Issues #1-#102

Thanks to James for information concerning Issues #36-41 and #130-147 Lee/Kirby, Issues 1-102

Stan Lee by John Byrne

Issue #1, November, 1961 : "The Fantastic Four Meet the Mole Man"

The Fantastic Four celebrate their first appearances in their own magazine. The first story has Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, sending out a flare above New York writing out the words, "The Fantastic Four". As the masses wonder what "The Fantatic Four" is, we see the Thing, The Invisible Girl, and The Human Torch all respond to the call. The issue continues by explaining how the FF received their powers in a cosmic ray storm in outer space. After the origin story, the FF go out on their first mission to battle the Mole Man.


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Milestone Edition : Fantastic Four, 
                      vol 1, no. 1, November 1991
                      Marvel Masterworks #2 : Fantastic Four #1-10

Issue #2, January 1962 : "The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls 
				 From Outer Space"

In this issue, the Fantastic Four encounter the shape-shifting aliens, the Skrulls. The Skrulls have come to Earth and assumed the forms of the FF, commiting crimes in an attempt to sully the name of the newly formed Fantastic Four.


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #1-10
    Other Reprints : Marvel Tales #1
	
Issue #3, March 1962 : "The Menace of Miracle Man"

This Issue includes the first appearance of the Fantasticar, and the first 12 cent cover price. The FF also get their black and blue uniforms, which Ben quickly rips out of in favor of his skivvies, and doesn't put the full suit back on until issue #239.


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #1-10

Issue #4, May 1962 : "The Coming of the Sub-Mariner"

This issue is the first Silver Age appearance of Namor, the Sub-Mariner, Prince of Atlantis. In this issue, the Fantastic Four fight Namor as an enemy.


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #1-10

Issue #5, July 1962 : "Prisoners of Doctor Doom"

Victor von Doom, one of Reed's old college classmates, has turned to a life of evil, using his brilliance to construct a time machine. He kidnaps the Invisible Girl, in hopes of luring the rest of the FF to his castle. When the Fantastic Four arrive at Doom's castle, Doom explains why he summoned them : he wants them to go back in time and retrieve Blackbeard's treasure chest. Turns out that Black Beard's treasure used to belong to Merlin, and Doom wants the jewels because they have mystical powers. The FF return only with the treasure chest, which was all that Doom had actually asked for. Doom then locks them into a chamber and draws all of the air out of it. The Invisible Girl then comes to save the day.


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Milestone Edition : The Fantastic Four, 
		      Vol 1, No. 5, Nov, 1992.
                      Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #1-10
    Other Reprints : FF Annual #8
    Adapted In : FF #236		             		
 
Issue #8, November 1962 : "Prisoners of the Puppet Master"

This issue marks the first appearance of the Puppet Master and his step-daughter, Alicia Masters. The Puppet Master attacks the FF by using radioactive clay that can control people. He takes control of the Thing, and his step daughter, Alicia Masters, aids the FF. Alicia then falls in love with the Thing.


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #1-10

Issue #12 March, 1963, "The Incredible Hulk"

This issue contains the first Thing/Hulk fight.

    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #11-20

Issue #18 September, 1963, "A Skrull Walks Among Us"

This issue contains the first appearance of the Super Skrull, who has all of the powers of the Fantastic Four.


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #11-20

Issue #19 October, 1963, "Prisoners of the Pharoah"

This issue contains the first appearance of Rama-Tut.

    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #11-20

Issue #20 November, 1963, "The Mysterious Molecule Man"

This issue contains the first appearance of Owen Reese, the Molecule Man, who has the ability to manipulate objects on the Molecular level.


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #11-20

Issue #22 January, 1964, "The Return of the Mole Man"

The most important event of this issue is that Sue's powers are greatly expanded. While Reed is performing an experiment on Sue's invisibility, Ben, while trying to extinguish Johnny, actidentally projects the fire retardent foam at Sue, which is mysteriously blocked by some unseen force. It turns out that Sue has the ability to erect invisible force fields. Ben also shouts "It's Clobberin' Time!" for the first time in this issue.


Issue #30 September, 1964, "The Dreaded Diablo"

This issue marks the first appearance of Diablo, an 
alchemist who promises the Thing that he will return him to 
human form. 


    Recent Reprints : Marvel Masterworks : Fantastic Four #21-30

Issue #31 October, 1964, "The Mad Menace of the Macabre Mole Man"

This issue marks the first appearance of Dr. Franklin Storm, the father of Sue and Johnny. The three a reunited, but shortly after, Dr. Storm is arrested. Turns out that he went into hiding many years ago after being accused of a murder that he didn't commit.


Issue #32 November, 1964, "Death of a Hero"

The Skrulls kidnap Dr. Storm, and replace him with Super-Skrull, who masquerades as the "Invincible Man". The FF won't hurt him because he is Johnny and Sue's father. When Reed learns that this is not the real Dr. Storm, he disables Super Skrull's power (which is all beamed in from the Skrull Galaxy) and demands the return of the real Dr. Storm. When Franklin Storm is returned, he is booby trapped, and the resulting explosion kills him.


