Stan Lee wanted to create a comic book HE would want to read, and so compelled by DC's success of 'The Justice League', decided a super hero team made the most strategic sense financially. His initial concept was not to offer a team of super-human heroes with powers and qualities beyond the reach of mere mortals, but rather a team of individuals who exhibited realistic human qualities which you and I share. Heroes yes, and super-powered as well, but also flawed and imperfect making the team members susceptible to weaknesses we all have to endure.(This concept has been the guiding characteristic of Marvel's heroes since)
And so, collaborating with Jack Kirby developed a FAMILY of super heroes, not simply a team, which gave the two creators much more story-telling flexibility AND added a very human dimension to the characters which the reader's could relate to.
We all know the story: Reed Richards- scientific genius, his biologist girlfriend who became his wife Susan Storm, his best friend from childhood as well as college roommate Benjamin Grimm and Reed's brother-in-law , Johnny Storm altered by cosmic rays upon a space mission which Reed was responsible for. Their exposure gave them extra-ordinary powers which they eventually use to save New York from the nefarious 'Mole-Man'.
Since then , there have been multiple story arcs, incarnations, alternate team members,cross-over's ,team-up's, individual team member title runs, one-shots, member's dying AND member being born with the arrival of first Franklin and then the birth of his sister Valeria, as well as annuals, to add to the history and renown of this incredible property.
It's not so much the volume of material that sets this book apart from others, but the profound effect it's had on subsequent character developed throughout the industry.
The formula of heroes having a 'human', flawed quality used to create the Fantastic Four- "Super-heroes in the real world"- was tweeked and applied to other creations :
Spider-man
The Incredible Hulk
Daredevil
The X-men.
The formula worked, because the Fantastic Four worked.
Suddenly , our heroes had drinking problems, anger issues, marital problems and the difficulty of dealing with social prejudice. We could empathize with them- and it resonated with the readers.
Because of the Fantastic Four, the Marvel Universe has been populated with now beloved and/or well known characters which have greatly expanded the possibilities throughout the comic medium, CBM's and TV.
Some character's and creatures, AS WELL AS places, the book has spawned are:
Dr.Doom
The Negative Zone
The Kree
The Skrulls
The Black Panther
The Inhumans( all of them!)
Galactus
The Silver Surfer
Blastaar
Annihilus
Ronan the Accuser
Uatu the 'Watcher'
Super Skrull
the successful re- introduction of Namor, the Sub-Mariner
ETC, so on ......
An incredible resume to say the least. What an amazing , indispensable book it has proven to be!
Just look at that list above and think about what WOULDN'T BE if it weren't for the FF!
Ask yourself this: did you love 'Annihilation'? Sorry, Negative Zone. Wouldn't have happened without the FF. The Inhumans? Not without the FF! Black Panther? Thank the Fantastic Four. I can go on and on.
Do you see how fundamental the FF are to the Marvel U ? Many of the movies you envision being made in the future- even "The Avenger's" next summer- which many think will feature the Skrulls , has the FF 'fingerprint' on it to it's credit.
The familial dynamic between the member's is endearing and recognizable in real life. This element makes the team approachable and easy to emotionally invest in. I should know: guilty as charged!
Another interesting feature of the Fantastic Four is that it's member's never wore disguises. Their identification was public knowledge , and their headquarter's were in a REAL city, not fictional one's like 'Gotham' or 'Metropolis', which imbued the book with a visceral approachibility.(especially you New Yorkers).
This feature was unique in the comic book world and was a major influence upon other comic's that followed, demonstrating to other publisher's that their character's can live in the 'real' world and be excepted by the comic reading public.
The facts are above. If you think this warrants the title "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine" , I wouldn't disagree. In fact , I whole-heartily agree!
I could go on and on about Ben, Valeria and Doom ,as well as other subjects related to the FF, but would rather throw the matter to you all.
Just one last comment: I love the Fantastic Four! Marvel's first family!