Rating: 
Summary: Jack Kirby Made them Fantastic!
Review: This book has beautifully reprinted the first ten issues of the Fantastic Four. Credit is given to Jack Kirby but not enough. Though the book is a beautiful reprinting of classic MARVEL, it should tell the fans how the Fantastic Four really came to be. After all the concept of the super team was nothing new to Jack Kirby when he first penned the first issue of the Fantastic Four. Really the Fantastic Four are recycled characters of Jack Kirby's "Challengers of the unknown" comic book done for the D.C. Comics before Jack Kirby returned to Marvel. This book brings back the memories of the early Fantastic Four adventures. My favorite issue is the introduction of Dr. Doom. There's always something exciting going on in every Panel. Jack Kirby's artwork was and still is to this day awesome! The fact that the first ten issues are all compiled in this book is really something because if you were to go out and try to buy issue one to ten,you'd be in the poor house. If you don't own a copy of this book, What are you waiting for ? Kirby's comic book creations will clobber you. Jack Kirby really created something special when he re-worked the challengers of the unknown. Jack Kirby single handedly saved Marvel comics with this super team. This book is really worth your time. When you pick it up, you can't put it down. The Price is just right to. If you love comics, this book has to be in your collection. Thank's for the Fantastic Four Jack Kirby.
Rating:
Summary: Jack Kirby Made them Fantastic!
Review: This book has beautifully reprinted the first ten issues of the Fantastic Four. Credit is given to Jack Kirby but not enough. Though the book is a beautiful reprinting of classic MARVEL, it should tell the fans how the Fantastic Four really came to be. After all the concept of the super team was nothing new to Jack Kirby when he first penned the first issue of the Fantastic Four. Really the Fantastic Four are recycled characters of Jack Kirby's "Challengers of the unknown" comic book done for the D.C. Comics before Jack Kirby returned to Marvel. This book brings back the memories of the early Fantastic Four adventures. My favorite issue is the introduction of Dr. Doom. There's always something exciting going on in every Panel. Jack Kirby's artwork was and still is to this day awesome! The fact that the first ten issues are all compiled in this book is really something because if you were to go out and try to buy issue one to ten,you'd be in the poor house. If you don't own a copy of this book, What are you waiting for ? Kirby's comic book creations will clobber you. Jack Kirby really created something special when he re-worked the challengers of the unknown. Jack Kirby single handedly saved Marvel comics with this super team. This book is really worth your time. When you pick it up, you can't put it down. The Price is just right to. If you love comics, this book has to be in your collection. Thank's for the Fantastic Four Jack Kirby.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Four Masterworks - FF #51-60
Review: This book reprints a grand run of Lee-Kirby FF covering the period immediately after the first Galactus saga. It contains the great "This Man, This Monster" (the greatest Thing story, in my opinion) as well as stories featuring the Dr Doom, the Silver Surfer, the Inhumans, and the introduction of the Black Panther. Lee and Kirby were literally bursting with new ideas at this point in time and the stories seemed to be getting bigger and more grand. Jack Kirby was the most important comic book artist ever and this volume contains some of his finest work. Another reviewer has complained about the computer enhancement of the artwork. There will always be problems in upgrading artwork meant for newsprint to artwork for the higher quality paper. The colors will always seem brighter and more garish. However, if you use the original printing process on the higher quality paper, the colors would look like a bunch of dots. You can't go back to the original newsprint and I feel that Marvel had to do what it could with what it had. I have many issues of this run of FF and the "touched-up" artwork did not bother me or distract me too much. I enjoyed seeing these stories again and I am glad they are collected in one place. I wonder if it would be too much to ask that they do Marvel Masterworks versions of other great runs: Barry Windsor-Smith Conan, Frank Miller Daredevil.... Lee and Kirby at the peak of their powers were a formidable combination. These stories were taken from the time that you literally couldn't wait the month-long interval between issues. The artwork is unmatched, particularly the definitive version of the Thing by Kirby and Sinnott. This book should be given to all new comics writers and artists as the ultimate example of the "Marvel House Style". Easy to read, yet every panel is exciting, dyanamic, and has a purpose. Despite its inherent flaws in the upgrade process, it still deserves the highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Four Masterworks - FF #51-60
Review: This book reprints a grand run of Lee-Kirby FF covering the period immediately after the first Galactus saga. It contains the great "This Man, This Monster" (the greatest Thing story, in my opinion) as well as stories featuring the Dr Doom, the Silver Surfer, the Inhumans, and the introduction of the Black Panther. Lee and Kirby were literally bursting with new ideas at this point in time and the stories seemed to be getting bigger and more grand. Jack Kirby was the most important comic book artist ever and this volume contains some of his finest work. Another reviewer has complained about the computer enhancement of the artwork. There will always be problems in upgrading artwork meant for newsprint to artwork for the higher quality paper. The colors will always seem brighter and more garish. However, if you use the original printing process on the higher quality paper, the colors would look like a bunch of dots. You can't go back to the original newsprint and I feel that Marvel had to do what it could with what it had. I have many issues of this run of FF and the "touched-up" artwork did not bother me or distract me too much. I enjoyed seeing these stories again and I am glad they are collected in one place. I wonder if it would be too much to ask that they do Marvel Masterworks versions of other great runs: Barry Windsor-Smith Conan, Frank Miller Daredevil.... Lee and Kirby at the peak of their powers were a formidable combination. These stories were taken from the time that you literally couldn't wait the month-long interval between issues. The artwork is unmatched, particularly the definitive version of the Thing by Kirby and Sinnott. This book should be given to all new comics writers and artists as the ultimate example of the "Marvel House Style". Easy to read, yet every panel is exciting, dyanamic, and has a purpose. Despite its inherent flaws in the upgrade process, it still deserves the highest recommendation.
