Silver age comics that are heating up 26 26

[KirbyJack]

1 hour ago, Sweet Lou 14 said:

 

It's also the first appearance of Franklin Richards, a character that (AFAIK) nobody likes so that can't be the reason it's spiking.  

Fantastic Four is by far my favorite title, and annual 6 is my single favorite comic of all time.

...and even I dislike Franklin Richards.

[Unca Ben]

FF Annual #6 is a great book.  
The genius of Jack and Stan wasn't showcased any better than in their FF run.  The FF were a family.  They argued with each other.  They loved each other.  They changed and grew as a family.

From the beginning, Reed and Sue's relationship was beset with challenges.  At first theirs was an unrequited love, with Reed being too insecure & shy to reveal the depth of his feelings for Sue (for a guy named "Mr. Fantastic" - imagine that).  There was a fairly lengthy love triangle involving Namor.  There was the introduction of a mysterious figure who temporarily made Reed jealous, and who ended up being Sue & Johnny's (sort of) long-lost dad.  When the FF visits Reed and Ben's old alma mater at State University, Reed finally proposes to Sue under the "sweetheart tree" and Sue accepts.  A few months later they marry.  Later, Sue becomes pregnant (back in a time when the term "pregnant" couldn't be uttered on T.V. or in the comics).  And finally, in FF Annual #6 (King-Size Special, actually), sue has her baby.

The maturation and growth of the FF as a bona-fide family is complete.  A chapter closes and a new chapter opens.  This was not the illusion of change; this was real change.  Not an imaginary story.  Not a dream.  The real deal.  And as far as I know, ground-breaking stuff.  Two super-heroes marry, have a child, and continue to be super-heroes.  (Yeah, Sue took some time off, but she never fully relinquished her role in the super-hero family).  Reed and Sue are parents.  Johnny's an uncle.  Ben's a god-father.  The family, no longer united merely under the trope of fighting bad guys, but permanently united under a common cause due to a new life.  Real-life, relatable stuff.  When these books came out, it was really something.

Not to mention, FF Special #6 introduced the last great villain that Jack Kirby created for the FF (as Jack started keeping his best ideas for himself).  And it was Jack's last great FF storyline, other than the Skrull-World / Star Trek-riff storyline in FF 90-93 (IMO).
Books may be considered keys because of first appearances or issue numbers, but some books are just plain great because of their content.   This is one of those books.

Typing this makes me wonder what might have been had Jack and Stan continued their partnership on good terms for a second decade.  What further dramas, challenges, defeats and victories might have defined this family for another hundred-plus issues?   Sadly, we'll never know.  But I'd bet it would have been great.

Edited August 8, 2018 by Unca Ben

[1Cool]

12 hours ago, Sweet Lou 14 said:

Providing this info purely for those trying to track the trajectory of the book, but I made FF Annual #6 a priority this summer and was able to buy a 9.4 OW/W for $1,350 in June. 

At the time, I remember thinking I was paying well above GPA, but I don't recall where GPA was at the time.  Maybe in the $800-$1000 range?

Did you get it in the ComicLink auction?  I followed a couple auctions over the summer and thought the prices seemed crazy compared to GPA but based on what I'm seeing now the prices may have been cheap.  CGC 6.0s are going for a couple hundred which is quite a jump from this summer.  I've got 10 nice higher (7.0 - 9.2) grade copies after searching for the last 3 or 4 years so I'm liking the move up but I'd have liked to have gotten a 9.4 or higher copy before the spike happened.

[KirbyJack]

Annual 6 really has everything you could ask of a comic; Annihilus, the negative zone, The Borers (monsters are required), lots on the line, mind-shattering art. 

And Unca Ben, you make great points! I didn’t think it possible, but I might actually love this comic even more now! 

My humble hoard, complete with the rare (probably not) green variant!

