby, Lee, and other creators built and expanded the Marvel Universe, pushing forward the comic medium.
1. Fantastic Four #48 – 50 (1966)
The Fantastic Four meet God. That’s what Jack Kirby had in mind for the Galactus trilogy, the three-part storyline in which the team faced off against a world-devouring giant in Fantastic Four #48 – 50.
Even if Stan Lee changed God to Galactus while filling in the dialogue over Kirby’s story, the arc retains the epic sense of hopelessness that comes from dealing with an unstoppable force of nature. The adventure features plenty of exciting action, but in the end, the team solves the problem by using their intellect more than their strength.
Through appeals to the Silver Surfer and a logical argument directed toward Galactus (as well as a little device whipped up by Reed called the Ultimate Nullifier), the Fantastic Four stemmed the threat, setting up decades’ worth of stories about cosmic forces.
2. Fantastic Four #60-66 (2002 – 2003)
While Fantastic Four comics had a sort of whiz-bang wonder when they debuted in 1961, their bright colors and corny code names fell out of favor by the turn of the century. Rather than try and update the team with edgier outfits and giant guns, as some creators had done, writer Mark Waid and artist Mike Wieringo leaned into the team’s sense of wonder.
In Fantastic Four #60 — inked by Karl Kessel, colored by Paul Mounts, and lettered by Richard Starkings — Waid and Wieringo walk readers through a day in the team’s life. At the end of the story, Reed explains his motivations to his infant daughter Valeria, revealing that all of the superhero trappings exist to give his friends purpose while he tries to discover a cure for their condition, blaming the accident on himself.
With those 22 pages, Waid and Wieringo explain everything about their heroes, making them rich and compelling characters all over again.
3. Fantastic Four #262 (1984)
Just because they deal with cosmic-level disasters does not mean that the Fantastic Four doesn’t have to face the consequences of their actions.
In Fantastic Four #262, written and drawn by John Byrne, with colors by Glynis Wein and letters by Jim Novak, a galactic tribunal puts Reed Richards on trial for sparing the life of Galactus in Fantastic Four #244 (more on that one soon). As those harmed by Galactus’s further existence describe their pain, Reed uses logic to explain the world-eater’s place in the cosmos. Even better, it all comes via a metatextual conceit in which the All-Seeing Watcher whisks John Byrne to witness the trial.
4. Fantastic Four #570 – 572 (2009)
More than his ability to stretch his body like taffy, Reed Richard’s greatest superpower comes from his unparalleled intellect.
In Fantastic Four #570, writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Dale Eaglesham, along with colorist Paul Mounts and letterer Rus Wooton, set Reed on a new quest: to solve everything, every problem that affects the universe. He gets help from an unusual source: the Council of Reeds, a multiversal coalition of Reeds Richards. The story sets up a multi-year epic that Hickman will finish with the universe-rebooting Secret Wars storyline, but it also shows why Reed Richards of Earth 616 is a hero.
5. Fantastic Four #51 (1966)
Although Stan Lee often took credit that he didn’t deserve when it came to the creation of Marvel’s best characters, no one can deny that he played a role in making Fantastic Four comics successful. Lee’s melodramatic dialogue underscored the tragedy of the team, in particular Benjamin J. Grimm, the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing.
Drawn by Kirby, inked by Joe Sinnott, and lettered by Artie Simek, Fantastic Four #51 explores the pathos of the Thing. Within high sci-fi concepts such as doppelgängers and portals to other dimensions, Lee and Kirby pen a moving story about the team’s most compelling member.
6. Fantastic Four #5 (1962)
In addition to starting the Marvel Universe, Fantastic Four comics also gave the world the greatest villain in comic book history, Dr. Doom. Written and drawn by Lee and Kirby, Fantastic Four #5 doesn’t present everything that would make the iron-clad Victor Von Doom anything more than an average supervillain.
But the issue, inked by Sinnott, lettered by Simek, and colored by Stan Goldberg, still tells a rollicking tale about the despotic Victor Von Doom and his connection to the team.
7. Fantastic Four #67-70 (2003)
Doctor Doom fascinates readers in part because of his noble nature. Yes, he may be called Victor Von Doom, but he has the adoration of his subjects in the tiny nation of Latveria and he has been known to help the good guys time and again.
That said, Doom is still a bad guy, something that Waid and Wieringo seek to remind us all in the “Unthinkable” arc from Fantastic Four #67-70. Frustrated by the shortcomings of his technological acumen, Doom turns to the magical prowess he inherited from his mother. To prove his superiority over Richards at last, Doom makes a horrific sacrifice and gains a troubling new look. The changes don’t last past Waid and Wieringo‘s tenure, but the story still haunts the memory of anyone who read it.
8. Fantastic Four #1 (1961)
Looking back now, Fantastic Four #1 feels almost quaint. The team’s origin and first adventure against the Mole Man are more in line with the sci-fi comics Lee and Kirby had been making and less like the superhero exploits in the Marvel Universe that they launched.
