Fantastic Four #2
Fantastic Four #2 delivered the first appearance of the Skrulls — the shape-shifting alien race created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — introducing one of the most durable and conceptually rich extraterrestrial civilizations in all of Marvel mythology. Only the second issue of a then-fledgling superhero imprint, it established storytelling devices that would define the Marvel Universe for decades: a superhero team framed as public enemies, civilians turned against their own protectors, and the idea that an alien infiltration could be indistinguishable from the real thing. That last premise seeded the concept that eventually blossomed into major crossover events like the Kree-Skrull War and 2008's Secret Invasion, proving Lee and Kirby had planted a narrative time-bomb in only their second outing. The issue also marks a striking early experiment in metatextual storytelling, with Reed Richards defeating the Skrulls by showing them pages from Marvel's own monster comics — making the fledgling publisher's own output a plot device within its shared universe.
In "The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!", the team ventures deep into a Skrull mothership, using clever disguises and a bold ruse to pose as their alien spies. With Mr. Fantastic relying on clippings from Strange Tales and Journey Into Mystery to convince the Skrulls that Earth’s defenses are too formidable, the stakes rise as the truth hangs in the balance. Written by Stan Lee and brought to life by Jack Kirby’s dynamic art, with George Klein’s inks, Stan Goldberg’s colors, and John Duffy’s lettering, this landmark issue captures the early brilliance of Marvel’s First Family. The cover by Jack Kirby and George Klein perfectly captures the tension of the moment.
In "The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!", the real Fantastic Four find themselves imprisoned by the government while impostors—shape-shifting Skrulls—take their place and wreak havoc. With their identities stolen and their freedom lost, the team escapes and launches a daring mission to expose the deception, infiltrating the Skrull mothership itself. Using cunning and a clever ruse based on old Marvel comics, Mr. Fantastic sets a trap to outwit the alien spies and turn the tide in their favor.
In "Part 2 Prisoner of the Skrulls," the real Fantastic Four, wrongfully imprisoned by the government, break free and launch a daring mission to expose four shape-changing Skrulls posing as them and wreaking havoc on Earth. Infiltrating the Skrull mothership, they play a high-stakes game of deception, using clever ruses and old comic clippings to convince the alien spies that Earth’s defenses are too powerful to overcome. The real heroes must outwit their doppelgängers before the truth is lost—forever.
In "The Fantastic Four Fight Back!", the team infiltrates the Skrull mothership, using their wits and disguises to play the part of captured spies. Mr. Fantastic spins a clever ruse, feeding the Skrulls misinformation pulled from old Marvel comics, making them doubt the ease of conquering Earth.
In "The Fantastic Four... Captured!", the real heroes are imprisoned by the government while shape-shifting Skrulls impersonate them as criminals. Forced to escape and uncover the deception, the team infiltrates the Skrull mothership, using clever ruses and borrowed comic book lore to outwit their foes. As the true Fantastic Four turn the tables, the impostors face a fate as unexpected as it is unforgettable.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 22 grades ▾
This exact issue on ebay
CGC 5 ▾ $900–$2,669 2 listings
Raw / ungraded ▾ $2.99–$1,650 8 listings
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Published with a January 1962 cover date, Fantastic Four #2 was the product of the still-new Lee–Kirby collaboration working under the loose improvisational framework that would become known as the Marvel Method — Kirby plotting and penciling from a story idea developed with Lee, who then scripted over the finished art. The interior pencils were inked by George Klein, a credit long debated and later confirmed by researchers including Timely-Atlas expert Michael Vassallo, Nick Caputo, and comics historian Mark Evanier, all of whom affirmed Klein's work after decades of attribution to Dick Ayers (who himself denied inking the issue). A second inker, Sol Brodsky, was additionally identified on the issue via the letters pages of much-later FF issues #272 and #281. The bimonthly early issues meant Lee and Kirby were generating entirely new alien civilizations at a breathless pace, with the Skrulls arriving just one issue after the debut of the Mole Man.
Trivia · 9 facts
- First appearance of the Skrulls, a shape-shifting alien race created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who would go on to become one of the most frequently used extraterrestrial species in Marvel Comics.
- Cover-dated January 1962; this was also the last issue of the series priced at 10 cents before the book moved to 12 cents with issue #3.
- Written by Stan Lee, penciled by Jack Kirby, inked by George Klein (with Sol Brodsky credited as a second inker, identified decades later via FF letters pages #272 and #281); lettered by Artie Simek.
- The story is structured in four titled chapters: 'The Fantastic Four Meet the Skrulls from Outer Space!', 'Prisoner of the Skrulls', 'The Fantastic Four Fight Back', and 'The Fantastic Four Captured'.
- Reed Richards defeats the Skrull invasion by showing the aliens clippings from Lee and Kirby's own pre-superhero monster comics in Strange Tales and Journey Into Mystery — an early and self-aware instance of the Marvel Universe referencing Marvel Comics as an in-world publication.
- Three of the four Skrull spies are hypnotized by Reed into believing they are cows and left as livestock — a plot point that was revisited and referenced in Marvel continuity several decades later.
- The four Skrull impostors who impersonated the Fantastic Four in this issue later reappeared in Avengers #92 during the Kree-Skrull War storyline.
- The issue has been reprinted extensively, including in Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 1, the Fantastic Four Epic Collection: The World's Greatest Comic Magazine, the Penguin Classics Marvel Collection, and a Facsimile Edition published by Marvel in April 2025.
- The Skrulls made their live-action cinematic debut in Captain Marvel (2019) and anchored the Disney+ series Secret Invasion (2023), demonstrating the enduring reach of this single issue's creation.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Los 4 Fantásticos #2 (1962), Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #1 (1965), Fantastiske Fire #2/1968 (1968), Los 4 Fantásticos #1 (1969), Hit Comics #133 (1970), I Fantastici Quattro #1 (1971), I Fantastici Quattro #2 (1971), The Mighty World of Marvel #2 (1972), The Mighty World of Marvel #3 (1972), The Mighty World of Marvel #4 (1972), Los 4 Fantásticos #1 (1977), Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four #81445 (1977), De Fantastiske Fire #2 (1978), Atlantic-serien [Fantastiske Fire] #2/1978 (1978), Atlanticserien #2/1978 (1978), The Fantastic Four #1 (1979), Los Cuatro Fantásticos #2 (1980), Marvel-pocket #1/1985; 2 (1985), Marvel-pocket #2/1985 (1985), The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #1 (1985), The Marvel Saga the Official History of the Marvel Universe #2 (1986), Marvel Masterworks #2 (1987), Marvel Masterworks #6 (1988), Orígenes Marvel #1 (1991) + 36 more
Key issues in Fantastic Four
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★Variants (1)
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.