44 Years of the Fantastic Four

3.3 3.3 out of 5 stars | 46 ratings

Price: 80

Last update: 01-04-2025


About this item

All Fantastic Four comic books from November 1961 through December 2004
including debut issue. , Over 550 complete printable comics,
cover to cover, that s over 20,000 pages. , Plus all annual issues
All articles, Fantastic Four fan pages, Bullpen Bulletins, Pinups and
every single advertisement.

Top reviews from the United States

  • wagnerite
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Recall
    Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2007
    Since I can remember, the Fantastic Four has always been my favorite comic book. It was not just that the characters were interesting and had their own issues, but it was also that they were human as well as superheroes. The appeal of Ben Grimm, the sweetness of Sue Storm, brash Johnny Storm and the ultra-scientific (and never quite dorky) Reed Richards were a perfect team because they grew together and drew you into their lives.

    But let's not forget that the FF also brought many novel comic aspects: The Watcher, the Negative Zone, the Inhumans, and of course, Galactus and the Silver Surfer.

    Growing up with the FF I consider the "Golden Era" of this comic book to be the years in which Stan Lee and Jack Kirby worked on them (up to issue 100 or so). In particular, the issues between the introduction of the Black Panther (one of my all-time favorite stories) to the introduction of Him (Warlock) were particularly interesting. In this 2 year time frame, Dr. Doom stole the Silver Surfer's powers, the Kree resurfaced, Blastaar made his presence known while Reed was in danger in the Negative Zone. All wonderful stories, and Jack Kirby's artwork was at its peak.

    You can see all of this for yourself in this collection and more. You can read Stan's most eloquent prose and admire Jack's creative capabilities as one of the great comic book artists. You will also be able to see the ebb and flow of stories, how different writers took the FF in other directions, how the comic book floundered and how it was reborn. Indeed, due to its longevity, the FF are not just the indomitable team of 4 superheroes, but the collective effort of great artists and writers that brought these creations to life in the pages of a medium not considered artistic by many.

    The collection contained in the DVD is all in Acrobat format and are scanned images of real comic books. Thus, you will see yellowing pages, smudges, tears, etc. For me, this is a good thing, because it shows the comics as collector items. (I don't think making an antique look new is a good thing. If an antique is well-preserved, that is OK, but it still has to be an antique.)

    On the whole, I am very satisfied with this purchase and for a few dollars took a stroll down memory lane in the convenience of my computer or laptop. I still have my own collection, including those captured in Marvel Collectors Item Classics (the first reprints of FF comics that later became Marvel Greatest Comics), but the collection in this set is unsurpassed and well worth every penny.
  • Christopher J. Schillig
    4.0 out of 5 stars 20,000 pages for pennies a page
    Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2006
    44 YEARS OF FANTASTIC FOUR compresses decades of comic books (20,000 pages according to the box, and I'm not counting them to argue) onto one DVD-Rom.

    In some ways, the collection is better than those bulky, expensive Marvel Masterworks editions because you get the original coloring, the occasional nicked cover or yellowed page, all the original ads, Bullpen Bulletins, and letters pages.

    In short, even though readers view this collection on a computer screen, it's closer in many respects to the actual act of perusing a vintage issue of "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!" And the scans -- saved in two-page increments to better capture the occasional double-page layout -- look great!

    And for the price of ONE Masterworks volume, you get an entire 44-year run!

    They're all here: the classics, the long runs of solid stories, and the periodic dud. Readers can follow the team from its earliest days under Stan Lee and Jack Kirby when they stuck to the company's forte of giant monsters and aliens (hence, the Thing, the Mole Man and his band of underground misfits, and the Skrulls) through their grand experiments in the cosmic (Galactus, the Silver Surfer, Him, the Inhumans), a run of comics creativity that has seldom, if ever, been equalled.

    Then follow the team through a darker period in the 70s when various creative teams floundered in the gigantic wake of Lee and Kirby's departure. Sure, there were some good stories (specifically, the Thomas/Wein/Wolfman era of scripting which included art by George Perez for too short a span), but there were a lot of dogs, too.

    The book was reborn under John Byrne, who took over as writer and artist in the early 80s and restored the team to its glory days with the returns of Doctor Doom (the ultimate FF baddie), Galactus, and a healthy mix of the cosmic and day-to-day adventures.

    Once you've finished those stories, you still have 15 MORE years of continuity on hand. Really, it's quite an imposing database of adventures, including all the specials and annuals, too. If, like me, you've read many of these before, you'll still find the occasional surprise or story you've forgotten. (For me, so far, it was finding an FF annual completely illustrated by the great Steve Ditko!)

    I'm dropping one star, not for the collection itself, but for the lack of simple documentation to make the first-time user's experience with Acrobat Reader more enjoyable. In some ways, I prefer the CDisplay program for reading comics on a computer, as it is more intuitive and novice-reader friendly than Adobe.

    However, a one-sheet page of instructions about issues specific to reading comics with Adobe would have shaved an hour's worth of frustration from my initial experience. For example, checking "use single-key accelerators to access tools" under the "General" section of "Preferences" (accessible through CTL+K) allows readers to use keyboard shortcuts while reading full screen.

    And you'll want to read these full screen, instead of peeking at them through the Reader window. To access full-screen capabilities, use CTL+L. Once you've done that, increase the size of the page to a comfortable level by holding down CTL + SPACE BAR while clicking with the mouse. Then, you can easily scroll up or down each two-page scan. With a little practice, you'll soon be reading comics on the computer as easily as you read an actual comic book. But better instructions would have improved the process considerably.

    A great collection, and a novel way to store thousands upon thousands of books and access them easily. Recommended!
  • Nikki Boland
    1.0 out of 5 stars Item was used, not new
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2011
    Package was opened when received, there was gummy residue on outside of package, item aws supposed to be "New" and the DVD appeared to be used.
  • Jerry G.
    2.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality images used
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2008
    Many of the covers, arguably the highlight of a comic, have "NOT TO BE SOLD" stamped on them. For this price they should have used clean copies.
  • LunaLupus
    3.0 out of 5 stars Great purchase... last year
    Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2007
    I'm not really going to review this product, I'm only going to tell you that there is an updated collection coming. Fantastic Four and Silver Surfer - The Complete Comic Edition It has everything this collection has, but continues through Dec. 2006, with a total of "over 575 issues" of Fantastic Four. It also includes 185 Silver Surfer issues (Aug. 1968 through Dec. 2004).

    From what I've counted, the Fantastic Four from Nov. 1961 through Dec. 2006 and all annuals comes to around 569 issues. You'll notice there are at least 6 unknown comics if I've counted correctly. I hope the Giant-Size comics are included this time.

    Having bought this version almost a year ago, I will buy the new version, but I thought it only fair to let everyone else know.

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