The First Two Adventures Of The Fantastic Four

 

It is easy to see the Fantastic Four now, and their wonderful adventures as a family and as a foundation of the Marvel Universe....

...but what were they like when there was no Marvel Universe?

A quick look at the first two issues of the Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with that thought in mind.

A Timely Preamble

While Timely Comics (the precursors to Marvel) had a few super heroes (mostly notably Captain America), by the early sixties, the publisher that would be Marvel was making monster comics, and the citizens of the world had to deal with alien invaders and horribly mutated creatures that would make their lives miserable, with only random scientists, brave military and occasionally some siblings to save them.

But all that would change with Fantastic Four #1....

The Fantastic Four!

Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and George Klein gave us Fantastic Four #1 (November, 1961), and it started with a menacing gathering of four people (first, Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards, who sent out the calling, then, the Invisible Girl, Sue Storm, fading out from a society friend, the lumbering Thing, Ben Grimm, smashing his way through a world too small for him, and the Human Torch, Johnny Storm, burning to get to the meeting, and needing a little help from Reed at the end).

But, who were these people?

The four were astronauts, led by Reed, a scientist, who disagreed with his friend, Ben, the ship's pilot, about how safe they would be from the cosmic rays in space.  But, they still wanted to get to the moon, and would include as crew Reed's fiance Sue, who would go wherever Reed went, and mechanic Johnny, who would follow his sister.  Stealing away in their ship to launch early, the four did make it to space, but Ben was smarter than Reed, as their shielding was insufficient, and the four were exposed to strange radiation, manifesting as powers for each of them.  After a brief tussle, the four realized they needed to work together to help the human race.

But, what of the menace they had to face now?

Well, that was the threat of disappearing atomic plants across the world...that were taken by monsters from inside the Earth!  Stretching his incredible brain, Reed calculated where to go to find the source of the problem, and it was Monster Isle.  There, the four searched, faced a dragon like creature, then were separated, with Reed and Johnny meeting the Mole Man....leader of the subterranean world, who had found Monster Isle as he fled humanity, then, falling into this strange underground world, learned to master the monsters there to take revenge on the people who hated him.  The four rallied together to beat him, sealing the tunnel to the island, though they left the Mole Man behind....

...and, on to the next adventure!

The Fantastic Four Meet The Skulls From Outer Space!

With their second appearance in Fantastic Four #2 (January, 1962, by Lee, Kirby and Klein), the four seemed to be famous (likely more from their astronaut fame, as no one other than the team saw their battle against the Mole Man), the four seemed to be an actual menace to the world, with the Thing destroying an oil tower, the Invisible Girl stealing a priceless diamond, the Human Torch destroying a statue, and Mr. Fantastic turning out the lights to a city...

...maybe they weren't heroes after all!

Well, it was really the evil invading aliens, the Skrulls, who were to blame for the misdeeds, as these four advanced soldiers used their shape-changing abilities to impersonate the heroic team, hoping to turn the world against the heroes.  The FF gathered in secret, debating what to do, as the military closed in, taking the Four prisoner.  But, not prison could hold these heroes, and they promptly escaped...

...but what to do now?

Reed came up with the idea of one of them causing more mischief, in the hopes that their evil doppelgangers would then find the mischief maker, and take in the FF member.  Johnny volunteered to be the agent, and was quickly found by the Skrulls.  They could Johnny to their base, where he called in the rest of the team, and they made quick work of these Skrulls.  But, in finding them, the four realized there was a bigger menace, the rest of the Skrull invasion force.  Thinking quickly, Reed decided his four would impersonate the Skrull four, and go back, and report that Earth had too many menaces there for the Skrulls to conquer the world (oddly, using Strange Tales and Journey Into Mystery comics as proof).  The invasion fleet left, and the Fantastic Four returned to Earth, convincing the remaining three Skrulls to change into cows, where they were hypnotized to forget their Skrull life, leaving them contented.  (But, what of the fourth Skrull?   A tale for the future....).

Still, these two issues helped found the Marvel Universe, setting up many tales both in and above the Earth...as soon after, the Marvel Universe started to grow with Hank Pym, a man who shrank to the size of ant, and the Fantastic Four got costumes, a headquarters and even a car, as the Fantastic Four became more of a success for Lee and Kirby!

