A History of the Fantastic Four: vol. 1 Quiz

Answer: 1961

In November of 1961, Marvel Comics writer, Stan Lee, along with artist, Jack Kirby, brought to life the adventures of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm, "The Fantastic Four". The book was a huge success and marked the first time that Marvel Comics produced a superhero group book since the so-called 'Golden Age' of comic books (1938-1956). The book also re-introduced the character of 'The Human Torch' back into the comic book world, although this character was completely different than the previous one introduced back in the late 1930's; Johnny Storm was a human teenager who gained his powers through cosmic rays while the previous Torch was an android.

The first series of "The Fantastic Four" ran for 416 issues and was finally cancelled in 1996, but there have been at least three other reincarnations of the book since that time.

Answer: Two

Only issues one and two carried the $0.10 cover price; issue number three carried the increased cover price of $0.12.

Answer: False

The team first donned their costumes issue number three versus the Miracle Man.

Answer: "Fantastic Four Annual" #3

A woman's wedding day is supposed to be special and memorable. Not only is she the most beautiful woman at the ceremony, she is the center of attention, as well; all eyes are on her. That wasn't the case with the Invisible Woman's wedding. It was crashed by virtually every supervillain that the group had fought.

The team defeated them all, however, and went on to finish the ceremony in "Fantastic Four Annual" #3.

Answer: "Fantastic Four" # 25

Although they actually met for the first time in issue #12, they did not fight until issue number 25. In fact, the battle spilled over into issue 26 and it took the combined might of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to put a stop to the Hulk's rampage.

Answer: "Fantastic Four Annual" # 6

In the 1966 to 1968 issues of "Fantastic Four Annual" #6, Reed and Sue were blessed with their son, Franklin.

Answer: False

While the Molecule Man was one of the group's most powerful foes, his debut occured in "Fantastic Four" #20, in 1963. Annihilus, the insectoid-like creature from the Negative Zone, was the villain who first appeared in the same issue as Franklin Richards.

Answer: Air-Walker

In "Fantastic Four" number 120, Gabriel, the Air-Walker first appeared. With the power to control tornado force winds, as well as wielding superhuman strength, it took the combined forces of the F.F. and the Silver Surfer to stop him and his master, Galactus. An interseting twist at the end of this storyline, which ran from "Fantastic Four" #'s 120-122, was the fact that, for the first time, Galactus had used an android to proclaim his arrival rather than a humanoid.

Answer: "This Man, This Monster"

"This Man, This Monster", from issue number 51, has been called one of the best Fantastic Four stories ever written, second only to the tale that introduced the Silver Surfer and Galactus. The story saw an unnamed human lure the Thing into his apartment and to take over his powers while Ben slept.

After returning to the Baxter Building and throwing Mr. Fantastic into the Negtive Zone, the villain was moved by the pleas of the Invisible Woman for the life of her husband. Upon entering the Negative Zone, 'the Thing' finds Reed and literally throws him back to safety as the asteroid he is on drifts into the sun and explodes.

Answer: False

Psycho-Man came from the Microverse and had the power to control the emotions of others. His first appearance took place in "Fantastic Four Annual" #5 (1965).

Answer: "Fantastic Four Annual" # 2

While Dr. Doom made his intial debut in "Fantastic Four"# 5(1962), it was in "Fantastic Four Annual" #2 (1964) where we were given the full origin story of this power-mad, egotistical despot.

Answer: The Overmind

In "Fantastic Four"#'s 113-116, the team was confronted with the Eternal rogue god, Grom, a.k.a. the Overmind. Grom had gone mad and started destroying planets and even tried to exterminate his fellow gods, the Eternals. However, they defeated him and he set his sights on Earth. Taking over the mind of Reed Richards, Grom nearly succeeded in not only destroying the Fantastic Four, but Earth, as well.

It wasn't until the rest of the team turned to Dr. Doom (widely considered the second smartest man in the Marvel universe after Reed) did the Overmind experience defeat. Victor von Doom may be an evil despot with designs on world domination and beyond, but even he saw the threat that the Overmind posed if he wasn't stopped.

Answer: Werner and Cynthia

Werner and Cynthia von Doom were the parents of the man who would grow up to become Dr. Doom. Werner was a healer of sorts while Cynthia was a noted witch. The family was part of a nomadic gypsy tribe and were always outcasts. Werner died while trying to protect Victor from a snowstorm as the two were being pursued by a group of soldiers after Werner had failed to heal the wife of a local Baron. Cynthia died when Doom was still quite young. And, like most children, her death affected Doom deeply. In fact, for many years after her death, Doom was obsessed with bringing his mother back from the grave.

In a 1980's Marvel Graphic Novel featuring a solo Dr. Doom story, Doom travels to Hell along with Dr. Strange, a sorceror supreme, to help him to free his mother's soul from the clutches of that realm's lord, Mephisto. While he succeeds in doing so, von Doom loses the love of his mother, another blow to his already shattered mind.

Answer: Octopus

In issue number 267 (1984), Reed sought out Dr. Octopus, who was the foremost scientific expert in the field of radiation. Reed and Sue had conceived their second child in the Negative Zone and Sue was now having a difficult birth due to that exposure. Doctor Octopus was in a mad rage when Reed confronted him and the two wasted precious time in battle.

Finally, Reed was able to subdue Octopus and convince him to help him find a cure for the radiation poisioning that was affecting his unborn child. However, in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the Fantastic Four's history, Reed is told by the Sue's physician that he has arrived thirty minutes too late. Although Sue was fine, the child was could not be saved.

Answer: "The Onslaught Saga"

"The Onslaught Saga" was the last storyline of the first volume of "The Fantastic Four" series, which ended with issue number 416, in 1996. This huge crossover tale, which began in the pages of "The X-Men", saw the psyches of Prof. Xavier and Magneto joined together to create the villain, Onslaught, who had immense power. It took the combined might of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and many other heroes to stop Onslaught. In doing so, these heroes were thought to have been killed, however, they were all just transported to a pocket universe by Sue and Reed's son, Franklin, who has vast psionic powers himself.

This storyline ran through many of Marvel's most popular titles and gave the company the opportunity to 're-start' many of their titles back at number one so that a new generation of readers could be found. "The Avengers", "Fantastic Four", and "Captain America" were the titles that were re-started, although "The Fantastic Four" has since gone back to its original numbering sequence.