Marvel Read-Through: Origins Part 1
Here I go. Time to enter the Marvel universe as we know it today: 1961’s Fantastic Four #1, the birth of the the Marvel comics universe. I was so excited to read the real beginnings of Marvel, and I was not let down at all. In fact, the first five issues of Fantastic Four blew me away. Stan Lee and jack Kirby created something wonderful with the original Fantastic Four comics. From the first few pages I could feel how special the world they created was. The mix of action, humor, and drama was executed so well in these comics. There’s really not much bad I can say about these five issues. Each one introduced classic characters and felt important. Perhaps I got annoyed with the Thing’s temper and the constant bickering and fighting between him and the Human Torch, but that’s really the only negative thing I can say about the early Fantastic Four.
I was pleasantly surprised with the continuity between issues. I know that older comics’ storylines are nowhere near the continuous stories of modern ones, but seeing how things evolved from one issue to another was more than I had expected. For example, Johnny quits at the end of issue #3, and is not with the team through most of issue #4. This kind of overarching storytelling is not what I had expected, but I liked how it gave the separate stories of each issue a connection. This was definitely part of the reason I enjoyed the early 60s Marvel comics much more than the isolated one-off stories of the past two decades. Also, I have to hand it to Lee/Kirby for introducing some great villains, something the Timely and Atlas era was sorely lacking other than Red Skull.
After reading issues 1–5 of Fantastic Four, I moved on to the next major Lee/Kirby creation, the Hulk. I was saddened to learn that the original run of The Incredible Hulk only lasted 6 issues, but, just as I did with the FF, I enjoyed these 6 issues more than anything from the 40s or 50s. It was entirely different from the FF comics and really felt like it existed in its own separate universe, which it kind of did, but the Lee/Kirby team was magical and I could feel the magic on almost every page of the Hulk’s books. I think it was a step down from the Fantastic Four’s issues I had read, but it was still expertly crafted, and it was very cool to see how different the Hulk was at the beginning from what he becomes in later years. This is actually only the second time I have read a solo Hulk book, the other being Planet Hulk, and I’m not too familiar with his lore, but I found myself enjoying these issues more than I thought I would.
Next, I checked out Fantastic Four #8 to see the first appearance of the Thing’s future wife, Alicia Masters, and Fantastic Four #12, where the titular heroes meet the Hulk. I enjoyed these issues as well, and it was a very cool experience to read such early stages of the Marvel universe that I love today. Reading comics today, it’s almost weird if other characters don’t show up. There is so much interaction between Marvel’s characters, even in solo titles, so I appreciated the original modern-day Marvel crossover as a piece of comic book history, even if I felt it was one of the weaker issues I read.
Lastly, I headed over to Tales to Astonish to read the origins of Avengers co-founders Ant-Man and the Wasp in issues 27, 35, and 44. I was unaware that Hank Pym’s first appearance was actually not his first time suiting up as Ant-Man, but instead is just a sci-fi tale of a man who discovers a shrinking serum as part of an anthology series. I think it is very smart that he was brought back a few issues later to be Marvel’s next big (not literally) hero. Some of the art in these early Ant-Man appearances was very clever, seeing the tiny hero standing next to everyday household objects, like a matchbook, that towered over him. I really liked how much ants were used in these adventures in addition to the shrinking power. The relationship between Hank and the ants was probably my favorite part of these issues. The Wasp’s first appearance was also nice to read. The interaction between Hank and Janet was so different than I expected, but the seeds of their eventual love and marriage were there.
Of course, not everything in these comics has aged well. There is a fair bit of cheesiness and silliness to be found that had me rolling my eyes or laughing. A common plot device was a previously unmentioned object, person, power, or anything else conveniently helping the heroes save the day or solve their problem in nothing more than a few panels. This was my biggest gripe with these comics.
The early days of the Marvel universe were even better than I expected, and as a fan I just couldn’t help but fawn over seeing the humble beginnings of beloved characters.
Come back next time where I’ll discuss the origins of Iron Man, Thor, and Spider-Man!
Issues Read:
Note: I only read the Ant-Man portions of Tales to Astonish
Fantastic Four #1–5
Incredible Hulk #1–6
Fantastic Four #8, #12
Tales to Astonish #27, #35, #44
Favorite issue: Fantastic Four #1. I know it’s the safe choice but it’s too important to comic book history to not be my choice.
