Started reading the essential Marvel order listed on cmro.travis-starnes.com/essentials_order.php?list_type=2&page=1&limit=100 and thought to make a thread in case anyone else felt like following along. These were the first 15 I read:

November 1961 - Fantastic Four #1

January 1962 - Fantastic Four #2                  
                                
January 1962 - Tales to Astonish #27                  
                                
March 1962 - Fantastic Four #3                  

May 1962 - Fantastic Four #4                  
                                
May 1962 - Incredible Hulk #1                  
                                
July 1962 - Fantastic Four #5                  
                                
August 1962 - Amazing Fantasy #15                  
                                
August 1962 - Journey into Mystery #83                  
                            
September 1962 - Journey into Mystery #84

September 1962 - Tales to Astonish #35                  
                                
October 1962 - Journey into Mystery #85                  
                                
November 1962 - Strange Tales #102                  
                                
November 1962 - Fantastic Four #8                  
                                
December 1962 - Tales to Astonish #38

The biggest highlight for me was probably seeing the Fantastic Four attempting to stop Namor from destroying all of New York in Fantastic Four #4: