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1st appearance of Fantastic Four, w/ origin; 1st app. Mole Man; Jack Kirby cover/art; the Marvel Age begins here (11/61) COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 10 (CBI)
Fantastic Four #1 didn't just make history with the first appearance of Mister Fantastic, the Thing, Human Torch, and Invisible Girl (along with the debut of the tragically evil Mole Man). This artifact of a first issue also marks when Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby secured the Silver Age of Comics and launched the Marvel Age of Storytelling. Their bold vision for the
Fantastic Four would provide an unexpected depth to this tale of an experimental space flight gone wrong.
The Mole Man's sad backstory was just one of the many signs that Marvel was out to redefine superhero comics. For starters, this first issue of
Fantastic Four was fully dedicated to a single story. That included an epic origin establishing that the Fantastic Four didn't bother with secret identities. The generous page count also allowed for plenty of petty infighting amongst the team — who didn't even wear costumes, although Stan would give in to public demand over that by the third issue.
Fantastic Four would also redefine the Marvel Comics Group, which was literally a set of comics that distributors sent to retailers. Marvel's monster books (including
Tales to Astonish and
Tales of Suspense) began selling as well as
Fantastic Four once characters like
Thor,
Iron Man,
and Ant-Man began to take over their pages.
The pop-culture passion for the Fantastic Four has seen an impressive revival since Marvel Studios recovered the film rights to the company's first super team. In addition to the upcoming
Fantastic Four: First Steps featuring the Silver Surfer and Galactus, fans also have high hopes of (finally) getting the Mole Man as a villain. It's also been confirmed that the Fantastic Four will join Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in both 2026's
Avengers: Doomsday and 2027's
Avengers: Secret Wars.
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Fantastic Four #1 is the comic that kickstarted the modern Marvel Universe. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby came together to reinvent the superhero and the comic book, giving rise to countless other great characters and properties including Silver Surfer, Black Panther, Spider-Man, and even The Avengers. Very few comics are more historically significant than Fantastic Four #1. This copy earned a 4.0 CGC Universal Grade, with off-white pages. The cover heralds the first appearances of all four members of the FF, as well as the Mole Man. Despite slight wear and discoloration, this book still looks impressive. The iconic Kirby cover is bright and sharp. With the Fantastic Four confirmed to be joining the MCU soon, all their key issues have been skyrocketing. Another 4.0 copy recently sold for over $21,000. The MCU is the highest-grossing and most-popular film franchise of all time and has led to immeasurable growth in the collectibles market. What will this book be worth after a rebooted Fantastic Four franchise launch?
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Overstreet Guide 2021 VG (4.0) value = $9,300.