06/65 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Dr. Doom, Daredevil app - "A Blind Man Shall Lead Them!"

Obviously this is a classic "reader copy" or "filler issue" -- clearly been read multiple times, leaving behind the general wear that is more than plain enough in the various photos.  The subscription crease is very obvious on this one, as is the fact that someone RESTORED the book with the those bits of tape on the upper and lower corners.

Spine is otherwise just about what you'd expect from a reader copy.  Back too shows a good amount of wear and surface build-up (particularly along that crease line).  Book has general wrinkled appearance and feel to it.  Still has a touch of shine.  Just to the right of Doom's head is an impression where someone was probably writing on a piece of paper on top of this book.  Pages are still off-white, and everything seems attached.

Bottom line is still that this is your classic "reader copy" -- so if that works for you, then perhaps this is the one for you!

Plenty of photos, so take a good look!

07/65 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Dr. Doom, Daredevil app - "The Battle of the Baxter Building"

This copy is on the lower end of the spectrum, having obviously been read multiple times, leaving behind the general wear that is more than plain enough in the various photos.  Spine is worn and has many color breaks / spine ticks -- everything you'd expect from a lower-grade copy.  Still has a bit of shine to it, and is actually almost flat still, and mostly smooth, particularly in front.  Not much in the way of wrinkling in fact, which is surprising.  It does show a subscription crease down the middle.

I see no actual splits in the spine even with a magnifying glass, so the fact that someone RESTORED the book with those two bits of tape on the upper and lower corners seems more of a preventative measure than an actual repair job.

Back is generally faded, with a good coating of surface build-up.  Pages are still off-white, and they still look pretty good.  If you do read through this copy, you'll want to go easy on it of course, seeing that everything is 55 or so years old.

It still presents nicely in its bag and board -- better than a typical beat-up reader copy, but make no mistake -- this is clearly on the lower end of the spectrum no matter how you look at it.

Plenty of photos, so take a good look!

08/65 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Frightful Four (Wizard, Sandman, Trapster, Medusa) - "The Brutal Betrayal of Ben Grimm!"

Obviously this copy has been read several times with general overall wear, the most apparent of which is the missing chipped off piece on the top edge and the bottom-left back corner.  Spine roll remnant is clear enough, with some fold marks as well and a good coating of surface build-up on back.  On the plus side though, it still has some shine to it, cover and pages are all still attached (though you'll want to take extra care with it when you handle it), and it has surprisingly little wrinkling.

Bottom line -- it's a low-grade copy to be sure, and definitely a filler issue, no doubt about it, but hardly a crappy one or anything, with everything still present and attached.

Plenty of photos, so take a good look!

11/65 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, first appearance of Gorgon, Medusa app, Dragon Man app, contains letter by Dave Cockrum - "The Gentleman's Name is Gorgon!"

Looks better than the assigned grade -- which is mostly due to the missing triangle out of the bottom-left back corner.  Would probably at least have been VG/FN otherwise -- flat, still with some shine and with hardly no wrinkling.  Moderate to general wear apparent in the many photos I provided.  Corners blunted, surface build-up aplenty, spine shows many color breaks and stress lines, back faded.  Pages are cream however, and they seem fine.  Everything still attached.

Bottom line:  definitely on the lower end of the spectrum but looks better than your average beat-up old reader copy, but we have to account for that corner, so there you go -- a lower-grade filler issue that's still solid enough to fill in that annoying gap in your run.

07/67 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, 1st app Doctor Damian; 1st app Kree Sentry 459 - "The Sentry Sinister!"

QUALIFIED GRADE -- book presents right around FN and is flat, still with good shine and minimal wrinkling.  Small pen doodle next to the Sentry's right hand.  Moderate overall wear, and a bit of fading in the back, with a spine that would easily satisfy any mid-grade criteria.  Pages are off-white and all look good.

But the assigned grade is qualified (i.e. would get the CGC green label) due to it being INCOMPLETE because of the missing top part of the letter's page, which was cut off (see that one photo), and someone also added an extra staple on the spine, right about dead center, which as far as I can tell, is completely unnecessary, as the spine appears to be solid with no tears or splits, so go figure.

Anyway, it presents very nicely in its bag and board, and would make for a very nice gap-filler copy,

11/67 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, 1st app Dr. Santini; vs Mad Thinker, Sue tries on a mini-skirt costume (talk about your one-offs!) - "His Mission:  Destroy the Fantastic Four!"

Looks better than reader grade with a surface that still has decent shine, but someone decided that it needed structural help and added five additional staples (more easily seen from back angle).  I frankly don't see why, as the spine appears to have wear, sure (see side photo), but otherwise still solid with no tears or splits, and I had no trouble paging through the book, and nothing appeared loose.  Back has moderate fading, pages are actually off-white and even hint at white in places.  A little bit of Silver Age tanning, but nothing that would have made me say it isn't right around mid-grade.

I demoted the book to reader-grade, but it frankly looks around FN at a glance.

12/67 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, first appearance of the Mad Thinker's Awesome Android! - "By Ben Betrayed"

You'd never believe this flat, smooth copy that looks right about mid-grade (even better from the front) is listed at the VG+ level, but take a look at the upper-right corners of the first three inner pages, and you'll see why I had to demote it.  The copy is in wonderful overall shape, and actually has some good shine! The minor printing ink overflow can be seen on both sides of upper edge, but that's a printing anomaly and not really a defect.  Back is only slightly faded with a bit of surface build-up.  Spine would qualify for about a FN+ to FN/VF grade -- and except for those inner three pages, everything else is off-white and in solid shape.  This copy presents wonderfully in its bag and board.

But those inner page corners are there, so I had no choice but to demote this copy to closer to reader level, even though it looks so much better!

Plenty of photos, so take a good look!

01/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Mad Thinker's Android -- "When Fall the Mighty"

Obviously a lower-grade copy that is still surprisingly flat, with excellent shine, and pretty smooth to the touch even, with solid off-white pages (except right at that bottom corner on the splash page).  It nonetheless has extensive edge wear, as you can easily see in the photos.  The cover is detached at the upper staple.  There's a 1 inch tear/split at the bottom of the spine.  Staples show hint of rust.  Back cover shows a bit of chipping and has some obvious foxing spots.

All-in-all, this is clearly in the "reader" or "gap-filler" category. 
Plenty of photos, so take a gook look!

05/68 - Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, Galactus app, Silver Surfer app, - "When Calls Galactus"

This is a beauty of a book, with virtually all of its original gloss, spine is in great shape, only a hint of a fold on the top-right cover, inner pages look off-white to white, only a little wear on back cover along spine (visible in photo) -- not NM, but close.  A safe 8.0 - 9.0 copy (so I went with the middle).  If you're planning to CGC one, this is the one! (Note that I am happy to send additional photos if you require them.)

07/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, Silver Surfer app, Galactus app - "Stranded in Sub-Atomica!"

Looks better than mid-grade with a surface that still has decent shine, but someone decided that it needed structural help and added five additional staples (more easily seen from back angle).  I frankly don't see why, as the spine appears to be quite solid and whole with really only light wear -- no tears or splits, and I had no trouble paging through the book, and nothing appeared loose.

Back has only minor wear, a touch of facing, and a little wrinkle near the bottom that shows in the photo.  Pages aren't white, but not too far from it -- off-white officially.  Book has only a little hint of Silver Age tanning, but nothing that would have made me it isn't right around FN/VF.

I demoted the book to FN- because of the extra staples, but it frankly looks upper-mid-grade at a glance.

07/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, Silver Surfer app, Galactus app, - "Stranded in Sub-Atomica"

Obviously this one is on the lower end of the spectrum with general wear apparent.  Both front and back are worn but actually still smooth, not like glass or anything, but still mostly smooth to the touch, so not a lot of wrinkling present.  Edge, spine and corner wear are apparent, of course, and the back has a coating of surface build-up, but spine is still solid and not torn, staples not rusting, cover and pages are all still attached -- and the pages are still near-white even.

Clearly better than an average beat-up old reader-grade copy, it's nonetheless on the lower-end of the scale and definitely not the "above average" it would have to be to grade as high as 5.0.

Plenty of photos, so take a good look!

09/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Wizard - "The Thing No More!"

09/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Wizard - "The Thing No More!"

Copy looks solid enough from the outside and still even has some good shine, and only moderate outer wear, a touch of surface build-up, just light wrinkling, and pages that are off-white and even still hint toward white in places, but as you can easily see in the photos, the cover is detached, relegating this otherwise VG/FN or so copy to "reader" or "gap-filler" status.

Several photos, so take a good look.

10/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, 1st app The Android Man; vs Mad Thinker, 1st appearance of Sergius O'Hoolihan (Baxter Building Doorman) - "A Monster Forever?"

A wonderfully flat and very smooth copy (wow) that shows light edge wear, easily seen in the various photos.  Little corner fold here, a bit of spine wear and ticks there, a good coating of surface build-up on back, with pages that are still off-white, even hinting at white here or there.  It all adds up to a copy that's certainly been read and handled before, but they sure did a heck of a job keeping this one largely wrinkle-free (even in that lower-right spine area, which has the most build-up) -- I've seen new comics that weren't this smooth! But yeah, that back dragged it below the FN+ to FN/VF it might have been -- the book clearly was left lying around for a bit before being properly stored away for the decades ahead.  But bottom line, it's a solid mid-grade copy.

Plenty of photos, so take a good look!

10/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, 1st app The Android Man; vs Mad Thinker, 1st appearance of Sergius O'Hoolihan (Baxter Building Doorman) - "A Monster Forever?"

This is your classic case of a book being left out, shuffled around, handled roughly, getting a touch of water damage (note rusty staples), and if I might speculate, perhaps even being stepped on.  You need only look at the photo of the back cover to see the worst of it.  Be that as it may, on the plus side, the book is whole, has no real tears, cover and all pages appear to be attached, and the inner pages are even mostly off-white.

It's still a very low-grade specimen however, so definitely falls in the "reader" or "gap-filler" category!

Several photos, so take a peek!

11/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, 1st app Silent Fox, 1st app Tomazooma (The Living Totem) - "Where Treads the Living Totem!"

Copy is flat, still with some shine, and mostly smooth (i.e. not much of any wrinkling).  Edge wear is moderate, only minor folds or creases, corners show blunting, spine wear is the moderate wear you'd expect from a prior reading or two -- not too many color breaks.  Inner covers show only a hint of any Silver Age tanning, and pages are still off-white and even lean toward white in places and all seem to be in solid shape.

On the negative side however, the back cover has some soiling, and/or foxing marks that are plain enough in the photos.  Still mostly smooth, it's nonetheless spotted with those surface marks, dragging an otherwise mid-grade copy down a whole grade.

Clearly better than a reader but just as clearly no longer mid-grade, it lands right about in between.  Plenty of photos, so take a good look!

12/68 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Wizard, Crystal joins the FF - "Enter - the Exquisite Elemental!"

Presenting at around VG/FN, this copy is flat with a hint of shine left and actually quite smooth, but with the visible subscription crease and moderate overall wear, little fold remnants as well, spine worn from two or three prior readings (but no spine roll), back that's faded with a visible small tear on left edge and has a good coating of surface build-up.  Pages are still off-white, and as I showed, the centerfold is still attached, but loose at the top staple (which is actually still allowed at the VG/FN grade).

To be on the safe side, I listed and priced this one at the VG+ -- but gosh, looking at it in its bag and board, that almost seems like a crime.  But hey, I like to be thorough and call it as I see it!

Tons of photos, so take a good look!

02/69 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, Inhumans app, vs Maximus the Mad, 2nd appearance of Franklin Richards - "Shall Man Survive?"

A flat copy, still with some shine that looks scarier than it actually is, particular when you turn it over and see that it was obviously laid down in some water, causing the splotches you see (also a touch on the upper-left of front).  But the interesting thing is how smooth it still is and has none of the warping you'd expect.  In fact, if you run you hand over the surface, it feels almost perfectly smooth with virtually no evidence of this damage! Astonishing, but a fact!

Copy presents as a FN copy from the front, and as I said, looks scarier on the back.  It's flat, smooth, still has solid off-white pages (though several show the same splotches on their edges).  Spine is in better shape than most FN copies, but note that the printing process didn't fold it quite evenly, leaving the upper part to slightly overhang (see rear photo).  Staples solid, attached and go all the way to the centerfold.

The copy would have easily qualified for mid-grade were it not for the water damage, so I lowered it a couple of grades to adjust.  Structurally, it's likely better than any other reader-level copy you're likely to find out there.

03/69 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Dr. Doom, Nick Fury and SHIELD appearance - "The Name is Doom!"

Believe it or not, the book is still pretty flat, but it looks downright scary on the back with obvious water damage, some of which extends to the front and can largely be seen in every photo.  But the interesting thing is how surprisingly smooth it still is and has only a bit of the warping you'd normally expect.  That back side is no longer perfectly smooth by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm telling you, it looks far worse than it feels.

Structurally, the copy seems to be right about mid-grade.  It's mostly flat with only light warps visible here and there, and as I said, smoother than you think it is.  Pages are off-white and generally good shape (though several show the same splotches on their edges and aren't all perfectly smooth anymore).  Spine is easily in as good a shape as any mid-grade copy.  Staples solid, attached and go all the way to the centerfold with no signs of rust (even a bit shiny still).

The copy would have easily qualified for no worse than FN- were it not for the water damage, so I lowered it a couple of grades to adjust.  Structurally, it's clearly better than any other reader-level copy you're going to find out there.

04/69 - Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Dr. Doom, 1st app Gustav Hauptmann - "Within This Tortured Land"

A flat copy, still with some residual shine that looks scarier than it actually is, particular when you turn it over and see that it was obviously laid down in some water, causing the splotches you see (also some on upper-right of front).  But the interesting thing is how smooth it still is and has only a small bit of the warping you'd normally expect.  In fact, if you run you hand over the surface, it feels almost normal with only a slight bit of evidence of this damage.

Copy presents as better than a FN copy from the front, and as I said, looks scarier on the back.  It's flat, smooth, still has solid off-white pages (though several show the same splotches on their edges and aren't all perfectly smooth anymore).  Spine is about in as good a shape as any 7.5 to 8.0 copy.  Staples solid, attached and go all the way to the centerfold -- though note the rust migration on the upper one at the centerfold -- none detected on the outside though.

The copy would have easily qualified for no worse than FN/VF were it not for the water damage, so I lowered it a couple of grades to adjust.  Structurally, it's clearly better than any other reader-level copy you're going to find out there and even some mid-grade copies.

06/69 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Dr. Doom, Gustav Hauptmann app - "The Power and the Pride"

A flat, still shiny copy that looks scarier than it actually is, particularly when you turn it over and see that it was obviously laid down in some water, causing the splotches you see.  But the interesting thing is how smooth it still is and has none of the warping you'd expect.  In fact, if you run you hand over the surface, it feels almost normal with only a slight bit of evidence of this damage.

Copy presents as a FN copy from the front, and as I said, looks scarier on the back.  It's flat, smooth, still has solid off-white pages (though several show the same splotches on their edges).  As I show in the one inner photo, the inner two wraps are detached from the lower staple, but both pages are solidly attached to the upper, so are not loose.

The copy would have easily qualified for FN- were it not for the water damage, so I lowered it a couple of grades to adjust.

