After Thanos, it’s quite possible Marvel will bring Galactus in as the Big Bad to threaten the Universe. Then again, speculation is running wild that Annihilus will be the ‘next Thanos’. What both the above characters have in common is that they first appear in the pages of the Fantastic Four. One thing is certain, now that Marvel has the rights, it won’t be long before the FF and the sinister villains in their rogues' gallery do appear on the big screen. While Galactus and Annihilus are both threats to reckon with, the biggest foe in the FF catalog is actually Victor Von Doom.
The other day, I wrote about how I think the FF will appear in the MCU before the X-Men (see here), in this follow up post, I want to look at the growing interest in select Fantastic Four and FF-related books.
While several key FF books with first appearances of villains have been spiking in recent months, most collectors have bet on Galactus (first appearance Fantastic Four # 48) and Annihilus (first appearance Fantastic Four Annual #6). This is certainly due to the accurate perception that eventually one or the other will make an MCU appearance. But focusing on these classic villains and ignoring the most obvious FF antagonist, Victor Von Doom, may be short-sighted.
The chances that Doom will never make an MCU appearance are slim to none - he's far too important a part of the Marvel mythos to be left out. When Doom does eventually appear, which books should you have in your collection to celebrate and profit from?
Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962) – First Appearance of Dr. Doom
In May of 2012 there were slightly over 500 copies of FF #5 on the CGC census. Fast forward seven years and there are currently 1,494 copies on the census with 9.6 being the highest recorded grade. This is obviously the Doom key of keys, but correlatively it is also the most expensive Doom key. A lowly 0.5 tattered copy will cost you more than $2,050.00. While to obtain a high grade 9.4 copy will set you back $140,000.00. That’s way out of my price range and probably yours too. Even if three month returns are decent enough, with best returns seen on 6.5 graded copies that record a positive +120.5% roi after three sales (the last of which, an 03/16/2019 eBay sale sold for $8, 600.00)- do not fear Dr. Doom fans, as there are other options out there.
Fantastic Four Annual #2 (Sept. 1964) – More detailed origin of Dr. Doom
Dooms second appearance can be found in Fantastic Four #6, which is still an expensive book, however with a 3.0 grade available for around $300.00, a much more affordable one than FF #5. An overlooked Doom key appearance is in FF Annual #2. This comic features not only a detailed origin story of Doom but also the first appearance of Doom's father, Werner von Doom, and their friend Boris. With a total of 406 copies on the CGC census, the current FMV for a mid-grade copy (in 6.5) is $250.00. In other words, this is a still affordable key. Long term returns are incredibly strong- up in almost every single grade. Three month returns are also positive. The sales activity has been focused on 7.5 grades, which show a positive +26% return after two sales [a 03/17/2019 eBay sale for $400.00 and a 03/24/2019 Heritage Auction sale for $504.00] and 8.5 graded copies are positive +18.2% also after two sales [both Heritage auctions. First on 04/07/2019, final price = $660.00 and on 04/28/2019 = $780.00]. Get a copy of this before it’s out of reach.
Marvel Super-Heroes #20 (May 1969) – First Dr. Doom Solo Story
Finally, another Doom key is this book. With only 98 copies listed on the CGC census, this is the most affordable major Doom key. This comic is the first solo adventure of Dr. Doom. Although a pristine 9.8 blue label CGC copy will cost you around $1, 450.00. A nice 8.0 copy can still be had for under $100.00, which seems like a great deal. Returns on this book are also mostly positive. According to GoCollect.com, the best returns over the last year and a half have been on 9.0 at positive +49.4% after 3 sales (last sale on 06/25/2018 for $169.99 through eBay) and 6.5 blue labels at positive +121.6% after 2 sales (the last of which was on 03/19/2019 for $82.00).
