*Marvel: From the Bute Collection this week: Unusually, Fantastic Four #11 featured two stories rather than a book-lengther. In ‘A Visit With The Fantastic Four’, a change-of-pace ‘day in the life’ story, we hear more about how the FF are seen by the regular citizens of the Marvel Universe at large, courtesy of their fan mail – brought to them by mailman Willie Lumpkin, later portrayed on the big screen by Smilin’ Stan Lee himself! The second story was the premiere of the perplexing person from Poppup, as the Impossible Man, shape-shifting mischief-maker from outer space, plagued Marvel’s First Family for the first of what were to be many, many occasions. This is one of the more off-beat and charming issues of the FF’s early run, demonstrating that Stan & Jack were as at home with warmth and whimsy as they were with cosmic drama. Not a bad pence-priced copy, with good colour cover; most wear and colour-breaking marks are restricted to the edges or near the spine; there are a few insignificant cover grubby marks and the very slight suggestion of a subscription crease which does not break colour. Staples are firm and reasonably tight. Pages are a nice supple off-white.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #11 GD/VG p £195