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| Slot: |
Amazing Fantasy #15 |
| Item: |
Amazing Fantasy #15 A-5 |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
3741650001
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Owner Comments
Amazing Fantasy #15 is the Holy Grail for SA comic collectors. For many, this would be the first book they buy. But we have always targeted putting together collections rather than keys, which is why we have settled for many high grade restored keys.
As a collector of antique furniture and rugs, I have always been amazed by how severely the comic book market punishes comic book restorations compared to well-done restorations of other collectibles. Perhaps with the passage of time, well restored examples will rise in value. But for now, at least CGC places a much higher value on these books than the market.
Our book is actually the single highest graded copy ever certified by CGC, but it has been expertly and extensively restored, as it’s A-5 grade confirms. As is, from an appearance standpoint, the book is absolutely perfect. And it costs us a small fraction of what even a 9.0 with a universal label would have set us back. Even then, it was still expensive, at least for what it is. We acquired it in the 12/15/2020 ComicConnect Auction.
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| Slot: |
Amazing Spider-Man #4 |
| Item: |
Amazing Spider-Man #4 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
0013768007
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Owner Comments
Issue #4 features the Origin and first appearances of the Sandman, William Baker, alias Flint Marko, and Betty Brant. The Sandman has always been one of my favorite Marvel villains. While this issue marks his first appearance, he would reappear in Strange Tales #115, which is itself a great cover, along with ASM #18 and #19. Stan Lee continued to make use of the Sandman in several later Spidey issues, along with major appearances in the Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four. With respect to the FF, the Sandman was a founding member of the Frightful Four, who first appeared in FF #36. He was also a founding member of the Sinester Six and made his cinematic debut in Spider-Man 3, where he was played by Thomas Hayden Church.
I particularly like the four panel cover of ASM #4. Admittedly, the plot itself was a little weak, as Spidey captures the Sandman with a vacuum cleaner, but it nevertheless remains one of our favorite issues.
Our 9.4 is one of just eight copies trailing a trio of 9.6s in the census. We acquired the book from the October 3, 2015 ComicConnect Auction.
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| Slot: |
Amazing Spider-Man #25 |
| Item: |
Amazing Spider-Man #25 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
2087158002
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Owner Comments
Issue #25 features the first appearance of Professor Spencer Smythe and the Spider-Slayer. Our copy is one of six highest graded as of June 2020. We acquired it in the 10/16/2014 Pedigree Comics Auction.*
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| Slot: |
Avengers #83 |
| Item: |
Avengers #83 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
1245927001
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Owner Comments
The Liberators make their first appearance in Issue #83. The Black Widow, Enchantress, and Medua also make appearances. Our 9.8 is one of 12 highest graded copies as of June 2020.
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| Slot: |
Daredevil #1 |
| Item: |
Daredevil #1 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1056534001
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Owner Comments
This is a solid 9.4 of Daredevil’s entry into the Marvel universe. I would love a 9.6 and they are relatively plentiful, but there always seem to be higher priorities.
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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.
On the 9.4, I purchased it off an E-Bay listing many years ago.
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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 blind step-daughter, who would become romantically involved with the Thing and reappear in many future issues.
In the story, Reed has been working on a formula to try and change the Thing back to human form and has Sue and Johnny try to bar Ben from entering his lab until it is finished. This leads to a fight between Ben and the others. Fed up with being kept in the dark, the Thing puts on his coat and hat and leaves the Baxter Building. Worried about Ben, Sue turns invisible and follows after him to make sure nothing bad happens to him. However, the Thing soon becomes aware that Sue is following him and tells her to leave him be. However, Sue spots someone climbing up to the top of the Queensborough Bridge and fires up a signal flare to alert Reed and Johnny. When Reed cannot stretch that far to save the man, Johnny flames on and flies after him.
