Fantastic Four Collecting Thread! 33 33

[KirbyJack]

Agree; 12 or 6. I’d go 12, m’self.

[Math Teacher]

On 10/1/2021 at 7:48 AM, Venomous72 said:

Need some advice.  Setting money aside to pick up a new FF in the next two months or so.  Out of the following which would you guys go for?

FF12 (3.0), FF52 (4.5-5.0), FF6 (3.0-4.0), ASM 5 (3.0ish yeah this is ASM but it is Doom), FF48 (like 3.0 maybe)

For reference, I have FF5 and 49 already, and then some smaller random FFs.

Well, here is some information from GPA:

FF 12 (3.0) - $1,140 - 08/08/2021

FF 52 (4.5) - $900 - 09/24/2021

FF 52 (5.0) - $1,300 - 09/30/2021

FF 6 (3.0) - $1,050 - 09/26/2021

FF 6 (3.5) - $1,299 - 09/26/2021

FF 6 (4.0) - $2,680 - 09/16/2021

ASM 5 (3.0) - $840 - 09/12/2021

FF 48 (3.0) - $1,900 - 09/26/2021

I hope this helps. If it were me personally, I would buy FF6, FF48, and FF52, in that order.

[Straw-Man]

ff 12 is my advice.

[Frisco Larson]

FF #12 is my advice as well. I just love the cover! 

[PetuniaGrimm]

Definitely 12

[PetuniaGrimm]

I'm sure this has been asked before many times.
I'm wondering if there is a general agreement on the answer.
What FF issue # do people consider to be the last of the silver age?

[Straw-Man]

some say last 12c issue [88], some, like me, say 12/69 issue [93], some say last "true" kirby issue [102], and i've seen mention of the one on the stands in dec. '69 closing silver [96].

[Sweet Lou 14]

On 10/2/2021 at 8:53 AM, PetuniaGrimm said:

I'm sure this has been asked before many times.
I'm wondering if there is a general agreement on the answer.
What FF issue # do people consider to be the last of the silver age?

I don't think there's general agreement but I'll give you three of the more popular answers:

• #93 if you want to stick to the idea that the Bronze Age starts in January 1970
• #102 if you want to go with the end of the (continuous) Kirby run
• #115 if you want to end the Silver Age with the last 15-cent issue

Personally, if I were choosing a cutoff of where to stop collecting among these three, I would rule out #93 immediately and choose one of the other two.  In my own collection, #115 is where I drew the line of where I am happy with 9.4 vs. where I have been searching (with great difficulty) for 9.6.

Hahaha, I see that Billy (Mr. 93 himself) beat me to the punch.  But I stand firm!

Edited October 2, 2021 by Sweet Lou 14

[Sweet Lou 14]

On 10/1/2021 at 8:48 AM, Venomous72 said:

Need some advice.  Setting money aside to pick up a new FF in the next two months or so.  Out of the following which would you guys go for?

FF12 (3.0), FF52 (4.5-5.0), FF6 (3.0-4.0), ASM 5 (3.0ish yeah this is ASM but it is Doom), FF48 (like 3.0 maybe)

For reference, I have FF5 and 49 already, and then some smaller random FFs.

#12 is by far the most classic cover in the bunch, followed by #48.  My feeling is that no FF collection is complete without those two.

ASM #5 is probably the weakest of that group, especially for an FF / Doom collector -- yes it's Doom but from my personal experience as a buyer in the market the demand for it is softer than any of the other single-digit ASM books except #8.

Edited October 2, 2021 by Sweet Lou 14

[jimjum12]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:02 AM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

I don't think there's general agreement but I'll give you three of the more popular answers:

• #93 if you want to stick to the idea that the Bronze Age starts in January 1970
• #102 if you want to go with the end of the (continuous) Kirby run
• #115 if you want to end the Silver Age with the last 15-cent issue

Personally, if I were choosing a cutoff of where to stop collecting among these three, I would rule out #93 immediately and choose one of the other two.  In my own collection, #115 is where I drew the line of where I am happy with 9.4 vs. where I have been searching (with great difficulty) for 9.6.

Hahaha, I see that Billy (Mr. 93 himself) beat me to the punch.  But I stand firm!

I'm with you on the 15 centers... 9 out of 10 times I'm with 20 cent covers as Bronze... with the exception of the books that are "Heralds" of the BA like GL/GA 76, CONAN 1, HOS 92, and this is were the webbing gets sticky, ASM 96.... or ASM 121 ? GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

... looking at the one month where Marvel had a 25 cent square bound thrown in to each title, right before the "decrease" to 20 cents, always kind of made sense as well ....