08/69 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, 1st app Skrull Slave-Master; vs Mole Man - "The Madness of the Mole Man!" -- an obviously low-grade copy with significant wear, particularly along spine on both sides, with back showing a good amount of foxing.  Book is mostly flat, still has some shine, and isn't very wrinkled at all actually.  Cover is attached, but that spine is very worn and has splits on both ends (see photos).  Back cover faded, and the tip of the lower-left corner is missing.  Pages are off-white, and the centerfold is loose (which is allowed at the GD level).  They otherwise are in solid shape.

Make no mistake -- this is a reader/gap-filler copy for sure, but it actually presents pretty well from inside its bag and board.

09/69 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, 2nd app Skrull Slave-Master; vs Mole Man - "The Skrull Takes a Slave!"

Flat as can be and very smooth copy (almost no wrinkling) that shows moderate wear, a vertical crease line in left third, a store mark of "2/15" and also a pen mark over the number 5 in the price.  Blunted corners, fold remnants and some surface build-up all serve to keep this copy below mid-grade.  Pages are off-white and all look in good shape, but note that the two innermost wraps of the book are detached from the lower staple but are in no way loose (see photo where I had to hold that flap up with a pencil to even take the photo -- good thing I'm thorough) -- the centerfold and next wrap are still secure.

Bottom line is that the book is absolutely in better shape than your classic "reader" copy and satisfies the standard VG/FN description, so as a result, was mostly a no-brainer.

Plenty of photos to check out, so take a good look.

03/70 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Mad Thinker - "The Mad Thinker and His Androids of Death"

A previously-read copy that is flat and still shiny that shows about the wear you'd expect from a mid-grade copy.  Note the "13" store mark written on the CCA box.  Edge wear is moderate with a 1/4 inch tear near the front lower-right area (visible in photos), a couple of fold remnants can be detected (also on a few inner pages), spine wear is also moderate and in-line with about a FN grade, except at the upper staple (see back photo), which I thought was more than moderate, but also note that the cover is still attached.  Back side has obvious surface build-up.  Copy is smooth on both sides, except right along back area of spine.  Pages are off-white and in good shape.

Bottom line is that the spine wear was just a tad too much to stick with a straight-up FN grade, so I adjusted it down accordingly.

04/70 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby - "The Monster from the Lost Lagoon!" -- lower-grade copy that shows the wear you'd expect from a prior reading or two, particularly on edges, and including the notable wear right over the Thing on the cover.  But copy still mostly flat, still with some shine and surprisingly smoother than you'd expect (hardly any wrinkling at all in face), spine worn, yes, but solid with no splits, staples in good shape and all attached.  Back cover somewhat faded and has some surface build-up.  Pages off-white, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through the book, and all attached.

Bottom line is that this is at the reader-grade level for sure and doesn't elevate to VG/FN due to the wear, but it's definitely a nicer reader than you normally encounter, so I put it just above VG.

Plenty of photos, so take a close look!

05/70 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby - "Mystery on the Moon!" -- flat, still with good shine and except for a couple of small creases (the largest one being near the lower front edge -- visible in photos), a very smooth copy that shows hardly any cover wrinkling at all.  Moderate edge wear can be seen in the various photos of course, along with the large "13" store mark near the CCA box.  Spine has various color breaks and ticks like you normally find in a mid-grade copy, but no splits.  Staples discolored and hint at light rust -- both are attached and go all the way through.  Back cover faded some in the last half-century with light surface build-up.  Inner pages off-white to white.

Bottom line is that it might actually be right at the FN mid-grade level, but I took a hair off for the big "13" very obviously smothing, but the copy is smooth and in solid, but otherwise very average shape.

Plenty of photos, so take a close look!

08/70 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, vs Gimlet, Top Man, Big Rock - "Bedlam in the Baxter Building!"

Flat, still with nice shine and quite smooth, it shows moderate edge wear and remnants of an upper-right corner fold.  Spine wear is also moderate from a couple of prior readings.  Back only slightly faded, has a touch of build-up, particularly in the lower spine area and a foxing dot or two.  Pages in excellent shape and clearly still off-white.  A solid upper-mid-grade copy.  (Oh, and did I mention it's smooth? You'll find next to no wrinkling on this one!)

09/70 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby (last of Kirby's 102 consecutive issue run on the title, plus 6 annuals), vs Magneto, Sub-Mariner app - "The Strength Of The Sub-Mariner"

Obviously a copy that's been read multiple times before, but remains flat, still with some good shine and largely smooth to the touch (yes, even that back side).  Edge wear is apparent in the photos, and blunted corners, fold remnants, little crease lines, surface build are all also to be found here.

Spine clearly worn but is still flat and bound nicely -- even the staples remain tight, though both show a touch of discoloration, and I see a touch of rust migration on the centerfold page at the lower staple.

Back cover has a good (and obvious) coating of surface build-up, particularly along the edges, but you can see all that plainly enough in the photo.  Worn, yes -- but no real tears.  Looks like some foxing might be mixed in there too.

Inner pages are off-white, and everything seems to still be nicely attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this is indeed a lower-grade copy that doesn't come anywhere close to mid-grade, but it's just as clearly structurally better than your average beat-up VG reader as well, so that's why I split the difference.  It displays nicely in its bag and board.

10/70 - by Stan Lee/John Romita (first issue of FF not drawn by Jack Kirby), vs Magneto, Sub-Mariner app, 2nd app Agatha Harkness, Crystal app, Lady Dorma app - "At War With Atlantis!"

Flat, clean copy that still has excellent shine, and is almost completely smooth to the touch with little sign of any wrinkling.  Only minor edge wear that you can see plainly enough in the photos.  Spine shows that the book has been gently read before with little color-breaks/spine ticks, but all within grade tolerance.

I do note that at one point in the past, someone added an extra staple, which you can see the evidence of on the front, just to the left of Mr. Fantastic's head -- that faint whitish line -- also see the two little holes in the back photos and the one of the centerfold.  Why they did this to a copy whose cover and pages are all still nicely attached is a mystery, but they seem to have later changed their minds, and it was removed -- mostly clean, but with that trace pair of uneven spots on both sides.

Back cover is still near white, even after over a half-century, and I see only one razor-thin crease line in the lower-left area -- still almost, but not completely smooth there.  A light coating of surface build-up is visible too.

Pages are off-white and some even close to white.  All seem to be in great shape, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this might have made it to VF, had it not been for that color-breaking extra staple remnant and a touch of surface build-up, but hey, it's still a very nice upper-mid-grade copy.

Plenty of photos, so take a good look!

12/70 - by Stan Lee/John Romita, Crystal app, 1st app Dr. Phillip Zolten Rambow; 1st app The monster (Larry Rambow) - "The Monster In The Streets!"

Flat, shiny and smooth copy with minimal edge wear, no fold or crease lines, spine still in great shape and shows only minor wear and handling (note the solid black line that runs down its length in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided -- hardly interrupted at all).  Back cover slightly faded (i.e. not as white as it must have been a half-century ago) and has a touch of surface build-up.  Pages still near-white and look great with everything attached.

Bottom line is that this is a clear-cut upper-mid-grade copy that had a touch too much fading/build-up on back to make it as high as VF, but very solid nonetheless.

01/71 - by Stan Lee/John Romita, 2nd app Dr. Phillip Zolten Rambow; 2nd app The monster (Larry Rambow) - "The Monster's Secret!"

What a wonderful copy! Flat, with excellent shine, and almost completely smooth to the touch! You won't find much edge wear here -- take a look at the solid black and red of that front cover and note that there's hardly anything to find.  And no fold remnants or crease lines either!

Turning it on its side, we find a spine that's flat and tight and shows only that the book was lightly read, with only minor wear, a couple of ticks, and a faint amount of stress at the upper staple -- all acceptable at the state grade.  Both staples looks good and go all the way through to the centerfold.

Back cover has a touch of foxing at the upper edge (you can see it in the photo), but is only slightly faded in the last half-century.  Holding the book up to the light, I see a couple of smudge marks on the front, just to the right of the title word "Four" (too faint to show in the photo -- you really do have to hold it up to the light to spot them -- you can feel them too with your finger, which is why I said it's "almost" completely smooth to the touch).  I see no smudges on the back, and it's actually still shiny to boot.

Inner covers still bright, with no tanning (though you can faintly see the foxing at the top of the back inner cover).  Inner pages are cream to off-white, and they all looked great when I carefullly leafed through it.

Bottom line:  this one clearly falls short of NM and even VF/NM due to the touch of foxing and smudge marks.  But it's only a small step down -- even the stauchest quibbler would have a hard time justifying anything less than VF-.  The book looks shiny and new in its bag and board!

02/71 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema, 1st app of Nega-Man (Richard Janus), 2nd app of Annihilus - "And Now The Thing!"

Flat, still with some good shine, and still nice and smooth (hardly any wrinkles), you can see the edge wear here is only minimal, with a bit on both the top and bottom edges, and that little color-breaking fold remnant in the lower-right.  There's also some light color-breaks here and there right in the middle that are easy enough to spot in the photos.

Spine shows evidence of a prior reading or two, but as that solid black line that runs down its length is hardly broken, the wear is obviously moderate and concentrated mainly right about the spot where you'd expect someone to have held the book while reading.  See the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.

Staples in great shape, are still shiny and go all the way through to the centerfold.  Even so, if you look closely, you'll see that at one point in the book's past, it appears someone added an extra staple on the spine, right about dead center, which as far as I can tell, is completely unnecessary, as the spine appears to be solid with no tears or splits, so go figure.  (It's easier to see the faint traces of it on the back side.)

Back cover slightly faded in the last half-century, but remains solid, also showing only moderate wear (again, see the tiny holes of that staple I mentioned in the middle-right).  Some light build-up also, but nothing unusual for the grade.

Inner covers show only the faintest hint of any Silver Age tanning, and pages are easily off-white, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through it.

Bottom line is that the book, even with that remnant of the extra staple, is easily at mid-grade and is a solid and still desirable copy.

05/71 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema, vs Annihilus, Agatha Harkness app - "One From Four Leaves Three!"

A mostly flat, still shiny copy with some light wrinkles that the original owner "KRISA" wrote her name on twice -- once over the title and again over the splash page (both visible in photos).  Edge wear on this one is moderate and would still perhaps drop this only to just below mid-grade.

Spine shows evidence of at least a couple of readings, with the barest hint of a roll, in addition to that wear you see in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Staples looking solid and are attached all the way through to the centerfold.

Back cover is where you find more of the light wrinkling that's easier to see if you hold the book up to the light (see lower third of left edge for instance for a hint of it), and there's a bit of surface build-up as well.

Inner pages still off-white, and they all looked fine when I carefully leafed through it.

Bottom line is that this one falls short of mid-grade, but not by much.  However, the back wrinkling and the autographed name made me demote it down to VG/FN.  You won't win any awards with this one, but it's a solid enough lower-end copy.

05/71 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema, vs Annihilus, Agatha Harkness app - "One From Four Leaves Three!"

Obviously a heavily-read copy that is still shiny enough, but you can see for yourself that it has significant wear, a couple of little pieces missing from the upper-right edge, and a red X written on the cover just below the CCA box.  Edge wear, blunted corners, fold remnants, crease lines, wrinkles, spine ticks, a rusty staple, surface build-up, staining, soiling, foxing -- all these are to be found on this copy.

Pages are cream colored and still seem to be okay (I paged through it) -- everything is still attached too, including cover and centerfold, but be that as it may, this is still a low-grade copy -- no doubt about it -- and is good only as a reader or gap-filler.

06/71 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema, 1st app Walter Collins (landlord of Baxter building), Hulk cameo app, Agatha Harkness, J. Jonah Jameson - "The Thing...Amok!"

Obviously a well-read copy with moderate to signifcant wear -- mostly concentrated on the upper part of the spine.  Still has some shine to it, but the edge wear is pretty obvious, there's a bit of wrinkling, and the cover is detached at the upper staple (as I showed in the one photo with the pencil).  Back cover has some surface build-up, but not as much as you normally see at this grade, and the inner pages are still off-white, and they all seem to be fine, so the bulk of the wear is on the spine.

Bottom line is that while this is without question a low-grade copy, it's still a solid enough reader.

08/71 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema, 1st app Overmind, Watcher app - "The Power ofthe Overmind!"

Do I really need to say anything here? If you look up "beat-up old comic book" in the dictionary, you might see a picture of this book!

Clearly this copy scrapes the bottom of the barrel and has a detached centerfold page (though everything else seems to still be attached).  All pages appear to be present, so it's whole, despite its obvious shortcomings -- good only as a reader or gap-filler.

09/71 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema, 2nd app Overmind - "But Who Shall Stop The Over-Mind?"

Easily an upper-mid-grade copy that admittedly had a misfortune during manufacturing -- you can see the excess printer ink spillover on that top edge -- yeah, it's impressive, so there's that printing "defect" (if you will) there, and I provided a close-up of that on the inner pages as well.

As for the book itself, it's flat, still with good shine and mostly smooth to the touch with nothing more than the faintest wrinkling.  Edge wear is only minimal, and I note a tiny fold remnant in the lower-right corner that I see shows in the photos.  Spine wear is light -- the solid black line that runs down its length is hardly broken at all, so very few spine ticks.

Back cover is solid, has faded slightly and has a coating of surface build-up in addition to that printers ink I already mentioned.  But again, mostly smooth with no folds or creases.  Perhaps a hint of foxing present.

Inner pages are off-white and look solid, complete and all attached.

Bottom line is that this is an upper-mid-grade copy whose main flaw (other than the printing defect) is the perhaps excessive bit of build-up on the back.  I still think it had a shot at FN/VF, but taking everything together, keeping it closer to mid-grade is probably the right way to go.  FN+ it is then.

10/71 - by Archie Goodwin/Stan Lee/John Buscema, 1st app Eternals (no, not those Eternals), Origin of Overmind, Watcher app - "The Secret of the Eternals"

Flat, still with a small bit of shine, and for a lower-grade copy, mostly smooth to the touch with less wrinkling than you'd normally expect.  It's still got a fair amount of edge wear of course, which is plain enough to see in the photos, also with very blunted corners, some fold remnants and an obvious color-breaking crease line or two.

Spine is worn from multiple readings -- see close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided -- staples attached all the way through to the centerfold, but they're clearly showing some rust.

Back cover faded, worn and definitely showing some of the staining and soiling you see at this lower-grade level.

On the positive side, the inner pages all looked good when I carefully leafed through it and are off-white, even still hinting at white here or there, so it will surely make a solid enough reader copy.

Bottom line is that it had just a bit too much outer wear for me to stick with full VG -- so it had to drop down a hair, but it will still be good as a reader/gap-filler.

11/71 (Double-Size) - by Archie Goodwin/John Buscema, vs Over-Mind (and Crystal), Dr. Doom app, Watcher app, Origin of Stranger - "The Alien, the Ally, and Armageddon!"

Flat, with a fabulous shine (like a new copy really) and almost as smooth as glass (with the exception of the "staple lump" problem, which I'll get to in a moment) -- it really does look like it might have just been published last week -- well okay, let's put it this way -- it sure as heck doesn't look like it's a half-century old!

The edge wear and faint problem at the upper-right of the front cover (zoom in and you'll see it) definitely keep this under NM, so I acknowledge that right off the bat, but by and large, this copy doesn't really suffer from much more than minor wear you'd expect to find from a small bit of handling.

Getting to the spine -- these thick square-bound copies are notoriously hard to keep whole, not to mention the staples being on the inside, often causing the "staple lumps" you see, and this book is no exception -- there are some light bumps -- you can see that in the photos, but no spine splits (another common problem), and again, wear is still minimal -- this isn't a perfect spine by any stretch of the imagination, but it is solid and whole, which can't always be said for square-bound books.

