This set of ten issues is well-known for a reason. From "This Man, This Monster" to the groundbreaking introduction of the Black Panther to the continuing saga of the Inhumans and Doctor Doom gaining the power cosmic, there is a lot of groundbreaking stuff going on here. The dynamics of the team continue to develop even though the characters spend long stretches of time split up. Wyatt Wingfoot is a welcome addition to the Fantastic Four family (though some of the descriptions of her that appear in narrative captions are dated and a little racist), and his friendship with Johnny is something to really admire. My kids are particular fans of his. One thing I particularly appreciated about the last few issues, and this era of the FF in general, is that the threats actually seem real. There doesn't seem to be a guarantee that the FF will triumph in the end. Doctor Doom, in particular, is a genuine threat in a way that he doesn't really seem to be in modern comics. Or perhaps it's the opposite--that the FF aren't as superpowered as they are in the comics coming out now. Either way, the stakes feel higher, which makes for an extremely engaging read. Sue still has not reached her full potential as a character--and I don't think she will for quite some time. Reed still orders her around, telling her when to use her force fields to help out. But those moments when she does take the initiative and acts of her own volition show huge potential for her character.

I read this with my four-year-olds, who are extremely into the Inhumans (and a little in love with Crystal themselves). They continue to enjoy the series. We actually read this as the last 10 issues of Omnibus #2, but I'm reviewing it here instead to track when we finish each set of 10 issues.

This is definitely a step backwards in quality from the previous sets of issues. Issue 51 (“This Man, This Monster”) is an all time great, but none of the rest match up. The Black Panther stuff is certainly interesting and historically important, but it also doesn’t make a ton of sense, is kinda dumb and and also kinda racist. Issues 54, 55 and 56 are straight up bad. Issues 57 through 60, the Doomsday arc where Doom gets the Power Cosmic are pretty good, though, excluding the terrible deus ex machina. And the Annual (old Human Torch vs new Human Torch) is very good.

Getting caught up with four volumes - way too many firsts to go into detail, but these stories are terrific. Okay, the awkward bits, like Reed telling Sue that she's "only" a female, don't age that well, but seeing the entire cosmology of the FF established, and develop (naturally and organically) is powerful stuff. The plot are adventurous and fun, and the character work still better than most superhero comics today.

Highly recommended.