CREATED BY COMIC BOOK LEGENDS Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1961, the Fantastic Four is not only one of the most well-known superhero groups in the world but also an enduring symbol of the Marvel comic book renaissance in the 1960s.

United by the strange powers and abilities that they each acquired under the influence of cosmic rays, the Fantastic Four are also bound together by legal and blood relationships. Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) is married to Sue Richards, the Invisible Woman, whose younger brother is Johnny Storm - the Human Torch. Completing the quartet is Ben Grimm, a.k.a. The Thing, Reed Richards' best friend since high school.

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The imaginative storylines of the Fantastic Four comics have always been tinted by the distinct personalities of the characters. Not only do they fight brilliant enemies like Dr. Doom and complex foes/friends like The Sub-Mariner: the Fantastic Four also have to deal with conflicts and difficulties in their personal relationships. It has been claimed that the Fantastic Four more resembles a family than a team, and this may have added to the tremendous success of the Fantastic Four title, first published in November 1961.

The Marvel renaissance of the superhero genre in the 60s stems from the heart and the soul of the Fantastic Four. The writing goes all the way from subtle psychological portraiture to classic catch-phrases like "Flame on!" (The Human Torch) and "It's clobberin' time!" (The Thing).

Writes comic strip historian Joe Brancatelli about the Fantastic Four and its creator and original script writer Stan Lee: "His realistic and poignant characterizations stand out as possibly the most outstanding achievement of the 1960's in comic book world. /.../ [The Fantastic Four magazines] are undoutedly among the greatest group of commercial comic books ever assembled".

A Fantastic Four feature film was released in 2005, starring Ioan Gruffudd as Mr. Fantastic, Michael Chiklis as The Thing, Jessica Alba as The Invisible Woman, Chris Evans as The Human Torch and Julian McMahon as Dr. Doom. The sequel Fantastic Four II: The Rise of the Silver Surfer was launched in summer 2007. Directed by Tim Story, the film reunites the cast from the first Fantastic Four movie and stars Doug Jones (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) as the Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne).

A new Fantastic Four animated series (26 half-hours) has recently been produced by Antefilms Production/Moonscoop, combining 2D and 3D animation art.

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The Fantastic Four are:

Mr. Fantastic. Celebrated around the world as much for his brilliant mind as his stretching abilities, Reed Richards commands the respect of his peers and family as leader of the fabulous Fantastic Four. Mr. Fantastic is married to Susan "Sue" Richards, a.k.a. Invisible Woman.

Mr. Fantastic is capable of converting his body into a highly malleable state at will. As such, he can stretch, deform, expand or compress himself into any contiguous shape he can imagine.

Invisible Woman. Once an aspiring actress, Susan Richards instead found worldwide fame as a member of the legendary Fantastic Four. But this Invisible Woman isn't about to fade into the background! Bathed in cosmic radiation during a fateful trip into space with her three friends, Sue continues to develop her powers and play an active role in the team's leadership.

Sue Richards' psionic ability to manipulate ambient cosmic energy enables her to bend light without distortion - thus rendering herself, and other people and objects, invisible. Sue's brain cells produce psionic force she can shape into highly resistant protective fields and relatively simple forms - such as rectangular planes, globes, cylinders, cones and domes. By projecting columns of psionic force beneath her, she can travel through the air.

The Human Torch. Mutagenically transformed by cosmic rays into the heroic Human Torch, Johnny Storm - the younger brother of Sue "Invisible Woman" Richards - is the hothead of the Fantastic Four. Often impetuous and immature, the Torch has a talent for tormenting his teammate, the Thing - when he's not chasing skirt in one of his souped-up hot rods!

The Human Torch possesses the mental ability to control ambient heat energy, and can transform his body into living flame upon command. In this state, he can fly and expel bolts of fire in varying degrees of intensity, up to a super-charged nova-blast. His uniform and clothing consist of unstable molecules, enabling him to "flame on" without damaging them in any way.

The Thing. Once a skilled fighter-pilot, Ben Grimm is now the Thing, a member of the world-famous Fantastic Four. Bathed in cosmic radiation during a fateful trip into space with his three friends, Ben was transformed into a hideous creature of craggy, orange stone with superhuman strength. Many find him unsightly, but Ben has maintained his sense of humor and honor - because under that rocky exterior lies an ever-lovin' heart of gold!

The Thing possesses superhuman strength, endurance and durability. The mutagenic, frequency-specific cosmic rays with which he was bombarded in outer space caused his muscles, bones, internal organs, soft tissue and skin to increase greatly in toughness and density. As such, the Thing's body is able to withstand extremes of temperature and the explosive effects of armor-piercing bazooka shells. His reflexes remain above average despite his additional mass, and the volume and efficiency of his lungs are greater than a normal man. Despite his rock-hard exterior, the Thing remains susceptible to colds, diseases and emotional stress.

Plus Licens represents Marvel Comics for merchandising, promotional and (case-by-case) publishing rights to Fantastic Four in the Nordic countries.