The Fantastic Four are without doubt one of the greatest super groups in all of comicdom. Since making their debut in 1961, the FF have appeared in countless comics, as well as numerous movies, and cartoons, and have cemented themselves as Marvel’s ‘First Family’.
But with so many great FF stories in the back catalogue, where do you start if you want to read the best tales of the Fantastic Four? Well, you could start with the suggestions presented below.
Scroll down and you’ll find a collection of fantastic stories, taken from the FF’s pantheon of tales. The stories featured include Marvel milestones, some pure comic book magic, and a very creepy story involving zombies.
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Full Circle
First up is Fantastic Four: Full Circle – a bestselling graphic novel written and illustrated by acclaimed artist, Alex Ross. Released in 2022, this story focuses on the FF‘s journey into the Negative Zone, after their home the Baxter Building is invaded by parasites.
Featuring some truly outstanding artwork, Full Circle is a beautifully crafted tale. It is a visual treat for new and existing FF fans alike, with Ross’ illustrations bursting from the page.
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Authoritative Action
Up next, in Authoritative Action, the Fantastic Four‘s most iconic foe, Doctor Doom is no more. As such, his rule over the land of Latveria is over.
But when the FF attempt to free the citizens of Doom’s former nation, they discover resistance they did not expect. Maybe the team don’t have all the solutions they thought they did, and maybe Doom wasn’t viewed as a tyrant by all.
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The Galactus Trilogy
Over to the classic era of FF stories now for The Galactus Trilogy – a three-issue run which first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four issue #48 to #50. Not only does the story introduce the Silver Surfer and the planet-devouring being known as Galactus, it is also one of the most iconic tales in Marvel Comics history.
The story – which boasts fantastic artwork from artist Jack Kirby – centres around a doomsday scenario with Galactus arriving on Earth with one goal in mind: To consume the planet! It is up to the Fantastic Four (with a little help from the Watcher) to stop him in his tracks, otherwise the entire human race is done for!
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Terror in a Tiny Town
Appearing in Fantastic Four issue #236, the premise of Terror in a Tiny Town is as follows: The FF are no longer superheroes – in fact they’ve no knowledge of ever being superheroes. Of course, this scenario is entirely incorrect, but that’s because The Puppet Master and Doctor Doom have convinced the FF they are just ordinary Joes.
Written and illustrated by John Byrne, Terror in a Tiny Town is a great little Fantastic Four tale which mixes old school sci-fi with fun super heroics. Terror in a Tiny Town is a perfect comic book adventure which requires very little knowledge of the FF to enjoy and is ideal for fans of The Twilight Zone.
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Fantastic Four: 1234
Now, onto Fantastic Four: 1234 – a four-part story from Grant Morrison and Jae Lee. In this tale, the FF find themselves under threat from their greatest foes in an all-out assault.
A relatively short tale, this story uses each issue to focus on a different member of the team.
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Crossover
Back during the early ’00s Marvel published a 60(ish) issue run of comics called Ultimate Fantastic Four which took the FF back to basics, condensing all previous continuity into an easy to digest collection. Crossover is arguably the best of this run of comics as it introduces the zombie Fantastic Four – a horror movie equivalent of the comic book heroes.
Running across the pages of Ultimate Fantastic Four #21 to #23, Crossover is a must-read. The zombie FF are a genuinely credible threat to the multiverse and Crossover is an intriguing and chilling tale that puts a new spin on the Marvel Universe.
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This Man… This Monster!
Another iconic tale and one taken from the classic Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era of the Fantastic Four. This single-issue tale – which originally appeared in Fantastic Four issue #51 – revolves around a mad scientist and a plot to impersonate the Thing.
Billed as “one of the greatest illustrated epics yet produced…” (and it is), This Man… This Monster is a true classic from the Silver Age of comics. Told largely from the villain’s perspective, this story demonstrates that even bad guys have a conscience.
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Solve Everything
In Solve Everything, Reed Richards hits upon his grandest idea yet. He wants to solve everything!
Originally told across the pages of Fantastic Four #570 to #578, Solve Everything sees Reed on a journey to do great works on behalf of humanity. And of course, this leads to a lot of problems too.
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Three
In Three, the fabulous Fantastic Four are about to become a tragic trio, when one member meets their untimely end. Originally printed in Fantastic Four #583 to #588 this tale sends shockwaves through the group.
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A Small Loss
In this classic tale from Fantastic Four #267, Sue and her unborn child are in mortal danger, leading Reed Richards to seek assistance from Doctor Octopus! But is Doc Ock the right person to help Reed and Sue in their hour of need?
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Unthinkable
If you’re craving a good old fashioned battle between the FF and Doctor Doom then look no further – Unthinkable is the story for you!
In this tale, Doctor Doom harnesses dark magic, imprisons Doctor Strange, places Franklin Richards in a Hell dimension, kidnaps Valeria Richards, and uses the skin of his former girlfriend to fashion a new set of armour.
Sold? I thought so!
Written by Mark Waid, with Mike Wieringo providing the art, Unthinkable originally appeared in Fantastic Four (vol 3) issue #67 to #70 & issue #500.
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Secret Wars
An iconic tale now, which doesn’t just feature the Fantastic Four, but many, many heroes from the Marvel Universe. Oh, and a load of bad guys and gals too!
In the story, originally printed across 12 issues back in 1984, a cosmic entity known as the Beyonder transports a collection of Earth’s mightiest heroes and villains to Battleworld – a planet in a distant galaxy. Here the likes of Iron Man, She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four (amongst others) team up in a fight for survival against Doctor Doom’s forces.
Secret Wars is a big ’80s adventure story. If you want to see all the classic heroes interacting, then this is the tale for you.
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Point of Origin
And finally, in Point of Origin the FF decide to retrace their footsteps by recreating their original mission in space – the one which granted them their extraordinary abilities. They rebuild their original rocket ship, blast off toward the stars, and head lightyears away from Earth.
But what starts off as a fun exploration soon turns into a fight for survival, after the awesome foursome are forced to crash land on an alien planet. And not only do they trade blows with the natives, they also uncover some shocking secrets, including one which holds a great deal of significance to their past.
Point of Origin is a six-part story, written by Dan Slott, which originally appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four (vol 6) issues #14 to #19.
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Recap
As quick recap, here are the must-read Fantastic Four stories:
- Full Circle
- Authoritative Action – Fantastic Four (Vol 1) #503-508
- The Galactus Trilogy – Fantastic Four (Vol 1) issue #48 – #50
- Terror in a Tiny Town – Fantastic Four (Vol 1) #236
- Fantastic Four: 1234 – #1 – #4
- Crossover – Ultimate Fantastic Four #21 – #23
- This Man… This Monster – Fantastic Four (Vol 1) #51
- Solve Everything – Fantastic Four (Vol 1) #570 – #572
- Three – Fantastic Four (Vol 1) #583 – #588
- A Small Loss – Fantastic Four (Vol 1) #267
- Unthinkable – Fantastic Four (Vol 3) #67 – #70 & #500
- Secret Wars – Secret Wars #1 – #12
- Point of Origin – Fantastic Four (Vol 6) #14 – 19
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Thank you for taking the time to read this post about the best Fantastic Four comics on It’s A Stampede!. For more Marvel posts, check out the recommended reads below.
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