Remembering Jack Kirby

Remembering the King, Jack Kirby on his birthday (August 28, 1917 - February 6, 1994).

Here, a portrait of Kirby by Alex Ross, and some of Kirby's own words to remember him by....

"If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there."

Kirby Westerns

Jack Kirby worked on many western comics during his career, including Kid Colt Outlaw, Two Gun Kid and the Rawhide Kid.  Sadly, an era too often ignored by modern readers especially as the titles became reprint titles towards the end of their runs (with some covers duplicated but altered).

Two great examples here are Kid Colt Outlaw #215 (February, 1977), which reprints Kid Colt Outlaw #121 (March, 1965) and Two Gun Kid #134 (December, 1976), which reprints Two Gun Kid #75 (May, 1965).

Kid Colt Outlaw #121 and #215 (March, 1965 and February 1977)

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Two Gun Kid #75 and #134 (May, 1965 and December, 1976)

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Remembering The Fantastic Jack Kirby

Remembering the King, Jack Kirby on his birthday (August 28, 1917 - February 6, 1994) with a couple of Fantastic Four covers...

...#84 from March, 1969 and #35 (#680 by legacy numbering, and a variant cover to boot) from November, 2021, just to show a little of the Fantastic Four and their most vile villains (including Doctor Doom, the Frightful Four and the Sub-Mariner), showing how timeless the Fantastic Four and Kirby are.  

Kirby's Bulls Eye

One of the last collaborations of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, working for their own comic book company, Mainline...or at least the first five issues of the series, Bulls Eye.  Issues #6 and #7 were published at Charlton.

The boy, Bullseye, became an orphan due to an Indian attack, and was raised by his grandfather, Deadeye Dick (who escaped with the boy).  They were aided by a friendly Indian scout, Long Drink.  Bullseye became the master of guns, horse riding and all sorts of throwing weapons.  He wandered the west, as a western scout, righting wrongs as a hero, and even had an encounter with a pterodactyl...all where he never misses!

Bulls Eye #1 and #2 (July-August and October-November, 1954)

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Bulls Eye #3 and #4 (December-January, 1954/1955 and February, 1955)

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Bulls Eye #5 and #6 (April and June 1955)

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Bulls Eye #7 (August, 1955)

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Monster Kirby Diablo And Blip

Monsters were coming fast and furious to the Marvel Universe, as it lacked any heroes to protect it in the pre-Iron Man and pre-Ant-Man age, but again, average humans arose to meet the challenge of the unknown...

...and, here are two more monsters that faced humanity at that time (doubling up this time, as they both only had one appearance before the Fantastic Four).

Tales Of Suspense #9 (May, 1960)

First, "I Saw Diablo! The Demon From The Fifth Dimension!" (with a little help from Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers).  Diablo was a smoke demon from another dimension who came to Earth, simply looking for room (as his dimension was overcrowded).  Diablo landed in Mexico, and here, he was confronted by Ulysses Bloodstone (though this character wasn't invented until later, it was just a generic monster hunter in this issue).  Bloodstone lit a cigarette lighter and blew it out, making Diablo think humans could easily defeat him, so he went home.

Diablo seemed to have had enough of Earth.

Though all evidence shows he has not returned to Earth, Diablo was one of many aliens duplicated by Xemnu (including Goom, Taboo and our next monster) that Hulk faced in Hulk Annual #5 (November, 1976), and Bloodstone debuted in Marvel Presents #1 of July, 1975 

Tales To Astonish #15 (January, 1961)  

With this issue, "I Learned The Dread Secret Of The Blip!" as told by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers.  As Diablo was sentient smoke, Blip was living energy.  Going home from exploring another galaxy, Blip got trapped in a spacewarp and exhausted his energy getting free, and ended up on Earth to recharge.  As Blip did, he caused electrical outages for Oakville, attracting the attention of a radar operator who wasn't getting any signals.  He found Blip, learned of his story, but the pair were confronted by an angry mob.  Blip, horrified by the humans, attacked them, and then left, letting them know that their savagery convinced him not to share his secrets of the universe with humans.

