Marvel Database
Don't have an account?
Register
Advertisement
Register
Marvel Database
Marvel Database
317,536
pages
in: Comics, Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute Vol 1, Steve McNiven/Cover Artist,
and 62 more
English

Fantastic Four Anniversary Tribute Vol 1 1

Sign in to edit

Appearing in "The Fantastic Four!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Fantastic Four #1

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

  • Citizens of Central City
    • Unnamed Woman
    • Cab Driver (First appearance)
    • Unnamed Shopkeeper
    • Roscoe (First appearance; unnamed)
  • CCPD (First appearance)
    • Pete (First appearance)
    • Unnamed Police Chief
    • Numerous unnamed police officers
  • Mayor of Central City
  • United States National Guard
    • Five unnamed soldiers
  • James Kreig (First appearance; unnamed)
  • French Army
    • Pierre (First appearance)
    • Numerous unnamed soldiers

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

  • Marvel-1 (First appearance; unnamed) (Destroyed)

Synopsis for "The Fantastic Four!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Fantastic Four #1
Fantastic Four Vol 1 1 0001 Title

A shadowy figure fires a flare out of a window. The flare forms the words "The Fantastic Four!"

Susan Storm is having tea with a friend. When she sees the flare, she turns invisible, gets into a cab, and offers the surprised driver a banknote when she reaches her destination.

Ben Grimm is trying to find a coat that fits him. A clerk in the haberdashery sees the flare. Grimm bursts out of the too-small door, rips a manhole out of the street, follows the sewers, and bursts out when he thinks he has reached his destination. He is struck by a taxi which is wrecked.

Johnny Storm is working on his latest hot rod in a service station. The mechanic sees the flare, which turns into the number 4. Johnny bursts into flame and flies away, destroying his car. The authorities treat him as an enemy attack, so he reluctantly melts the jets that come after him. A nuclear heat-seeking missile locks onto him, and, just as Johnny's flame starts to fade, an impossibly long pair of arms grab the missile and throw it out to sea.

Johnny's savior is the same man who fired the flare. He greets Susan, Ben, and Johnny with the words, "There is a task that awaits us ... a fearful task!" But how did these four people become so fantastic?

To beat the Communists in the Space Race, scientist Reed Richards, sister and brother Sue and Johnny Storm, and pilot Ben Grimm sneak aboard a rocket; Ben had warned the others about needing sufficient shielding for cosmic rays, but Sue challenging his courage persuaded him to fly. In space, the four are bombarded by cosmic rays. The auto-pilot lands the ship back on Earth, where they find themselves physically transformed and possessing remarkable new abilities. Sue can turn invisible. Ben has transformed into an orange, muscular "thing" with super-strength. Reed's body became highly malleable, allowing him to stretch into any shape. Johnny's body bursts into flame, and he can fly. They decide to use their abilities to become the super-team known as the Fantastic Four. They give themselves the individual names Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, and the Thing.

Fantastic Four Vol 1 1 Chapter 2 Title
Monster Isle from Fantastic Four Vol 1 1 001

Monster Isle

Atomic plants in the Soviet Union, Australia, and South America have been mysteriously attacked by cave-ins. Another attack occurs in Africa, where a huge monster burrows out of the ground but is recalled by a human figure. The Fantastic Four travel aboard their private jet to Monster Isle, which Reed has deduced is the same distance from each attack. There, they are attacked by a giant three-headed monster. Reed stops the monster, but a cave-in separates Reed and Johnny from Ben and Sue. Beneath the island Reed and Johnny land in the Valley of Diamonds, which temporarily blinds them. The Mole Man appears, revealing he is responsible for the attacks.

Fantastic Four Vol 1 1 Chapter 3 Title

The Mole Man explains his origin. Having been ridiculed by humanity, he went off alone in search of the legendary land at the center of the earth. Eventually, he washed ashore on Monster Isle. Making his way through a cavern, he was caught in an avalanche and rendered almost blind. However, due to his other heightened senses taking over, he mastered the subterranean creatures and built himself an underground empire.

Meanwhile, on the surface, Ben wrestles a rock monster. Ben and Sue find their teammates listening to the Mole Man's plan to invade the surface world. He sends his monster army against the Fantastic Four. Whilst Johnny distracts the biggest one, the team flees through a tunnel, which Johnny seals shut behind them. After the Fantastic Four escape in their jet, Mole Man destroys the island so the surface world cannot trouble him again.

Appearing in "Bedlam at the Baxter Building!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Fantastic Four Annual #3

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Races and Species:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Synopsis for "Bedlam at the Baxter Building!"

Reprint of the 1st story from
Fantastic Four Annual #3

Reading a newspaper announcement of Reed Richards and Susan Storm's wedding day, Doctor Doom plots to ruin it by using his emotion changing device to incite the entire super-villain community (whether or not foes of the Fantastic Four) to attack the ceremony. A crowd has gathered outside the Baxter Building, where the wedding is to take place, to watch the celebrity guests arrive. The onlookers include both Millie the Model and Patsy Walker.

Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. are providing security for the wedding, and prevent a guest whom the Puppet Master is controlling from poisoning the Thing. While the Thing is considering whether to tell Reed about the incident, Mole Man and his subterranean Moloids attack from beneath the building. Professor X summons the X-Men to aid the Thing in warding them off. Meanwhile Reed, Sue and Johnny are attacked by the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes, until the latter are banished to another dimension by the newly arrived Doctor Strange.

With the initial attacks defeated, Dr Doom increases the power inciting villains including the Mandarin, the Black Knight, Kang the Conqueror, the Awesome Android, and the Grey Gargoyle to attack. Whilst on his way to the wedding, Thor is attacked by the Super-Skrull. Daredevil spots Hydra agents attempting to collide a missile with the Baxter Building and succeeds in driving it off, dumping it into New York harbor: the missile's detonation destroys an attacking undersea force led by Attuma the Barbarian. The arriving Avengers, Captain America and Hawkeye battle the Cobra, the Executioner, the Enchantress, Mr Hyde and the Mad Thinker, with the help of Spider-Man.

While Daredevil is being chased by the Black Knight, assistance from the X-Men is interrupted by the arrival of the Mandarin, Electro, the Unicorn, the Melter and the Beetle, whilst Quicksilver simultaneously battles the Human Top.

These events rapidly culminate in an all-out battle between the heroes and villains, until Reed Richards is summoned to the Watcher's citadel, where he is given a device that will allow him to transport all the attackers away, with no memory of what has transpired. With the villains defeated, Reed and Sue are married. Outside, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are turned away from the ceremony as they do not have invitations, and leave muttering dire threats of retribution.

Solicit Synopsis

Sixty years ago, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby made history and brought about the beginning of the Marvel Age of comics with the release of FANTASTIC FOUR #1. Now a bevy of Marvel's finest creators pay tribute to that monumental moment by reinterpreting, page by page, the story from that inaugural release as well as FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #3, in which the entirety of the Marvel Universe attended the wedding of Reed Richards and Sue Storm! Whether these are stories you've never read before or tales that you're intimately familiar with, this is the perfect way to experience them anew!

See Also

Links and References

References

Español Русский Türkçe
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
More Fandoms
Advertisement

Fan Feed

More Marvel Database