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Top 5 Marvel SA keys

Started by Aman619,

144 posts in this topic

FFB

FFB

Posted
Posted
I'm going to state here (though I hate generalities like this) that most "old school" guys like me would rank FF1 ahead of AF15.

 

I'm not all that old and the idea of ranking anything ahead of FF1 bothers me. FF1 is THE KEY MARVEL BOOK to me. Everything else is just an addition to the FF1 foundation.

 

Please. FF was barely even a superhero book until issue #3 when Lee and Kirby put costumes on them. The Human Torch? Been there done that got the T-Shirt in the 1940s. The Invisible Girl? She turns invisible. Very original concept -- not. The stretching guy? Cool powers! Let's name him PLASTIC MAN. The Thing? Hmmmmm was that the 946th blobby mushy monster guy that Stan Lee had "created," or was it the 947th? I can't keep track. Fortunately, they flew to outer space -- if not for the outer space flight, there wouldn't have been anything original about the story . . . er . . . wait a minute. I guess there were lots of comics with people having weird things happen to them on trips to outer space too, weren't there.

 

Now Spider-Man, the neurotic superhero with "normal" teen troubles -- THERE was an original concept. AND the best selling mag Marvel had during the silver age and the cornerstone of Marvel Comics as we all know it. 893applaud-thumb.gif

 

Then there's the concept of cultural impact and longevity. Show any 5, 10, 15, 30, or 50-year-old in America a picture of Spider-Man and the person will know who it is. Show each of those people a picture of the FF and what do you think your success rate will be? Not so good, I'm guessing.

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FFB

FFB

Posted
Posted
I'm going to state here (though I hate generalities like this) that most "old school" guys like me would rank FF1 ahead of AF15.

 

I'm not all that old and the idea of ranking anything ahead of FF1 bothers me. FF1 is THE KEY MARVEL BOOK to me. Everything else is just an addition to the FF1 foundation.

 

893applaud-thumb.gif so take that, FFB! tongue.gif

 

Hey, just because you drank the Kool-Aid doesn't mean I did. makepoint.gif

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rjpb

rjpb

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While I'm old enough to remember a day when the idea that anything other than FF#1 would be the crown jewel of a Marvel SA collection would have been absurd, I have to go with the "new school" on this one. Spider-Man is globally iconic in a way that is surpassed by only Batman and Superman, and no other Marvel character comes close to in terms of general recognition (not even the Hulk). I wouldn't be surprised if more people collect SA Spiderman alone than collect all the other titles combined.

 

That being said, FF #1 will always be the "first Marvel" and an important piece of comic history. It is also my personal favorite, as it is the only Marvel SA key I have a copy of.

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Aman619

Aman619

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Spidey is alone at the top of Marvel now... but FF1 started it all, even if the first two issues read like monster stories. To me, though, they are more like Challengers of the Unknown, and noone disputes that they are more in the superheroe vein than a monster book.

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tth2

tth2

Posted
Posted
I'm going to state here (though I hate generalities like this) that most "old school" guys like me would rank FF1 ahead of AF15.

 

I'm not all that old and the idea of ranking anything ahead of FF1 bothers me. FF1 is THE KEY MARVEL BOOK to me. Everything else is just an addition to the FF1 foundation.

 

893applaud-thumb.gif so take that, FFB! tongue.gif

I second that! FF 1 always has been, and always will be, the most important SA Marvel!

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uclapeterg

uclapeterg

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It'll be interesting to see how much the FF movie pushes the foursome into the popular consciousness. Could be huge, or could be just a negligible blip on the radar screen a la The Punisher film.... 893scratchchin-thumb.gif

 

Even if does suck, it will do a lot more than a blip on the radar screen.

 

Punisher doesn't even compare to FF.

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FFB

FFB

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Who made a guest appearance in Spidey 1 in order to attract attention to the book?

 

The FF did. But are we gauging the importance of the book as a key by how the characters were thought of when the books were printed, or are we gauging that in terms of their relative importance in the present day?

