WSR’s Marvel Keys
Fantastic Four #13

COMIC DETAILS

Comic Description: Fantastic Four #13 Universal
Grade: 9.4
Page Quality: OFF-WHITE TO WHITE
Pedigree: Twin Cities
Certification #: 1039349006
Owner: Mississippi Mudcats

SET DETAILS

Winning Set: WSR’s Marvel Keys
Date Added: 2/6/2014
Research: See CGC's Census Report for this Comic

Owner's Description

Issue #13 marks the first appearance of the Red Ghost and the Watcher. In the story, after an experiment on a strange meteor fragment, Reed Richards wants to take a rocket to the Blue Area of the Moon where it came from. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, a Russian scientist named Ivan Kragoff completes his training of three apes who will pilot his own rocket mission to the moon. As the Fantastic Four are blasting off, so is Kragoff and his apes. Seeking to duplicate the accident that gave the Fantastic Four their powers, Kragoff had designed his ship to be transparent so that he and his apes would be exposed to an even greater dose of cosmic rays.

Although they are spotted by the passing Fantastic Four, Kragoff's attempt worked. Gifted with the power of intangibility, Kragoff rechristened himself the Red Ghost. While his now "Super-Apes" gained powers as well, Igor the baboon became a shape-shifter, Piotr the orangutan gained control of magnetism, while Miklho the gorilla gained enhanced strength. When the Fantastic Four finally land on the moon they discover the ruins of an ancient civilization in its mysterious "Blue Area" as well as a strange citadel off in the distance.The group then splits up to explore. While out searching, the Thing is attacked by the Red Ghost and his Super-Apes.

However, the fight is abruptly stopped by an alien calling himself the Watcher, who incapacitates the Super-Apes with his vast cosmic powers. The Watcher explains that his race of people has been charged with watching other alien races but have a vow to never interfere. Having come to consider the human race to be nothing more than savages fighting over their petty territorial disputes, the Watcher orders them not to bring their war to his home and dispatches the Fantastic Four, Red Ghost and his Super-Apes back to the ruined city where they could fight to the finish so that the Watcher could determine which of them came from a superior country.

There the Red Ghost and his apes attack the Fantastic Four and take the Invisible Girl prisoner. Reed and the others then begin searching the ruins for her. Meanwhile, Sue realizes that the Red Ghost has control over the apes by withholding food from them. While the Red Ghost was out fighting her teammates, Sue freed herself by offering to give the Super-Apes food. Overpowered the Red Ghost sought to seek refuge in the Watcher's citadel, only to be buffeted through time and dimensions before being ejected. The Red Ghost was then incapacitated by Mr. Fantastic who was able to fashion a paralyzation ray. With the Red Ghost defeated, the Watcher reappears before the Fantastic Four and congratulates them on their victory and tells them that their country is the superior one and so long as it strives for peace it will have a place in the limitless universe. As the Fantastic Four prepare to leave for Earth, the Red Ghost is freed by his Super-Apes, who have come to get revenge against their former master. In the end, Reed decides they should leave the Red Ghost to his fate and they leave the moon in their rocket.

Along with issues #3 and #18, Issue #13 is one of three issues where we only have a third highest graded example, as a lone 9.8 and three 9.6s top the census. There has been a 9.6 copy of this book available for years now, but the price is high and the cover is marred by a date stamp, so I have stuck with this Twin Cities pedigree 9.4. It is probably worthy of a 9.5, if such grades existed. We acquired it in an acquisition of a package of FFs from Pedigree Comics (#3, #7, and #13), all of which we still own.
 
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