Robot 6
50 years ago today, Fantastic Four #1 changed the comics world
Fantastic Four #1
As Marvel’s Senior Vice President of Publishing Tom Brevoort notes, 50 years ago today, The Fantastic Four #1 debuted, beginning a 102-issue run by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — an unfinished issue was completed in 2008 — and giving birth to the Silver Age of Marvel Comics.
Given Marvel’s recent legal victory in the bitter copyright battle with Kirby’s heirs, the anniversary is undoubtedly a bittersweet milestone, but an incredibly important one all the same. Happy 50th to “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” and the Marvel Universe as we know it. And thank you, Lee and Kirby, for the Fantastic Four and much, much more.
Tagged: comic books, comics history, Fantastic Four, jack kirby, legal, Marvel, silver age, Stan Lee
8 Comments
sadfran
August 8, 2011 at 8:50 am
time to read it again!!!
Shawn Kane
August 8, 2011 at 9:07 am
Thanks to Stan and Jack but also thanks to Joe Sinnott, John Byrne, Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, Mark Waid, and Mike Weiringo for making the Fantastic Four one of my all time favorite comics.
Logan
August 8, 2011 at 9:13 am
Why does it say November 1 on the comic?
Kevin Melrose
August 8, 2011 at 9:21 am
Cover dates traditionally were two to three months ahead of the publication date to increase the shelf life of the comic. Retailers would have put the copies of The Fantastic Four #1 on the shelf in August, and removed whatever was left in November.
coconutphone
August 8, 2011 at 9:24 am
Huzzah! Happy 50th FF! Proud owner of all 588 issues (thanks to a combo of Omnibuses, Masterworks, trades and singles)
Simon DelMonte
August 8, 2011 at 11:05 am
So where is the big 50th anniversary spectacular from Marvel? As part of the big ongoing 50th anniversary events over the next few years for almost the entire line? (If I am missing something, I would like to know.)
I have very fond memories of Byrne’s triple-sized 20th anniversary issue of FF, which introduced me to John Byrne and which brought me back every month for the next several years.
Keith Bowden
August 8, 2011 at 11:09 am
Wow. And that was only the 20th anniversary! What a great issue. Well, except for the recycled cartoon show storyboards that they neither informed nor (as I recall) paid Jack Kirby for…
Googam son of Goom
August 8, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Jack was paid for his work. Just like you are. Was he given credit? Probably as much as you are.