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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 1 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #1 Apparent SA |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
0125053001
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Owner Comments
Fantastic Four #1, along with Amazing Fantasy #15, are the two biggest books of the Marvel Silver Age. The iconic cover features the Fan 4, before donning their uniforms in Issue #3, tangling with one of the Mole Man’s rock monsters.
In the first chapter of the book, in an effort to beat the Communists into space, scientist Reed Richards, sister and brother Sue and Johnny Storm, and pilot Ben Grimm sneak off into space in a rocket. In space, the four are bombarded by cosmic rays.The auto-pilot lands the ship back on Earth, where they find themselves physically transformed and possessing remarkable new abilities. Sue can turn invisible. Ben has transformed into an orange, muscular "thing" with super-strength. Reed's body became highly malleable, allowing him to stretch into any shape, while Johnny's body bursts into flame, and he can fly. They decide to use their abilities to become the super-team known as the Fantastic Four and assume the individual names of Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch, and the Thing.
The remainder of the books introduces us to Harvey Elder, alias the Mole Man. Elder, a short, fat, bizarre looking individual, having been ridiculed by humanity, went off alone in search of the legendary land at the center of the earth. Eventually, he washed ashore on Monster Isle. Making his way through a cavern, he was caught in an avalanche and rendered almost blind. However, due to his other heightened senses taking over, he mastered the subterranean creatures and built himself an underground empire.
In the final chapter, the FF manage to thwart the Mole Man’s plan to invade the surface, but he remains at large and will reappear again in FF #22.
Fantastic Four #1 is one of those books where, because of the high value, the population of restored books approaches that of unrestored ones. This book looks great, but it has been trimmed, which means I only spent a fraction of what I would have for an unrestored 9.4. I purchased this book on e-bay from another collector several years ago-unfortunately, e-bay records only go back so far.
Some day, finances permitting, I would like to buy one with a universal label: I can dream, can’t I LOL. But in the meantime, I also own a 9.8 signature series Golden Record Reprint, Western Penn Pedigree, which itself dates from 1966 and was signed by Stan Lee on 9/4/2010..Because I do not have a scan of the 9.4, I have posted a scan of the Golden Record Reprint.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 2 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #2 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1024024006
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Owner Comments
One of the gems of our collection, this White Mountain beauty is one of the three highest graded in the census and introduces the Skrulls from outer space who appear in the Captain Marvel and Spider-Man Far from Home movies. The Skrulls are shape-shifters who possess alien technology to perpetrate their misdeeds. Their plan is to conquer the Earth. Fearing that the Fantastic Four will stand in their way, they send four agents who disguise themselves as the FF and perpetrate misdeeds to ruin the FF’s reputation. Eventually, our heroes turn the tables and Me. Fantastic hypnotizes the Skrulls into believing they are cows.
A little history on this one, this book was part of the Doug Schmell Collection and was sold in the Heritage auction in July 2012 for $49,293.75. However, somebody them bought the book on December 26, 2012 from that owner thru Heritage for 90,000. I am not sure if it was highest graded at the time, but I was lucky enough to pick it up for less than half the amount of the December 2012 sale in a 2014 ComicLink auction.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 3 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #3 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1101075009
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Owner Comments
FF #3 is the first issue where the FF dons uniforms. In this issue, the FF clash with the Miracle Man, who basically practices mass hypnosis to further his crime spree. When Mister Fantastic finally determine how he is pulling off all his miracles, they easily defeat him.
Our copy is one of the top 4 overall, tied with one other 9.4 and bested by a lone 9.6 and 9.8. I have never seen the 9.8, but the 9.6 came to auction right after I bought this one on installment payments.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 4 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #4 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1160658002
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Owner Comments
fantastic Four #4 reintroduces the comic world to Namor, the Sub-Mariner, who will become a frequent FF nemesis. As the issue begins, Namor is a derelict suffering from amnesia until the Human Torch finds him in a flophouse and witnesses his super-strength. Johnny feels bad for the amnesiac and offers to help him get back on his feet. He shaves the "bum" with his flame, revealing Namor's true features. Johnny then dumps Namor into the river, successfully restoring Namor's memory. Unfortunately, Namor tried to return to Atlantis, but found an outpost that had been destroyed by nuclear testing during the years he was an amnesiac. He assumes that all his people were scattered where he would never find them.