Back side is still near as white as it must have been when first published over 50 years ago and just about free of surface build-up.  It's obvious that this book was stored away properly early in its life.  (I can't get over how smooth it is either -- wow!)

I carefully leafed through the entire book, and the pages are in excellent shape, off-white and all attached.

Bottom line is that this isn't a NM copy, but it is certainly a high-grade one with outstanding shine, smoothness, and it simply looks as "Fantastic" as the title word suggests!

12/71 - by Archie Goodwin/John Buscema, 1st app Asmodeus; 1st app Chiron; 1st app Kaliban; vs Diablo - "The Flame and the Quest!"

Wow, what an exceptionally shiny copy that's flat and almost as smooth as glass! That solid red background makes it easy to spot any imperfections, and as you can see, there's not much to find -- hey, I know it's not perfect, but dang! Only along the spine do you find much of any little color breaks -- the copy was apparently lightly read before, as you can see.

Back cover is still nearly white, with only a touch of fading over the last half-century-plus, and a light bit of surface build-up.  Ah, and I spot a tiny spot on the left middle edge where someone must have held the book to turn the pages while reading -- zoom in, and you'll spot it.  Holding this copy up to the light, I find no smudge marks.

Inner covers still bright -- pages are easily off-white, even hinting toward white here or there.  All looks good as I carefully leaf through this one.

Bottom line:  an excellent copy with only light wear -- certainly no longer VF/NM, but only a small step down from there.  And that shine.....oh boy! I just put this one in a fresh bag, and good grief, does it ever look terrific!

02/72 - by Roy Thomas/John Buscema, Black Panther app, vs Klaw - "Three Stood Together!"

Almost flat, still with some shine and mostly smooth (only some light wrinkling detected), it shows some minor edge wear (note that one spot at the upper edge for instance and a couple of razor-thin paper breaks at back bottom edge -- zoom in; you'll see them), some light fold remnants and one faint color-breaking vertical line through the title text.

Spine has moderate wear and has clearly been read multiple times, even hinting at a bit of a spine roll (which is why I said "almost" flat), but surprisingly few spine ticks.  Staples in good shape and even still have some shine.  Back side faded a bit with some clear surface build-up, and there's a couple of stains at the top edge which show in the photo.  Holding the book up to the light, I see a few smudges on both sides, most of which are too faint to show in the photos, but you can catch a hint here or there.

Inner pages are cream to off-white, and they're solid enough with everything attached.

Bottom line is that the stains on the upper back were what led me to put this below VG/FN, but it's certainly better than a straight-up reader copy, but make no mistake -- while it's solid and whole enough, it's still on the lower-end of the spectrum.

04/72 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema, Silver Surfer app, 2nd app Air-Walker (robot form); vs Air-Walker, Galactus cameo app - "The Mysterious Mind-Blowing Secret of Gabriel"

Book is flat, still with some nice shine and pretty smooth overall, but it is definitely a used copy with some considerable edge wear, which you can plainly enough in the photos.  Also has light color-breaking lines on cover, and the biggest problem I'd say is the staining and soiling, which shows in the various spots you see on both sides.

Spine is worn from multiple readings, and staples are solid and attached, but you can see the missing piece at the very bottom of the spine from the back side, which again, shows even more of the staining/soiling.  Inner pages are off-white, and they actually look fine

Bottom line is that this is clearly a lower-grade copy (which I think is pretty self-evident), but given how structurally solid it is, with that mostly smooth surface and some shine, I stuck with a straight-up VG grade, but I'd certainly understand if quibblers were to argue for a grade just below that.

05/72 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema, vs Galactus, Silver Surface app - "Galactus Unleashed"

This is a clear case of a book that at first glance, looks far better than the assigned grade.  Still mostly flat and with some decent shine, it is no longer as smooth to the touch as it must have once been, and you can feel some wrinkles.  The big "gotcha" on this copy is at the lower-right of the front cover, where you can clearly see the long tear (which measures just over an inch and a half) and rough bottom-right corner (see also inner cover shot).  So that's the elephant in the room here, and that rough edge extends into the first two or three inner pages before "fading away" -- you can also see that in the photos.

Spine is in pretty good shape with staples darkened, but wear is only minimal.

Back cover slightly faded and again, doesn't feel as smooth as you'd hope -- some definite signs of staining and soiling (e.g. see blemish near upper staple).

Pages are off-white and all seem to be present and attached.

Bottom line is that the book is solid enough, and if you can live with a tear like that and some rough corners, it's perfectly readable and looks nicer than most of the VG copies you'll find out there, but VG is really the only fair grade here, even though it's mostly better than that.

07/72 - by Stan Lee/John Buscema - "The Return of the Monster"

Pretty much your classic average comic book -- not entirely flat, still with some good shine, mostly smooth, but not perfectly, some clear signs of edge and corner wear, a spine that shows obvious evidence of prior readings, with little spine ticks, color-breaks, a couple of stress lines and staples that aren't shiny anymore and may even hint a bit toward rust but that nonethess are solidly attached and go all the way through to the centerfold.  See the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.

Back is more of the same, with no fold remnants or crease lines but some surface build-up and if you holding the book up to the light, you can see some light smudging here and there.

Pages are off-white and look solid with everything attached.

Yeah, a middle-of-the-road copy to be sure -- solid, but hardly anything to write home about.

08/72 - last Stan Lee FF story, John Buscema art - The Monster's Secret!"

Front cover looks top-notch at first glance, with a flat, sleek and shiny surface that's almost perfectly smooth to the touch (i.e. next to no wrinkling at all on this baby).  As you can see in the photos, edge wear is very light, with some visible only at the extreme edges (enough to block a full VF grade for certain due to the little color breaks).  Corners ever-so-slightly blunted with no fold remnants.  (As for crease lines, see below on back side.)

Turning it onto its side, we find the spine shows only light evidence of a prior reading.  Only a couple of little spine ticks are visible against that solid red background, so it's definitely still right around VF here.  Minor signs of stress near upper staple only.  Staples centered and still solidly attached all the way through, though upper one is a tad discolored and has hint of possible rust (difficult to tell even with a magnifying glass).

Back cover is mostly smooth, only lightly faded after a half-century, with only minimal wear and a bit of surface build-up, mainly at the edges.  But if you zoom in on that upper edge, you can see a vertical crease line right about dead center that extends into the coupon.  To be clear -- that is not a tear, but it is noticeable if you hold the book up to the light, and some light smudging is to be found also to its left.  So back is solid but hardly perfect.

As for the inside, pages are off-white and all looked good when I carefully leafed through it with everything nicely attached.

Bottom line is that the one staple and crease line are the reasons this one doesn't make it to full VF, but it is nonetheless a solidly upper-mid-grade specimen.  And it presents wonderfully in its bag and board!

09/72 - by Roy Thomas/John Buscema, Origin of Fantastic Four retold; Origin of Mole Man (Harvey Elder) - "The Way It Began!"

Do I really need to say anything here? Clearly a low-end copy with detached cover.  All pages appear to be present, so it's whole, despite its obvious shortcomings -- good only as a more affordable gap-filler.

10/72 - by Roy Thomas/John Buscema, Mole Man app, origin of Atlantis, Agatha Harkness app - "Where the Sun Dare Not Shine!"

Front cover looks almost new at first glance, with a flat, sleek and shiny surface that's almost perfectly smooth to the touch (i.e. next to no wrinkling at all on this baby).  As you can see in the photos, edge wear is not an issue here, and you'll be hard-pressed to find any.  Corners ever-so-slightly blunted with no fold remnants or crease lines.

Turning it onto its side, we find the spine does show evidence of a prior reading or two, and you can see some color-breaks and spine ticks against that blue background in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Staples centered and still solidly attached all the way through, though the bottom one has a touch of rust.

Back cover is astonishingly white still with only a touch of fading right at the extreme edges.  This book was obviously stored properly early in its lifetime since there seems to be little trace of any of the normal surface build-up you often see.

Inner pages are off-white and all looked good when I carefully leafed through it with everything nicely attached.

Bottom line is that the spine and one staple is the only reason this book doesn't quite make it to full VF, but it is nonetheless a solidly upper-mid-grade specimen! And talk about a shine -- wow! You'd never guess this book was published a half-century ago!

by Roy Thomas/John Buscema, 1st app of Thundra, Agatha Harkness app, Medusa app, Black Bolt, Inhumans app, vs Frightful Four - "The Frightful Four-Plus One"

Flat copy, still with excellent shine and mostly (but not perfectly) smooth to the touch, you can see easily enough that it has a bit more than moderate edge wear -- note in particular that right front edge (which you can also see in the inner cover shot).  Blunted corners, fold remnants, little color-breaking crease lines, some little smudge marks and some surface build-up are all to be found on this copy, putting it definitely below mid-grade.

Spine is actually still very solid -- that solid black line that runs down its length helps see the moderate wear there, with signs of some stress at the staples, which are all attached to everything still.

Back cover is more of the same -- easy to see the coating of surface build-on on this side, but solid enough.

Pages off-white and all look good, so everything ship-shape in that regard.

Bottom line is that this won't be winning any awards and like I said, isn't even a mid-grade copy, but it's solid enough and definitely better than reader-level.  Very nice shine to it.

01/73 - by Roy Thomas/John Buscema with Steranko cover art, 2nd app Thundra, vs Frightful Four, Sandman, Wizard, Trapster, Invisible Girl quits team, Inhumans, Black Bolt, Medusa app - "Battleground:  The Baxter Building"

Mostly flat, still with excellent shine with a really nice, smooth surface.  That all-black background makes it easy to see that the edge wear here is pretty minimal on top, though right next to Medusa lower down is a small tear that you can easily make out in the photo.  Spine has a slight roll still -- and I think you can kind of see that in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Otherwise, the wear there is moderate with only a couple of color breaks and a couple of discolored spots.

Back cover also helps you see the remnant of that spine roll with the pages not quite lining up anymore.  Otherwise, it's still somewhat shiny itself and mostly clean with a spot of residue near that upper staple.  Smooth as can be though!

Inner pages are easily off-white, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through it (centerfold page had light residue near the bottom) -- everything nicely attached.

Bottom line is that the grading guide description for FN says "A minor spine roll is allowed" (but also says "Centerfold may be loose" which is clearly not the case here).  So we'll take points for that incredibly smooth surface and intact centerfold and take points off for the little tear.  But all quibbling aside -- it's pretty much a mid-grade copy -- no matter what final hair-splitting you do here -- and looks nice in its bag and board.

02/73 - by Roy Thomas/Ross Andru with Jim Steranko cover, Human Torch vs Quicksilver, 1st app Omega Omega the Ultimate Alpha (an android created by the Inhuman Maximus), Crystal, Inhumans app, ties-in with Avengers #104 - "Revolt in Paradise!"

Easily an upper-mid-grade copy that's flat, still with excellent shine and almost perfectly smooth to the touch (but not quite).  Edge wear is very minimal, as you can see in the photos.  Has a bit more spine wear -- you can see that in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided, with some color-breaks in there and slightly-blunted corners.  Staples looking solid and attached to everything -- bottom staple slightly discolored.  Back only slightly faded and has a touch of surface build-up.

Holding the book up to the light, I see a couple of smudges in the front (one right up top on the edge I think you can just make out in the photo).  On the back is a slightly larger one just below the left hand of the leftmost "chopcycle" guy on his bike.  You do have to hold the book up to the light to even see this.

As for the pages, wow, they're still off-white and even hint toward white in places -- they all look great.

Bottom line is that the couple of smudges and wear along spine cause this to miss out on a full VF grade, but it's a very solid upper-mid-grade copy nonetheless.

03/73 - by Roy Thomas/John Buscema, vs Omega, Quicksilver app, Inhumans, Black Bolt app, Medusa joins FF - "Omega! The Ultimate Enemy!"

Pretty classic upper-mid-grade copy that's flat, still with some shine and very smooth, though not like glass or anything.  Minor edge wear and a tiny fold remnant in the lower-right can be seen against that all-black background.  A faint crease line is also visible if you look hard in the middle of the title word "FANTASTIC."

Spine is about what you'd expect to find in a copy that's been read a couple of times and is solid, tight and flat with the little color breaks you can easily spot in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Staples look solid and go all the way through to the centerfold, though you can see a bit of stress at both.

Back cover is hardly faded, even after almost a half-century, has only minor wear and a touch of surface build-up.  Pages are off-white, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through it -- everything attached.

As I said, a solid upper-mid-grade copy.

04/73 - by Gerry Conway/Roy Thomas/Ramona Fradon, vs Frightful Four (Thundra, Wizard, Sandman and Trapster), Medusa app - "Thundra at Dawn!"

Flat and still with some good shine, it's also smoother to the touch than that back side would lead you to believe, though certainly not as smooth as some of my other copies in this listing.  Edge and corner wear is beginning to show on this one, as are a couple of fold remnants, as is plain enough to see in the photos.  The initials "MGD" are hand-written below the title (easily seen).

Spine shows evidence of a number of readings -- it's all there to be seen in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Also, the staples are beginning to show some rust.

Back side has a significant coating of surface build-up and is not as smooth as the front, though if you hold it up to the light, it's hardly wrinkled or anything -- it just got left out a while before being properly stored away.  "Staining and soiling" are the words you'd find in a grading guide to describe this.

As for the pages, they're off-white still and look fine -- all are attached, and so is the cover, though I'd handle that carefully.

Bottom line is that the back side certainly drags this down, but it's hardly a beat-up reader either -- didn't feel like a true VG/FN copy either, so I demoted a half-step further still.  A lower-grade copy you can still read and looks decent on the front.

05/73 - by Gerry Conway/John Buscema, vs Dragon Man, Medusa app - "A Dragon Stalks the Skies"

Obviously on the lower-end of the spectrum, this copy is shiny enough still but has noticeable wrinkling and obvious edge wear.  Turning it to the side to eyeball the spine shows that split that I highlighted in the photo, and I see that someone attempted to repair the cover by adding two extra staples (see centerfold shot).  Cover is detached at the upper staple still and barely hanging on by a thread at the lower one (you'll want to be real careful with that).  Back shows wrinkling as well and some extensive wear.  "THE BOOK FACTORY" stamp is easily seen in the photo.  As for the pages, they're off-white and mostly seem to be okay.

Bottom line is that this is a clear reader copy.  If condition matters to you, then don't buy this one, but if you're just looking to plug a hole in your run, it ought to do fine.

06/73 - by Gerry Conway/John Buscema, vs Dragon Man, Medusa - "The Eternity Machine"

Good grief, what a terrific copy that's flat, super-shiny still and just about as smooth as glass! Only the most minor edge wear can be detected (see upper-left corner for instance).  Spine is flat, tight and has almost no spine ticks at all.  Check out the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided, and see that the solid black line is almost unbroken there.  Back cover is still sleek, shiny and remains near white even after almost a half-century, with only the faintest trace of any surface build-up.  Pages are off-white and look great.

Bottom line -- it isn't a pristine copy or anything as any examination of the upper edge with a magnifying glass will immediately show, but dang, if you're looking for high-grade, this should certainly qualify!

07/73 - by Roy Thomas/Gerry Conway/John Buscema, Medusa, vs Shaper of Worlds - "Rock Around the Cosmos!"

Wow, a flat, super-shiny and remarkably smooth copy (good luck finding any wrinkles on this baby) with virtually no edge wear at all (zoom in on that all-black background all you like, and you'll find next to nothing).  Spine shows only the most minor wear with a couple of light ticks easily seen in the photos.  Staples are centered, solid and look good all the way through to the centerfold.  Back cover sleek and shiny too and still near-white with only a touch of build-up right along the spine, which you can make out in the photo.  Pages are off-white, even leaning toward white here and there.

