Fantastic Four Epic Collection: All in the Family

After a lengthy absence, the Thing returns to the Fantastic Four! But he's returned just before his ex-girlfriend Alicia's wedding to the Human Torch, and Alicia's stepfather the Puppet Master isn't happy about the nuptials! Then, when Mr. Fantastic turns down the X-Men's request to help their dying teammate Shadowcat, Dr. Doom is more than happy to offer assistance! But is he secretly plotting to drive the FF apart? He's certainly up to something when he kidnaps Franklin and offers him to Mephisto! And when Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman take a leave of absence, the old order changeth as the Torch's old flame Crystal and the all-new Ms. Marvel join the team -- just in time to face down Diablo's vicious Elementals.

COLLECTING: Fantastic Four (1961) #296-307, Fantastic Four Annual #20; Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men #1-4


Marvel launches the Epic Collections -- a new way for fans to collect their favorite series! Each super-sized volume in the Epic line presents a heaping helping of Marvel's greatest heroics in one handy, affordable and self-contained package. What's more, each Epic Collection TPB is also a piece of a grand puzzle: When all is said and done, the Epic volumes will fit seamlessly next to one another on readers' bookshelves, presenting a complete and unbroken run of each title! So be sure to get in on the ground floor! Marvel's most storied titles -- including Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and Thor -- are going Epic, and there's no turning back!

"In [Fantastic Four #296-303], Alicia makes Johnny accept that real love means responsibility. This forces Ben to finally face himself, and admit that his real problem can only be solved inside himself. Franklin shows that he can handle himself just fine as a superhero. This at long last forces Reed to face up to his responsibility as a father ....
"This is ultimately a family story ... about friendship and love solving their problems." --  Chris Tolworthy

"[Fantastic Four Vs. the X-Men] was one of my favorites from my childhood .... This was when crossovers were fun, and before X-Men and the F.F. and everyone else became Avengers ... before Wolverine was overexposed. The characters play off each other well and it's a great story." -- Marco Gooding

"In terms of line and color reproduction, this is an absolute thing of beauty from start to finish. I had totally forgotten that Barry Windsor-Smith [worked on] the extra long 25th anniversary issue that kicks off this collection. Stan Lee script, too! [Roger Stern] handled the Johnny/Alicia/Ben conflict with refreshing maturity. Sometimes forgiveness is more satisfying than revenge. John Buscema's pencils are way looser than his early 1970s FF art, though the finishes by his brother Sal and Joe Sinnott keep the artwork nicely on track." -- H.A.V., Marvel Masterworks Fansite