[Sweet Lou 14]

8 hours ago, Unca Ben said:

FF Annual #6 is a great book.  
The genius of Jack and Stan wasn't showcased any better than in their FF run.  The FF were a family.  They argued with each other.  They loved each other.  They changed and grew as a family.

From the beginning, Reed and Sue's relationship was beset with challenges.  At first theirs was an unrequited love, with Reed being too insecure & shy to reveal the depth of his feelings for Sue (for a guy named "Mr. Fantastic" - imagine that).  There was a fairly lengthy love triangle involving Namor.  There was the introduction of a mysterious figure who temporarily made Reed jealous, and who ended up being Sue & Johnny's (sort of) long-lost dad.  When the FF visits Reed and Ben's old alma mater at State University, Reed finally proposes to Sue under the "sweetheart tree" and Sue accepts.  A few months later they marry.  Later, Sue becomes pregnant (back in a time when the term "pregnant" couldn't be uttered on T.V. or in the comics).  And finally, in FF Annual #6 (King-Size Special, actually), sue has her baby.

The maturation and growth of the FF as a bona-fide family is complete.  A chapter closes and a new chapter opens.  This was not the illusion of change; this was real change.  Not an imaginary story.  Not a dream.  The real deal.  And as far as I know, ground-breaking stuff.  Two super-heroes marry, have a child, and continue to be super-heroes.  (Yeah, Sue took some time off, but she never fully relinquished her role in the super-hero family).  Reed and Sue are parents.  Johnny's an uncle.  Ben's a god-father.  The family, no longer united merely under the trope of fighting bad guys, but permanently united under a common cause due to a new life.  Real-life, relatable stuff.  When these books came out, it was really something.

Not to mention, FF Special #6 introduced the last great villain that Jack Kirby created for the FF (as Jack started keeping his best ideas for himself).  And it was Jack's last great FF storyline, other than the Skrull-World / Star Trek-riff storyline in FF 90-93 (IMO).
Books may be considered keys because of first appearances or issue numbers, but some books are just plain great because of their content.   This is one of those books.

Typing this makes me wonder what might have been had Jack and Stan continued their partnership on good terms for a second decade.  What further dramas, challenges, defeats and victories might have defined this family for another hundred-plus issues?   Sadly, we'll never know.  But I'd bet it would have been great.

Whaddya tryin' to do with alla this sentimental philosophizin'?  Now alla the sudden I got sumthin' in my eye.

Edited August 8, 2018 by Sweet Lou 14

[Sweet Lou 14]

 

8 hours ago, 1Cool said:

Did you get it in the ComicLink auction?  I followed a couple auctions over the summer and thought the prices seemed crazy compared to GPA but based on what I'm seeing now the prices may have been cheap.  CGC 6.0s are going for a couple hundred which is quite a jump from this summer.  I've got 10 nice higher (7.0 - 9.2) grade copies after searching for the last 3 or 4 years so I'm liking the move up but I'd have liked to have gotten a 9.4 or higher copy before the spike happened.

Nope, I bought it directly from a dealer (Mountain Man Comics -- free plug of the day).

[1Cool]

On 8/8/2018 at 12:34 PM, KirbyJack said:

Annual 6 really has everything you could ask of a comic; Annihilus, the negative zone, The Borers (monsters are required), lots on the line, mind-shattering art. 

And Unca Ben, you make great points! I didn’t think it possible, but I might actually love this comic even more now! 

My humble hoard, complete with the rare (probably not) green variant!

I finally got all the copies together to see how many are gradable and some how I jumped up to 16 copies with only 1 lower grade copy.  My wife had that “why you got so many copies” look on her face when I had them all laying out.  Not really 100% sure but for some reason it’s always resonated with me.

[Callaway29]

10 minutes ago, 1Cool said:

I finally got all the copies together to see how many are gradable and some how I jumped up to 16 copies with only 1 lower grade copy.  My wife had that “why you got so many copies” look on her face when I had them all laying out.  Not really 100% sure but for some reason it’s always resonated with me.