Blip hoped humans would advance the next time he saw them.

There were a few other members of Blips race who encountered the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, and he too was duplicated by Xemnu, but Blip himself did return to help humanity against the Leviathons during the Monsters Unleashed 5 issue event of 2017.

Monster Kirby Taboo

In that nebulous time between Captain America being frozen in the ocean and his revival in the Avengers, there were monsters roaming the Marvel Universe.

One of those menaces to Earth humans that they had to face without costumed heroes was Taboo, and here is his story.

Strange Tales #75 (June, 1960)

"Taboo! The Thing From The Murky Swamp!" first appeared in this story by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers (under a cover by Kirby and Steve Ditko). Taboo was an alien who crashed into the Amazon jungle, where he waited until he was found by author Lewis Conrad.  Taboo explained to Conrad that he needed Earth's knowledge so he could return home.  Conrad helped convince the United Nations to help, and presented Earth's knowledge to him.  With this information, Taboo revealed he was really an advanced scout for an invasion, and that the knowledge would help his people conquer Earth.  But, as he left Earth, a hydrogen bomb secreted in the records exploded, stopping Taboo from reuniting with his people.

But, that was not all for Taboo!

  

Strange Tales #77 (October, 1960)

Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers brought back the monster with "The Return Of Taboo!".  Taboo reformed after the hydrogen bomb explosion, and went on a bit of a rampage all over New York, especially menacing Officer Dan and his wife, Susan.  Then, even worse, more alien ships approached.  It was more of Taboo's race, but, far from being an invading force, they were benevolent aliens, who were appalled by Taboo's actions, taking him into custody and repairing the damage he did to Earth.

Still, Earth wasn't about to see the last of Taboo.

Taboo would return, usually in tandem with other monstrous menaces, such as the time he was part of a group of monsters the Avengers' villain, the Collector, had kept in a flashback tale from Marvel Monsters On The Prowl #1 (December, 2005) to being one of the monsters duplicated by Xemnu (like Groot, the Blip and Goom) in Hulk Annual #5 (November, 1976).

Monster Kirby Goom

Before the Fantastic Four, the Marvel Universe was a strange place.  After the various members of the Invaders (and All-Winners Squad) disappeared, the humans of Earth were left to fend for themselves against all the various aliens of the galaxy.

Goom was one of those aliens, and here is his story.

Tales Of Suspense #15 (March, 1961)

In his first appearance (by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers), "Goom! The Thing From Planet X!" came to menace Earth after being drawn there by the broadcasts of scientist Mark Langley.  Langely and his wife Helen confronted the monster, as it then showed Earth its various powers.  Langley felt any society advanced enough for space travel should be a peaceful one, so he broadcasted again, earning the ire of Earth officials, who plan to execute him.  Langley was right, as other aliens arrived to stop the execution, take custody of Goom and leave.

But, this was not the end of Goom!

Tales Of Suspense #17 (May, 1961)

Goom hadn't finished with Earth, as the Langleys had to "Beware Of Googam, Son Of Goom!" (by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers).  Goom left behind his offspring, Googam, in a cave, and it slowly began to mature.  Leaving the cave, Googam found Billy Langley, the son of Mark and Helen, and took him hostage at the Langley home, waiting to mature to menace the Earth as his father did.  If Billy hadn't managed to trick the alien into following him in a game of tag, then leading Googam into quicksand, the Earth would have been doomed!

Still, Goom himself would return!

A duplicate of Goom would return to menace the Hulk in Hulk Annual #5 (October, 1976), along with other monstrous duplicates of Groot, the Blip, Diablo and Taboo (all created by Xemmu, the Living Titan), but (after a meeting with Venus in the Marvel Valentine Special and later retroactive adventures with the Fantastic Four and the Avengers) the real Goom would join with Groot, the Living Mummy, Brother Voodoo, the Gorilla Man (and more) in Nick Fury's Howling Commandos.  Goom even faced Kitty Pryde and Magik in the Uncanny X-Men, and returned again with other monsters to menace the whole Marvel Universe during the Monsters Unleashed event!

