question about Marvel Team Up

[Amazing Spidey]

I have been looking into starting a run of marvel team up. It was a favorite run of mine as a kid. Anyway, which ones are notoriously hard to find? The logical starting point is a #1--but that seems hard to find without a miswrapped cover or above a 9.0. Is the #1 that hard to find in high grade or am I just not patient enough? Any thoughts?

[Ghost Town]

There are a number of issues that surprisingly tough to find in high grade. #30, 33, 37, and 38 are all pretty scarce in 9.4 or better. And I've never seen a copy of #33 without a freaky mis-cut.

[Amazing Spidey]

I've heard that the several issues in the 30s can be tough--but what about the #1? It seems hard to find a nice copy in the NM range--and the ones that are nice have sold for some pretty strong prices.

[sufunk]

You should PM cheetah. I believe he has the full run in HG and could easily tell you which ones are the hardest to find (thumbs u

[cheetah]

You should PM cheetah. I believe he has the full run in HG and could easily tell you which ones are the hardest to find (thumbs u

 

You don't need me. Barton is dead on.

[sufunk]

Why are the 30's so tough? Were those lower print runs?

[Amazing Spidey]

I saw Cheetah's high grade run in this forum--man those books are stunning! I'm curious about the issues in the 30s as well. I know that certain team ups are popular--like issue 12 with Werewolf by Night and 15 with Ghost Rider--but I don't know what it is about the 30s that makes them hard to get in high grade.

[Ant-Man]

It sounds more production-related than a print run, and I don't think Nighthawk appearances are being stashed away.

 

Does anyone know if other titles suffer the same high grade issues from this time period?

[namisgr]

I don't know what it is about the 30s that makes them hard to get in high grade.

 

One reason is that it's not economical to submit these books. My run bought off the rack goes to ish 47, and I've never considered sending in any of the post-picture frame ones for encapsulation. At $23 a pop, it always seemed worth submitting only the 9.8 candidates, and I don't appear to have any of those.

 

Thanks to this thread and to Barton's post, I'll have to give these issues another look.

[Amazing Spidey]

This is a great point--besides the first 4 issues or so--it really isn't economical to submit them--but the thing that still puzzles me is how few of the issue #1s have been graded in high grade. If I'm not mistaken--there are 60 9.0s,75 9.2s, 39 9.4s, 7 9.6s, and 2 9.8s. These are not really low numbers by any means but if you compare those census numbers to say a late 60s Amazing Spider-Man then they are low. I do realize that it is a tough black cover but still.

 

I guess a better question is--do you guys consider Marvel Team Up #1 a Bronze Marvel key? I would IMO--I would think more people would slab this then. Any thoughts?

[ft88]

It is a key. Amazing has always been more popular that Team Ups by a long shot. Plus the late 60s had quite a few 3-Paks and other Finds that the 70s did not. Add in the black cover and it just is a very tough book. Same with Powerman 1, Ghost Rider 1, Spotlight 5 and FF 112.

[the blob]

yes, it's a key. i loved that series as a kid. i don't think there's anything low print run about any of them though. they might not have sold as much as ASM, but i'm pretty sure they sold plenty. i have a few copies of #1, but nothing HG.

[Dick Pontoon]

I'm not prepared to argue my case with vigor, but it never struck me as a key. It doesn't introduce any new characters.

 

Would you guys consider Marvel Two-In-One #1 a key, too? Just askin'.

[JuliusSeizure]

I'm not prepared to argue my case with vigor, but it never struck me as a key. It doesn't introduce any new characters.

 

Would you guys consider Marvel Two-In-One #1 a key, too? Just askin'.

 

Nope. Negatory. Definitely NOT a key issue.

 

(Until I get my copy.)

 

[Amazing Spidey]

I would consider it a key due to the sentimental value I have for the book--i had a ton of those books (the later issues in the run) and I loved them-which is what got me hooked on Spidey.

 

But as far as its importance--it was the first issue in the second ever Spidey title published by Marvel--

 

 

[nmtg9]

M2in1 #1 is a minor key I suppose - bigger I would say that Man-Thing #1 or Ka-Zar #1 but not as big as Iron Fist #1 or HfH #1....

 

This could be a thread and poll - rank the number ones....