[KirbyJack]

49 minutes ago, 1Cool said:

I finally got all the copies together to see how many are gradable and some how I jumped up to 16 copies with only 1 lower grade copy.  My wife had that “why you got so many copies” look on her face when I had them all laying out.  Not really 100% sure but for some reason it’s always resonated with me.

Incredible array, Cool!

My best copy is probably only an 8 or so! Great, great stuff!

[JohnH19]

I only have one lower grade copy but I  agree that FF Special 6 is a tremendous book. I reread it recently just because. The best Lee-Kirby FF run is generally thought to be issues 44-67 which ran from 1965-67. Special 6 came out a year later and it provided us with a last glimpse at their creative genius. It’s a true classic.

[BuscemasAvengers]

On 8/9/2018 at 7:18 PM, 1Cool said:

I finally got all the copies together to see how many are gradable and some how I jumped up to 16 copies with only 1 lower grade copy.  My wife had that “why you got so many copies” look on her face when I had them all laying out.  Not really 100% sure but for some reason it’s always resonated with me.

Inconceivable!

[Mr bla bla]

11 hours ago, BuscemasAvengers said:

Inconceivable!

pretty anal with such amassed quantities of the same book 

[KirbyJack]

I don’t think I ever had 16 copies at once, but I used to keep 10 or so on hand. I liked to give them away to collectors who had never read it!

[Martin Sinescu]

1 hour ago, KirbyJack said:

I don’t think I ever had 16 copies at once, but I used to keep 10 or so on hand. I liked to give them away to collectors who had never read it!

I've got a copy or two, but never read it (got them with a large collection). I'm definitely going to have to dive in after the praise it's received here, but do I need to read any other issues first for context or is it good as a stand-alone?

[Heronext]

48 minutes ago, Martin Sinescu said:

I've got a copy or two, but never read it (got them with a large collection). I'm definitely going to have to dive in after the praise it's received here, but do I need to read any other issues first for context or is it good as a stand-alone?

Great standalone issue.  Old fashioned done-in-one

Edited August 15, 2018 by Heronext

[jp delaney]

On ‎8‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 5:07 PM, Sweet Lou 14 said:

Whaddya tryin' to do with alla this sentimental philosophizin'?  Now alla the sudden I got sumthin' in my eye.

nice write up. thx

[HuddyBee]

With the Aquaman trailer out, Aquaman 35 and 11 have definitely gone up. Haven't looked too much at 29, but my guess is it to. If the movie's a hit, they'll increase even more, so I'd get my hands on a copy now, or sell, if the hype might die down. I sold my 35, but am keeping my 11.

While all this is happening AC 260 still really isn't going anywhere, and since we all know its the first appearance of the SA Aquaman , I'm tryna get as many copies as I can get my hands on. 

Edited August 24, 2018 by HuddyBee

[Rezin1234]

One Book I don't think anyone has mentioned is Marvel Superheroes 12. Book has been hitting new highs as of late. Still significantly cheaper than 13 but does seem to be closing the gap

[@therealsilvermane]

On 8/27/2018 at 11:00 PM, Rezin1234 said:

One Book I don't think anyone has mentioned is Marvel Superheroes 12. Book has been hitting new highs as of late. Still significantly cheaper than 13 but does seem to be closing the gap

At this point, MSH 12 is not and never will be in the same stratosphere that MSH 13 is in. If the 1st appearance of Carol Danvers isn’t already a major key, it will be after she transcends comics and becomes a cultural icon/household name next year after her movie and Avengers 4 hits screens. Mar Vell is now a minor character who will stay dead in the Marvel Universe, whereas Carol Danvers is about to become a flagship character of the MCU and adorn little girls’ lunchboxes and backpacks across the world.

[bpc3qh]

The 9.4 FF Annual 6 (White Pages) closed at $2,100 on ComicLink. It's keeping its momentum, though I wonder if the Ebay book mentioned on the previous page had the same White pages?

Edited August 30, 2018 by bpc3qh