On the not-perfect side of things, there's a small smudge mark just above and to the right of the text "COMETH!" on the bottom edge which you can see in the photo.

Bottom line -- by no means is this a pristine copy or anything, but it is absolutely in the high-grade camp!

08/73 - by Gerry Conway/Roy Thomas/John Buscema, vs Shaper of Worlds, Medusa, Glorian app - "Rumble on Planet 3"

Flat, with excellent shine, and very smooth to the touch, book has next to no edge wear, and spine shows only minimal wear as well.  Back is mostly clear with a only a touch of surface build-up, but as you can see, has one soiling dot just to the left of the man's face -- something dripped there decades ago.  Pages off-white and look great.

Book would be right about VF, but we need to deduct for that one spot...

09/73 - by Gerry Conway/John Buscema, vs Miracle Man, Medusa app - "Madness is... the Miracle Man!"

Book is still shiny with very smooth surface, with minimal edge wear.  Spine shows that the book was held firmly during initial reading, and the pages may well have been folded over, causing a hint of a roll (see view from bottom).  Staples discolored and upper one hinting toward rust, but both are attached and go all the way through to the centerfold.  Back side is mostly clean and still near-white, also with only minimal wear.  But you can see evidence of the light roll here as well.  Inner pages are easily off-white and structurally solid.

Bottom line is that this copy won't impress anyone, but it's a solid enough upper-mid-grade copy that still presents nicely in its bag and board.

10/73 - by Gerry Conway/John Buscema, vs Miracle Man - "Target:  Tomorrow!"

Flat, shiny as ever and very smooth, this copy has only minimal edge wear, no color-breaking folds or creases, a flat and tight spine that shows only a couple of little ticks, and pages that are easily off-white.  It fails to make it to VF however due to a bit of smudging on the back side (concentrated in the coupon area, only slightly noticeable in photo, but easily seen when you hold the book up to the light), and a touch of foxing along the lower edge.  Despite this, the book is still in great overall shape and definitely upper-mid-grade, but it might have challenged for VF/NM, but here we are at VF- instead.

by Gerry Conway/John Buscema, Origin of Annihilus, Medusa, Agatha Harkness - "Annihilus Revealed"

Flat, still with good shine, and mostly smooth to the touch (though not entirely, with very minimal wrinkling), it has moderate edge wear, and you can see clearly enough some fold remnants on that front cover.  Spine shows evidence of two or three readings, and back has the surface build-up to go with it but otherwise remains almost white.  Pages are off-white and solid -- you can see a bit of fold evidence there at the upper-edges on some, but mostly ship-shape, and everything is attached.

All-in-all, a solid mid-grade copy.

12/73 - by Gerry Conway/John Buscema, vs Annihilus, Medusa, Agatha Harkness, Franklin Richards depowered - "The End of the Fantastic Four!"

Gosh, you'd swear this was a brand-new copy that's got a flat surface, astonishing shine and is about as smooth to the touch as glass! Back cover seems to be still pure white and clean! Spine does show a touch of wear that keeps this away from NM with minor discoloration in the staples.  And the pages are off-white and look terrific!

But the upper staple is pulled away from the centerfold page enough that I was able to carefully slide a pencil in there enough to lift it in order to take that one photo.  Make no mistake -- that page is not going anywhere and is very secure, but I did want to point that out.  The grading guide for VF includes the text "Centerfold is mostly secure" and that certainly qualifies here, so I had to demote it to VF, or else it certainly would have landed at VF/NM.

So if you want an almost new looking copy and are okay with the one defect I pointed, out, perhaps this can work for you.

01/74 - Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, Medusa app, 1st app Lord Darkoth (Desmond Pitt) - "No Friend Beside Him!"

A well-preserved, though admittedly not perfect copy that's flat, still with great shine, and almost as smooth as glass! Edge wear is minimal, with most being the slightly-stressed lower-left corner.  Spine wear also very minimal with only a couple of small color-breaks (see close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided and note the solid black line that runs down its length, helping you to see them).

Back is still near-white and shows a touch of foxing on extreme edges and a bit of surface build-up along spine.  Inner pages close to white still and look great.

Bottom line is a book that has been handled and gently read just enough to keep it under NM, but a high-quality copy nonetheless.

02/74 - by Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, vs Doctor Doom, Darkoth app, Medusa - "The Terrible Triumph of Doctor Doom!" -- one of my favorite FF covers of all time!

My goodness, what a shiny cover this one has -- boy! Flat, shiny as any new copy and almost as smooth as glass, you could put this one up on the shelf at a comic store today and at first glance, mistake it for a new copy.  Giving it a closer look though shows you it isn't perfect with that faint vertical line extending down from the CCA box (it's perfectly smooth though, so that might be a priting anomaly).  Also, the spine has the one or two little ticks that suggest it might have been very gently read through.

Back is still white and has a hint of foxing at lower-left corner.  Pages are still close to white themselves and look great!

So no, it's not pristine, but dang does it ever look...er...fantastic!

03/74 - by Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, vs Dr. Doom, Medusa app, Darkoth app - "Attack!"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- this is a really nice high-grade copy that's about perfectly flat, still shiny and just about as smooth as glass.  Wear on the spine is almost non-existent, though I note the lower staple wasn't centered perfectly, which led to that dip in the page you see easily in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Back is in excellent shape with only slight fading after almost a half-century of storage.  Pages are easily off-white and look great -- well-preserved copy!

Oh, lest we forget, it appears someone jotted down the date of purchase on the inside back cover which reads "01-23-1974" (which would be about right) -- note also you can see a touch of that faded back from this side as well, so not perfectly white.

04/74 - by Gerry Conway/Ross Andru, Medusa app, 1st app Ternak and Master of the Chosen - "Nightmare in the Snow"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- flat with great shine and about as smooth to the touch as you could ever hope for after almost a half-century, this is a quality copy that has only minor edge and spine wear (light evidence of having been read before, not to mention the razor-thin fold remnant in the front lower-right corner), a back that's still near-white, a surface that shows only a tiny smudge or two when you hold it up to the light, and pages that are still off-white and look great! It shows just enough wear to block it from being even full VF, but it is still a solid upper-mid-grade copy!

05/74 - by Gerry Conway/Ross Andru, Medusa app - "Doomsday at 200-Degrees Below!"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- wow! What a flat, shiny and smooth copy (you likely won't find one that's smoother than this baby)! It is slick and shiny as any new copy with a spine that shows almost no wear at all (just a touch that knocks it down from full NM), a back that's still about as white as it must have been nearly a half-century with only a light touch of any build-up right along that spine.  Pages aren't quite white anymore, but dang they're still very nice!

This one isn't absolutely pristine or anything, but make no mistake -- this is a top-notch specimen!

06/74 - by Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, vs Namor the Sub-Mariner - "The Sub-Mariner Strikes!"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- flat, shiny and smooth as a brand new copy, this one presents almost as VF/NM with only minimal spine wear, white clean back and off-white pages that look great.  But the small tear on the upper-left edge of back (see circled area in the one photo) drag this one back down to earth, and I somewhat brutally lowered it down to FN/VF as a result.  Still, if you're looking for a super-nice-looking copy, you can hardly go wrong with this baby!

07/74 - by Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, vs Frightful Four, Thundra app, Sub-Mariner app - "War on the Thirty-Sixth Floor!"

This one presents initially as a NM copy that's barely been handled at all -- flat, shiny and smooth as ever with a back that's still white with off-white pages that look great.  But some rust migration on the staples and a light smudge on the back in the coupon area prevent it from even making it all the way to VF.

08/74 - by Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, Sub-Mariner app, Medusa app, Thundra app, Triton app - "To Love, Honor, and Destroy!"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- flat, smooth and still shiny, this copy was obviously resold (as evidenced by the pencilled "2.00" on the upper-right of splash page).  But good grief, it's a higher-end copy with only a few color breaks along spine (easily seen in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided).  Back is still nearly white and mostly clean, and pages are about the same -- not quite white, but not far off! Certainly not NM due to the small bit of spine wear and touch of surface build-up, but very nice nonetheless.

09/74 - by Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, Marriage of Quicksilver and Crystal, featuring the Avengers, the Inhumans and the first appearance of Ultron-7! - "Ultron-7:  He'll Rule the World!"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- flat, shiny and very smooth copy that has one vertical (and visible) crease right over Ultron's right hand on the cover (plainly seen) and evidence on spine of having been read two or three times -- see close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided -- complete with the moderate wear and spine ticks you would expect, particularly near the upper staple.  Back is still near white and has a touch of build-up.  Pages in excellent shape and still off-white.

This copy is easily above mid-grade, but I thought it had a tad too much wear to elevate to FN/VF, even though it is very nice overall.

10/74 - by Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, Origin of Thundra, 1st app Mahkizmo the Nuclear Man - "Thundra and Lightning!, Part 1"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- book is flat and still has a bit of shine.  Surface is mostly, but not entirely smooth.  Edge and corner wear is plain enough to see in the photos -- that upper-right corner is missing its tip; the extreme right edge has some chipping, and otherwise a couple of faint fold remnants.  A lightly-stamped store mark is visible in the upper-left corner.

Spine shows that this copy has had multiple prior readings with the wear and ticks you see in the close-up, in-your-face side photos.  Back has faded a bit and picked up some surface build-up, which you can see also, but otherwise seems in solid overall shape.

Pages are cream to off-white, and they all looked good when I carefullly leafed through the book, with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is a solid, but certainly below mid-grade copy that won't impress anyone, but also won't embarrass either.

11/74 - by Gerry Conway/Rich Buckler, vs Mahkizmo the Nuclear Man, Thundra app - "Thundra and Lightning!, Part 2; A World of Madness Made" -- and don't miss the famous splash panel of Reed Richards with three hands -- oops!

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- a flat copy that still has excellent shine to it, and is almost completely smooth to the touch, with hardly a wrinkle to be found.  Some light edge and corner wear is beginning to show, which you can make out in the photos.  Spine shows evidence of a light reading or two and has some ticks, which are easy to see in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Staples no longer shiny (slightly discolored).

Back faded only slightly and has picked up some surface build-up, which is plain enough in the photos.  A small touch of color loss right in the middle of the yellow coupon at the text "BUSINESS REPLY MAIL" which you can see if you zoom in.  Pages are still off-white, and they all looked great when I carefullly leafed through the book, with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this clearly falls short of VF, but also seems just as clearly better than straight-up mid-grade, putting it as a solid upper-mid-grade copy.

12/74 - by Tony Isabella/Rich Buckler, vs Mahkizmo the Nuclear Man, Thundra app - "Worlds in Collision!"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- a flat, still nice and shiny copy that's quite smooth to the touch.  Only very moderate edge and corner wear, as you can see in the photos.  Spine still looks very solid and tight with minimal wear in all places except one rougher spot near bottom corner, which you can see easily enough in the close-up, in-your-face side photos.

Back cover hardly faded, also with only moderate wear and not much build-up -- just a touch closer to the spine side.  When I hold the book up to the light, I note a smudge mark in the yellow coupon area just above the text RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT (which is almost imperceptible in the photo), and I can feel that too with my finger, so it's not perfect or anything.

Inner pages are easily off-white, and they all looked good when I carefullly leafed through it with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that it looked like it might be close to VF- when I first picked it up, but my closer examination prevents that grade and keeps it at a more standard upper-mid-grade copy that's solid enough, even if not perfect, and displays well.

01/75 - by Len Wein/Bob Brown, vs Mystery Mask, Partial reprint of Strange Tales #127 - "The Man in the Mystery Mask!"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- flat, still shiny copy that's almost entirely smooth to the touch.  Only very minor edge and corner wear.  There's a faint vertical black line that runs down the length of the right third of the front cover, which appears to be a printing anomaly since it seems perfectly smooth.

Spine shows evidence of a prior reading or two with some little ticks visible in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Back cover still near-white but has some surface build-up you can see in the photo, mostly on the right side, and in that lower-right corner, you can see one stain spot, which I can feel with my finger -- like a drop of something fell there and someone immediately wiped it off -- so not a perfect back.

Inner pages are off-white, and they all looked good when I carefullly leafed through the book with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this is an upper-mid-grade copy that's solid and displays well.

02/75 - by Len Wein/Rich Buckler, vs Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer app, Shalla-Bal app - "Battle Royal"

Marvel Value Stamp MISSING (see photo), so copy is INCOMPLETE and grade is QUALIFIED -- book is flat and still has some shine to it, though certainly reduced.  Surface is mostly but not entirely smooth to the touch.  Moderate edge and corner wear is easily seen in the various photos, showing that this book has been read two or three times before.  Spine shows this as well.

Back cover is slightly faded and has a coating of surface build-up, which is also easily seen.  Page off-white, and other than the missing MVS, they all looked good when I carefully leafed through it, with everything still attached.

Bottom line is that this would have make it as your average run-of-the-mill mid-grade copy, but it would come back from CGC with that green "INCOMPLETE" label, so if you can live with that, this copy isn't half-bad and will at least work as a gap-filler copy.

03/75 - by Roy Thomas, Len Wein/Rich Buckler, vs Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer app, Shalla-Bal app - "Middle Game"

Flat, wonderfully shiny still and seemingly wrinkle-free (nearly as smooth as glass), this one shows only the most minor edge and corner wear with only the very tip of that lower-right corner showing any signs of fold or crease marks (and you'll have to use max zoom and squint to even see it).  Spine is nearly, but not entirely perfect, and I note at least one tick to the far left of Doom's right arm and a minor stress point just above the upper staple.

Back is still white, again only with faint wear, though I note a light trace of some surface build-up, which you can catch glimpses of in the photo, particularly in the lower-right corner.  Pages are easily off-white, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through it with everything nicely attached -- no problems there.

Bottom line is that this one isn't pristine anymore, but it's certainly a high-grade copy, with the touch of build-up keeping it from NM-, but it's right there on the cusp....

04/75 - by Roy Thomas/Len Wein/Rich Buckler, vs Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer and Mephisto app, Shalla-Bal app - "And Now the Endgame Cometh"

Flat with excellent shine and a wonderfully smooth surface (almost like glass), you can see in the photos that this one has next to no edge and corner wear.  Spine does have just enough ticks to keep this one from qualifying for NM, but you can see from the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided that the wear here is minor and book appears hardly handled at all.

Background of back cover still seems white, and the surface appears almost completely free of build-up, perhaps not perfectly, but again, any signs of any handling is surely quite minor.  Pages are off-white, and they all looked great when I carefully leafed through the book with everything attached -- no problems there.

Bottom line is that this is a high-grade copy even if the ticks keep it from being absolutely pristine -- wow!

05/75 - by Roy Thomas/Rich Buckler, vs Xemu, Medusa, Quicksilver app - "Invasion from the 5th (Count It 5th) Dimension!"

Flat and still with a nice shine, this copy is wonderfully smooth to the touch with hardly a wrinkle in sight.  Edge and corner wear is moderate.  Hardly faded at all, so background is still near-white -- though I note the extreme edges have faded a bit and show some evidence of foxing, both on the front and back.  Bottom-left corner is particularly blunted, which you can see easily enough in the photos.  Spine shows evidence of a prior reading -- see the little ticks and minor wear in the close-up, in-your-face side photos.  Back cover also still near-white and has only minimal build-up, but see that touch of foxing in the lower-left area.  Pages off-white, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through the book.

Bottom line is that this is quite clearly better than a straight-up mid-grade copy but also just a clearly doesn't elevant to VF, so right about in-between seemed the right way to go.

