10 Amazing Fantastic Four Comics to Prepare for “First Steps”

Posted on July 21, 2025

by Eric S

The Fantastic Four are no strangers to the big screen, but they’ve never quite reached the heights of some of their Marvel compatriots. The 2005 film and its sequel offer moments of surprisingly great and comic-accurate characterization, although today they very much feel like products of their time (mostly in a bad way, unless cheesy, early 2000s action films are your preferred comfort viewing—no judgment). 2015’s Fantastic 4 (often confusingly titled as “Fant4stic”) seemed like a step backwards, with its glacial pacing, odd storytelling decisions, and overall lack of understanding of what makes the FF compelling in the first place. Of course, there’s also the notorious, unreleased Roger Corman Fantastic Four movie from 1994, but we don’t really talk about that.

Which brings us to this year’s Fantastic Four: First Steps, a movie that has the huge responsibility of rehabilitating the public image of one of Marvel’s most important teams. Luckily, everything we know about the film seems promising, from the retro-sci-fi whimsy of the trailers, to its seeming emphasis on the FF as a family first and superhero team second, there’s a lot for fans to excited about (or at least, cautiously optimistic). Which is great, because the FF are such an integral part of comic book history.

While Marvel technically existed before Fantastic Four #1 in 1962, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby ushered in the “Marvel Age” with a comic that was radically different from anything else on the shelves (or rather, the spinner rack). The Fantastic Four were a team that bickered. They had doubts and insecurities. Unlike their contemporaries at DC, they were human—despite their remarkable superpowers. This sense of humanity was especially embodied by The Thing—a huge, hulking hero made of rock whose alarming appearance hid a deep sadness and desire to live a normal life. The Thing, along with his teammates Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, and The Human Torch went on fantastical adventures and saved the universe countless times over, all while dealing with many of the everyday problems experienced by the readers. While their popularity has ebbed and flowed over the years (and on the surface, they may not seem as cool as the Avengers or the X-Men), the Fantastic Four have always been an important reminder that the best stories are rooted in the human experience. As Jack Kirby said, “For comics to be effective, they have to mirror life in some way.”

In anticipation of the FF’s return to film (and their proper debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), we’ve selected some of our favorite comic tales from their over six-decade history. From Lee and Kirby’s original run to modern greats like the work of Ryan North, these comics represent high points in an exciting and influential career that shows no signs of slowing down.

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