Rating: 
Summary: Bad reproduction of superb material
Review: This Marvel Masterworks fourth volume of Fantastic Four comics offers issues #51-60 of plus Annual/Special #4. These are the issues that Stan (the Man) Lee and Jack (King) Kirby came up with after the FF reached their absolute height in issues #48-50 where they took on Galactus with the help of the Silver Surfer (who makes a return visit in #55). Included in this collection is the classic "This Man...This Monster" (#51), often considered the best Thing story. We also have the introduction of the Black Panther (#52) as well as Black Bolt and the Inhumans (#53-54), who eventually become involved in a classic four-part Doctor Doom story (#57-60) that is one of the two finest clashes between the FF and the ruler of Latvia. As others have noticed, there is something of a trade off here between the quality of the reproductions, which is less than stellar, and the quality of the original stories, which is just a notch between Lee and Kirby's best work. Actually, this volume is where I think the two co-creators of the series sort of pass each other in opposite directions as Kirby's artwork is just beginning to hit fully stride on this comic and Lee's stories are on the down trend (But how could they not be? The Fantastic Four basically beat a god when they defeated Galactus). You will have to make the on balance assessment as to whether you want to shell out the bucks for this collection.
Rating: 
Summary: Lee & Kirby's Fantastic Four take on the Inhumans & Dr. Doom
Review: This Marvel Masterworks fourth volume of Fantastic Four comics offers issues #51-60 of plus Annual/Special #4. These are the issues that Stan (the Man) Lee and Jack (King) Kirby came up with after the FF reached their absolute height in issues #48-50 where they took on Galactus with the help of the Silver Surfer (who makes a return visit in #55). Included in this collection is the classic "This Man...This Monster" (#51), often considered the best Thing story. We also have the introduction of the Black Panther (#52) as well as Black Bolt and the Inhumans (#53-54), who eventually become involved in a classic four-part Doctor Doom story (#57-60) that is one of the two finest clashes between the FF and the ruler of Latvia. As others have noticed, there is something of a trade off here between the quality of the reproductions, which is less than stellar, and the quality of the original stories, which is just a notch between Lee and Kirby's best work. Actually, this volume is where I think the two co-creators of the series sort of pass each other in opposite directions as Kirby's artwork is just beginning to hit fully stride on this comic and Lee's stories are on the down trend (But how could they not be? The Fantastic Four basically beat a god when they defeated Galactus). You will have to make the on balance assessment as to whether you want to shell out the bucks for this collection.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Four Masterworks - FF #51-60
Review: This run of Fantastic Four comic books by Lee and Kirby, of course, is great. HOWEVER, this Masterworks collection is something of a rip-off. First of all, the suggested retail of $49.95 is up $15 from the price they had a year ago on other Masterworks. Secondly, the reproduction of the artwork is subpar... not to mention outright terrible at times. Worst yet, the inking job by Joe Sinnot is many times obviously "touched up" or completely re-done by another inker (Steve Leiloha?). Half the beauty of the artwork in an FF comic book is Joe Sinnot's inks over Kirby's pencils. That beauty is completely lost in these reprints. Don't buy this Masterworks. Go to a comic book shop and buy the original copies of these comics... if you go for the "good condition" (as opposed to "mint condition") comics you'll actually pay LESS than if you bought the Masterworks edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly done and overpriced
Review: This run of Fantastic Four comic books by Lee and Kirby, of course, is great. HOWEVER, this Masterworks collection is something of a rip-off. First of all, the suggested retail of $49.95 is up $15 from the price they had a year ago on other Masterworks. Secondly, the reproduction of the artwork is subpar... not to mention outright terrible at times. Worst yet, the inking job by Joe Sinnot is many times obviously "touched up" or completely re-done by another inker (Steve Leiloha?). Half the beauty of the artwork in an FF comic book is Joe Sinnot's inks over Kirby's pencils. That beauty is completely lost in these reprints. Don't buy this Masterworks. Go to a comic book shop and buy the original copies of these comics... if you go for the "good condition" (as opposed to "mint condition") comics you'll actually pay LESS than if you bought the Masterworks edition.
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