06/75 - by Roy Thomas/Rich Buckler, vs Xemu, Black Bolt, Crystal, Quicksilver and the Inhuman app, Medusa resigns from team as Sue rejoins - "Havok in the Hidden Land"

Marvel Value Stamp MISSING (see photo), so copy is INCOMPLETE and grade is QUALIFIED -- book is flat and still has nice shine, with an almost completely smooth surface.  Has a couple of visible color-breaking fold marks and a touch of edge wear that drag it below VF for sure.  Spine lowers it a bit more, with the various ticks you can easily see in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Still tight, it has been read at least a couple of times before.

Back is still near-white, and you can see the light bit of surface build-up present.  Pages off-white, and other than the missing MVS, they all looked good when I carefully leafed through it, with everything still attached.

Bottom line is that this would still just make it as an upper-mid-grade copy, but it would come back from CGC with that green "INCOMPLETE" label, so if you can live with that, this is a decent copy that surely will at least work as a gap-filler copy that still looks nice.

06/75 - by Roy Thomas/Rich Buckler, vs Xemu, Black Bolt, Crystal, Quicksilver and the Inhuman app, Medusa resigns from team as Sue rejoins - "Havok in the Hidden Land"

Marvel Value Stamp MISSING (see photo), so copy is INCOMPLETE

Let's be clear here -- not only is the MVS missing, but the original owner simply removed the letters page entirely.  When I paged through it, looking for the MVS and never encountered it, I had to get out another copy of the book to compare, and I finally found out what happened (see comparison photo with that other copy, which also is missing the MVS).  They removed that entire page somehow -- cleanly enough that I didn't even notice -- and re-stapled the spine, so this copy also has two extra staples.  Note that the story is unaffected, so that's something at least.

As for the book itself, it has obviously been read and handled multiple times and has lots of wrinkling.  Remaining pages all seem to be fine, and everything is attached (perhaps with the help of those extra staples).  It's clearly a reader copy -- no question about it.  I marked it in GD condition as an overall grade -- but "low-grade" sums it up nicely.

07/75 - by Roy Thomas/John Buscema, Thing (Reed Richards of Earth-721, or the "5th dimension"), Arkon the Magnificent app, Lockjaw app, Crystal/Quicksilver cameo app, 1st app Albert DeVoor - "In One World and Out the Other"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- book is flat, still with a nice shine to it, and wonderfully smooth with almost no wrinkling.  Edge wear is minimal, as you can see in the photos, with no fold or crease marks detected.  Spine shows evidence of a couple of prior readings with various ticks and minor stress lines near staples -- see close-up, in-your-face side photos.

Back shows only minimal fading, but still close to white.  No smudges detected when I hold the book up to the light.  Some light build-up present and a hint of foxing near lower edge.  Pages off-white, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through the book with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this is above mid-grade but has way too many spine ticks to elevate anywhere close to VF, so I split the difference.  A solid upper-mid-grade copy.

10/75 - by Roy Thomas/Rich Buckler, vs Gaard (and you just have to laugh at the hockey-themed uniform in space!), vs Arkon the Magnificent - "Finale; Arkon at Bay; Victory in Hyper-Space"

Copy is flat with good shine still and mostly (though not perfectly) smooth to the touch.  Moderate edge and corner wear is easily enough to spot in the photos, slightly blunted corners, a spine that clearly shows evidence of a prior reading or two.  Back cover has some light build-up, a small 3/16" tear on the upper edge, and a couple of little spots of soiling near the bottom edge (see photo).  Pages are solidly off-white, and they all look nice and attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this is a structurally sound but pretty average copy, and "minor staining, soiling, discoloration, and/or foxing" is allowed on FN copies, and that definitely seems to be the case here, so a mid-grade copy it is then.

11/75 - by Roy Thomas/George Perez, with Jack Kirby cover, 1st app Crusader (Marvel Boy); 1st app Frankie Raye (later becomes Nova, herald of Galactus) - "The Crusader Syndrome"

Flat copy that still has plenty of shine, and still very smooth to the touch.  A little bit of edge and corner wear showing, including a tiny stain at top upper edge that's visible in photo.  Spine shows evidence of prior readings but even with a few little ticks, is in good shape -- however, the upper staple has pulled through and is not attached to the cover (see below for more).

Back cover not quite white anymore, showing a little bit of fading, and a couple of little smudges in the coupon area and a touch of surface build-up you can make out in the photos, keep it from being perfectly clean.

Pages easily off-white and in great shape, but as you can see in the one photo with the pencil, the upper staple is to be found a few wraps in, so a few are not attached to it.  I always page through Bronze Age books and saw this and pointed it out, so in the parlance of the FN/VF grading guide where "Centerfold is mostly secure" and the FN verbiage where it says "Centerfold may be loose" -- we're sort of in limbo as to what this means.

Seeing as how the book is in no way, shape or form coming apart, and all pages and cover are at least securely attached to at least one staple -- I'll mark this as below mid-grade and move on.  Consider it a a qualified FN grade of a KEY ISSUE where you can pick it up at a more affordable price than any higher-grade copy would run you.

01/76 - by Roy Thomas/George Perez, vs Hulk - "If It's Tuesday, This Must Be the Hulk!"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- there's little doubt that the front cover of this one is flat, still with great shine and about as smooth a copy as you're likely to find.  A small bit of color-breaking edge and corner wear is visible in the photos, so that pretty much disqualifies it as VF, and the wear on the spine also keeps it just below that.

Pages are off-white, even hinting toward white here and there, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through it.

But it's the back cover that's got more wear along the spine, and the obvious coating of surface build-up is what ultimately dropped this one below upper-mid-grade.

Don't get me wrong -- this is still a very solid copy and certainly still seems better than mid-grade (and incidentally looks great in its bag and board), but the back cover, even though still fairly smooth, was obviously left lying around too long before being properly stored away.

02/76 - by Roy Thomas/George Perez, with Jack Kirby cover, vs Hulk - "Titans Two"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- While this is a pretty solid upper-mid-grade copy with a flat, still shiny and very smooth surface with little-to-no edge wear, as you can see, someone at the store got a little carried away with the "25" stamp and went "stamp-happy" -- deciding that the cover price wasn't quite obvious enough on its own.  I think you pretty much get the idea what I mean with only a single glance at the cover, so that's a bit of a drawback here.

As for the rest of the book, corners slightly blunted, spine is in nice shape, as you can see in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided.  Back cover is still just about white, and pages are off-white and seem to be in great shape (of course, I leafed through it to check for that MVS, as I do all 25 cent Marvels).

Bottom line -- structurally, this is no question close to a VF copy, but we have to account for the...ahem..."store mark" -- given that they went seriously overboard, I've no choice but to give this one a very qualified VF- grade.

03/76 - by Roy Thomas/Rich Buckler, vs Wrecker; Thing replaced by Luke Cage (Power Man) - "Where Have all the Powers Gone?"

Wow, a very nice and flat copy that seems to be about as shiny as it must have been when brand new over 45 years ago! Still almost as smooth as glass too, you can see in the photos there's hardly any edge wear, no fold or crease marks, corners only ever-so-slightly blunted.  Spine isn't pristine, as you can just make out a handful of little ticks (for example, right near Power Man's right fist), but definitely hardly worn.  Back isn't perfectly white anymore, but has only faint surface build-up, mostly right near spine, and otherwise looks great.  Pages about the same -- not quite white anymore, but not far off.

Oh, lest I forget, on the inner back cover is a hand-written "12-12-1975" (see photo) to note the original owner's purchase date (which is just about right) -- that's easy to miss since it's very neatly printed.

Bottom line -- this is a high-grade copy that admittedly isn't NM, but it sure isn't far behind! And boy does it ever look sensational in the fresh, new bag and board I just put it in!

04/76 - by Roy Thomas/Rich Buckler, Luke Cage, Power Man app - "Five Characters in Search of a Madman!" (nice nod to the similarly-named Twilight Zone episode by the way)

Not a perfect copy, as the close-up, in-your-face side photos reveal some ticks that are just a hair too much for a full VF grade, but this flat, still shiny and wonderfully smooth copy is solidly upper-mid-grade with minimal edge wear, a back that is still white and virtually clean, and pages that are themselves near-white!

If you're looking for a high-grade copy, this one swings....and misses...but not by a heck of a lot!

05/76 - by Roy Thomas/George Perez, Luke Cage, Power Man app, Pupper Master app - "A Sky-Full of Fear"

Marvel Value Stamp Intact -- flat and still shiny copy that has a wonderfully smooth surface and only minimal edge wear (for instance, see edge just to the right of Mr. Fantastic's head in the title area -- that kind of minimal).  Corners look good, and anyone who takes a peek at the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided will have to agree that the spine wear is also minimal.

Back is still near-white and clean for the most part, though there are a couple of little surface marks near spine area (near upper staple and bottom edge) that show in photos.  You can also see the little bit of printing ink spillover on top edge -- not a blemish -- just some stray ink from printing.

Pages are easily off-white, and they all looked good when I carefully leafed through the book.

Bottom line -- doesn't elevate to VF due to the not-perfect edge and couple of back specks, but very solid upper-mid-grade one nonetheless.

06/76 - by Carla Conway/Roy Thomas/George Perez/Rich Buckler, 1st app Gorr - "Death is a Golden Gorilla!"

Presents as at least FN/VF from the front (making this a solid display copy) that shows moderate edge wear on both corners and spine with the color-breaking lines/fold marks you'd expect to find from a couple of readings.  Still bright and quite smooth with no real wrinkling to speak of, and pages that are at least off-white, it nonetheless drops to below mid-grade due to the moisture remnant in the upper-left corner of the back (visible in photo).  That left each page slightly stained (you can see it in the upper-right of the splash page shot and on the inside of the front cover), so this lowers it a couple of grades.  Pages seem to be flat with no warping detected, even when viewing them from the top edge, so it's a solid enough copy that just had this unfortunate mishap.  Clearly much better than your standard reader copy, so VG/FN it is.

10/76 - by Roy Thomas/John Buscema, Galactus vs the High Evolutionary, Impossible Man, Gorr the Golden Gorilla app - "When Giants Walk The Sky!"

Definitely has the look of a book that's still bright and shiny, flat as can be, and almost as smooth as glass, with only the most minor wear here and there that prevent it from elevating to NM or even VF/NM status.  Slightly blunted corners and a few spine ticks also cap it at VF.

Back cover not quite perfectly white anymore after over 45 years and has a light touch of surface build-up, but the book seems free of smudges and has near-white pages that look great.

Again, no way this is NM, but it's nevertheless a high-grade copy.

11/76 - by Roy Thomas/George Perez - Impossible Man storms the Marvel Bullpen and meets Stan Lee and the rest of the gang, Frightful Four cameo app - "Improbable as it May Seem -- The Impossible Man is Back in Town!"

Flat, still with some good shine and very smooth to the touch, this copy has only light edge and spine wear, as you can see in the photos.  Spine is actually in excellent, albeit not NM shape and almost as nice as a VF copy.  Pages are off-white and are in excellent shape, and the back is also solid, with a light coating of build-up.  However, note the razor-thin horizontal crease line in the left part of coupon area, which keeps the back from being perfectly smooth.  Probably a result of the printing process, but it nevertheless drops this one from the VF- I originally thought it would be when I first picked it up down to a more pedestrian upper-mid-grade copy.  Still looks great as a display copy, and that panel of Stan Lee face-to-face with the Thing is priceless!

01/77 - by Roy Thomas/George Perez, vs Frightful Four -- Brute (Reed Richards of Counter-Earth), Sandman, Trapster, Wizard, Impossible Man, Thundra, Tigra app, 1st cameo app of future President Ronald Reagan in Marvel Comics, Reed loses his stretching ability - "Call My Killer the Brute!"

Flat and still with great shine, this wonderfully smooth copy has only minimal edge wear (but just enough to drop it below VF), a spine that is almost free of spine ticks or stress line (check out those close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided), and only the slight fading on the back cover again knocks this down another half-step, but you see only some minor surface build-up.  Pages off-white and still look good, with everything attached.

Bottom line is that this is a solid upper-mid-grade copy that won't disappoint. 
Looks fabulous in the new bag and board I put it in -- wow!

02/77 - Roy Thomas/Gerry Conway/Ron Wilson, Brute app (as Reed Richards of Counter-Earth), Tigra app, Thundra app, Impossible Man app - "A Robinson Crusoe in the Negative Zone!"

Great copy -- close to high-grade with flat and very shiny surface, still almost completely smooth to the touch too! Edge and spine wear are very minimal, but just enough to keep this slightly below VF.  Back cover still white and appears clean, and pages off-white and solid, and other than a bit of stray bit of printer you see on the top-right of that splash page, all looks good with everything nicely attached.

Bottom line is that the tiniest of little color-breaking corner imperfections are the only things that stand between this and a high-grade VF rating, but make no mistake, you aren'y likely to find a nicer upper-mid-grade copy!

03/77 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby - new cover, reprint of FF #101 - "Bedlam in the Baxter Building"

Looks like a solid mid-grade or better copy from front and spine -- flat and smooth with only moderate wear and nice pages, but a touch of soiling on the left half of the back cover (visible in photo) cause this to tumble down about a grade-and-a-half or so.  Better than a reader, but clearly no longer mid-grade.

08/77 - by Len Wein/George Perez, 2nd app Witches of New Salem, 1st app Nicholas Scratch - "Here There Be Witches!"

Flat and still with some shine, its surface is mostly, but not entirely smooth, and you can feel a couple of the little bits of smudges that are visible.  Edge and corner wear is minor, with no fold or crease marks.  Spine wear is moderate, as you can see in the close-up, in-your-face side photos.  It's the back cover that's picked up the most surface build-up, and you can make out some of it pretty easily in the photo.  Inner pages are off-white, and they all look good enough.

Bottom line is that I'd say this is structurally a FN/VF copy, but the bits of smudges and build-up push it down closer to mid-grade.  Still a solid copy.

09/77 - by Len Wein/George Perez, 1st app Salem's Seven - "Enter:  Salem's Seven!"

Flat, still with some nice shine, and very smooth to the touch, this copy nonetheless shows the signs of a couple of readings (though it's astonishingly almost free of any wrinkling).  Moderate edge wear can be seen in the various photoss, most notably on the front right edge.  Spine shows the tell-tale ticks of prior readings as well, and back has picked up a bit of surface build-up, which is easy enough to spot in the photo, mainly along the spine edge.  Inner pages off-white and all look good.  A solid enough copy that's still above mid-grade.

11/77 - by Len Wein/George Prez, vs Molecule Man, Watcher app, Impossible Man app - "The Rampage of Reed Richards"

Flat, still with excellent shine, and about as smooth as can be, it's astonishing to think this book is 45 years-old.  It has no edge and corner wear that I can detect, and only right at the Thing's head on the spine is there any sign of wear, and that is so minimal, it is only detectable by the magnifying glass I used.  Check out the close-up, in-your-face side photos and see if you don't agree.

Back is still white and has only a trace of any surface build-up.  Pages are off-white, and they all looked great when I carefullly leafed through the book, with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this book isn't absolutely pristine like a 9.6 or better copy would be, but it is without question a slam-dunk high-grade copy, easily better than VF/NM.  I just put this baby in a fresh new bag and board, and....well...wow!

12/77 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, FF vs the Original Human Torch, Quasimodo app, Reprints Annual #4 - "The Torch That Was!"

