10 Comics That Broke All The Rules
3. Enter: The Fantastic Four (1961)
Just about every comic on this list broke a rule that was either codified by a regulatory body or one that was generally understood by society. The Fantastic Four #1 didn't break either of those, and what it did was so much more impressive and revolutionary; t changed comics forever.
Take a look at the cover for a moment and consider what is shown. Four people are fighting a monster emerging from the ground, and they each have a caption explaining their powers, and how they might be able to help one another fight the beast.
Not a single one of them is wearing a superhero costume of any kind, and while the Fantastic Four would eventually don the same blue jumpsuits emblazoned with a "4" on their chests, this was their first comic. The rule the book bucked was how superhero comics were marketed and established, and the FF didn't follow any of them.
This was a superhero team made up of four people who acquired their powers through an accident. They came together in the realization that they could do some good in the world, and from there, they became one of the most important comic book teams of all time.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby didn't just break all the rules of superhero books with FF #1, they created the Marvel superhero universe, effectively rewriting the rules themselves. That makes this book one of the most important ever published by the company.