Namor immediately vows vengeance on the surface world and attacks it, using the giant sea monster Giganto, but is rebuffed by the Fantastic Four. During the fight, he becomes instantly enamored of Sue Storm, and offered to make her his bride, and after that, his queen. Namor carries this romantic crush with him for years and Sue even reciprocates the feelings for awhile, which first becomes apparent when Namor teams up with Doctor Doom to destroy the Fantastic Four in Issue #6.
Issue #4, along with #1, #5, and #12, is one of the four top early FF covers. This 9.6 is tied for highest graded with five others. It was acquired in 2020 in a private deal with another collector.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 5 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #5 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1198379004
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Owner Comments
One of the four biggies in early FFs and the debut issue of Doctor Doom, the FF’s Lex Luther.
Victor von Doom was born in a Romani camp outside Haasenstadt, Latveria. His mother, Cynthia, was killed in a bargain with Mephisto that went wrong. Despite his father's attempts to care for her, a noblewoman died and Werner von Doom fled with a young Victor on a cold winter's night. Victor survived the cold, but unfortunately his father did not. Doom sought to increase his knowledge of both science and magic in order to rescue his mother, whose death he blamed on Mephisto.
The State University in Hegeman, New York offered Victor a scholarship where Doom first meets Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. They developed a dislike for each other. Doom became obsessed with developing a machine that could project the astral form of a being into other dimensions, seeing it as a way to free his mother's soul from Mephisto's clutches. Reed pointed out a flaw in Doom's calculations, but Doom arrogantly ignored his warnings, feeling Reed was trying to upstage him, likely due to their dislike for each other. The machine exploded, scarring Doom's face. He was soon expelled for conducting unethical experiments. From then on, he blamed Reed Richards for the destruction of his face as well as his expulsion.
Disgraced and bitter, Doom traveled the world. Eventually he came upon a small Tibetan village of monks who assisted him in creating a suit of armor. He returned to his homeland of Latveria to overthrow the leader and declare himself king. He then began to use his country's resources in order to further his plans of world domination. These schemes led Doom into conflict with the Fantastic Four on many occasions, as well as many other superheroes.
In Issue #5, Doom first confronts the Fantastic Four by holding Sue Storm hostage. Doom then forces the other members of the team to travel back in time using his time platform to retrieve the mystical Stones of Merlin. The gang travels back in time and finds a chest, but replaces Merlin’s treasures with chains.
The time platform appears above them and returns them to the present. Doom says that the treasure includes gems enchanted by Merlin and that they will make him "invincible." He opens the chest and discovers that he's been cheated, which gives Ben the opportunity to attack. A single punch shatters the armor—and the machinery inside. It's a robot! The real Doom, in another part of the castle, activates a screen and tells them he will draw the air from their chamber. Sue, still his hostage, sees her chance. She turns invisible and short-circuits his control panel, which explodes. Doom is caught in the blast. She runs to the chamber and opens the door. Rather than confront Doom, who Reed assumes has traps everywhere, they decide to escape. Reed stretches through a window across the moat, Ben pushes that section of wall open while Reed pulls, and Johnny uses "atomic heat" to make a path across the crocodile-infested moat. Johnny then sets fire to the castle, and Doom escapes with his Rocket-Powered Flying Harness to once again fight the FF again in Issue #6, this time with Namor.
This copy is second highest graded trailing three 9.6s. Those 9.6s are valued higher than any FFs, except for high-grade #1s. I have had a couple of opportunities to buy one, but in each case was outbid at auction.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 6 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #6 Qualified |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1009825001
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Owner Comments
As Issue #6 opens, Doom is seeking out the Sub-Mariner and tracks him down in his aerosub, confronting Namor over the ocean. Doom manages to convince Namor that they should work together to destroy the Fantastic Four and take over the world.
Namor invites Doom back to Atlantis, where Doom notes his infatuation with Sue Storm. Doom, however, stirs the Sub-Mariner's anger by reminding him how his kingdom was annihilated by atomic weapons tests. Namor agrees to destroy the Fantastic Four but refuses to harm Sue Storm. Doom agrees to let Sue live and then shows off his latest invention, which he wishes to use against the Fantastic Four: a magnetically powered "grabber" device that can pull any object no matter how heavy. Namor then goes to the surface world to confront the Fantastic Four as part of their plan.