Flat, shiny and very smooth copy that's been gently read before and is starting to show some minor edge and corner wear (just breaks color at corners, so prevents full VF grade).  Spine is in excellent shape, as you can see in the close-up, in-your-face side photos, with hardly any ticks.  Back cover is still near-white, with a spot or two of surface build-up, so not perfect or anything.  Pages are off-white, and they all looked good when I carefullly leafed through the book, with everything attached, so no problems there.

01/78 - by Marv Wolfman/Sal Buscema, FF origin retold - "The Way It Was"

Flat, still with good shine and very smooth, this copy looks like it was only gently handled, with only some light edge wear and some little spine ticks that show in the photos.  Back cover still near white with a touch of surface build-up.  Pages not quite white anymore but looked good.  A solid copy that remains high-grade, but surely not NM.

02/78 - by Len Wein/George Perez, vs Plunderer - "Four No More!"

Flat and still shiny copy that has been lightly read before.  Remains almost completely smooth but edges, corner and spine are starting to show light signs of wear.  Back cover has a touch of surface build-up and has one rough spot in upper-right edge (visible in photo if you zoom in).  Pages off-white and looked good.  Not even close to NM, but a solid copy that's surely a step down.

05/78 - by Bill Mantlo/Len Wein/Keith Pollard, Namor app, Impossible Man app, Diablo app --"Vengeance is Mine!"

Flat, still with great shine, and very smooth to the touch.  Only light edge and corner wear is to be found here, even against that dark background, though there is a faint whitish line just above the text "Doomed by Diablo!" Spine is almost, but not quite perfect, having a couple of razor-thin ticks -- see close-up, in-your-face side photos.

Back cover is still white, with a light bit of surface build-up, which you can make out in the photo.  Pages are off-white, and they all looked good when I carefullly leafed through the book, with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this is a high-quality copy, but certainly falls short of NM.

06/78 - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, Namor app, Dr. Doom app, Impossible Man app -- "Beware the Ravaging Retrievers!"

Flat, still with great shine, and about as smooth as you're likely to find, you can see that there's next to no edge or corner wear.  Spine shows only that it might have been lightly read once before, with only a little tick here or there -- see close-up, in-your-face side photos.  Back cover is still white, and only a trace of any build-up reveals that it was handled briefly before being stored away for the long decades ahead.  Pages are off-white, and they all looked good when I carefullly leafed through the book, with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this falls a hair short of NM, but is nonetheless a high-quality copy.

07/78 - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, Invincible Man app, Dr. Doom app, Agatha Harkness app - "Who in the World is the Invincible Man?"

Flat with a shine like a brand new copy, you'd never guess this is a 45 year-old book -- it's nearly as smooth as glass.  No edge or corner wear that I can detect.  Spine looks just about perfect too, with no discernable ticks, even under a magnifying glass (see close-up, in-your-face side photos).  Back is still white, and perhaps has the faintest trace of build-up along the spine (see lower-right corner) that the book was ever laid out anywhere but in the bag and board I got it in.  Pages are off-white, and they all looked great when I carefullly leafed through the book, with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this book could be placed on a comic book store shelf today and might be mistaken for a new copy.  It's not 9.6+ quality or anything, but it's certainly a high-grade!

09/78 - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, vs Doctor Doom - "Invasion!"

Wow, if this book was ever read before, it's difficult to tell -- flat, still shiny and smooth, only a couple of little spine ticks seem to be preventing this from grading at full NM, and I note a tiny smudge mark when I hold the book up to the light, so obviously no longer perfectly pristine or anything, but dang.  Wonderfully preserved copy, still with off-white pages that looked great when I carefully leafed through it.  To still look this good after 45-ish years...good grief!

10/78 - WHITMAN VARIANT - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, vs Doctor Doom (FF are reunited) - "The Son of Doctor Doom"

Flat, still shiny copy that's wonderfully smooth to the touch.  Book has apparently been read once though, as you can see some little ticks along spine (see close-up, in-your-face side photos).  Seems to have been printed with little color-breaking line in lower third of back left edge (see photo), though that spot still feels almost perfectly smooth.  Pages are off-white, and they all looked good when I carefullly leafed through the book, with everything attached, so no problems there.

Bottom line is that this is clearly no longer NM, but it's essentially only one step down.

11/78 - (Double-Sized 17th Anniversary Issue -- and Marvel's first 200th issue) - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, with Jack Kirby cover - Mr. Fantastic vs Dr. Doom! - "When Titans Clash!"

These square-bound book are notoriously difficult to keep in top condition, and this one has been read before, it seems.  But despite the no-longer-perfect spine (see the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided), it is flat, still with great shine, and about as smooth as you could ever hope for, with pages that are easily off-white and look great (I leafed through the whole copy).

Back cover has a touch of surface build-up, and there's no escaping those notorious "staple lumps" that you see on so many square-bound books, but it's held up pretty well, given that it's about 45 years old now!

Bottom line is that it's a pretty well-preserved, though admittedly not perfect copy that's easily upper-mid-grade still and looks nice in its bag and board!

12/78 - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, Quasimodo app - "Home Deadly Home"

Possibly read before (hint of a spine tick or two), this copy otherwise looks more like it might have been published last week with a flat, shiny and smooth surface, and off-white pages.  Great copy, even it not perfectly pristine.

01/79 - by Marv Wolfman/John Buscema, Iron Man app, vs Quasimodo - "There's One Iron Man Too Many!"

Book is flat, shiny, still with near-white pages, but some handling wear at upper staple and near UPC box reveal that it's been read a couple of times, leaving it a solid upper-mid-grade copy.

02/79 - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, vs Willie Evans, Franklin Richards app - "And a Child Shall Slay Them!"

High-grade copy that's been lightly read before -- still with near-white pages.

03/79 - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, FF vs the Skrulls, 1st app Nova Prime (Tanak Valt), 1st cameo app Nova Corps, 1st app Adora (Queen of Xandar), 1st app Skrull X - "The Andromeda Attack!"

Looks like a brand-new copy at first glance, with the terrific shine and smoothness you'd you expect, and pages still off-white.  Spine shows that the book has been lightly read, with some little ticks.  But a tiny speck on front cover (that shows in the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided), together with a touch of foxing and/or surface smudge at bottom of back inner cover prevent this one from elevating into the NM realm.  Still a high-quality copy.

04/79 - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, FF vs the Skrulls, Watcher app, 1st app Nova Corps (Group), 1st app Prime Thoran (Thoran Rul), later becomes "Protector" - "When Worlds Die!"

Wow! Book looks almost new at first glance -- flat, incredibly shiny and wonderfully smooth with off-white pages.  Only a close examination reveals the ever-so-slightly-blunted corner, a tiny spine tick near the UPC box and a touch of surface build-up near the back spine edge -- the only things holding this below full NM -- fabulously-preserved copy, even if no longer perfect.  Pretty darn good for a copy approaching 45 years old!

05/79 - by Marv Wolfman/Keith Pollard, FF vs the Skrulls, Nova app, Nova Prime app, Sphinx app, 1st app Empress R'Klll - "The Death of... the Fantastic Four!"

Wow, this is no 9.6 copy or anything (meaning you can hold it up to the light and find enough to prevent a NM+ grade), but boy is it ever flat, shiny and wonderfully smooth (even that upper-black background reveals virtually nothing), no spine ticks to speak of, an ever-so-slightly blunted upper corner that still is allowed on NM copies, a back that is clean and white, and off-white pages that show only the slightest hint of any handling, this not-quite-pristine copy is still nonetheless so well-preserved that I went with the NM grade anyway -- have a look for yourself -- like I said, not pristine, but dang...certainly no worse than NM-.

06/79 - by Marv Wolfman/Sal Buscema, Spider-Man app, vs Monocle - "Might of the Monocle!"

In what is, for all intents and purposes, a Marvel Team-Up issue (even to the point of having Sal Buscema doing the pencilling honors), this flat, very shiny and quite smooth copy with off-white pages shows just enough hints of handling wear and a handful of tiny spine ticks to block it from getting a full NM grade, so it's apparently been gently read before, but still remains a top-notch, even if not perfect copy.

07/79 - by Marv Wolfman/Sal Buscema, FF vs Sphinx, Nova app, 1st app New Champions of Xandar - "The Power of the Sphinx!"

Flat, shiny like a new copy and very smooth, with near-white pages, at first glance, this copy appears near-perfect, and only with a magnifying glass (or by zooming way in) can you see that the area around the upper staple has some very light wear.  High-grade copy? Absolutely! Pristine? Nope.  (And love that work by Sal Buscema on Nova again -- always a favorite of mine!)

08/79 - by Marv Wolfman/John Byrne (1st artwork on title), Galactus app, lead-up to 1st Terrax story, 1st app HERBIE the Robot - "Trapped in the Sargasso of Space!"

Still flat, shiny and very smooth, with off-white pages, it nonetheless has the feel of a book that has been lightly read.  Next to no wear on front cover, but back has a couple of foxing dots near left and lower edge, and one surface speck to the left of the Enterprise disk also shows if you look closely.  An excellent copy, to be sure, but it's not NM anymore.

09/79 - by Marv Wolfman/John Byrne, 2nd app Herbie, Galactus app, lead-up to 1st Terrax story -- "In Search of Galactus"

Flat, shiny and very smooth with off-white pages, you can in the photos that this one is nearly, but not-quite perfect, showing hints near the staples that it was handled gently before.  Back is still near-white and mostly clean, with just a touch of surface build-up near spine edge.  Not pristine, but still a high-grade copy.

11/79 - by Marv Wolfman/John Byrne, Galactus app, Terrax the Tamer app, Sphinx origin retold, Watcher app, Nova and the Champions of Xandar app - "The Battle of the Titans!"

Great-looking copy -- flat, shiny and smooth with off-white pages, and only a close examination reveals any evidence that it was handled before.  A tiny shiny-ish spot in mid-upper-back-edge that isn't quite smooth dragged this one down another half level (barely visible in photo -- I only noticed when I held the book up to the light and then ran my finger over it) -- so not perfect, but still a high-grade copy.

12/79 - by Marv Wolfman/John Byrne - Galactus app, Terrax the Tamer app, Sphinx app, Watcher app - "In Final Battle!"

A high-grade copy, but one that's been handled and lightly read before (see tiny spine ticks and upper-left corner for tell-tale signs).  Still clean with not-quite-white pages, it's very nice -- just not NM anymore.

01/80 - by Marv Wolfman/John Byrne, Death of Skrull X - "And Then There Was One!"

Looks fabulous - flat, still with great shine and smooth with not-quite-white pages, and only a close inspection of back edges shows much evidence at all that this one was handled (possibly lightly read) before.

02/80 - by Marv Wolfman/John Byrne, Blastaar app, 1st app/origin Futurist - "Blastaar!"

Book has clearly been handled before, and even though it remains flat and still has good shine left, with off-white pages, there are bits of surface debris (in the middle of Blastaar on the front, and more obviously on the top and left edges of the back) that drop this one to below mid-grade overall.

04/80 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne art, Blastaar app, Dazzler app, HERBIE app - "Masquerade!"

A roughly middle-of-the-road copy that still has some nice shine to it, but any close examination will show that it's been handled and read before.  Back is still near-white and has a touch of surface build-up, and pages off-white and look to be in good shape.

06/80 - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz, Sub-Mariner app, Captain Barracuda app, Thing pinup by Joe Sinnott - "Leviathans"

As you can see in the photos, this copy has been lightly handled before, leaving behind some tell-tale not-smooth areas.  However, it remains flat, still shiny with off-white pages and remains in the upper-mid-grade category.

07/80 - 1st John Byrne story on title and art, Avengers app, Vindicator app - "...And the Lights Went Out All Over the World!" -

Nearly, but not quite perfect copy -- flat, shiny and very smooth, with off-white pages, it only has a slightly more blunted upper spine corner than what I think is allowed preventing it from grading at full NM.  But boy -- hold this one up to the light, and you'll see how beautiful it is!

10/80 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz, Nicholas Scratch app, Salem's Seven app - "That a Child May Live... "

A ding on the lower-left spine (which you can see in the back photo) is the only thing that dropped this otherwise nice and shiny copy to below the NM- it might otherwise have been.  Pages are off-white.

11/80 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz, 1st app/origin Blind God, contains first-ever release of alternate (and rejected) cover to FF #3 by Jack Kirby, plus new FF pinup as well as reprinted Feature Pages and Pin-Ups - "The Darkfield Illumination"

A little bit of handling wear on lower spine indicates that this otherwise flat and shiny copy with off-white pages was read before.

12/80 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz, Thor app, Loki app, Odin app - "The Blind God's Tears"

Book is flat, shiny and smooth with off-white pages, and the only reason this isn't NM is the spine dimple you see near the upper-staple.  Otherwise hardly looks handled.

01/81 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz, Shogun Warriors app, 1st app Samurai Destroyer, - "The Samurai Destroyer"

Only faint traces that the book was ever handled -- still looks just about new, down to the nearly-white pages.

02/81 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz - "The Brain Parasites!"

Appears to have been lightly read -- looks almost new from the front.  Pages are off-white, but on the lower-left of back, in between the two Lego boxes, you can see where it was firmly held, leaving a not-smooth area.  Solid overall copy -- just not NM anymore.

03/81 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz, 1st app Ego-Spawn (Franklin Richards) - "Ego-Spawn"

Appears to have been lightly read -- no longer NM, but still in excellent overall shape, with off-white pages.

04/81 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz, 1st app Ebon Seeker, 1st app Firefrost - "The Thing From The Black Hole"

Only faint traces that the book was ever handled -- still looks just about new, with off-white to near-white pages.

05/81 - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz, Avengers app - "Firefrost And The Ebon Seeker"

Only faint traces that the book was ever handled -- still looks just about new, with off-white to near-white pages.

06/81 - by Doug Moench/Bill Sienkiewicz - 1st app Stygorr - "In All the Gathered Gloom!"

Book still looks almost new, perhaps lightly paged through with off-white to near-white pages.

07/81 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne's long run on title begins, inks are credited to "Bjorn Heyn" (anagram for John Byrne), vs Diablo and Elementals of Doom (1st app), Doctor Strange app, Frankie Raye app - "Back To The Basics!"

Very nice newsstand copy -- flat, still shiny and smooth with off-white pages, but back not perfect, as it appears it might have sat out for a bit before being properly stored -- some surface build-up present (visible in photo)

08/81 - by John Byrne, Human Torch vs Hammerhead - "Mission For A Dead Man!"

Looks just about brand new -- flat with great shine and smooth -- pages off-white.  You'd never guess this book was 40+ years-old!

09/81 - by John Byrne, vs Skip Collins?; Ego the Living Planet cameo app - "The Man With The Power!"

Looks pretty close to new -- flat, shiny and about as smooth as ever.  Back still white; pages not-quite-white.  It's no 9.6 copy or anything, but it's sure in amazing shape for a 40+ year-old copy!

10/81 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by John Byrne, vs and origin of Ego the Living Planet - "Four Against Ego!"

Book looks almost new -- flat, shiny and smooth with off-white pages.  More like it was published only recently than one that's 40+ years old.  It's no 9.6 copy, to be sure, but as newsstand copies go, but it doesn't disappoint!

11/81 - (Triple-Sized 20th Anniversary Issue) - by John Byrne, vs Doctor Doom, Origin of Fantastic Four retold - "Terror In A Tiny Town" -- also contains and Stan Lee/Jack Kirby story based on the 1970s FF cartoon (featuring HERBIE the robot) called "The Challenge of Dr. Doom!"

