Key Fantastic Four Investment Issues
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Hi ,
The
super-team which started the Marvel Age of comic books has never quite made it on the silver screen. A series of pseudo-flops with disappointing scripts and average casting has held back the performance of Fantastic Four key issues.
(The latest, eye candy aside, once again disappointed audiences, and has become as invisible as Sue Storm.)
But the landscape is changing, thanks to the development of the Marvel cinematic universe
(MCU), which has seen overnight interest in storylines like the Inhumans and Black Panther drive prices to double or even triple in a couple of years.
This roundup focuses on long-established key issues, and highlights some books which might be
overdue for a similar bump in prices soon.
Fantastic Four #1: the Book Which Began it All
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When Stan Lee grew tired of publishing westerns, he was told to create a comic book he would want to read. The result was the Lee-Kirby Fantastic Four, a super-team created when a space flight exposed four astronauts to radiation.
FF has had its hokey periods and plenty of issues from almost all eras can still be bought cheaply; but FF #1 is a bona fide Marvel mega-key, desirable in any grade.
No CGC 9.8 has yet been certified. The single 9.6 copy would probably approach the million-dollar barrier should it come to market in the near
future.
We suggest investing in as nice a copy as you can afford. Focus on good eye appeal from the front, as this book’s busy cover is notorious for showing wear.
Fantastic Four #5: 1st Doctor Doom
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If there’s one villain under-used in the MCU, then it’s Doctor Doom.
The classic man in the iron mask re-imagined for comic books, Doom is one bad dude, and though his intro story is rather lame,
there’s no doubt that this is the second most desirable book in the run, especially in high grade.
Wait until you can afford a VF copy. That may put this book out of reach of average collector-investors, but this book looks really sharp in high grade and appreciates rapidly.
Fantastic Four #12: Hulk vs Thing, round one
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Hulk has a tendency to show up in key issues… or you might turn that statement around, and say that many key issues are keys BECAUSE Hulk appears.
When green meets orange, all bets are off. This is the first of many classic match-ups between Grimm and Banner. The only winners in this battle are people holding onto high-grade copies, because this book is hot.
Common in low grade, but tough at VF or higher.
Fantastic Four #27: Doctor Strange cover
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I did some digging after the Doctor Strange movie was announced. Apart from a ‘head in a circle’ on one of the Strange Tales covers (maybe #118?), FF #27 is actually
Strange’s first full cover appearance.
He’s inked in ghostly green and not the main focus of the cover, but it’s significant to my mind, and worth a punt. (Is this his first crossover appearance too?)
Just as with many of the FF Silver Age run, which are super-cheap when compared to Amazing Spider-Man issues from the same or later era, not much has happened to prices of FF #27, so you should be able to afford a copy in the 9s and do well if Strange fans catch on to this important appearance.
Fantastic Four #36: 1st Frightful Four, 1st Medusa
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This book has already caught fire because Medusa is appearing in the Inhumans movie. Frightful Four are also an interesting counter-point to the
Fantastic Four and potentially a movie anti-hero group for the MCU to call on.
Now expensive in most grades, try to avoid buying one of the many GD-VG rags flooding the market and buy at least FN-VF without creasing on the front
cover.
Fantastic Four #44: 1st Gorgon
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One of the few books in the run from the #40s that has not yet got expensive, but it’s set to do so.
Gorgon is
appearing in the Inhumans movie and this first appearance is due to take off.
Grab yourself a VF or higher copy and hang on for the ride. It’s overdue.
Fantastic Four #45-46: 1st Inhumans, 1st Black Bolt cover
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The Inhumans movie is a long way off, but already these two keys are achieving prices many people would not have dreamed of a few years
ago.
I bought myself a CGC 8.0 of FF #45 back in April 2014, sold it for double what I paid for it six months later and felt pretty good — but it’s now
worth ANOTHER 50 percent more and showing no signs of slowing down.
The iconic Black Bolt cover of #46 has closed the gap, and many investors prefer it because the Inhumans actually appear on the cover.
Still, #45 is worth more and harder to find in high grade because the midnight blue shows wear easily.
