They might not be part of The Avengers, but they are a ‘super team’ in their own right. Yes, it was Fantastic Four that kick-started the comic book revolution at Marvel Comics back in the 1960s and have been growing stronger with every passing decade. Author Neil Kelly’s Fantastic Four — The World’s Greatest Superteam chronicles their rise and explains what makes them a fantastic team.

Published by DK Readers for readers who might be discovering comic characters, this book covers everything that’s fantastic about the team led by Reed Richards. If you didn’t know how four human beings were transformed into super beings, and why they decided to use their powers for good, then this book is what you need. Not only does it hone your reading skills with simple language (and illustrations, of course!) but also help you understand the reason why Fantastic Four is still popular after more than half a century.

It is through this book you will find out that it was the cosmic rays in space which helped these four individuals, namely Mr Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing gain superpowers. It made Reed Richards’ Mr Fantastic stretch himself into anything, Sue Storm’s the Invisible Woman disappear before everyone’s eyes whereas her brother Johnny becomes the Human Torch who can fly as well as use his ‘fiery’ personality to defeat villains. And then there is Ben Grimm who turns into an orange rock-like fellow, hence the name.

Besides presenting the origins of the superheroes, the book also brings forward details regarding their catchphrases (such as ‘it’s clobberin’ time’ for The Thing, and ‘flame on’ for the Human Torch), about their headquarters, their accessories and their allies which even include The Avengers. You will also get to know the villains our heroes fight and while the name of Dr Doom, the Mole Man, and the Puppet Master doesn’t raise any eyebrows, the mention of The Incredible Hulk does, who at times has to be brought back to his senses with folks who have the power to do so.

Like the complete book, the last two chapters — Glossary and Index — are also laced with stuff that could help you understand your favourite superteam and its decisions. While the Glossary can add beautiful words in your vocabulary, it will also make you understand the meaning of scientific jargon used in these pages. Whereas the Index will take you directly to the character you might be searching for, and stop you from wasting time on a search that could have been avoided.

Don’t be surprised if you find out some of your other favourite superheroes in this book, such as Spider-Man, Wolverine or The Ghost Rider, because at one time, they replaced the original Fantastic Four to help save the world. However, the original four returned and haven’t looked back since, saving the world on a regular basis.

Published in Dawn, Young World, November 4th, 2023