On day nine of this year’s Jack Kirby Tribute Month (curated by Howard Simpson), today’s prompt is Susan Richards, the Invisible Woman from the Fantastic Four!
I’ve drawn her for previous Jack Kirby Tribute Months here and here. And this counts too. Fantastic Four was the foundational book from which Marvel Comics really sprouted. The FF is Marvel’s “first family,” making Sue by default the first lady of the Marvel universe.
I’ve pointed out the importance of her role in the group in my previous Invisible Woman posts for Jack Kirby Tribute Month, so I’m not going to repeat myself. But one more interesting thing of note: Fantastic Four #1 debuted on newsstands in August of 1961 (also the month Jack Kirby was born). If you do the math, that means that this year (and this month) are the 65th anniversary of the Fantastic Four!
Last year’s Jack Kirby Tribute Month was dedicated solely to the Fantastic Four, so we’re not repeating that this time. Is Marvel doing anything to celebrate this anniversary? If so, I haven’t heard anything about it, which is surprising.
So, this was my latest take on the Invisible Woman! Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to come back and see who’s next tomorrow!
And Susan knowingly smiles at the unseen bad person, highly likely a male of the species (whatever that species is) as he knows he is done. As I lose track of time and space, thanks for the reminder about the F4 spinner anniversary. I had picked up some of the pre-Sup Marvel titles while I was buying redo DC hero books. And then this showed up without warning. I bought it, ran home and read it, and ran out to buy another one. I knew it was going to be pivotal and be worth something. Both were in the collection for awhile. The first reading was the important thing. No regrets on not capitalizing on the books. It is a sacred title because of the story and art. Feel free to do Susan a 100 more times. Thanks.
Thanks for your firsthand perspective on what it was like seeing FF #1 on the spinner rack when it came out, out of nowhere. No big announcement, no pre-ordering in Previews, just: “Here’s this new thing. Take it or leave it.” And it’s cool that you had a sense even then that it was something significant.
It’s been pointed out that when Stan Lee added that phrase, “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine” to the covers starting with issue #4, it might have started off as Stan’s hyperbole and salesmanship. But the truth was that if you could make such an absolute valuation, the FF was certainly a strong contender for that title at the very least.