In fact, the team doesn’t even get their distinctive uniforms for another two more issues. That said, Fantastic Four #1 contains all of the elements that would make the team great, from its familial dynamics and pathos to its boundless imagination.
9. Fantastic Four #244 (1982)
With the exception of Lee and Kirby, no one did more to expand the mythos of Fantastic Four comics than writer and artist John Byrne. Byrne took over regular duties on the book with Fantastic Four #232, but it was #244 where it became distinctly his.
In addition to continuing the saga of Johnny’s girlfriend Frankie Raye by transforming her into the herald of Galactus Nova, Byrne, with colorist Glynis Wein and letterer Jim Novak, reconceptualize the world eater. Against the desires of the Avengers and even his own teammates, Reed Richards defends Galactus as a universal constant, and thus something that cannot just be killed.
As already discussed, this decision will have consequences in later stories. But on a more immediate level, the issue demonstrated Byrne’s revolutionary take and the team.
10. Fantastic Four #583 – 588 (2010 – 2011)
Despite what its name suggests, the Fantastic Four includes far more than four members. Over the years, the main quartet has left or been replaced, and other heroes have joined up. However, the storyline “Three” by Jonathan Hickman and Steve Epting feels more final than its predecessors.
Working with colorist Paul Mounts and letterer Rus Wooton, Hickman and Epting give the irresponsible Johnny Storm a heroic death and strike a blow against the team’s incessant optimism. To the surprise of no one, Johnny returns to the land of the living a few years later, but the weight and depth of “Three” impresses nonetheless.
11. Fantastic Four #265 (1984)
Speaking of line-up changes, one of the best occurred in Fantastic Four #265, in which the Thing took some time off from adventuring to get his life together. Writer and artist Byrne replaced the FF’s muscle with one of his favorite characters, Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk.
Despite her comparable physical strength, She-Hulk makes for an odd replacement. Her relative is Bruce Banner, a frequent rival of the Thing, and no one in the Richards or Storm families. Moreover, her upbeat attitude contrasts with Ben Grimm’s mopey predilections. Nonetheless, Byrne’s love for the character soon won over fans, adding a new layer of depth to the team.
12. Fantastic Four Annual #6 (1968)
The family aspect has always set Fantastic Four comics apart from other superhero teams. So it matters quite a bit when that family grows, as it does in 1968’s Fantastic Four Annual #6, from Lee, Kirby, Sinnott, and letterer Joe Rosen.
Of course, this being a Fantastic Four story, it can’t just be about a simple birth. Instead, Reed, Johnny, and Ben must travel to the Negative Zone to find a special element, the only thing that can prevent the cosmic rays in Sue’s body from complicating her delivery of her son with Reed. Although the baby boy goes unnamed in this issue, readers will soon know him as Franklin Richards, one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe and an important addition to Fantastic Four comics.
13. Secret Wars #1 – 9 (2015)
On one hand, Secret Wars is an event that spans the entire Marvel Universe and ends with the Universe getting rebooted. However, it remains a Fantastic Four story at the heart, a continuation of the story writer Jonathan Hickman began with his run on the team.
When Doctor Doom gains the ultimate power, he rewrites the Marvel Universe in his image, claiming Sue Richards as his wife and Valeria and Franklin as his children. None but a handful of heroes remember life before God-Emperor Doom, including Reed, who fights to not only set the universe back to right but to get back his family. Although the story ends with the FF disappearing for several years, Secret Wars confirms the team’s importance for the Marvel Universe.
14. Fantastic Four #284 (1985)
For all the progressive elements in the Lee and Kirby run of Fantastic Four, Sue Storm often got overlooked, as Lee wrote her as a ditzy blonde and damsel in distress. That changed under Byrne’s tenure, in which he redefined Sue as a fierce protector of her family and the actual leader of the team. Fantastic Four #284 signals the full change in Sue’s status, as she at last changes her code name from the diminutive Invisible Girl to the more fitting Invisible Woman.
15. FF# 1 (2011)
At the start of FF #1, a message from the now-deceased Johnny Storm identifies his best friend Spider-Man as the ideal replacement should anything happen. But while Spider-Man’s arrival brings the Fantastic team back to Four, they all decide that they cannot be the Fantastic Four without Johnny.
Instead, FF #1 by Hickman and Epting — with additional inks by Rick Magyar, colors by Paul Mounts, and letters by Rus Wooton — puts the team on a new trajectory. Calling themselves the Future Foundation, the team doubles its commitment to exploration and scientific discovery, teaching a group of young minds along the way.
16. Fantastic Four #200 (1978)
By 1978, Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four had clashed many times, and they would clash again in the decades that followed. But the high water mark remains Fantastic Four #200, written by Marv Wolfman, penciled by Kieth Pollard, inked by Joe Sinnott, colored by Francoise Mouly, and lettered by John Costanza.
The battle occurs with Doom at a low point, with the UN bearing down on his nation Latveria and a group of rebels threatening to overthrow him. In retaliation, Doom launches a full-out attack on the UN and the Fantastic Four, leading to a knock-down slugfest between him and Reed.