[Sweet Lou 14]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:16 AM, jimjum12 said:

I'm with you on the 15 centers... 9 out of 10 times I'm with 20 cent covers as Bronze... with the exception of the books that are "Heralds" of the BA like GL/GA 76, CONAN 1, HOS 92, and this is were the webbing gets sticky, ASM 96.... or ASM 121 ? GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

... looking at the one month where Marvel had a 25 cent square bound thrown in to each title, right before the "decrease" to 20 cents, always kind of made sense as well ....

Right ... I lump the 25-cent square bound month in with the 20-cent covers, as it seemed to be part of Marvel's strategy for the transition up in price.

ASM is tricky for me because by my own rule, #102 (25-cent book) would be the start of the Bronze Age but by your rule, ASM #101 (first Morbius) absolutely feels like a Bronze Age book.  I believe #100 was also the last issue written by Stan Lee so #100 seems like a good candidate for the last Silver Age.

BUT ... and this is a very big BUT ... the drug story (#96-98) with its bucking of the Comics Code also feels like a major moment and so I can easily justify calling #96 the start of the Bronze Age for Spidey.

It all gives me a Harry Osborn level headache!

Edited October 2, 2021 by Sweet Lou 14

[Straw-Man]

all your angst would go "poof" with a 12/69 demarcation.   but i think y'all like the angst.   proceed...

[jimjum12]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:22 AM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

BUT ... and this is a very big BUT ... the drug story (#96-98) with its bucking of the Comics Code also feels like a major moment and so I can easily justify calling #96 the start of the Bronze Age for Spidey.

You and I are likely on the same page... I rationalize away the confusion by labeling the Drug arc as a foreshadowing of the BA and give Spidey a pass to keep all the first 100 in the SA ... anything else almost seems disrespectful .... and look at Superman... he never really left the SA  GOD BLESS...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

 

... ewww... get that icky spider out of my FF thread ...

 

 

[Straw-Man]

now that's a purr-dee bronze age book!!!

[namisgr]

For me, the last SA FF is 102 with a September 1970 cover date.  Kirby's shocking leave of Marvel coupled with the very different storytelling of Conan #1 make October of 1970 the start of the Bronze Age for this Marvel maniac.

[MattTheDuck]

So in what is likely to be a failed effort to bring some focus to my collecting efforts, last night I started compiling a spreadsheet list of "every" SA Marvel book.  Note: I'm sure such a thing is available somewhere, but I have the time to fill).  For simplicity, and because there appears to be at least general agreement, I'm using 10/56 - 12/69 as the SA parameters.  It is odd how you can almost tell when a book will be "1970" just by the cover - Bronze is quite different.  I agree it may not be as cut and dried in individual titles.

[KirbyJack]

My thoughts on the matter are miles away from the generally accepted thinking. If you insist on calling the 1970s The Bronze Age, you will avoid a lot of headaches by just saying the SA ends at 12/69. Anything else is going to be full of weird exceptions. ( except my version, of course).

Just make sure you collect all the Kirby FFs and you’re fine.

Edited October 2, 2021 by KirbyJack

[Straw-Man]

On 10/2/2021 at 10:04 AM, KirbyJack said:

My thoughts on the matter are miles away from the generally accepted thinking. If you insist on calling the 1970s The Bronze Age, you will avoid a lot of headaches by just saying the SA ends at 12/69. Anything else is going to be full of weird exceptions.

Just make sure you collect all the Kirby FFs and you’re fine.

this is my s.a. collecting philosophy to the letter.   12/69 on all my runs EXCEPT the f.f., which i collect thru 102 plus 108 because the quoted boardie made me.

[Straw-Man]

p.s.  i do collect the s.t. run only thru the torch and ben, cuz it's their adjunct connection to the f.f. that gave me the interest in the run in the first place.

p.p.s.  being a big sarge fan, i do have a 135, but for his first shield appearance as opposed to having to have the run complete thru said issue.

p.p.p.s.   nothing--i've just never had a 3rd post--script before...

Edited October 2, 2021 by Straw-Man

[KirbyJack]

On 10/2/2021 at 10:07 AM, Straw-Man said:

this is my s.a. collecting philosophy to the letter.   12/69 on all my runs EXCEPT the f.f., which i collect thru 102 plus 108 because the quoted boardie made me.

And aren’t you glad I did?