You are viewing snurri

Previous Entry | Next Entry

2009 Reading #70: Essential The Fantastic Four


Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
61. Hmong in Minnesota by Chia Youyee Vang.
62. Myths and Legends of the Sioux by Marie L. McLaughlin.
63. Heir of Sea and Fire (Book Two of the Riddlemaster trilogy) by Patricia McKillip.
64. Sea, Swallow Me and Other Stories by Craig Laurance Gidney.
65. Essential Incredible Hulk Volume 1 by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, et al.
66. I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets: The Comics of Fletcher Hanks by Fletcher Hanks and Paul Karasik.
67. Wizard's Eleven (Book Three of The True Game) by Sheri S. Tepper.
68. Migration of Hmong to the Midwestern United States by Cathleen Jo Faruque.
69. Harpist In the Wind (Book Three of the Riddlemaster trilogy) by Patricia McKillip.

70. Essential The Fantastic Four by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, et al. If I'm honest, this was better than I thought it would be. There are caveats, the primary one being the way Stan writes the Invisible Girl; she is forever being kidnapped and rescued, can't decide between dependable but passionless Reed and hunky but erratic Namor, and frequently is ineffective even in situations where her limited power can be used. At one point Stan and Jack have the team answer reader letters, and Sue has a breakdown when she reads one which opines that she doesn't do anything on the team--Reed, Ben, and Johnny come gallantly to her defense, but basically end up saying that she's essential because she has that feminine touch that makes their base feel like home between adventures. Ugh. Now, if you can set that aside, there's a lot of great pulpy, SF-inspired boy's adventure stuff here. It's silly but it's fun, not least because it doesn't take itself too seriously. Plus, the first appearances of Doctor Doom, the Puppet Master, the Mad Thinker (and his Awesome Android AKA Andy), the Skrulls, and the Marvel-era Sub-mariner.

Comments

( 6 comments — Leave a comment )
songwind
Aug. 20th, 2009 03:59 pm (UTC)
There's a non-Marvel era Namor?
snurri
Aug. 20th, 2009 04:07 pm (UTC)
Technically there is; Namor predates Marvel as a company--he was created for Timely Comics, Marvel's Golden Age predecessor. He, Captain America, and the Human Torch (among others) were properties that Stan Lee resurrected once he realized the company had the rights to them.

Trying this comment a third time, as LJ is acting wonky.
nballingrud
Aug. 20th, 2009 07:45 pm (UTC)
It took Marvel writers a long time to realize that Sue Reed's forcefield powers make her easily the most dangerous member of the bunch. I think they came to their senses once Millar, Bendis, and Ellis started working with the characters. There's this great moment in one of their stories in which she causes someone to pass out by using tiny forcefields to momentarily deprive his brain of oxygen.
snurri
Aug. 20th, 2009 07:49 pm (UTC)
I think even John Byrne was doing some of that stuff with her powers during his run.

It occasionally boggles my mind how short a time ago the early sixties were. In that time we've simultaneously come a long way and almost no distance at all.
zuma
Aug. 20th, 2009 09:56 pm (UTC)
herbie
i want to mention one of the most unusual mid 60's comics ever, 'Herbie', by Ogden Whitney, published by ACG (American Comics Group)... not classifiable, except as humor, and certainly not superhero, but i had to mention it if you have never seen it.
snurri
Aug. 21st, 2009 03:21 am (UTC)
Re: herbie
Herbie! I've seen bits of that stuff around; looking at the Wikipedia article, it appears that Dark Horse recently collected the series. Will have to see if I can track that down!
( 6 comments — Leave a comment )

Profile

snurri
David J. Schwartz
Mumble Herder

Recent and Forthcoming

Novels:

Superpowers:


US Edition


UK Edition

Novellas:

"The Sun Inside," part of the Electrum Novella Series from Rabit Transit Press



Short Stories:

"Escape to Bird Island" at The King's English, Winter 2008-9 Issue

"Bear In Contradicting Landscape" in Polyphony 7, Coming Soon

"MonstroCities" in Tumbarumba: A Frolic of Intrusions

"Mike's Place" in Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet #22

"Proof of Zero" in Spicy Slipstream Stories, Out Now!!

"The Somnambulist" in Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy, Out Now!!

"Oma Dortchen and the Pillar of Story" in Farrago's Wainscot, Summer 2007

"The Ichthyomancer Writes His Friend with an Account of the Yeti's Birthday Party" in Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet Number 13, Fall 2003 (Honorable Mention, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventeenth Annual Collecion); Reprinted in The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet

Criticism:

""Stardust" at Strange Horizons

Essay:

"On Making Noise: Confessions of a Quiet Kid" in Brothers and Beasts: An Anthology of Men on Fairy Tales edited by Kate Bernheimer

FULL BIBLIOGRAPHY

Tags

Latest Month

February 2013
S M T W T F S
     12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
2425262728  
Powered by LiveJournal.com
Designed by Emile Ong