17. Fantastic Four #352 – 353 (1991)
Before the Loki TV show and the affable Owen Wilson brought the Time Variance Authority and Mobius M. Mobius to the masses, the TVA appeared in writer and artist Walt Simonson’s run on Fantastic Four.
Colored by Marie Javins and lettered by Bill Oakley, Fantastic Four #352 – 353 features a battle between Reed and Doom that occurs outside of time, which Simonson depicts with black and white drawings on the margins of the page. At the same time, the battle causes havoc at the TVA, forcing Mobius and his soldier, Judge Peace, to intervene.
18. Fantastic Four #267 (1984)
Fantastic Four #267 plays in part like a sequel to Fantastic Four Annual #6, as it features a complication in Sue’s second pregnancy. This time, Reed seeks help from the foremost expert on her condition, Doctor Otto Octavius aka Doctor Octopus.
Writer and artist John Byrne, working with colorist Glynis Wein and letterer Michael Higgins, pens another desperate adventure in which Reed learns about the greater good. However, it also builds to a heartbreaking climax, one that continues to develop Sue as a rich and three-dimensional character.
19. Fantastic Four #1-6 (2022 – 2023)
Anyone reading the solicitations for the latest Fantastic Four comics might roll their eyes and sigh. The series begins with the central four split up, with everyone angry at Reed for a mysterious and destructive decision he made in New York.
And yet, despite that glum premise, writer Ryan North, artist Iban Coello, colorist Jesus Aburtov, and letterer Joe Caramagna have crafted a story about forgiveness and optimism, which reinforces the Fantastic Four’s function as a family. Even better, the story gives Johnny his most audacious look, something that has been a long time coming.
20. Fantastic Four #348 (1991)
As mentioned earlier, the Fantastic Four fell out of vogue in the 1990s, when edgier heroes grew in popularity. For that reason, Fantastic Four #348 at first feels like a cynical cash-grab, as the cover proclaims a new Fantastic Four consisting of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, and the Hulk.
However, writer Walt Simonson has more than selling out in mind, making the story both a reaffirmation of the FF’s status in the Marvel Universe and a rollicking adventure. The story achieves that latter goal with the help of pencilers Arthur Adams and Gracine Tanaka, inkers Art Thibert and Al Milgrom, colorist Steve Buccellato, and letterer Bill Oakley.
21. Fantastic Four #128 (1972)
The Mole Man and his Moloids may not be the most compelling of the FF’s villains, but they are the first baddies that the team faced and thus deserve respect.
Writer Roy Thomas and penciler Sal Buscema don’t do anything to reinvent the Mole Man in Fantastic Four #128, inked by Joe Sinnott and lettered by Artie Simek. However, they do tell a fun and tense thriller, taking advantage of the Mole Man’s unique locale Subterrania, and the goofy twists that occur in FF adventures.
22. FF #1 (2012)
Although all of the four main members have, at one time or another, left the team, the Fantastic Four has always featured at least one of them (Fantastic Four #384 notwithstanding). FF #1 doesn’t introduce a new Fantastic Four as much as it features a spin-off team to work on Earth while the main team goes exploring in deep space.
This second Fantastic Four consists of regular allies She-Hulk and Medusa of the Inhumans, as well as Ant-Man Scott Lang and pop star Darla Deeling, whom Johnny nominates to join the team as Miss Thing. This eclectic group comes courtesy of writer Matt Faction and artists Mike and Laura Allred, with letters by Clayton Cowles. The line-up puts a fun spin on the Fantastic Four concept while capturing the pop-art excitement of the original 60s team.
23. Fantastic Four #126 (1972)
As revolutionary as Fantastic Four #1 was, it followed many tropes of the late Golden Age and early Silver Age, especially the origin story told in a couple of pages. So for Fantastic Four #126, writer Roy Thomas and penciler Sal Buscema, joined by the usual support team of Joe Sinnott inking and John Costanza lettering, retold and expanded the team’s first story.
This would not be the last time that Marvel revisited and retold the FF’s origin, but it was the first revision, setting the mold for what would come after.
24. Fantastic Four #375 (1995)
No one would argue that Fantastic Four #375 is a good Fantastic Four comic, per se. While creators such as John Byrne and Walt Simonson made the team relevant for the Bronze Age without feeling cheap, writer Tom DeFalco and penciler Paul Ryan indulged in every gritty ploy, all of which can be seen in Fantastic Four #375, inked by Danny Bulanadi, colored by Gina Going, and lettered by Jack Morelli.
As the cover promises, the issue features Sue in her ridiculous and revealing costume (later explained as a result of her possession by the villainous entity Malice), Thing wearing armor to hide scars from his fight with Wolverine, and Reed wearing a tactical vest and carrying guns. At the time, the issue seemed like a harbinger of bad tidings. Today, it can be read as a hilarious but harmless take on Marvel’s first family.
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