TreasuryCast #10 – Marvel Treasury Edition #2: The Fantastic Four

TREASURYCAST #10 - MARVEL TREASURY EDITION #2: THE FANTASTIC FOUR

Rob welcomes podcaster/blogger Kyle Benning (KING-SIZE COMICS GIANT-SIZE FUN) to discuss the second Marvel Treasury Edition, starring The Fantastic Four!

Check out images from this comic by clicking here!

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13 responses to “TreasuryCast #10 – Marvel Treasury Edition #2: The Fantastic Four

  1. Fun show, Rob and Kyle!

    You’re right that the Romita cover is truly iconic. I’m sure that image was used in various FF merchandise from the 1970s and early 1980s.

    I didn’t have this treasury growing up, but I did own a later FF Treasury (Marvel Treasury Edition #21) that featured a rematch with Galactus, drawn by John Buscema.

    My first exposure to the lead story from FF#6 was in a format more appropriate to your DigestCast show — the Pocket Books Fantastic Four collection:

    http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Pocket_Book_Series_Vol_1_Fantastic_Four_1

    The second you started talking about that story my mind flashed to the scene where Namor shouts “Go!, Go!, Go!” in space as we see tightening close-ups of him. I’m glad to see the moment stuck in your minds too. It’s too bad I was exposed to it in pocket-size instead of treasury-size.

    1. Love the cover to that pocket book. So fun!

      Marvel did do a line of beach towels and this book’s cover–logos, copy, and all–was on one of them. I would kill to find it on eBay or something but so far no luck.

      Thanks for writing!

  2. Great episode, guys!

    I didn’t know there was a Fantastic Four treasury edition because I’ve never seen this in the wild; for sure if I ever saw it on the shelf I’d take it home with me. And what a great collection of stories to include. The Doctor Doom/Namor team-up from issue #6 is one of my favorite stories, and the whole scheme of launching the Baxter Building into space is nine kinds of fun. That should be in a Fantastic Four movie; it’s wonderfully comic book-y but also a legitimately jaw dropping set piece that doesn’t involve blue energy beams shooting into the sky like every other movie has had.

    When you mentioned the Yancy Street Gang prank, I couldn’t help but think about the story from the Waid/Weiringo era (FANTASTIC FOUR [vol. 3] #61) where it was revealed that Johnny was actually behind years and years of mean-spirited jokes on Ben. And then, like a champ, Kyle came through and mentioned that story before the podcast was over. Well done!

    Again, great job, fellas!

  3. Haven’t had a chance to listen yet, since I’m saving it to help me through the doldrums of work tomorrow, but I did spot something in the gallery post. The vignette of Reed on the contents page is the same artwork used on Mego’s 1979 World’s Greatest Super Heroes packaging.
    Mister Fantastic Mego

    Chris

  4. Great episode! Even though I’ve never owned this treasury, I have to agree, THIS is the image of the FF I tend to think of. Maybe it’s because Romita’s FF (including this image) was all over merchandise in the 70s/early 80s. Even that Fantastic Four pouch gum that was out way back when. I think there was a T-shirt of this cover image as well, in the same Heroes World ad as the Red Sonja #1 T-shirt.

    I didn’t read most of these FF classics until I got the Essentials volumes in the last 10 years or so. Needless to say they held up and that classic designation is well deserved. Sure, they aren’t all perfect, and some of Kirby’s inkers didn’t serve him well, but by the time you get to the Galactus Saga…well, it’s called one of the best runs in comics for a reason!

    Always pleasure to hear Kyle, and I will now think of him podcasting in his own Fantasticar. The bathtub version.

    Chris

  5. An all-around excellent episode. The FF, Namor, and the Silver Surfer, that’s three of my favorite Marvel heroes/teams all in one treasury edition. Why don’t I own this? Well, I do own several of these issues in other formats, but I can only imagine what they would look like at treasury size.

    I agree with Kyle about the family dynamic of the FF. There’s just something about the relationships between those characters that I find to be both charming and rather unique in superhero comics. As a card-carrying family member myself, I think that relatability goes a long way to explaining their success.