A flatter and smoother copy you're not likely to find, and still with some great shine to it, but the binding on this one didn't come out quite straight, which you can kind of see in the photos -- a subtle printing defect.  Back also though has a bit of fading, like it got left lying around for a while before finally being stored away properly.  Corners slightly blunted, and the pages are off-white.  All-in-all a book that doesn't hit the mark for full NM, so I lowered it a whole grade, which perhaps was a bit brutal, but it's a nice copy overall.

12/81 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by John Byrne, 1st app Julie Angel; 1st app Spinnerette; 1st app Solons - "The Eyes Have It!"

Book looks more like it was published last week than one 40+ years-old -- flat, still shiny and smooth as ever! Back is still near-white, and pages not-quite-white as well.  Only the slightest imperfection in lower-left corner near UPC box prevents a full NM grade (and it's only barely noticeable in the photo).

01/82 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne story/art, 1st app/origin Frankie Raye with powers and origin (becomes Nova, herald of Galactus), the Thing gets re-uglified, 1st app Ben's Aunt Petunia (unidentified, one-page) - "The Lady Is for Burning!"

"Near" mint seems to be the operative word on this NEWSSTAND VARIANT copy that otherwise looks close-to-perfect -- flat, still with great shine and wonderfully smooth with off-white page.  Only a hint on spine and back that it was ever opened before.  Well-preserved copy!

02/82 - by John Byrne story/art - 1st full app Ben's Aunt Petunia (2nd overall), Nova (Frankie Raye) app, Crystal, Quicksilver, Inhumans app - "Wendy's Friends"

A nearly-perfect copy that's flat with exceptional shine and about as smooth as glass! If there's any spine ticks, you'll need a magnifying glass to make them out.  Back is still white and clean (though I see a stray fleck of red spillover printer's ink you can make out in the photo, just above the word "BUILDER").  Pages not quite white, but not that far off, and I note a couple that the NM grading guide would put into "slight interior tears are allowed" camp (bottom margins only), so still no disqualification there.  It's certainly no 9.6 copy, but dang, is it ever well-preserved for a 40+ year-old book!

03/82 - John Byrne story/art, Inhumans app (Black Bolt, Medusa, Crystal, Quicksilver, etc), Watcher app, 1st app Luna (Luna Maximoff) - "Exodus"

Book essentialy looks just like it did when first published 40+ years ago -- flat, shiny and smooth, with off-white pages.  Fabulous copy! Only a small bit of stray ink left by the printing process in bottom left back corner, which falls into the "subtle bindery/printing defects" allowed by the NM grading guide (and is an exact match of another copy I have).

04/82 - John Byrne story/art, Black Panther app, Nick Fury app, Nova (Frankie Raye) app - "Render Unto Caesar!"

A nearly, but not-quite-perfect copy that's flat, shiny and smooth, with off-white pages.  Only close examination against that dark background (mainly at lower edge) reveals that this one doesn't quite elevate to full NM.

05/82 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne story/art, vs Terrax, Thor, Iron Man, Daredevil, Spider-Man all appear - "Terrax the Untamed"

For a newsstand copy, it looks like it might have been published last week, rather than the 40+ years it's actually been.  Flat, shiny and wonderfully smooth still with not-quite-white pages, there's almost nothing to point out here other an upper-left corner that isn't perfect and a small reddish drop of excess printer's ink you see in the coupon area of the back cover -- a printing "defect" if you will.  Small things like that are allowed, per the grading guide, but the corner prevents it from elevating to full NM.

06/82 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne story/art, Everyone vs Galactus!, Terrax, Avengers, Thor Iron Man, Captain America, Wasp, Dr. Strange, Daredevil, Spider-Man, etc - "Shall Earth Endure?"

One of the best newsstand copies you're likely to find, and I'm not sure it's ever even been opened before (other than by me to take that photo).  Flat, shiny as any new copy, and nearly as smooth as glass, with off-white pages, it seems like it might have been published last week rather than the 40+ years it actually has been! Only an ever-so-slight blunted lower-left front corner and a hint of a spine tick -- for a NEWSSTAND VARIANT copy, it's in fantastic shape, even if not absolutely pristine like a 9.6 or better one would be.

07/82 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne story/art, Galactus app, Avengers app, Doctor Strange app, 1st appearance of Frankie Raye as Nova (new herald of Galactus) - "Beginnings And Endings"

Flat, shiny, about as smooth as glass, off-white pages -- this is probably as good as you'll ever find when it comes to a NEWSSTAND VARIANT copy! Probably not 9.6 or better, but it's absolutely a CGC candidate!

10/82 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne story/art, 1st appearance of Dr. Doom II (Kristoff Vernard); Death of Zorba; contains letter from Richard and Wendy Pini (creators of ElfQuest) - "This Land Is Mine!"

Book looks nearly pristine, like it might have been published last week.  Flat, shiny, smooth as anything, with near-white pages.  Beautiful! So why not full NM? Take a look at the top back edge -- a not-perfect spot right up there, which I might have missed had I not held it up to the light.  Anyway, still one the best newsstand copies you're likely to find.

11/82 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne story/art, Inhumans app - "Nightmare!"

Gosh, the book looks like it might have just been published last week -- flat, shiny, smooth with off-white pages.  It's not 9.6 quality or anything -- take a look at the bottom-left of splash page, and you'll see that not everything is pristine, but dang, it's still a wonderful copy and one of the best NEWSSTAND copies you're likely to find.

12/82 - John Byrne story/art, Gladiator app, Skrulls app - "Man and Super-Man!"

Copy looks just about brand new -- if it was ever opened before I carefully paged through it to check the pages, there's no way to know.  Flat, shiny and smooth, with near-white pages, are you likely to find a better one?

03/83 - UNOPENED - John Byrne story/art (reads sideways, includes Tattooz), Annihilus app - "Cityscape"

Flat with beautiful shine, and almost as smooth as glass, and with the Tattoozz insert fully intact, this copy looks like it might have been published last week, and the only signs of any wear at all are a couple of almost microscopic spine ticks and a not-perfectly-smooth spot on back cover on the lower-right (over the "Super Cobra" box) -- you can see this also in the photo of the inner back cover.

So not absolutely perfect, but a high-quality copy -- and in the fresh new bag and board I just put it in, it looks every bit as "fantastic" as the name suggests!

04/83 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - John Byrne story/art, Annihilus app - "Quest"

Wow, this book looks essentially brand new -- a really nice NEWSSTAND VARIANT edition! Hard to believe this one is around 40 years old! Just about perfectly preserved!

06/83 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, vs Annihilus, Daredevil app - "Trapped!"

Looks like you might have just bought it last week -- just about perfectly preserved for the last 40 years!

07/83 - UNOPENED - John Byrne story/art, FF costume colors essentially inverted upon return from Negative Zone, vs Annihilus, Galactus app, Avengers app - "The Annihilation Gambit!"

Spine not absolutely perfect, but book was bought, taken home and immediately stored away unopened, so still looks terrific!

08/83 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Galactus destroys Skrull throne-world, Nova (Frankie Raye) app, Death app, Scarlet Witch/Vision app, Sue is pregnant - "Fragments"

You can tell it was bought and handled enough to get home, but it was immediately stored away unopened, so still looks terrific!

09/83 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, 1st time none of the FF appear in story; Doctor Doom app, Origin of Terrax the Tamer, Tomorrow Man, Iron Man, Captain America app, Galactus/Silver Surfer flashback app - "Interlude"

Sure, you can tell it was bought and handled enough to get home, but it was immediately stored away unopened, so still looks terrific!

10/83 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, vs Doctor Doom; Terrax the Tamer app, Silver Surfer cameo app - "Choices"

Looks essentially brand new, pages still near-white -- amazingly well-preserved after 4 decades!

11/83 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Death of Terrax (Tyros the Terrible), Sub-Mariner app, Silver Surfer app, Aunt May app - "When Titans Clash!"

Pretty much looks like you might have just bought it at the store.

01/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Origin of Galactus; John Byrne appears in story, Galactus app, Nova (Frankie Raye), Watcher app, Odin app, Majestrix Lilandra app - "The Trial Of Reed Richards"

Book looks just about brand new.

02/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne - "R. and R."

Book looks brand new.

03/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, FF #1 homage cover, vs Mole Man - "Inferno"

Book looks just about brand new.

04/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Team returns from Secret Wars; She-Hulk joins, Avenger app, 1st app Lyja (as Alicia Masters) - "The House that Reed Built; Home Are The Heroes"

Looks like it might have been published last week.

05/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne/Kerry Gammill, w/ She-Hulk, 1st app/origin Karisma (Mary Brown) - "Call Her Karisma!"

Book looks pretty much brand new.

06/84 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by John Byrne, w/ She-Hulk, Reed vs Doctor Octopus, Sue has a miscarriage - "A Small Loss"

Looks like it might have been published last week.

07/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Origin of She-Hulk, Hulk app, Doctor Octopus app - "The Masque of Doom!"

Looks like it might have been published last week.

08/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne (with input from Larry Niven), w/ She-Hulk, 1st cameo app Terminus; letters page contains letter written by Stan Lee himself - "Skyfall"

Book looks pretty much like it might have just been published.

10/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, w/ She-Hulk, 1st app Gormuu - "Happy Birthday Darling!" (And I have to give a little love to that awesome monster cover and the way Byrne drew the monster-oriented part of the book, which is very reminiscent of the way those books were drawn back in the 1960s -- fabulous job!

Book looks brand new.

11/84 - by John Byrne, w/ She-Hulk, 1st cameo app Nathaniel Richards, 1st app Cassandra Richards - "Cowboys And Idioms!"

Book pretty much looks like it might have just been published.

12/84 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, w/ She-Hulk; 1st appearance of Nathaniel Richards (Origin of Kang) - "Fathers And Others"

This book pretty much looks like it was just published.

01/85 - by John Byrne, Thing solo story, She-Hulk; Epilogue shows Spider-Man's alien symbiote costume escaping from the Baxter Building; story continued from The Thing #19 - "Monster Mash, Part 2"

Other than a minor imperfection in upper-right corner, this copy looks like it was just published.

02/85 - by John Byrne, She-Hulk - "The Naked Truth"

Other than minimal handling wear from perhaps a light reading, it still looks close to new.

03/85 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Black & White Cover, She-Hulk, Doctor Strange, Wong, Mephisto app - "Suffer a Witch to Live"

04/85 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, vs Mephisto; vs Dire Wraiths, Mephisto app, Doctor Strange, She-Hulk; Thing returns from Battleworld (to discover Johnny with Alicia) - "Back From Beyond"

05/85 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Origin of Doctor Doom; Kristoff becomes second Doctor Doom - "True Lies"

Looks just about brand new.

06/85 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by John Byrne, vs Doctor Doom, Psycho-Man app, Hate-Monger app - "Crack Of Doom!"

Looks just about new, like it might have been published last week.

07/85 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, 1st app Malice (Susan Richards becomes Malice), Hate-Monger app, Psycho-Man app - "Tell Them All They Love Must Die"

Looks pretty much brand new.

08/85 - by John Byrne, vs Malice (Sue Richards), Psycho-Man app, Hate-Monger app, Daredevil app (and I'm guessing the only reason he appears is so we can learn how he senses the Invisible Girl, which is unique -- because his presence in the story is otherwise unneeded) - "With Malice Towards All!"

Flat and shiny copy that looks almost new, still with near-white pages.

10/85 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, vs Psycho-Man - "Torment"

02/86 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, vs Invincile Man, Doctor Doom app, Wasp app - "Prisoner Of The Flesh"

Looks like it was bought brand new and handled long enough to get home and store away -- not quite perfect, but not far off.

03/86 - UNOPENED - John Byrne story/art, Doctor Doom vs. Beyonder; Secret Wars II cross-over, Wasp app - "Full Circle"

07/86 - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Adolf Hitler app, Nick Fury app - "The Man Who Dreamed The World!"

Looks like you might have just bought it last week!

11/86 - UNOPENED - by Roger Stern/Jerry Ordway, Tigra app - "Welcome To The Future!"

Looks essentially brand new, flat, shiny and smooth with near-white pages and only by holding up the back to the light can you detect any sign that it's not full NM.

11/86 (Double-Size 25th anniversary issue) - by Jim Shooter, Stan Lee/Barry Windsor-Smith, Kerry Gammill/Ron Frenz/Al Milgrom/John Buscema/Marc Silvestri/Jerry Ordway - "Homecoming!"

Book shows only faint signs of ever having been handled before and is flat, still with great shine with white pages.  Only when you hold it up to the light do you notice little tell-tales signs that it's not perfect, and I noted that the page binding wasn't perfect either, with a handful of them having razor-thin creases (all exactly in the same spot, which could only have been caused by a printing anomaly), so again, not a perfect copy or anything, but high-quality nonetheless.

12/86 - by Roger Stern/John Buscema - "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun!"

Book looks almost new, but you can see in one spine dimple that it was handled a bit before being stored away.  Flat, shiny and smooth with off-white pages.

01/87 - by Roger Stern/John Buscema - "Closer Than Brothers!"

Book looks like it might have been published only last week -- flat, shiny and smooth with off-white pages.

02/87 - by Roger Stern/John Buscema, She-Hulk vs Thing, Spider-Man app - "The Best Man"

Looks just about like a new copy -- flat, shiny and smooth with near-white pages.

03/87 - by Roger Stern/John Buscema, Wedding of Johnny Storm and Alicia Masters (Lyja) -- with a host of guest stars - "Dearly Beloved"

A nice copy that's flat and still shiny, but you can tell it's been lightly read through.  Still with almost-white pages.

04/87 - UNOPENED - by Roger Stern/Tom DeFalco/John Buscema, vs Wizard, Mad Thinker app - "Dark Dreams"

Looks like it might have just been purchased last week -- even down to the just-about-still-white pages! Excellent copy!

05/87 - UNOPENED - by Roger Stern/Tom Defalco/John Buscema - "And Who Shall Survive?!"

Book looks just about brand new, flat, shiny, smooth, and with pages that still appear close-to-white.

07/87 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/John Buscema, vs Quicksilver; Reed and Sue take leave of absence; Ben becomes leader of the FF - "Pressure Drop"

Book looks almost new, flat and shiny, even to pages that are virtually white still -- certainly no 9.6 copy or anything, but a very nice one.

08/87 - by Steve Englehart/John Buscema, Crystal, Quicksilver, Doctor Doom - "All In The Family!"

Still flat and shiny with off-white pages, but some foxing on UPC and and on back edges (all visible in photos) reveal that the book must have lain around a bit before being properly stored.

09/87 - by Steve Englehart/John Buscema, vs Diablo and the Elementals; Thing asks Ms. Marvel to join FF, new team begins, Inhumans app - "The Marvel Rage!"

Not quite up to NM, with some hints of prior handling on spine and a couple of corners -- pages still near-white.

10/87 - by Steve Englehart/John Buscema, vs Diablo; Crystal and new Ms. Marvel join team - "Good-Bye!"

Bright, still with great shine and near-white pages, you can still tell the book might have been lightly handled/read before, so misses the mark on full NM (see upper-back in particular).  Still a high-quality copy.

11/87 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/John Buscema, 1st app/origin Fasaud, Crystal, Ms. Marvel II - "Fasaud!"

Looks just about brand new, like it might have just come home from the store, with off-white pages.

12/87 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/John Buscema/Joe Sinnott, Crystal, Ms. Marvel II, vs Fasaud - "Danger On The Air!"

Looks just about brand new, like it might have just come home from the store, with near-white pages.

01/88 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, Ms. Marvel (Sharon Ventura) becomes She-Thing, vs Fausad - "Things to Come!"

