What's the absolute best Fantastic Four TPBs to get?

[Otis]

Hello all!

I have Essential Vol.1 & 2.
Fantastic Four Vol.2 and the run of Claremont on 3, Imaginauts and Unthinkable.
What's the absolute best stuff to get?

[Gryphon]

Fantastic four visionaries john byrne vol 1 -8
................................. walter simonson vol 1-3

[Otis]

Fantastic four visionaries john byrne vol 1 -8
................................. walter simonson vol 1-3

I'm gonna get Thor from Walter Simonson first. Quite the money there on all those volumes.

[Gryphon]

Simonson's Thor is amazing but his fantastic four was also incredible.

[nightwing45]

John Byrne's FF is all you need. The rest doesn't measure up.

[Zolton]

The John Byrne run is great, but here are some newer books to consider

[Babylon23]

Hello all!

I have Essential Vol.1 & 2.
Fantastic Four Vol.2 and the run of Claremont on 3, Imaginauts and Unthinkable.
What's the absolute best stuff to get?

Essential Vol. 3 takes you through the absolute best of the Lee/Kirby era - Black Panther, the Inhumans, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, etc. This is Lee/Kirby at their most creative and definitely worth collecting.

[Mechano]

I will second 1234... perfect story, perfect art.

[Ben Akers]

The 3 Volumes by Jonathan Hickman and the upcoming 4th Volume.

[Iron Maiden]

Great picks thus far.... I would also add Waid/Wieringo's "Unthinkable" and "Authoritative Action" especially since some of it might come into play with what Hickman is doing.

[RockyBanks]

The 3 Volumes by Jonathan Hickman and the upcoming 4th Volume.

Seconded, but I especially recommend Hickman's Dark Reign: Fantastic Four.

[Mechano]

It isn't really a Fantastic Four tpb, but the way they were built up in 1602 was awesome.

[Ben D]

I'd also recommend Waid's run if I can.

[earl]

Essential Vol. 3 takes you through the absolute best of the Lee/Kirby era - Black Panther, the Inhumans, Galactus, the Silver Surfer, etc. This is Lee/Kirby at their most creative and definitely worth collecting.

What he said.

If you are a total back issue/trade reader, I'd think you will enjoy the later comics alot more if you read FF 1-100 first.

[stk]

Get the Masterworks or Essentials volumes reprinting the Stan Lee & Jack Kirby run. Once you've read that material, everything anyone has done with the FF since feels kind of pointless.