    Finally, I have to say that I was a fan for the 90s FF animated series. I particularly enjoyed the episodes where they’d guest star other heroes from the Marvel universe, like Silver Surfer, Daredevil, and Black Panther. That format was a great way to introduce viewers to some good, but less well known, characters.

  6. Fine, fine show! This treasury was one that initially got away from me when I was a kid. I saw it at a Walgreen’s magazine rack when this came out (and mind you, back then, the magazine rack was about 4 times as long, a bit taller and more imposing than the ones you’d find in there these days). Seeing the “#2” on the upper corner of the cover led me to think this was the next Treasury after the Spider-Man volume I already had. My mind was spinning; what volume was going to be next? How often were these Treasuries coming out? Will I be able to find them, much less talk one of my parents into buying it for me? Thumbing through it, I was blown away and absorbed as much of it as I could, especially the Impossible Man story. I asked my folks I they would buy it for me, but they said “no.” I think one of the sticking points was the $1.50 price – which was fifty cents more than the DC Treasuries. That may not like seem like much, but that was a significant amount for a kid back then. Also, I think the Fantastic Four just didn’t have as much recognition to my parents, as say Superman, Batman or Spider-Man. Even the older kids on my block who I thought were more comics savvy than I was mistakenly called the Thing, “Rock Man.” *sigh* However, when the next volume came out with Thor, my dad did pick it up for me – maybe because I was sick and they were leaving me with a sitter for an extended period had something to do with it.

    I had to wait a couple years before I got a copy of this Fantastic Four Treasury. The back cover resonated more with me for some reason; how the foursome’s eyes lined up just so; the various expressions on their faces and what they conveyed to me. What I always wondered about on the front cover was, if the Fantastic Four was all there looking at us, who fired the rocket from the Baxter Building, and who, if anyone, was in it?

    – Chris
    Batgirl to Oracle podcast
    Bat Books for Beginners podcast

  7. Another terrific podcast, if you’ll excuse the non-obvious adjective. That cover image was widely used in the 1970s, but I remember it from Dynamite! Magazine. This magazine was available only through scholastic Book Service. Every month or so, in middle school, we’d get a newsprint catalog of the books available. You’d check off the ones you wanted, handed in your sheet with the money, and several weeks later your books arrived at school! They only cost between .50 and $2, maybe. (I got many Encyclopedia Brown books this way.) Dynamite! was a magazine for pre-adolescents with stories about current movies and TV shows, party hints, puzzle pages, etc. But what caught MY attention was their feature Super-Hero Confidential! They would print two pages from a comic and then a follow-up page with more info about said character is a Q & A format. This is where I first saw the F.F. That issue had their origin, AND a poster with that Romita image! It hung upon my bedroom wall for many years. Unfortunately, I defaced it with a Flair pen, writing little comments and sound effects next to the characters. (I wonder if it’s still up in the attic?)
    This Treasury came out before I started collecting, but I would not have bought it anyway. To my 12, 13, 14 year-old eyes, it looked like an “old” story, with “old” artwork. Fortunately, my “old ” eyes have more mature tastes, and so does my daughter! We spotted it at our favorite LCS a few years ago, when she was interested in the F.F. and so I bought it. It must have been 10 bucks or less, otherwise I wouldn’t have.

  8. Really enjoyed this episode! The tight reviews and fun banter always make this show really enjoyable to listen to! I haven’t read any of these stories, and don’t have a long history with the FF, but they sure sounded amazing at Treasury size!

    Great job Rob & Kyle!

  9. I’m always happy to hear the Fantastic Four get some love and this episode certainly delivered. Thanks for including the 1994 FF cartoon theme song. It reminded me of fun times spent with my then 4-year old daughter (she’s 9 now). Did you guys know that Giorgio Moroder composed the theme for Season 1? I can’t listen to the FF song without thinking of the insane music he put together for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (there’s a Film & Water episode for you).

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