[RockMyAmadeus]

It's an important book because it was Spidey's second ongoing title (even if it wasn't called that.) It was the first "second ongoing" title of all of Marvel's SA characters, and it ran as a continuous title through Web of Spiderman (129 issues) Web of Scarlet Spider (4 issues) and Sensational Spiderman Vol 1 (35 issues) without a break.

 

Combined with the 150 issue original run, and you have the longest running Bronze age title ever with a monstrous 26+ year run totaling 318 issues.

 

The FF, X-Men, Avengers, Iron Man, none of them would get second ongoing titles until the 90's or later. In fact, the only character besides Spidey who had his own Bronze Age ongoing second title was Thing, with 100 issues of Marvel Two-In-One and 36 issues of the Thing. Says something about the popularity of Thing back in the 70's, eh?

 

So yeah, it's a bit of a key.

[jjonahjameson1]

I would consider it a key due to the sentimental value I have for the book--i had a ton of those books (the later issues in the run) and I loved them-which is what got me hooked on Spidey.

 

But as far as its importance--it was the first issue in the second ever Spidey title published by Marvel--

 

 

I thought the Spectacular Spider-Man magazine preceded MTU by a few years?

[Boboset]

It's an important book because it was Spidey's second ongoing title (even if it wasn't called that.) It was the first "second ongoing" title of all of Marvel's SA characters, and it ran as a continuous title through Web of Spiderman (129 issues) Web of Scarlet Spider (4 issues) and Sensational Spiderman Vol 1 (35 issues) without a break.

 

Combined with the 150 issue original run, and you have the longest running Bronze age title ever with a monstrous 26+ year run totaling 318 issues.

 

The FF, X-Men, Avengers, Iron Man, none of them would get second ongoing titles until the 90's or later. In fact, the only character besides Spidey who had his own Bronze Age ongoing second title was Thing, with 100 issues of Marvel Two-In-One and 36 issues of the Thing. Says something about the popularity of Thing back in the 70's, eh?

 

So yeah, it's a bit of a key.

 

Wow, it's hard to argue with that.

 

Very informative post. (thumbs u

[the blob]

It's an important book because it was Spidey's second ongoing title (even if it wasn't called that.) It was the first "second ongoing" title of all of Marvel's SA characters, and it ran as a continuous title through Web of Spiderman (129 issues) Web of Scarlet Spider (4 issues) and Sensational Spiderman Vol 1 (35 issues) without a break.

 

Combined with the 150 issue original run, and you have the longest running Bronze age title ever with a monstrous 26+ year run totaling 318 issues.

 

The FF, X-Men, Avengers, Iron Man, none of them would get second ongoing titles until the 90's or later. In fact, the only character besides Spidey who had his own Bronze Age ongoing second title was Thing, with 100 issues of Marvel Two-In-One and 36 issues of the Thing. Says something about the popularity of Thing back in the 70's, eh?

 

So yeah, it's a bit of a key.

 

I agree it's a key (hey, there aren't many bona fide ones in the BA, so we have to take what we can get), mainly because I think some here might underestimate how popular it was vs. most marvel titles (obviously it must have been popular if they decided they could launch a third Spidey title a few years later), Marvel's first on-going team up book, etc. On the other hand, it's not like this was a novel concept as B&B had been doing it for a while. ASM 1 didn't introduce any new characters either (other than a villian i think). Perceptions change though...remember, Miller's first work on DD in PPSSM and Byrne's first X-Men on PM/IF were considered big books at one point...now folks care less about these art issues (heck, DD 158 used to be a HUGE book)

 

I dunno about tacking it on to the subsequent spidey series to get a 300+ issue run. I understand they'd cancel one to start another, but "Web" was more of a solo spidey book like the others, it wasn't a designated team-up book. With that said, at 150 issues it has got to be pretty close to the longest running Marvel BA title outside of Conan and Savage Sword. Defenders and PM/IF didn't go that long I don't think, MKF didn't either (and didn't start until the teens).

 

I dunno if the spidey magazine counts as spidey's first "second title"...was it even intended to be a long running series? Not to mention, Marvel Tales was basically a spidey reprint title anway by the time MTU came out.

 

As for MTIO..minor key I guess. Less longevity and popularity than MTU. Thing has not maintained the popularity he had in the 70's through mid-80's...