*Marvel: Lee & Kirby’s Fantastic Four added to its many innovations in 1966’s FF #52, when they introduced the first black super-hero in comics. Previously, the vanishingly rare heroic black characters in comics had been either embarrassing sidekicks or ‘noble savages’, but the Black Panther was the monarch of a highly sophisticated and technologically advanced African nation, Wakanda, and was to become not only one of the FF’s greatest allies, but a mainstay of their fellow heroes, the Avengers. This Bute Collection cents copy is a tough one to grade. To almost all intents and purposes it’s a beautiful high grade copy, at least VF with a bright colourful cover (black background), no marks, tight, firm staples at spine and centrefold and supple, very near white pages. Very small amounts of handling wear and very minor edge wear EXCEPT for the bottom right edge, where it looks like something may have nibbled at it just a tiny bit, leaving tiny pieces missing from the very edge of the cover and to a lesser degree throughout the comic. In all other respects a fabulous copy. We’ve compromised on an overall grade of VG/FN to reflect this. Without the ‘nibbling’, this would have been valued at a little short of £2,000. High resolution images are available on request.
PICTURED: FANTASTIC FOUR #52 VG/FN £550 SOLD