My tip would be to stick to VF or so for #45 and push the boat out for 9.2 or better on #46. I still see more upside in #46 in high grade, and they are still (for now) more affordable.
Fantastic Four #48-50: 1st Galactus, 1st Silver Surfer
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Long-established keys, what is surprising is how common #48 is in high grade. Prices reflect this, as other key first appearances of
characters have out-performed it.
A CGC 9.8 is still "only" worth about $5,000. I see the Silver Surfer as an under-utilized character in the MCU.
Far rarer and tougher to acquire is FF #49. Its dark cover shows wear very easily. A high-grade copy could be a wise investment.
Similarly the classic Surfer cover of #50 is inked in chocolate brown, also a tough one to find in high grade.
Fantastic Four #52-53: 1st Black Panther, origin
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Nobody is surprised anymore when Fantastic Four #52 breaks records in all grades. What you may have overlooked is the origin issue of FF #53.
Fantastic Four #52: first Black Panther
Notoriously tough black cover, plus hot first appearance, makes this one issue you won't find cheaply. It may be too late for the short-term movie hype bump, but still a good long-term hold if you can afford a nice enough one.
Black Panther appearances in all kinds of crossovers and series are hot (including Avengers #71 and Jungle Action #5 and #6), but these are the two to own.
One word of caution. The Black Panther movie is slated to be released much sooner than the Inhumans movie, which means there is less time for these books to appreciate before the inevitable post-movie dip occurs.
Look to make 25 percent on your FF #52 and 50 percent on #53 and sell if you achieve those targets.
You don’t want to
be the guy selling pumpkins on November 1st.
Fantastic Four #67: 1st full Warlock
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Technically not the true first appearance (see Thor #165 for that — and buy one in high grade, if you can find one!), but FF #67 has fast become a key
issue in what is otherwise quite a dead run from #54 through #71.
The predominantly white cover shows dirt, dust shadows and ink offsets, so finding this in high grade could be a challenge.
Aim for VF or nicer and get
out with 50 percent if you can.
Fantastic Four #72: classic Silver Surfer cover
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This is not an especially expensive issue, but it’s got amazing eye appeal (similar to the other ‘big’ Silver Surfer cover in Tales to Astonish #93).
Stick to CGC 9.6 or 9.8 and hold it for the long term.
Fantastic Four #100: milestone issue
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I can still remember how excited I was to buy a FN copy of this in a comic con in London circa
1991.
That particular investment wouldn’t have done very well for me (if I still had it!), but a top-of-the-census 9.8 would have — and I recommend saving up until you can afford one in that shape.
It’s going to set you back about $2,000, but the general renewed interest in the FF thanks to
various movies, and the “issue 100” syndrome (a popular # for new collectors to begin with before working backwards through the run) make this one a decent bet for a long-term hold.
Fantastic Four #110 Error of Color
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Comic book collecting is still a relatively young hobby. Compare it to coin and stamp collecting and the amount of specialist literature and field research is minuscule.
Fantatic Four #110 Error of Color
This was noticed shortly after printing began and the run
recalled, but lots of copies have survived. There are 55 in the
CGC census and plenty more out there. Surprisingly
not as valuable as the rarity would suggest.
Stamp collectors pay huge money for printing errors.
They are desperately rare in the comic book world (double covers are another scarce and under-valued error) and this well-documented pink-for-green substitution is well worth buying.
Look at the fuss around the Marvel price variants of the late 70s, and it’s a wonder that this book is still affordable, being a genuine misprint that survived in large enough numbers to be
statistically significant. Buy it in the high 9s. Long-term hold.
Fantastic Four #112: classic Hulk vs Thing cover
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A common Bronze Age book that’s nonetheless tough in high grade, due to its mostly black cover.
Desirable
because it revisits the Hulk vs Thing fight, which is rather like Family Guy’s Peter Griffin vs the Chicken Man for its ridiculous longevity.
Don’t drop below CGC 9.6 for this one.
Fantastic Four #211: 1st Terrax the Tamer
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A Dollar bin darling that’s enjoying its 15 minutes of fame due to Terrax crossing paths with Thanos in the MCU. Short-term 9.8 flipper only.
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