November 1 is the 60th anniversary, to the day, of when Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four #1 was released - introducing the world to the superhuman quartet, and opening the door to what became the Marvel Comics juggernaut. And for the occasion, three of the foremost experts in all things Fantastic Four, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby have gotten together to discuss the first issue in the upcoming coffetable book Fantastic Four No. 1: Panel by Panel.
In Abrams Books' Fantastic Four No. 1: Panel by Panel, writer/designer Chip Kidd goes over the historical isue with Marvel Entertianment's executive editor/vice president of publishing Tom Brevoort (who has edited the Fantastic Four title since the late '90s), and Mark Evanier, a respected historian and former assistant to the late Jack Kirby. Together, they go over the book page-by-page, and (as the title suggests) panel-by-panel.
Each Fantastic Four #1 panel reproduced in Fantastic Four No. 1: Panel by Panel is lovingly photographed by Geoff Spear from a copy of the original 1961 publication written by Lee, co-written/drawn by Kirby, inked by George Klein and Christopher Rule, colored by Stan Goldberg, and lettered by Artie Simek.
"It's a significant piece of work, and the first building block of everything that Marvel has become," Brevoort told Newsarama previously. "And part of what makes this book so fascinating is that there are still things about it that no one really knows for sure."
This 260-page hardcover is oversized, coming in at 8.5" x 11" with full-color reproductions throughout.
Fantastic Four No. 1: Panel by Panel goes on sale on November 2.
Dig deeper into the enduring mysteries of Fantastic Four #1 (and their possible answers).
