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Fantastic Four Collecting Thread!
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13,410 posts in this topic

13 hours ago, BrianR said:

Hi Joe,  Its  the same reason  I collect  U.S.  books  they are cool.  Some consider these reprints ,  but the really are not.  They are the 1st printing/  editions  for the Spanish/ Mexican Market.  A lot have the original cover art prior to editorial  changes on the U.S.  editions.   The Foreign book  market  is starting to get bigger and bigger  here in the U.S  as people realize  how special  these are.  Just like FF 1  introduced the Marvel  Universe to the U.S.  this Introduced  it to the Spanish speaking world.  They are a piece of history.  There is only a few months  difference in release  dates and that is because Marvel  didn't want cross over competition  in markets  that bordered each other. for the same material.   I also  love the hunt.  There are only about  12  known  copies of this  FF 1  and an  estimated 100  to exist.  So  part of the fun is the challenge as well.  I have started to learn Spanish  and have made friends in various parts of the world tracking down  books. This  has  introduced me to more cultures  and dig deep  to build relationships I would have never done  just with U.S. books.   I talk to guys in Venezuela   buying books  learning about their hardships  not having electricity postal strikes  etc.

That  FF 4  is rarer  than  the #1 .   In  no way do I consider them as valuable as U.S.  copies although some do command higher prices.  If I have the money  I can complete the entire U.S. run again  in weeks  where as no matter how  much money  it takes years  for these.   I can ramble on for hours  explaining various aspects of collecting these.  In the end  you have to hold  one of these in hand and flip through  it. Once you do  you will realize  how cool they are.

 

Great answer Brian.  What were the publication dates on those Mexican editions?

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18 hours ago, BrianR said:

Hi Joe,  Its  the same reason  I collect  U.S.  books  they are cool.  Some consider these reprints ,  but the really are not.  They are the 1st printing/  editions  for the Spanish/ Mexican Market.  A lot have the original cover art prior to editorial  changes on the U.S.  editions.   The Foreign book  market  is starting to get bigger and bigger  here in the U.S  as people realize  how special  these are.  Just like FF 1  introduced the Marvel  Universe to the U.S.  this Introduced  it to the Spanish speaking world.  They are a piece of history.  There is only a few months  difference in release  dates and that is because Marvel  didn't want cross over competition  in markets  that bordered each other. for the same material.   I also  love the hunt.  There are only about  12  known  copies of this  FF 1  and an  estimated 100  to exist.  So  part of the fun is the challenge as well.  I have started to learn Spanish  and have made friends in various parts of the world tracking down  books. This  has  introduced me to more cultures  and dig deep  to build relationships I would have never done  just with U.S. books.   I talk to guys in Venezuela   buying books  learning about their hardships  not having electricity postal strikes  etc.

That  FF 4  is rarer  than  the #1 .   In  no way do I consider them as valuable as U.S.  copies although some do command higher prices.  If I have the money  I can complete the entire U.S. run again  in weeks  where as no matter how  much money  it takes years  for these.   I can ramble on for hours  explaining various aspects of collecting these.  In the end  you have to hold  one of these in hand and flip through  it. Once you do  you will realize  how cool they are.

 

Thank you for such a thorough explanation.

I completely understand about the "hunt." One of the reasons I am thinking about starting on a Brave and the Bold #1 - #24 run is because these books don't come up for sale all that often (at least I haven't seen them often). The excitement of seeing a book you need is just so enjoyable. One aspect of comic book collecting that I really miss (due to the 24/7 availability on the Internet) is the stopping at every local comic book store while on vacation. Stopping at these stores to see what they had available was always an adventure, and I picked up many books in my collection this way, at very reasonable prices.

I guess we should follow some commonly spoken advice: "Collect what you like."

Thanks again!

 

Joe

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11 hours ago, Frisco Larson said:

It's a very valid question Joe and one where I can only speak for myself. For me, these books are kind of like being in an old familiar house and discovering a room that you didn't know existed. Specifically, I mean by seeing the differences between them and the America Editions. Scroll up and view the 2 issues I posted where I included some interior pics. Check out the house ads. Those are different than the American counterparts. I have other things that I enjoy about them too, like the reduced cost (starting to climb a bit now though) and I also enjoy displaying them side by side with my American Editions (check out my Spidey 14s in the Spidey thread). They look so cool together!!!

Thank you for another perspective on my question. Just out of curiosity, where do you find issues like this?

 

Joe

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4 hours ago, Sweet Lou 14 said:

Great answer Brian.  What were the publication dates on those Mexican editions?

it  can  vary  Los 4 Fantasticos  1  was released 9/1962.   Some  titles the same month to a few months apart.

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Joe  Some/ very few can be found on ebay.  Most are bought and sold privately  through building connections with people in various countries.  My  friends  on Facebook  look like I belong to the United Nations

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2 hours ago, Joe Ankenbauer said:

Thank you for another perspective on my question. Just out of curiosity, where do you find issues like this?

 

Joe

Anytime my man! Well, the 2 FFs that I included interior pics of were found in a local comic shop. Some have been acquired from comic dealers who set up at shows and have websites but not comic stores and some I have found on eBay. I have seen some offered here on the boards too. 

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