ABOUT 3x3: I like information in clusters of three. I’m a generalist by nature so this helps me look into things on my mind and frame them. It’s useful for me to dip in and catch up. It could be brand design, NBA fashion or the latest comics creators.

Marvel movies were great, but like Cap at the end of Endgame, I was ready to hang it up. Fourteen-year-old me wanted those movies desperately, but 49-year-old me needed a break. That said—I can’t lie. This new Fantastic Four movie? Looking fun in a way these movies haven’t in a long time. So this week’s 3x3 is all about Marvel’s First Family including a run you probably haven’t heard of.

1. FIRST AND FOREMOST: JACK MF’N KIRBY

Jack Kirby is the blueprint. The reason your favorite superheroes exist. He built the Marvel Universe with his bare hands and a pencil, and he did it at a pace that makes the rest of us look lazy. His Fantastic Four run? Untouchable. You want big, cosmic storytelling? World-shaking fights? Sci-fi so wild it feels like a fever dream? Kirby gave us superheroes as we know them today.

1.1 The Man Made Legends – Look at your favorite Marvel heroes—Fantastic Four, Thor, Black Panther, X-Men, Hulk, Silver Surfer, The Avengers. That’s Kirby. He didn’t just draw these characters; he built them, plotted their stories, and set the standard for how big superhero stories could go. If Marvel is a house, Kirby is the foundation, the walls, and most of the roof.
1.2 Kirby’s Tech Was Built Different – I respect the film’s sleek 1960s futurism—Kasra Farahani and Colie Wertz absolutely cooked on the spaceship design. But if it were up to me? Give me Kirby’s CHONKY, bizarre, borderline-alive machines. The Thing’s design in the film gets it right—that’s the kind of oversized weirdness I want to see everywhere. Kirby’s aesthetic wasn’t just cool; it made his worlds feel unlike anything else.
1.3 The Fourth World Was His Magnum Opus – After Fantastic Four, Kirby took his talents to DC and went even bigger with the Fourth World Saga. This was Kirby unleashed—no filters, just pure cosmic storytelling. He created Darkseid, the New Gods, and an entire mythology that still fuels superhero stories today. You can feel Fourth World’s DNA in Fantastic Four—massive stakes, wild sci-fi, and characters that feel like gods. This stuff is WEIRD. I love it, but it also makes you appreciate what Stan Lee brought to the table.

Where to Start: Essential Kirby Reads
Start with Fantastic Four #1-102—this is where Marvel truly begins. Then hit Thor #126-177 for god-tier action and The Fourth World Saga for peak myth-making. Want pure Kirby madness? The Eternals is a must. The Fantastic Four Omnibus or The Jack Kirby Collector are great, but for the real magic, track down the original issues.

2. THE THING IS HARD TO DRAW AND OTHER FACTS

Ben Grimm isn’t just a monster. He’s a walking blues record. If your Thing doesn’t have some Ben Affleck-with-a-cigarette existential dread, you drew him wrong. The drawing above is Kirby. The drawing at the top of the page is mine.

2.1 Kirby IS the Thing – Kirby saw Ben Grimm as his alter ego. Gruff but sensitive, always ready to throw hands, never backing down. Both came from working-class immigrant families on the Lower East Side. Both had a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. And both succeeded beyond what anyone expected.
2.2 Like My Son, He’s Jewish, – The Thing’s Jewish heritage was hinted at for years, but it wasn’t confirmed until Fantastic Four vol. 2 #56, when he recited the Sh’ma over an old shopkeeper’s deathbed. A small moment, but a powerful one.
2.3 If the Hulk is Mahomes, Ben is Josh Allen – Unfortunately for the Thing, there’s always a Hulk. They’re best frenemies, constantly throwing hands. But in Fantastic Four #13 (vol. 4), the Thing finally gets a clean W—on his honeymoon, no less. Hulk, mind-controlled (because COMICS!), attacks. Ben shatters his own arm knocking Hulk out cold. Iconic.

3. THE FF LOGO: A MASTERCLASS IN BRANDING (AND WHY MOST UPDATES MISS THE MARK)

The Fantastic Four title type is one of the best superhero logos ever, and that’s not up for debate. Let’s break it down:

3.1 THE OG LOGO IS A BEAST

The original Fantastic Four logo was designed by Artie Simek and Sol Brodsky, and it’s damn near perfect. Big, bold, a little eerie—exactly what you’d expect from a comic about a dysfunctional super-family exploring the unknown. The Twilight Zone logo was apparently a huge influence, and you can see it in the wavy, otherworldly energy of the letters. This thing held it down for decades, and the fact that the new movie poster almost nails it? A rare branding W for modern Hollywood.

2.2 THE ONLY UPDATE THAT WORKED

I’ll say it: Todd Klein’s redesign for a ToyBiz line is the only modern update that actually understands the original’s DNA. The man is a typography legend, and his blog has an incredible deep dive on the history of the FF title design. His take keeps the strong foundation but refines the shape—sharper, cleaner, but still unmistakably Fantastic Four. That’s how you do a refresh. Go read his write-up. It’s a masterclass.

3.3 MODERN FF LOGOS: HITS & MISSES

Branding has changed. Logos now have to work everywhere—on screens, in digital marketing, in tiny app icons. The best ones adapt without losing identity (Nike, Apple, NASA). A good FF logo should do the same. Some recent takes? Kinda mid. They lean too hard into minimalism, stripping away the sci-fi weirdness that makes FF feel unique. The new movie gets close, but I want to see something bolder.

BONUS! WALTER SIMONSON’S FANTASTIC FOUR: THE MOST UNDERRATED MASTERPIECE IN COMICS

Walter Simonson took Fantastic Four and cranked it up—bigger stakes, wilder ideas, a visual style that made every page feel like it was vibrating. It’s high-concept sci-fi, time-travel chaos, and superhero action all in one. This run should be studied, not slept on.

4.1 Art That Moves Like a Freight Train – Simonson’s pages MOVE. Whether it’s a brawl with cosmic warlords or a quiet moment, everything has momentum. His layouts make time travel feel real—like time is bending right on the page.
4.2 Action That Feels Like a Sci-Fi Blockbuster – This isn’t just punch-punch superhero stuff. Simonson goes full cosmic. The team fights time-traveling despots, rewrites history, and saves the universe while still feeling like a family.
4.3 A Vision That Deserves More Hype – People rave about his Thor, but his Fantastic Four is just as groundbreaking. It channels the adventurous spirit of Lee and Kirby’s original run but modernizes it with sharper storytelling and bolder visuals.

Where to Start: Grab FF Visionaries: Walter Simonson Vol. 1-3 or FF Epic Collection: Into the Timestream. But real talk? The individual issues are where it’s at.

That’s the 3x3 for this week. Go read some Fantastic Four. Or at the very least, go stare at some Kirby art until your brain starts seeing everything in blacklight colors.

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3x3: FANTASTIC (SORRY) EDITION