Fantastic Four Collecting Thread! 32 32

[thehumantorch]

2 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

So, I have a question. When did The World's Greatest Comic Magazine really start living up to its name? Was it right from the jump with #1? Was it issue #35, when the continuing stories began? Most say it was #44, when Sinnott started inking that first Inhumans story arc. Some other one? I heard someone say #5 once.

Any thoughts?

 

While I love them I consider the first issues of FF as pretty bad.  Kirby's art was rough and the team characters were pretty pedestrian, a recycled Human Torch, Plastic Man, a orange monster, and a invisible woman.  There were glimmers of magic like the Mole Man, Skrulls and Dr Doom and clearly there was something there as the book sold well.  For me the title was consistently good from issue 38 on and I'd suggest that the run from there to issue 60 was the best run in the SA.

[fast eddie]

Right out of the gate KirbyJack,,,,,,,,,, yes they had to refine and evolve the book,,,,but it was a towering improvement over any other books at the time,,,,,,,,,AND it just got better!

[pickycollector]

[Straw-Man]

1 hour ago, KirbyJack said:

Over freaking ruled. Let’s have an answer, counselor.

gotta be no later than 25-26.

[KirbyJack]

Strong arguments for #1! I agree that Marvel had invented the better mousetrap. 
Personally, I have been leaning towards issue 35 as a huge step forward for Fantastic Four. Beginning the continuing stories and adding the foreshadowing sub plots allowed Jack and Stan the space to more fully develop stories and characters.

[KirbyJack]

28 minutes ago, Straw-Man said:

gotta be no later than 25-26.

Seeing as this is also a continuing story, I need to mull over this possibility!

[Primetime]

7 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

So, I have a question. When did The World's Greatest Comic Magazine really start living up to its name? Was it right from the jump with #1? Was it issue #35, when the continuing stories began? Most say it was #44, when Sinnott started inking that first Inhumans story arc. Some other one? I heard someone say #5 once.

Any thoughts?

 

Right when that slogan was first put on the title with issue 3 

[pickycollector]

[namisgr]

Another from the Pac Coast collection, bought from Pacific Comic Exchange back in 1999 and graded by them NM/M.  This ish is the first appearance of the first of the Inhumans.  But I can't imagine what Medusa is holding onto with her hair for support.  

Edited May 6, 2021 by namisgr

[namisgr]

This seems as good a place as any to post some market history.  The Pacific Coast collection was bought by Robert Roter and began listing on his Pacific Comic Exchange in May of 1999 as the OO, for original owner collection.  I was on the lookout for a nice but not crazy-unaffordable copy of FF12, ordered the Pac Coast copy, and asked if he could list all the FFs up to 55.  Here's what the list looked like in early June of that year.  The FF run started with issue 4, as the original owner did not begin buying and saving books until early in 1962.  Roter was ahead of his time in being one of the few dealers to grade and list page quality along with structural grade - his scale ranged from 1.0 for "brand new" white to 3.0 for near white, 3.5 for off-white to white, 4.0 for off-white, and 5.0 for cream with grades in between.  By the end of June, the entire SA FF run had been listed and all the books snapped up.

y:

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by namisgr

[HighVoltage]

11 minutes ago, namisgr said:

Another from the Pac Coast collection, bought from Pacific Comic Exchange back in 1999 and graded by them NM/M.  This ish is the first appearance of the first of the Inhumans.  But I can't imagine what Medusa is holding onto with her hair for support.  

Sweet book!!!

As a kid, I always assumed Medusa was hanging from a helicopter or another taller building… but as a grown up, I’m gonna go with the moon. 🙃

[HighVoltage]

2 minutes ago, namisgr said:

This seems as good a place as any to post some market history.  The Pacific Coast collection was bought by Robert Roter and began listing on his Pacific Comic Exchange in May of 1999 as the OO, for original owner collection.  I was on the lookout for a nice but not crazy-unaffordable copy of FF12, ordered the Pac Coast copy, and asked if he could list all the FFs up to 55.  Here's what the list looked like in early June of that year.  The FF run started with issue 4, as the original owner did not begin buying and saving books until early in 1962.

:

 

Bob - was the original owner from California? Just wondering where the books were purchased by the original owner.

[namisgr]

4 minutes ago, HighVoltage said:

Bob - was the original owner from California? Just wondering where the books were purchased by the original owner.

I assume so, but personally don't know anything about the original owner.  Another board member claims to, but in all their time on the Boards hasn't shared what they know yet, short of claiming there were sometimes two copies of certain early SA Marvel mega-keys.  

[HighVoltage]

9 minutes ago, namisgr said:

This seems as good a place as any to post some market history.  The Pacific Coast collection was bought by Robert Roter and began listing on his Pacific Comic Exchange in May of 1999 as the OO, for original owner collection.  I was on the lookout for a nice but not crazy-unaffordable copy of FF12, ordered the Pac Coast copy, and asked if he could list all the FFs up to 55.  Here's what the list looked like in early June of that year.  The FF run started with issue 4, as the original owner did not begin buying and saving books until early in 1962.  Roter was ahead of his time in being one of the few dealers to grade and list page quality along with structural grade - his scale ranged from 1.0 for "brand new" white to 3.0 for near white, 3.5 for off-white to white, 4.0 for off-white, and 5.0 for cream.  By the end of June, the entire SA FF run had been listed and sold.

y:

 

It’s interesting that 52, 53 & 55 are the same price.

[namisgr]

1 minute ago, HighVoltage said:

It’s interesting that 52, 53 & 55 are the same price.

The latter two were graded one unit nicer (NM/M) than the former (NM++), with asking price adjusted accordingly.  But at the time, FF52 didn't command a huge premium over surrounding issues.

[Jasonmorris1000000]

[pickycollector]

27 minutes ago, namisgr said:

This seems as good a place as any to post some market history.  The Pacific Coast collection was bought by Robert Roter and began listing on his Pacific Comic Exchange in May of 1999 as the OO, for original owner collection.  I was on the lookout for a nice but not crazy-unaffordable copy of FF12, ordered the Pac Coast copy, and asked if he could list all the FFs up to 55.  Here's what the list looked like in early June of that year.  The FF run started with issue 4, as the original owner did not begin buying and saving books until early in 1962.  Roter was ahead of his time in being one of the few dealers to grade and list page quality along with structural grade - his scale ranged from 1.0 for "brand new" white to 3.0 for near white, 3.5 for off-white to white, 4.0 for off-white, and 5.0 for cream.  By the end of June, the entire SA FF run had been listed and all the books snapped up.

y:

 

Just curious but which ones did you purchase from that list at the listed prices?

[KirbyJack]

[namisgr]

33 minutes ago, pickycollector said:

Just curious but which ones did you purchase from that list at the listed prices?

12,33,36,51, and 55.  And I didn't pay the list prices, but rather 10% off.  I also bought a half dozen JIM issues and Thor 134 that were listed in May of '99.  Looking back, I was in a position to buy the entire FF and JIM SA runs.  But at the time the comic budget was modest, and I lacked the collector savvy to appreciate the singular opportunity in this pedigree collection and snap it up.

The word got out quickly about the collection.  When I saw titles like Amazing Spiderman, Avengers, and Tales of Suspense listed online in June and e-mailed about the availability of certain issues, the entire runs were sold out.

Edited May 6, 2021 by namisgr

[Frisco Larson]