Some small confessions:  growing up, I was more of a DC guy.  Superman, The Legion, JLA, Green Lantern, mostly my Uncle's collection of Golden Age titles that he'd left behind at my Grandmother's house and I devoured.  I was never into the Marvel Universe -- tho the HULK was one of my favorite TV shows. I stopped comics pretty  much after the Shooter/Grell days on LSH -- I felt like I was getting too old.

I got back into comics in college, specifically over the hooplah about Superman -- my first exposure to Byrne.  Good times.

So I've never read his FANTASTIC FOUR run.  Yeah, yeah -- gasp in shock and horror, but it's true.  I admit the FF never really grabbed me, but there I was on Amazon with the OMNIBUS vol.1 staring me in the face and I figured, what the hell?  I've liked everything else the guy's written...

It took me over a week to wade through the 1070-some odd pages -- literally a heavy book -- and I have to say I LOVED IT!!! I'm working through it a second time now. 

Here were comics like comics I remembered -- plots and action and good clean fun.  Yeah, I didn't know everybody and everything, but I didn't need to.  I was able to jump in and get the gist of backstory.  It was just a good time.

More, it's fascinating to see JB's growth as a writer, both in his art and storytelling, but certainly in economy of words on the page.  All in all, a worthy investment -- so much so that I'm willing to buy the second volume.  And that's saying something.

Thanks for this great trip to the past, John.  I've really enjoyed the ride.  I highly recommend this FF OMNIBUS to all. 

Once I encountered the sci-fi angle on the FF, I could understand why JB loved the team so much -- so up his alley. 

I've said already -- and several people have echoed -- that the element of "fun" has been one of my favorite parts of this discovery.  Comics are fun!  Not "awesome" or "cool" or "sick" or "grim 'n gritty", just flat-out escapist enjoyment. 

I'd forgotten.