MARVEL: FANTASTIC FOUR - MY INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN LETHEM

Last week, I published an article featuring The Folio Society's new anthology, 'Marvel: Fantastic Four', which contains a curated collection of reprinted comic books starring Marvel's First Family (click here to check that out). Each comic was written by Stan Lee, illustrated by Jack Kirby, and originally published by Marvel Comics. The anthology was curated by the award-winning novelist, Jonathan Lethem, who also wrote the introduction for it. What now follows is a quick Q and A with the aforementioned novelist. Please enjoy.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   I'd say, writer, collector, and fan.

2) Why do you think The Folio Society chose you to help assemble this anthology?   I'm not entirely sure, but at a guess, I suppose it's because I've become associated with my lifelong love of comics, particularly through one of my novels, 'The Fortress of Solitude'. I've also written some comics for Marvel Comics, guest-edited 'The Year's Best Comics', and published a piece about Jack Kirby, 'Identifying With Your Parents', in a volume of memoir-essays.

3) From all of the comics you've chosen to include in 'Marvel: Fantastic Four', which one is your favorite and why?   With all due respect to the other comics in the anthology, I'd like to select issue 49, 'If This Be Doomsday!' - the second installment of the 'Galactus Trilogy', which introduces Galactus to the Marvel Universe. The story is probably the absolute peak of Jack Kirby's inventiveness and formal brilliance, and it has everything that exemplifies why these characters and concepts have haunted our imaginations.

4) What song would you say best represents this anthology and why?   That would have to be '77 Million Paintings' by Brian Eno. Even though it's not a conventional song, it is a musical recording that might be big and cosmic enough.

5) If you could get a celebrity - either living or dead - to promote 'Marvel: Fantastic Four', who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   I don't think it needs any promotion. But if it did, would it be too tricky to say Jack Kirby himself? After all, who wouldn't want to hear him weigh in on how and why he illustrated these incredible stories?

6) What's the one thing about this anthology that might surprise people?   I'm sure some people will be surprised that it focuses on the first few years of a decades-long series.

'Marvel: Fantastic Four' is a gorgeous anthology containing a curated collection of reprinted comic books starring Marvel's First Family. It's bound in printed and blocked paper featuring a design by Marcos Martín, complete with printed endpapers and a complementary slipcase. Please feel free to pick up a copy via www.foliosociety.com.