Fantastic Four Epic Collection: Back to the Basics

John Byrne’s timeless run as writer/artist starts here!

The Fantastic Four are going back to the basics, back to Byrne: The debut of John Byrne in his celebrated run as FF writer/artist begins in this Epic Collection! Byrne’s deft creative balance-- renewing the characters’ core, revitalizing old foes and introducing new concepts--gave the FF a bold vitality, restoring them to the lofty heights of the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby era. The Invisible Girl’s powers go through a dramatic evolution, Galactus gets a surprising new herald and the FF join their most hated rival, Doctor Doom, in a fight for Latveria! Restored from a trove of original Byrne art, and including cool bonus items like Fred Hembeck’s riotous FF Roast and Byrne’s excursion into the world of What If?

COLLECTING: Fantastic Four (1961) #232-248, Fantastic Four Roast (1982) #1, material from What If? (1977) #36

Writer/editor Stan Lee (1922-2018) made comic-book history together with Jack Kirby in 1961 with Fantastic Four #1. The monumental popularity of its new style inspired Lee to develop similarly themed characters -- including the Hulk and X-Men with Kirby, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange with Steve Ditko, and Daredevil with Bill Everett. After shepherding his creations through dozens of issues -- in some cases a hundred or more -- Lee allowed other writers to take over, but he maintained steady editorial control. Eventually, he helped expand Marvel into a multimedia empire. In recent years, his frequent cameo appearances in Marvel’s films established Lee as one of the world’s most famous faces.

John Byrne has worked continuously in the comics industry as both writer and artist since 1975. After he initially collaborated with writer Chris Claremont on Iron Fist, Byrne and Claremont moved on to X-Men for a run still regarded as one of the title’s finest. Byrne contributed an equally famed stint on Fantastic Four, earning comparisons to the original Lee/Kirby issues for his imaginative plotlines and dynamic artwork. He also spun Alpha Flight into its own title. In 1986, he revamped DC’s flagship hero, Superman, reimagining the Man of Steel in a historic project heralded by a Time magazine cover. His remarkable contribution to the Marvel Universe extends to memorable associations with virtually every major hero, including celebrated runs on Captain America, Iron Man, Sensational She-Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Thing. In the 21st century, Byrne’s considerable body of work includes IDW’s Star Trek and Angel.

Artist Humberto Ramos made his American comics debut in 1994 with DC’s Impulse, featuring the Flash’s brash grandson. In 1998, Ramos launched the creator-owned Crimson under Wildstorm’s Cliffhanger imprint, illustrating the title for more than two years. He then moved to Marvel, becoming one of the most recognizable and innovative talents in comics. Seamlessly blending both Eastern and Western styles, the artist’s artist has worked on many of Marvel’s most iconic characters -- including Spider-Man, Wolverine and the X-Men -- in addition to a run on the fan-favorite Runaways. Ramos brought his kinetic artwork to the pages of Extraordinary X-Men and Champions, as well as a magical collaboration with Skottie Young on Strange Academy.