Book is unopened, but back cover has a couple of diagonal creases (just visible in photo) that appear to have been caused by some printing anomaly that also show on inside back cover.  Otherwise the book looks brand new with off-white pages.

02/88 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, Black Panther app, Doctor Doom app, Ms. Marvel II, Crystal - "I Want to Die!"

Looks almost brand new, with near-white pages, and only in the lower-right corner do I see a hint of a fold remnant that's so faint you can barely make it out in the photo.

03/88 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, Fall of the Mutants Tie-In, Doctor Doom, X-Factor, Black Panther, Crystal, She-Thing - "The Turning Point!"

Looks essentially like you might have just bought it at the store a couple of days ago!

04/88 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Sal Buscema/Joe Sinnott, Black Panther app, Molecule Man, Moloids, Crystal, She-Thing - "The Tunnels of the Mole Man!"

Book looks virtually brand new with near-white pages.

05/88 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, vs Belasco, Master Pandemonium, Moloids - "The Scenic Route!"

Looks virtually brand new, with only that tiny little upper-left corner imperfection you see in the photo.

06/88 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, vs Master Pandemonium, Comet Man - "No Way Out!"

Looks just about brand new, with pages that are still near-white.

07/88 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, Ka-Zar app, Shanna the She-Devil, Comet Man, Master Pandemonium, Origin of Savage Land - "Cold Storage!"

Book looks just about brand new with off-white pages.

08/88 - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, Comet Man, Crystal, She-Thing, AIM app - "Last Kiss"

Book looks mostly brand new from the front and does not appear to have ever been opened, but back extreme edges show a touch of foxing you can see in the photos that show it probably sat a bit before being properly stored.

09/88 - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, vs Blastaar, Doctor Doom app, Molecule Man, Volcana - "Beyond the Pale!"

Looks brand new from the front, but I note a touch of fading on the extreme back edges (which you can just make out in the photo) and pages that aren't white anymore that this copy might have lain face down for a bit before being properly stored.  Doesn't appear to have been opened though.

03/89 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Keith Pollard, vs Kang the Conqueror; vs Necrodamus, Crystal app, Mantis app; Inferno - "I Die Like The Stars!"

Looks just about brand new -- about like it was published only recently and not 30+ years ago -- pages still white!

10/89 - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Rich Buckler, vs Ultron; Aron the Rogue Watcher app - "Good Dreams, Part 2; Menace of the Metal Man!"

Certainly no 9.6 copy by any means, but it's about as new-looking as most new comics you'd pick up at the store, which means that this one has been well preserved for a book approaching 35 years old!

11/89 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Steve Englehart/Rich Buckler, vs Dragon Man, Aron the Rogue Watcher - "The Dream Is Death, Part 1; Love's Labour Lost!"

Flat and shiny, this copy shows faint wear along spine that prevents a full NM grade, but an excellent NEWSSTAND VARIANT copy nonetheless!

11/89 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Steve Englehart/Rich Buckler, Walt Simonson, vs FF clones; vs Frightful Four; vs Wizard; vs Klaw; vs Titania; vs Hydro-Man; Avengers app - "The Dream Is Dead, Part 2"

A bit of handling wear near edges and spine (with a couple of little spots on back that show up on photo) reveal that this copy has been lightly handled, probably read before but mostly remains in good shape -- flat and shiny, still with off-white pages.

12/89 - UNOPENED - by Walt Simonson/Rich Buckler, vs Constrictor, Shocker, Beetle (i.e. "small-time" villains) - "Acts of Vengeance, Part 5; Shadows of Alarm!"

Looks just about brand new and is UNOPENED, but has a small upper-right corner bend you can see in all pictures.

12/89 to 01/90 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Walt Simonson (beginning his short, but notable run on the title), with Rich Buckler and Ron Lim.

FF vs a slew of "small-time" villains such as the vs Constrictor, Shocker, Beetle, the Eel, Platman, Vanisher and then finally Super-Adaptoid and Doctor Doom in this 3-part "Acts of Vengeance" set.  FF also testifies on Mutant Registration Act

These three newsstand copies aren't quite pristine and have a faint stress line here or there, but they're flat and shiny and mostly smooth with nice pages.

02/90 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Walt Simonson, with Thor and Iron Man, Investigates time-stream anomaly - "No Matter Where You Go"

Flat and shiny newsstand copy with near-white pages, but you can see a couple of stress lines on back in the photo, which drops this one down a notch.

03/90 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Walt Simonson, Thor and Iron Man app, Kang the Conqueror, Galactus, Investigates time-stream anomaly - "Kangs For The Memories!"

This is a great newsstand copy that has weathered the decades quite nicely -- flat, shiny and smooth, still with near-white pages!

04/90, 05/90 and 06/90 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Walt Simonson, Thor vs. Gladiator, Iron Man app, Black Celestial; Galactus revealed as source of time-stream anomaly - "Visit to a Large Empire!" / "Double Trouble" / "The Ultimate Solution"

And naturally, "This is the Big One!" / "This is the Bigger One!" / "This is the Biggest One!"

A few spine ticks that show readily enough in the photos are what keep this excellent set of three from grading full NM.  Still, as far as newsstand copies go, all three are flat and very shiny, with white or near-white pages!

07/90 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Danny Fingeroth/Rex Valve/Walt Simonson, X-Factor's Rusty Collins app, Spider-Man cameo, vs the Seekers - "Burnout!"

A flat and shiny newsstand copy, but you can see from the back upper-right that it was handled at bit at the store before making it home and getting stored away properly -- a bit rougher wear than usual.

08/90 - UNOPENED - by Walt Simonson, vs Josef Stalin - "Nukebusters!"

Flat, shiny and smooth, with white pages, it nonetheless has a touch of spine stress at lower corner, only barely visible from the back.

09/90 - UNOPENED - by Walt Simonson, vs Josef Stalin - "Nukebusters II"

Book has only a couple of tiny spine dimples, or this flat, shiny and white-paged copy would make it to full NM.

10/90 - by Walt Simonson - "The Mesozoic Mambo!"

Small bit of stress in lower spine corner (only barely visible from back).

11/90 - UNOPENED - by Walt Simonson - "70 Million Years BCAnd Then Some!"

Looks just about brand new, with white pages.

01/91 - UNOPENED - by Walt Simonson/Arthur Adams/Gracine Tanaka, vs Skrulls, replacement FF team consisting of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Grey Hulk and Ghost Rider - "Where Monsters Dwell!"

Book looks just about new, even down to the white pages.

03/91 (Giant-Sized) - UNOPENED - by Walt Simonson, vs Doctor Doom; Return of Thing - "The More Things Change...or...It's the Real Thing!"

04/91 - UNOPENED - by Len Kaminski/Mark Bagley, Kosmos and Kubik app - "Strange Interlude"

08/91 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Danny Fingeroth/Al Milgrom, vs Wrecker, Thunderball app - "Rage"

It is indeed unopened, but being a newsstand copy means it didn't make it home in perfect condition anyway, but it's still a high-grade copy.

09/91 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, Alicia is Skrull; vs. New Warriors - "War With The New Warriors!"

Some slight handling wear drops this down a notch -- might have been lightly read, or just handled a bit at the newsstand before purchase.

10/91 - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, 1st cameo appearance of Lyja (Skrull impersonating Alicia Masters), Puppet Master, Mad Thinker app - "The Monster Among Us!"

Some slight handling wear drops this down a notch -- might have been lightly read, or just handled a bit at the newsstand before purchase.

11/91 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT (Triple-sized 30th anniversary issue, $2.50 die-cut cover) - by Tom DeFalco/Peter Sanderson/John Byrne/Paul Ryan/Mike Mignola/Ron Garney/Ron Frenz/Ron Lim/John Romita/Arthur Adams, 1st full appearance of Lyja (Skrull impersonating Alicia Masters), 1st app/origin Paibok the Power Skrull - "Whatever Happened To Alicia?!; Pinups; Blueprint 4 Freedon Plaza; Still Fantastic after all these years; A Marvel Milestone; A tale of Doom"

An unopened newsstand copy, but those thick square-bound spines are notoriously hard to keep in perfect condition, and this one is no exception, so you can see a small bit of handling wear in the photos.  In other words, not perfect.

12/91 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, 1st appearance of Devos the Devastator and Dreadface, the real Alicia returns - "Devos The Devastator!"

01/92 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, vs Dreadface - "At The Mercy Of Dreadface!"

Beautiful newsstand copy with white pages!

02/92 - UNOPENED - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, vs Doctor Doom - "Miracle On Yancy Street"

Beautiful newsstand copy!

03/92 - UNOPENED - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, Spider-Man app, 1st app Wild Blood - "Here Comes The Wild Blood!"

04/92 - UNOPENED - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, 1st app/origin Occulus the Unliving - "Innerverse!"

White pages -- but subscription delivery left it not fully NM anymore.

05/92 - UNOPENED - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, vs Occulus the Unliving - "Omnipotent Is Occulus!"

Slight spine dimple blocks full NM rating.

06/92 - UNOPENED - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, vs Occulus the Unliving - "With Defeat Comes Death!"

07/92 - UNOPENED - by Tom DeFalco/Paul Ryan, Infinity War tie-in - "The Enemy Within"

1997-1997 - UNOPENED - by Jim Lee/Brandon Choi/Scott Williams -- three of the 13-issue limited series which follows after the events of the end of the last issue of Volume 1 (issue 416).  Please note that these three books come together in a single bag.

All three books look essentially brand new.  None appear to have ever been opened and still have white, or near-white pages.

1998 (Volume 3, first three issues) - UNOPENED - by Scott Lobdell/Alan Davis - Heroes Return (Please note that the three books come bagged together with a board.  Issue 1 in front, issues 2 and 3 in the rear, slid in back-to-back.)

All three books look like they might have just been published -- flat, slick, shiny with white pages.

1969 Annual ("King-Size Special") - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby, Reprints from Fantastic Four #1 and Annual #2, includes actual photos of the Marvel staff with some legendary names to be found (see photo for first page of three) - "The Fantastic Four Meet the Mole Man; The Moleman's Secret; Origin of Doctor Doom; The Final Victory of Dr. Doom; Because You Demanded It"

A very solid book that seems to have been read and lightly handled before, but remains in good shape -- spine is nice for an old square-bound copy, and the pages all looked good when I carefully leafed through it and are off-white (and in excellent shape).  Light crease on lower-left of back, which also has a touch of surface build-up.

1970 Annual ("King-Size Special") - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby (reprints FF Annual #1, complete with gallery pages), with new John Romita cover - "Sub-Mariner vs the Human Race!"

A very solid book that seems to have been read and lightly handled before, but remains in good shape -- spine is nice for an old square-bound copy, and the pages all looked good when I carefully leafed through it and are off-white.  The store mark of "26" is obvious enough in the photos, but unless you're going to shell out big bucks for an original copy of Annual 1, this might be a good lower-cost alternative.

It might actually be FN/VF, but I decided to keep it at just above mid-grade due to the store mark.

1973 Annual - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby (both appear in story as well), Reprints stories from both Fantastic Four Annuals #3 and 4 - "Bedlam at the Baxter Building; The Torch That Was"

Still flat and whole, but has been read a couple of times, with signs of light wrinkling and some moderate edge wear (see back left edge, for example) -- pages not white, but better than off-white.  Pretty average and unremarkable copy.

1977 Annual - by Marv Wolfman/Bob Hall/Keith Pollard, vs Sphinx, Inhumans app - "The End of the Inhumans and the Fantastic Four; Hither Comes Crystal!; Hollywood, Here We Are!; Battle for the Great Refuge!; And Into Space!; The Sphinx!"

Has been read a couple of times before, apparently.  Cover not entirely smooth with some moderate spine wear.  Pages off-white.

1979 Annual - by Marv Wolfman/George Perez/Peter B. Gillis/Keith Pollard, Agatha Harkness, vs Salem's Seven, Nicholas Scratch - "Cat's Paw!; Gallery of the Fantastic Four's Most Famous Foes"

Lightly handled, so not quite NM anymore -- pages off-white.

1980 Annual - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Doug Moench/George Perez, vs Skrulls, Captain Marvel app, Prime Ten, Doctor Doom - "Time For The Prime Ten; Doctor Doom:  The Power of the People!"

1981 Annual - NEWSSTAND VARIANT - by Ed Hannigan/Steve Ditko, 1st app Dragon Lord (Ral Dorn) - "The Coming Of Dragon Lord!"

A mostly new-looking copy, still with near-white pages, but as you can see in the photo, the bottom-right corner got dinged.

1983 Annual - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, Skrulls (from way back in FF #2) - "Legacy"

1984 Annual - UNOPENED - by John Byrne/Mark Gruenwald/Mark D. Bright, Kree-Skrull War ends; Wedding of Black Bolt and Medusa, Inhumans, Watcher app - "Prolog:  Ten Lunar Orbits Ago; Something Old, Something New!"

1985 Annual - UNOPENED - by John Byrne, vs Skrulls, Avengers app (ties in with Avengers Annual 14) - "Summons from the Stars!"

Bottom edge not as smooth as you'd expect from a full NM copy.

1988 Annual - UNOPENED - by Steve Englehart/Kieron Dwyer/Keith Pollard/Butch Guice, vs High Evolutionary, Inhumans, Watcher - "Evolutionary War, Part 6; Crystal Blue Persuasion!; The High Evolutionary, Part 6; Silver and Crimson"

1989 Annual - UNOPENED - by Greg Wright/Mark Gruenwald/Peter Sanderson/Roy Thomas/Hilary Barta/Mark Bagley/Rich Buckler/Ron Lim/Tom Morgan, vs Ghaur; vs Llyra, Sub-Mariner, Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Watcher, Doctor Doom - "Atlantis Attacks; For Crown and Conquest; Savior of the Lost Artifacts; Stan Lee:  Mission Impossibleman; Saga of the Serpent Crown, Part 14; Game, Set, and Match"

1990 Annual - UNOPENED - by Walt Simonson/Bob Harras/James Brock/Len Kaminski/Butch Guice/Mark McKenna/Greg Capullo, 1st app Kosmos, and 1st app Ahab (Rory Campbell); vs Moonstone; Doctor Doom - "Days of Future Present; When Franklin Comes Marchin' Home; Cast In Fire Carved In Stone; Beyond and Back"

1982 - Fantastic Four Chronicles - published by FantaCo as a fanzine with John Byrne cover, this still nice and largely un-read copy (with off-white pages) has features covering the FF's then-20th anniversary celebration.  Lots of articles and an interview with Jack Kirby, plus much more (see inside cover for Table of Contents).

The book looks barely paged through -- it's got a bit of storage wear, but it's survived the last 40+ years still in solid shape.

05/82 - Fantastic Four Roast - to celebrate the FF's 20th anniversary, Fred Hembeck wrote this one-shot spoof issue, using a host of Marvel artists to provide the pages, featuring just about every Marvel character at the time - "When Titans Chuckle!"

I bought this book new 40+ years ago and only paged through it, and structurally it is probably right around VF/NM, but it got stored unbagged up next to another bagged book, and you see it has a bit of tape residue over the "Roast" in the title (see close-up) -- so I feel a few particles leftover from that -- I brutally marked it down to FN even though there's hardly any wear at all.

05/84 - Special Edition #1 - by Stan Lee/Jack Kirby (reprints FF Annual #1), with 5 new pages by John Byrne - "Sub-Mariner vs the Human Race!"

You'd never suspect this book was almost 40 years old -- it looks like it might have just been published last week, even down to the white pages!