Fantastic Four in 1962

Having set the bar for Fantastic Four’s first issue at a solid eight out of ten, it’s time to turn my attention to the Four’s second year of existence, 1962.

In my head, I keep going back to a basic question: do I read and evaluate as a person in 2022 or as someone reading this the first time in the early 1960s? I suppose it’s somewhat related to tired debates on judicial philosophy.

I tend to believe in a sense of pragmatism for both. Recognition that people in years past were not infallible and do not hold the additional knowledge that we’ve gained in ensuing years, tied with an understanding that putting yourself in the shoes of someone in the past is impossible to extricate from presentism.

Which brings me to Issue #2. The Skrulls, an eventual prominent alien race in the Marvel universe, plays at nothing more than a second consecutive monster-of-the-week villain. Now do you see where I was going with my previous thought process?

Issues three through five brought out costumes, Namor the Sub-mariner, and Dr. Doom,  one right after another. Naturally, because this is 1960s Marvel, the book put both Sub-Mariner and Dr. Doom into the next issue.

That’s not to say there weren’t mis-steps for the series in ’62 – issue seven’s jaunt to Planet X was a dreadful bore. The less said about Puppet Master in issue eight, the better — though, that’s not to say that the issue didn’t end up being hugely consequential. See how tricky this is? The year ended with a third appearance of Namor, because why not? 

One thing that stands out is how these characters were born fully formed. The same cannot necessarily be said about DC’s roster, nor about recent Marvel escapades with adjusting characters to match modern sensibilities. The Thing has always been a self-deprecating beast, while Johnny Storm has continued to be a smart-ass with the heart of gold. In some ways, Reed Richards is almost too complex to describe, but I suppose brilliant guilt suffices. As a sole exception, Sue Storm has drifted between personalities over the last few years, but the bones are here.

I suppose I’m going with another 8/10, as with the previous year. A couple smaller snooze-worthy stories, but I appreciate the building. As an example, see the end of the Puppet Master issue, which segued directly into a new permanent supporting character afterward. Good to see when story formulae aren’t rinsed and reused ad nauseum. 

Issues: Fantastic Four v1 002-009

Grade: 8