Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 27

Comic master John Byrne concludes his all-time great run on Fantastic Four, and celebrates the teams 25th anniversary!

John Byrne concludes his iconic tenure as Fantastic Four writer/artist and he’s going to make history every step of the way! He begins with the shocking resurrection of Jean Grey. How do you follow that up? With the return of the true Doctor Doom in a next-level war with the Beyonder! Then, our heroes journey into the Negative Zone with Nick Fury to face Blastaar and a resurgent Annihilus, but when their return trip catapults them to 1936 they’re faced with a classic dilemma. Do you stop Nick Fury from killing Hitler? It all builds a triple-sized 25th anniversary extravaganza that seeks to bring the Thing back into the fold, set where else but Monster Island?

COLLECTING: THE FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #286-296 and material from MARVEL FANFARE (1982) #37

John Byrne has worked continuously in the comics industry as both writer and artist since 1975. After he initially collaborated with writer Chris Claremont on Iron Fist, Byrne and Claremont moved on to X-Men for a run still regarded as one of the title’s finest. Byrne contributed an equally famed stint on Fantastic Four, earning comparisons to the original Lee/Kirby issues for his imaginative plotlines and dynamic artwork. He also spun Alpha Flight into its own title. In 1986, he revamped DC’s flagship hero, Superman, reimagining the Man of Steel in a historic project heralded by a Time magazine cover. His remarkable contribution to the Marvel Universe extends to memorable associations with virtually every major hero, including celebrated runs on Captain America, Iron Man, Sensational She-Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner and Thing. In the 21st century, Byrne’s considerable body of work includes IDW’s Star Trek and Angel.

Writer/editor Stan Lee (1922-2018) made comic-book history together with Jack Kirby in 1961 with Fantastic Four #1. The monumental popularity of its new style inspired Lee to develop similarly themed characters -- including the Hulk and X-Men with Kirby, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange with Steve Ditko, and Daredevil with Bill Everett. After shepherding his creations through dozens of issues -- in some cases a hundred or more -- Lee allowed other writers to take over, but he maintained steady editorial control. Eventually, he helped expand Marvel into a multimedia empire. In recent years, his frequent cameo appearances in Marvel’s films established Lee as one of the world’s most famous faces.