Not far away is the Puppet Master, who is testing out his radioactive clay that can control the people it is modeled after. Before he can make the man jump, the Torch saves his life and the heat from the Torch's flame causes feedback that burns the Puppet Master's finger. Furious over the interference the Puppet Master vows to eliminate the Fantastic Four before they can meddle in his plans further. When his step-daughter Alicia enters the room to inquire as to what is wrong, he silences her and tells her to obey his wishes as his step-daughter. To get revenge against the Fantastic Four, the Puppet Master fashions a puppet to resemble the Thing taking control of him and sending orders to come to his apartment. However the Puppet Master is unaware that the Invisible Girl is present with him, and seeing Ben enter a trance-like state, she turns invisible and follows after him to see what's wrong.
When Ben and Sue enter the apartment, Sue's presence is betrayed thanks to Alicia's sensitive hearing. Realizing that the Invisible Girl has followed the Thing to his home, the Puppet Master places gas masks on himself, Alicia and Ben and then fills the room with ether, knocking Sue out. Seeing a resemblance between Sue and Alicia, he disguises Alicia as the Invisible Girl and orders her to accompany the mind controlled Thing back to the Baxter Building so the Fantastic Four will fall for his trap even more. The Puppet Master then begins the next phase of his scheme which involves taking control of the warden of the state prison. When Ben and Alicia arrive at the Baxter Building, both Johnny and Reed are unaware of the trap until Ben suddenly starts attacking them.
However, the battle quickly ends when the Thing slams into Reed's chemistry experiment, dousing himself in chemicals that revert him to human form, thus freeing him from the Puppet Master's control. Back in human form, Ben explains everything that happened and Alicia finds comfort in Ben. At first she finds him different, but he suddenly reverts back into the Thing and instantly recognizes him by the touch. Ben is depressed by the fact that the only woman who would be interested in him in his monstrous form just happens to be a blind woman. Meanwhile, the warden at the state prison is ordered by the Puppet Master to free all the prisoners there instigating a massive jailbreak.
Waking up from the ether, Sue tries to flee the apartment, but the creaky floorboards give her away. The Puppet Master uses a puppet of Sue to trip her up, but she still manages to fire off a flare signal to alert the Fantastic Four of her location. Soon Ben, Reed, Johnny and Alicia arrive on the scene. While the male members of the group are held at bay by the Puppet Master's robotic puppet, the group saves Sue, but the Puppet Master gets away. They then hear news reports of the prisoners trying to break out of the state prison and rush to the scene to stop the prisoners from escaping.
With their superior powers, the Fantastic Four are easily able to stop the prisoners from escaping. Meanwhile, the Puppet Master returns to his apartment to try and utilize a puppet of himself that he believes will make him king of the world. However before he can use the puppet Alicia tries to stop him, knocking the puppet from his hand. Lunging for Alicia, the Puppet Master trips over the puppet and goes crashing out the window, down into the street below. The Fantastic Four then arrive and believing that the Puppet Master is dead, comfort Alicia but are left to wonder what caused him to fall out of the window to his apparent demise.
The 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. Our Don & Maggie Thompson Pedigree copy is one of seven 9.4s and the nicest I have ever seen of this book. We acquired it in the November 21, 2013 Heritage Auction.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four #45 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #45 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
1486003002
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Owner Comments
Issue #45 marks the first appearance of the Inhumans and was incredibly hot when a movie was rumored a few years ago. Unfortunately, I bought the first one to come on the market during that age of speculation and paid far too much for this book in the 9/13/2017 ComicConnect Auction. This 9.8 with white pages is one of six highest graded. Subsequent 9.8s have gone for much less.
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| Slot: |
Fantastic Four #129 |
| Item: |
Fantastic Four #129 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
0960806010
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Owner Comments
From the Federal Hill Collection, purchased in the Match 2020 CL auction.
