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ow/white pages; QES certified - criteria met: preferred staple placement + perfect staple area + exceptional spine + deep color strike
Jack Kirby cvr/art; origin & 1st app. Fantastic Four; 1st Mole Man; the Marvel Age begins here (11/61) COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 10 (CBI)


Fantastic Four #1 isn't just the first issue of a long-running comic. This book is also when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby secure the Silver Age of Comics and launch the Marvel Age of Storytelling. Their bold vision would provide an unexpected depth to this tale of an experimental space flight gone wrong — leading to the first appearances of Mister Fantastic, the Thing, Human Torch, and Invisible Girl (along with the debut of the tragically evil Mole Man).

That complicated villain was just one of the many signs that Marvel was out to redefine superhero comics. The first issue of Fantastic Four was fully dedicated to a single story, including an origin establishing that the Fantastic Four didn't bother with secret identities. The generous page count also allowed for plenty of petty infighting amongst the team — who didn't even wear costumes, although Stan Lee would give in to public demand over that by the third issue.

Fantastic Four would also redefine the Marvel Comics Group — which was literally a set of comics that distributors sent to retailers. Marvel's monster books (including Tales to Astonish and Tales of Suspense) began selling as well as Fantastic Four once characters like Iron Man, Ant-Man, and Thor began to take over their pages.

The pop-culture passion for the Fantastic Four was recently renewed when Marvel Studios recovered the film rights to the company's first super team. There's already confirmation that Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four: First Steps will feature the Silver Surfer and Galactus. Fans also have high hopes of (finally) getting the Mole Man as a villain. It's also been confirmed that the Fantastic Four will join Dr. Doom in being part of both 2026's Avengers: Doomsday and 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars.