Fantastic Four in 1961

I really struggled with an evaluation of Fantastic Four’s 1961 year, as there was only one Fantastic Four comic dated within 1961 – #1.

My first thought was a question of revisionist history: was Fantastic Four #1 really the innovative new product that we accept without question today? 

What was Marvel doing at the time? It appears that Marvel’s August 1961 release schedule consisted of mostly Millie the Model, Patsy Walker, horror and sci-fi. Effectively, it was the basic milieu that has come down over the years: superheroes were a dead genre, and Marvel’s 1961 verified this.

Was DC doing anything different? I admit to being initially confused and thinking that DC’s Doom Patrol was an early release, but some rudimentary research led me to discover that it hit print in 1963. Otherwise, DC was doing some cool stuff… Flash #123 introduced the multiverse, with the original Flash and the silver age Flash meeting for the first time. Legion of Super-Heroes was also fairly well established at the time, though the team wouldn’t receive its own series until 1962.

But Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman would remain utter dreck for another couple of years. Sorry. Green Lantern was neat, though, and had already been around for copious months. The Justice League was also already alive and kicking. In this respect, the DC was already five years deep into the Silver Age of comics.

So what did Fantastic Four #1 do differently? I’ve seen somewhere the Marvel introduced a naturalistic way of storytelling — that is, superheroes were not placed above humanity, but within it. In contrast, DC superheroes existed within a pantheon. I certainly agree with the general assessment — fellow heroes call each other cowards and monsters in this one. And, while it’s hard to consider this particular comic a “superhero comic,” (given the lack of costumes and the monster-of-the-week villain) it’s fair to argue that the first issue of Fantastic Four is tonally different than what came before. 

During the same period, the Justice League were tussling with alien funhouse mirrors, yellow manticores, and a wheel of fortune.

Having considered all of this, it gets an 8. There’s a distinct new tone, but it doesn’t yet forecast for something new.

Issues: Fantastic Four v1 001

Grade: 8