Issue #36 March, 1965, "The Frightful Four"

This issue marks the first appearance of Medusa and the Frightful Four. This issue is a simple clash between the two super-teams.


Issue #37 April, 1965, "Behold, a Distant Star"

Sue wishes vengance upon the Skrulls responsible for the death of Franklin Storm (see issue #32). The FF travel to the Skrull Galaxy, and are imprisoned when they find themselves powerless. Reed convinces the Skrull Warlord, Morat to spare their lives in exchange for a super weapon. To demonstrate its power, he uses it on the other three, and then Morat takes it and uses it on Reed. The weapon was actually a power ray, which restored the FF's powers. When the Emporer finds out that Morat had captured the FF without informing him, he orders Morat executed. Bullets (or lasers, whatever) fly, and in between is Anelle, the emporer's daughter. Morat dies, but Anelle is saved by one of Sue's force fields. The Emporer is indebted to the FF, and Reed asks for the Skrull responsible for the death of Dr. Storm. It turns out to be none other than the now dead, formerly tratorious Warlord Morat.


Issue #38 May, 1965, "Defeated by the Frightful Four"

The FF are defeated by the Frightful Four. The Frightful Four capture Sue, and lure the FF to a desert island where they have planted a Q-bomb. Once the FF have landed, the Frigthful Four disable the Pogo plane and escape on their vessel, leaving our heroes stranded. Sue tries to protect them with her force field. The bomb goes off, the force field saves them, but in the process they lose their powers.


Issue #39 June, 1965, "A Blind Man Shall Lead Them"

This issue is guest starring Daredevil. The FF lose their powers, and rely on Daredevil to battle Dr. Doom for them.


Issue #43 October, 1965, "Lo, There Shall Be an Ending"

This is a continuation of the struggle with the Frightful Four. In this issue, the Four are finally captured, all except for Medusa, whom Johnny allows to escape at the end.


	Reprints : FF Annual #9

Issue #44 November, 1965, "The Gentleman's Name is Gorgon"

Gorgon, a member of the Inhuman royal family, goes in search of Medusa, the queen of the Inhumans. Turns out that Medusa was exiled by Maximus, her brother in law, in a struggle for the throne. See Issue #47.


Issue #45 December, 1965, "Among Us Hide the Inhumans"

In this issue, the fact that there is a race named the Ihumans is first revealed. The rest of the royal family is introduced, namely, Black Bolt, the king and husband of Medusa, Crystal, Medusa's little sister, and Karnak.


Annual#3 December, 1965, "Bedlam at the Baxter Building"

This is the issue in which Reed and Sue are wed. Their wedding is delayed when nearly every baddie in the Marvel Universe (at the time) fights nearly every hero in the Marvel Universe (at the time). Eventually, yes, they get married. At the end, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby try to get into the wedding, but get turned down at the door. (Hee hee).


	Reprints : FF Annual #9, FF Annual #10

Issue #47 February, 1966, "Beware the Hidden Land"

This issue features the first appearance of Maximus the Mad, Black Bolt's brother, and current king of the Inhumans. When Maximus is defeated at the end of the issue, rather than conceding victory to his brother, he erects a negative barrier around the city of Attilan, which is, for the most part, impossible to penetrate.


Issue #48 March, 1966, "The Coming of Galactus"

At the beginning, Maximus decides to seal the Inhumans inside Attilan via an impenatrable negative barrier. The FF barely escape, but Johnny and Crystal are separated. This issue marks the first appearance of the Silver Surfer. The Surfer is sent to earth as one of Galactus' heralds, so that he may prepare the world for Galactus to feast upon. He battles the FF.


Issue #49 April, 1966, "If This Be Doomsday"

This issue marks the first appearance of Galactus, the world-devourer.


Issue #50 May, 1966, "The Startling Saga of the Silver Surfer"

Wyatt Wingfoot, Johnny's college roommate, makes his first appearance. After the Silver Surfer turns on him, Galactus erects a barrier around the earth, which will never allow the Surfer to leave (well, not for about 21 years, until 1987, see Silver Surfer (vol. 2) #1).

Issue #62 May, 1967

The first appearance of Blastaar, the bomb-burst, a baddie from the Negative Zone.


Issue #64 July, 1967, "The Sentry Sinister"

In this issue, we first see the Kree race, in the form of a sentry they had left on a remote south Pacific Island which the FF discover accidentally while on vacation. The Kree, by the way, are responsibile for the Inhumans and the Skrulls through the incredible technology of genetic engineering.


	Reprints : Marvel's Greatest Comics #47

Issue #81  December, 1968, "Enter the Exquisite Elemental"

Crystal takes Sue's place


Annual #6  December, 1968, "Let There Be Life!"

This is the issue in which Franklin Richards (Reed and Sue's son) is born. There are complications in Sue's pregnancy, however, which force Reed, Ben and Johnny to travel to the Negative zone and face Annihilus to locate the device that will save both Sue and the unborn child's life.


Issue #100

Issue #102


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