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| Slot: |
Journey Into Mystery #84 |
| Item: |
Journey Into Mystery #84 Signature |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
1101074001
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Owner Comments
This is the 84th issue of a breakthrough title that began in June of 1952. More importantly, it is the second issue of the title's change to half super-hero format, as the Mighty Thor makes his second ever appearance herein. This issue also features the first appearance of Jane Foster, who was played by Natalie Portman in the Thor movies and may be the subject of a future Marvel movie.
To say this issue is hard to find would be accurate. To say it is difficult to obtain in high grade would be an understatement. There are only 9 copies of this Jack Kirby/Stan Lee masterpiece to grade as high as 9.0, with 4 in VF/NM, one in Near Mint Minus and only 3 blue label 9.4's. This gem has them all beat and is the only CGC Signature SERIES copy above an 8.5!
Issue #84 is one of the absolute toughest early Marvels to come by in high grade as per the CGC census report. It’s no doubt due to the dark brown cover borders and background which easily show wear. Our copy has no such problems. The spine is gorgeous, the centering is exact, the edges are straight and narrow and the corners are sharp. The book has vibrant colors and a fresh, meticulously well-stored look plus hard to beat off-white to white pages. It hails from the ultra high grade Cole Schave early Silver Age Marvel collection out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. I first saw this comic at the 2012 Comic Com convention in NYC. I later was fortunate enough to acquire it in the 2/11/2014 Pedigree Comics Auction.
9/2019: There are now four blue label 9.4s in this census, but this is still the single highest graded signature series, and, with Stan’s recent demise, it likely always will be. It remains to be seen how Stan’s death will affect the value of Signture Series books. After all, he has probably signed thousands of books at shows through the years. An author’s signature with a first edition novel can multiply the value of a book. But with comics, some regard the signature as a disqualifying defect. I am somewhat on the fence on signature books and generally don’t pay a premium for them, but also do not avoid signed copies.
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| Slot: |
Journey Into Mystery #102 |
| Item: |
Journey Into Mystery #102 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.4 |
| Cert #: |
0074597002
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Owner Comments
Issue #102 features the first appearance of Balder, Hela and Sif, as well as an appearance by Zarko. Thor also gains full use of his hammer in this issue. This book has proven to me to be an extremely difficult issue to find above 9.4, as there are just two 9.6s and a lone 9.8 atop the census. We acquired our book in the CL auction of 8/21/2013.
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| Slot: |
Journey Into Mystery #103 |
| Item: |
Journey Into Mystery #103 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
2065097005
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Owner Comments
Issue #103 features the first appearance of the Enchantress and the Executioner. Our second highest graded copy hails from the Don & Maggie thompson Collection and is bested only by a single 9.8. We acquired the book in the 11/13/2014 Pedigree Comics Auction.*
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| Slot: |
Marvel Premiere #47 |
| Item: |
Marvel Premiere #47 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.8 |
| Cert #: |
1041369003
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Owner Comments
I don’t really collect these, but hey, I like Ant-Man.
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| Slot: |
Strange Tales #126 |
| Item: |
Strange Tales #126 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1249955002
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Owner Comments
The Mad Thinker and the Puppet Master team up to take on the boys in this one, along with the start of a two issue Doctor Strange story featuring the first appearance of Cleo and Dormammu.
‘This copy is second highest graded trailing two 9.8s and was acquired in the 10/1/2011 CL auction.
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| Slot: |
Tales of Suspense #45 |
| Item: |
Tales of Suspense #45 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC 9.6 |
| Cert #: |
1968796002
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Owner Comments
Iron Man battles Jack Frost in this seventh installment of Iron Man in TOS. Perhaps the most notable thing about this issue is the first appearance of Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan, two stalwarts of the Iron Man and Avengers movies, played cinematically by Gwyneth Paltrow and Jon Favreau.
We long struggled to find a high grade example of this comic. We were finally able to acquire this book in the 2/21/2019 Heritage auction. It is the sole 9.6 in the census as of 5/2020, bested only by the PC 9.8, which was sold in the Doug Schmell Collection.
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