Boy Commandos Meet Dale Evans

It's a rip roaring western adventure, as Rip Carter takes the Boy Commandos (Brooklyn, Andre and Tex) out west to meet Dale Evans in Boy Commandos #32 (March-April, 1949) by Jack Kirby.

Justice Traps The Guilty Kirby 1940s

Been found guilty of not covering as many crime comics as needed this month, so, a special treat...fresh from the 1940s, covers of Justice Traps The Guilty from the Prize Group, with 11 covers by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, covering the 1940s covers by Kirby/Simon (then they briefly went with photo covers to finish the 1940s and start the 1950s).

A look back at a time when justice was swift, and crime didn't pay!

Justice Traps The Guilty #1 and #2 (Oct-Nov , 1947 and Jan 1948)

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Justice Traps The Guilty #3 and #4 (Mar-Apr and May-Jun, 1948)

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Justice Traps The Guilty #5 and #6 (Jul-Aug and Sep-Oct, 1948)

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Justice Traps The Guilty #7 and #8 (Nov-Dec, 1948 and Jan-Feb, 1949)

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Justice Traps The Guilty #9 and #10 (Apr-May and Jun-Jul, 1949)

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Justice Traps The Guilty #11 (Aug-Sept, 1949)

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These don't quite have the innocence of the Guardian and the Newsboy Legion, but are interesting to look at!

Celebrating Jack Kirby

Celebrating the King, Jack Kirby, on what would have been his 105th birthday (August 28, 1917 to February 6, 1994), with two special covers of characters he had worked on for a long time, Thor and Captain America.

First up, Journey Into Mystery #105 (June, 1964), inked by Chic Stone, where Thor faced off with two of his deadlier foes, the Cobra and Mr. Hyde!

The second of these special issues is Captain America #105 (September, 1968), with inks by Dan Adkins (and alterations by John Romita Sr.), sees Batroc form his Brigade, with the Swordsman and Power Man as members.

Not enough Kirby for you...here is more!

Kamandi Vs Flying Sharks

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the beach...

...the sharks coming flying out of the water at you!

Yes, just one of the many dangers of the world After Disaster...

...that was the home of Jack Kirby's Kamandi, the last boy on Earth!

Freak Show

But, Kamandi #25 (January, 1975, by Jack Kirby and D. Bruce Berry) didn't start with the sharks.

No, it was Kamandi and his new friend, speaking simian Flim-Flam (as well as his three trained humans: Jukie, Lukie and Dukie), who were surprised to see something rise out of the water of the island they crashed on....that of metallic mutants Ben Boxer, Steve and Renzi (former friends of Kamandi's).  

The lot set about to search the island for a vehicle which had survived the disaster that had befallen the world.  They did, after facing a few dangers, find a hovercraft, but even then, had to face an attack of flying sharks before they passed through the mists to their next adventure!

Check here to see a map of the world of Kamandi, and here to find out how the Earth ended up in disaster!

Fantastic Four 1 Anniversary

Celebrating the original release of Fantastic Four #1 (cover dated November, 1961), but released on August 8, 1961, with an incredible story detailing the origin and first case of the Fantastic Four as told by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and George Klein....and kicking off Marvel Comics! 

This issue, once considered the beginning of the Marvel Universe (though, later, Timely tales of Captain America, Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, the Blonde Phantom, Whizzer, Miss America, the Patriot, Venus and more were considered canon, as well as select tales from books like Strange Tales and Journey Into Mystery including tales of gorillas, robots, Zombies and Hydra) , it still is a milestone in Marvel history!

But, back to the Fantastic Four...in this first issue, we see scientist Reed Richards, his best friend pilot Ben Grimm, Reed's fiance Sue Storm and her brother, Johnny, take off in a spaceship (originally to be the first to reach the moon, later "updated" to be the first interstellar flight), wherein the crew is exposed to cosmic rays in their improperly shielded ship, and, after crash landing back on Earth, find they each have gained powers in line with their personalities, becoming the stretchable Mr. Fantastic, strong Thing, faded Invisible Girl and fiery Human Torch!  They gather together in this issue to battle the Mole Man, and his monsters....one of many menaces they face!

So this would continue, with over 100 issues of Lee and Kirby, and so many more after that (partially covered in this early index), helped found the Marvel Universe....and so many more adventures to come!