Meanwhile, at the Baxter Building, Johnny finds a picture of Namor hidden behind a bookshelf and confronts his sister Sue about it. When she tells Johnny that he has no right to go snooping on her property, Johnny alerts the others about Sue's little secret before burning the picture with his flame powers. When Reed asks for an explanation from Sue, she is at a loss for words to explain her infatuation with the Sub-Mariner. Suddenly, Namor makes his presence known to them.
With the help of Doom’s grabber device, Namor initially defeats the FF, but when he realizes the Sue will also be killed, he changes sides and helps defeat Doom.
This copy is one of the three top graded copies, although CGC has designated this book as Qualified because of a married cover. I must admit, I think the market unfairly penalizes such books, after all, all parts of the books are original. And what we are really buying when we buy an encased book is the cover, which is unrestored and original.
At any rate, I am happy to own this book, it is original and beautiful, the interior just started out with a different interior, but there has been no restoration. Admittedly, I would prefer one of the two blue label 9.6s, but I would choose this book over any 9.4. I would certainly buy more married cover copies of rare books like this if I could find them. And CGC treats such books far more favorably than it does restored books bearing the same grade.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 7 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #7 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1101061005
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Owner Comments
In issue #7, the FF leave Earth after the population is turned against them by the hostility ray of Kurrgo, the Master of Planet X. Kurrgo has sought out the FF because he wants their help to save his people from an asteroid that is bearing down on the planet. Mister Fantastic saves the day by inventing a shrinking ray, which allows all the planet’s population to fit on their only available spaceships.
As of 2/2020, there are no 9.8s and only one 9.6 of FF #7. I, quite frankly, have never seen that lone 9.6, although along with the lone 9.6 #8, I have a good idea where it resides. This is one of 7 9.4s.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 8 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #8 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1198175015
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Owner Comments
issue #8, “Prisoners of the Puppet-Master,” introduces us to Phillip and Alicia Masters. Phillip Masters, the Puppet-Master, had the ability to control people by making sculptures of them in special radioactive clay from his homeland. Alicia was his bling step-daughter, who would become romantically involved with the Thing and reappear in many future issues.
The story and census of FF #8 parallels that of FF #7. As in the case of FF #7, there are no 9.8s and a lone 9.6, which I have never seen. This Don & Maggie Thompson Pedigree copy is one of seven 9.4s and the nicest I have ever seen of this book.
This book was acquired in the November 21, 2013 Heritage
auction.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 9 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #9 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1292461003
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Owner Comments
It seems when we hit FF #9 that all of the grades jump up one level, as there is a single 9.8 and six 9.6s. I suspect that the lone 9.8 is in a vault somewhere with the lone 9.6 #7 and #8. All I can say is that I have never seen the 9.8 and there are no recorded sales of any of those three books.
This book has been a strange one, as the prices are always very unpredictable. Two 9.6s sold recently on Heritage and the latter one only made $7,000, which was considerably cheaper than the price of what the one that sold two months earlier made. Unfortunately, this was the first one, acquired in the November 19, 2019 Heritage auction.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 10 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #10 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
2065130011
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Owner Comments
Great Doctor Doom cover and one of three 9.8s in the census.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 11 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #11 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
2065130003
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Owner Comments
Issue #11 marks the first appearance of the Impossible Man. This is one of three highest graded copies.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 12 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #12 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1269426002
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Owner Comments
Issue #12 marks the first appearance of the Hulk as a foe of the FF. It is a highly coveted book and the census and value parallel that of the first appearance of Sub-Mariner in issue #4. This is one of six 9.6s with no 9.8s.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 13 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #13 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1039349006
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Owner Comments
Issue #13 marks the first appearance of the Red Ghost and the Watcher. Along with issues #3 and #18, this 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.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 14 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #14 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
1053535001
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Owner Comments
Another classic early Sub-Mariner cover, this 9.8 is one of three highest graded in the census. It was also part of the Doug Schmell Collection auctioned off by Heritage in July 2012.
Acquired from another collector in a private transaction in January 2020.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four 15 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #15 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1208065004
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Owner Comments
The Mad Tinker and his Awesome Android square off with the FF in what is a somewhat scarce book in high grade. This is one of just four 9.6s with two 9.8s topping the census.
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