Fantastic Four Collecting Thread! 32 32

[KirbyJack]

I remember that scene raised some eyebrows in the letters page. 

For what it’s worth, I DO NOT consider it to be canon.

[Dick Pontoon]

On 3/16/2024 at 1:54 PM, KirbyJack said:

I remember that scene raised some eyebrows in the letters page. 

For what it’s worth, I DO NOT consider it to be canon.

Nope, definitely not! I imagine Jack drew that scene for the gag of Ben falling out of bed without consideration of the Baxter Building living quarters.

[Corvonie]

On 3/13/2024 at 2:26 PM, TheComicsPreacher said:

Thanks for turning me onto this thread man! I see many (hopefully) friendly faces here.

Have you ever listened to The Fantasticast podcast? I feel like you would like their content - I always loved them for their “Stan comments” - funny as hell British humor about clumsy Stan, but also very smart, fair, and on-point. Upshot is Stan prob deserves many of the jabs we all like to send his way these days - but not all. Very interesting tidbits those hosts had to share on that show.
 

One of  my absolute favorite episodes from that podcast included a wonderful 15 minute diversion that their regular programming to simply reflect on a fan letter they had received from a comic artist listener who described an absolutely magical encounter with Kirby toward the end of Kirby’s life - in Jack’s own home! The guy apparently broke through Kirby‘s wall, which was thick as a fortress towards the end of Jack’s life as I’m sure you know, and was able to convince Jack he was just an artist who was just trying to fully appreciate his comic art hero. Jack took the bait - and invited him to his own home for tea with his wife! I believe this was in the 90’s, but not 100% sure on date. Anyways, after further inspection at teatime, Jack decided he liked the guy even more and invited him into his back of the house drawing studio - where he was STILL creating magical fresh ideas on paper (he said “he just couldn’t stop”) - - many of those ideas/sketches apparently have still not seen the light of day!

Love that Jack story.
 

And while I am on a rant…One last bit that I have been constantly debating is, now that he’s gone …do we keep calling him “Jack” or do we call him by his given name “Jacob”, the name he was essentially forced to forgo in the face of anti-Semitism during his early comic book years (like so many others)?

I suspect he would prefer the latter, but I always wanted to ask a member of his family this question…

I get the sense that Jack was like the guy I knew who drew the parrot for Polly-O mozzarella.  His name was Jimmy, but his real name was Vincenzo.  When he came here and signed up for school, they asked for his name.  His mom responded “cenzin’” (chinzeen),  which is heavy neopolitan dialect for “Vinny.”

The guy from the school goes “Jimmy?”

And his mom goes “yeah, go to school.”

He was pissed they paid him in cold cuts for the parrot drawing, but didn’t have an identity crisis about his name 🤣.

 

 

[Corvonie]

On 3/15/2024 at 11:34 PM, gunsmokin said:

The only reason I didn’t pick up Dr X’s 57..

He just like me fr

[Corvonie]

On 3/16/2024 at 11:04 AM, KirbyJack said:

I’m down to two copies, thanks to you!

This and a reader. If the one you got from me hadn’t shown up, I was considering offering you a choice of my rough copies of 57-60 or a refund.

Let me know if you’re selling this.  I have two that are pretty much exactly like this but slightly different so I have to have this one too 😂 (I got a problem)

[Corvonie]

On 3/16/2024 at 12:30 PM, MattTheDuck said:

I've been stuck at one copy since about 1974, but this section of the run is probably due for an upgrade.  A lower-grade copy, obviously a garage-sale refugee although I'm pretty sure I picked it up from Apache Books which is where I bought the bulk of my Silver Age books in those days.

 

I’ve been toying with doing a sale of a good amount of my run (basically 30-110). It’s mostly very high grade raw with super peachy interiors.  What do you consider “this section of the run”, if you don’t mind sharing?

Edited March 17 by Corvonie
Listing issue #

[KirbyJack]

On 3/16/2024 at 5:49 PM, Corvonie said:

Let me know if you’re selling this.  I have two that are pretty much exactly like this but slightly different so I have to have this one too 😂 (I got a problem)

What’s the attraction? Seriously: I know it’s a decent copy, but there are piles of better ones out there. 

[Corvonie]

On 3/16/2024 at 6:56 PM, KirbyJack said:

What’s the attraction? Seriously: I know it’s a decent copy, but there are piles of better ones out there. 

Oh, I was joking about how I have multiple copies too because I literally have to stop myself from buying every nice copy of it I see. It’s one of those books for me.  That said, yours seems to have great color!  And I like raw books, so it’s got that going for it too!

[KirbyJack]

I’m kind of the same way, but with beaters. It would be a genuine concern if I wasn’t broke!

[TheComicsPreacher]

Ok, a question to pose to this crew, if I may…

If somebody gave you $20k and you could only spend that $20k on FF comics - what big FF book(s) would you choose to buy?

I’m asking because somebody in our ranks may soon do just that (not me, but one can always dream).