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FFB

FFB

Posted
Posted
I'm going to state here (though I hate generalities like this) that most "old school" guys like me would rank FF1 ahead of AF15.

 

I'm not all that old and the idea of ranking anything ahead of FF1 bothers me. FF1 is THE KEY MARVEL BOOK to me. Everything else is just an addition to the FF1 foundation.

 

893applaud-thumb.gif so take that, FFB! tongue.gif

I second that! FF 1 always has been, and always will be, the most important SA Marvel!

 

Says the guy who doesn't even collect SA Marvel. You're a real convincing authority on the topic. 27_laughing.gifhail.gif

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tth2

tth2

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Says the guy who doesn't even collect SA Marvel. You're a real convincing authority on the topic. 27_laughing.gifhail.gif

I was a Marvel zombie with the best of them for most of my collecting life, and actually still know Marvel stories and characters much better than I know DC. confused-smiley-013.gif

 

I stopped collecting Marvel and switched to early DC because the thrill of the chase was gone. Collecting ultra-HG Marvels had simply become an exercise of whipping out the checkbook and letting dealers know that you were willing to write big checks, because it was all readily available with just a few exceptions.

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Aman619

Aman619

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but whats wrong with that? At least there is a large demand to soak up the extra copies of Marvels. My thing was I always like DCs better, so I was collecting both. But, while DCs are scarcer in grade, the lower demand is a big yellow caution sign. Dont you think?

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tth2

tth2

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but whats wrong with that? At least there is a large demand to soak up the extra copies of Marvels. My thing was I always like DCs better, so I was collecting both. But, while DCs are scarcer in grade, the lower demand is a big yellow caution sign. Dont you think?

Aman, there`s nothing wrong with it. I wasn`t talking about value or appreciation, and I wasn`t saying collecting DCs was better than collecting Marvels. I was just responding to Scott (talk about fruitless exercises poke2.gif) and explaining why I didn`t collect Marvels anymore. The thrill of the chase simply didn`t exist for me anymore, for the reasons stated. It obviously continues to exist for the legions who collect Marvels, which is great.

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burntboy

burntboy

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Posted
but whats wrong with that? At least there is a large demand to soak up the extra copies of Marvels. My thing was I always like DCs better, so I was collecting both. But, while DCs are scarcer in grade, the lower demand is a big yellow caution sign. Dont you think?

Aman, there`s nothing wrong with it. I wasn`t talking about value or appreciation, and I wasn`t saying collecting DCs was better than collecting Marvels. I was just responding to Scott (talk about fruitless exercises poke2.gif) and explaining why I didn`t collect Marvels anymore. The thrill of the chase simply didn`t exist for me anymore, for the reasons stated. It obviously continues to exist for the legions who collect Marvels, which is great.

 

well said - i like 'em both!!!!!!!!!

 

on the FF vs ASM front - this isn't an argument that can be won. i tend to see FF#1 as THE marvel comic of the SA. i definitely liked the AF #15 story better, but have always sided with the team that got there first and started the Marvel Age rolling............

 

perhaps that's why i sold my ASM's 1-5 for $10 in 1964?!?!?! 893whatthe.gif

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FFB

FFB

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Says the guy who doesn't even collect SA Marvel. You're a real convincing authority on the topic. 27_laughing.gifhail.gif

I was a Marvel zombie with the best of them for most of my collecting life, and actually still know Marvel stories and characters much better than I know DC. confused-smiley-013.gif

 

I stopped collecting Marvel and switched to early DC because the thrill of the chase was gone. Collecting ultra-HG Marvels had simply become an exercise of whipping out the checkbook and letting dealers know that you were willing to write big checks, because it was all readily available with just a few exceptions.

 

mad.gif Yet another of my beautiful theories brutalized by a vicious gang of facts! Christo_pull_hair.gif

 

What you say is true. Collecting high grade DCs is a lot like trying to date the captain of the cheerleading squad. She is beautiful, virtually unobtainable -- and dumb as a box full of hair. But despite how stupid she is, you have a smile on your face a mile wide when you finally nail her because there's only one captain of the cheerleading squad. cloud9.gif

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