My vote is a sweet FF5.

But I’m just a Doom Bot with not much imagination, so I’m curious to hear from the other FF lovers here.

[MattTheDuck]

On 3/17/2024 at 8:11 AM, TheComicsPreacher said:

Ok, a question to pose to this crew, if I may…

If somebody gave you $20k and you could only spend that $20k on FF comics - what big FF book(s) would you choose to buy?

I’m asking because somebody in our ranks may soon do just that (not me, but one can always dream).

My vote is a sweet FF5.

But I’m just a Doom Bot with not much imagination, so I’m curious to hear from the other FF lovers here.

Based on fairly recent prices paid, I would probably get the 10 books I need between 9 and 25 in the raw equivalent of 8.5

[KirbyJack]

Yep. I’d upgrade 2-6 to solid OW VGs, and then if there was anything left; indulge myself with targets of opportunity from the apotheosis ( 44-67 ).  

[KirbyJack]

And a pretty FF Annual 1!

[TheComicsPreacher]

Interesting - I would’ve expected a couple of immediate responses for FF 1. I like the angles you guys have though @MattTheDuck and @KirbyJack - basically use that money to buy some truly high-quality goodies instead of a rag that 20 K would still barely cover in low Grade - ya?

Actually though… now that I wrote that paragraph out… I’m second-guessing myself… it seems the more I say and type “FF1”… the more I find myself missing my old FF1 copy that was undergraded at 4.0 - it was so beautiful and so fun to read in hand…I was forced to sell when I was getting married for wedding funds 8 years ago - now I’m worried I can never afford a decent one again, given what the market has done in the last five years with FF. $10k seemed like soooooo much money back When I sold - hindsight is 2020 .. but hey — at least we still get to pick up some great books off the boards for relatively cheap!

I’m very curious to hear what others in this thread would do with that 20 K too!

[KirbyJack]

If I didn’t have an FF 1, it would be the only book on my want list. 20K just wouldn’t buy enough (any) of an upgrade to make it worth doing for me. 

This is what I got. 

[Math Teacher]

On 3/17/2024 at 7:00 PM, TheComicsPreacher said:

Interesting - I would’ve expected a couple of immediate responses for FF 1. I like the angles you guys have though @MattTheDuck and @KirbyJack - basically use that money to buy some truly high-quality goodies instead of a rag that 20 K would still barely cover in low Grade - ya?

Actually though… now that I wrote that paragraph out… I’m second-guessing myself… it seems the more I say and type “FF1”… the more I find myself missing my old FF1 copy that was undergraded at 4.0 - it was so beautiful and so fun to read in hand…I was forced to sell when I was getting married for wedding funds 8 years ago - now I’m worried I can never afford a decent one again, given what the market has done in the last five years with FF. $10k seemed like soooooo much money back When I sold - hindsight is 2020 .. but hey — at least we still get to pick up some great books off the boards for relatively cheap!

I’m very curious to hear what others in this thread would do with that 20 K too!

Well, if I had that $20K, I would sell my current copy of FF #1 CGC 2.5 and my current copy of ASM #1 CGC 3.0 to give me an amount around $38K, which I could use to buy a FF #1 CGC 4.0 and an ASM #1 CGC 5.5.

[TheComicsPreacher]

On 3/17/2024 at 6:00 PM, KirbyJack said:

If I didn’t have an FF 1, it would be the only book on my want list. 20K just wouldn’t buy enough (any) of an upgrade to make it worth doing for me. 

This is what I got. 

Gorgeous - a defect in the perfect spot for that cover. Colors are awesome and minimal marvel chipping.

[TheComicsPreacher]

On 3/17/2024 at 7:23 PM, Math Teacher said:

Well, if I had that $20K, I would sell my current copy of FF #1 CGC 2.5 and my current copy of ASM #1 CGC 3.0 to give me an amount around $38K, which I could use to buy a FF #1 CGC 4.0 and an ASM #1 CGC 5.5.

Yup - that 4.0 seems to be a perfect sweet spot for that book - nice, very nice.

[Corvonie]

On 3/17/2024 at 11:11 AM, TheComicsPreacher said:

Ok, a question to pose to this crew, if I may…

If somebody gave you $20k and you could only spend that $20k on FF comics - what big FF book(s) would you choose to buy?

I’m asking because somebody in our ranks may soon do just that (not me, but one can always dream).

My vote is a sweet FF5.

But I’m just a Doom Bot with not much imagination, so I’m curious to hear from the other FF lovers here.

I would prob go sweet FF5 because I just like it better than #1.

But I might do a middling 5, if it meant I’d have money left over then to buy a phenomenal #6.  One of my top 10 covers and a great issue

[Corvonie]

On 3/17/2024 at 9:00 PM, KirbyJack said:

If I didn’t have an FF 1, it would be the only book on my want list. 20K just wouldn’t buy enough (any) of an upgrade to make it worth doing for me. 

This is what I got. 

What an amazing copy!