Welcome back to our blog series about the Fantastic Four CPI! This time, we’re going to take a look at one of the biggest FF villains ever and his most famous herald. We’ll investigate the issues of Fantastic Four included in the index that showcase Galactus and the Silver Surfer, plus some other Galactus heralds. We’ll also see how the CPI has changed in the past couple weeks and which issues were driving the changes.

First Trilogy

Outside of Dr. Doom, no FF villain looms larger – both literally and figuratively – than Galactus. And where Galactus goes, his herald, the Silver Surfer, typically precedes him. Both characters made their first appearance (albeit Galactus didn’t show up until the final page) in Fantastic Four #48.

As you can see from the five-year trend, it’s been a bit of a bumpy road for Fantastic Four #48. It started off with an index value of 57.38 on November 17, 2019. This value placed it even higher than Fantastic Four #3 at the time and ahead of Fantastic Four #49. In the midst of the boom, it shot up quickly to an index value of 104.38. While it would rise higher in 2022, it’s basically been a bumpy road since the big increase. The bust has hit this comic fairly hard. The current index value sits at 101.08, down nearly 19% from its peak 2022 value of 124.38. It’s still up an impressive 76% from five years ago. However, its status as a top five issue of Fantastic Four has disappeared, dropping down to the number seven slot in the CPI. It’s doubtful that it will make up ground any time soon.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, Fantastic Four #49 exploded in terms of index value with the sale of a 9.8 graded copy (one of only two in the CGC census) in a November 2022 Heritage auction for $192,000. The index value shot from 67.00 to 113.49 overnight. This also brought it much closer to Fantastic Four #48 for which the index value was 115.22 at the time. Since then, unlike its predecessor, it has held its value well. The index value currently stands at 110.59, a drop of just 2.6%. It’s also up a phenomenal 138% in five years and has passed Fantastic Four #48 on the Fantastic Four CPI.

Fantastic Four #50 is the sad youngest sibling of the original Galactus trilogy. It just barely misses out on being one of the top ten books in the FF CPI, and, while Silver Surfer appears on the cover, there is no Galactus. It reached a peak index value of 55.05 in March 2022, climbing up from 41.10. However, it has dropped down to 51.74, losing 6% of its value. It’s up 26% in five years. While that may seem slight in comparison to the first two issues in the trilogy, it never reached the heights of those two.

Surfer vs. Thing

Stan and Jack knew they had a hit on their hands with the Silver Surfer, so they quickly brought him back in Fantastic Four #55 for some fisticuffs with the Thing. It hasn’t risen as profoundly as the books in the Galactus Trilogy, but it’s also done a tremendous job of holding its value. It rose 16% from its index value of 30.58 in November 2019 to its peak of 35.57 in October 2022. In the two years since, it’s only lost 2.8%.

Galactus Returns

Galactus returned two years later in Fantastic Four #72, Fantastic Four #74, and Fantastic Four #75.  Galactus appeared in subsequent issues, but they are not included in the index. Of the three, Fantastic Four #72 is the most treasured by collectors due to its amazing cover. However, Fantastic Four #74 and Fantastic Four #75 have done a better job of retaining their values. In fact, they’ve only dropped 3% and 4% respectively compared to the 10.5% drop for Fantastic Four #72 since its peak in 2022.

A New Herald

Stan – this time with John Buscema as artist – brought Galactus back once again near the start of the Bronze Age with a four issue story that would feature both the Silver Surfer and a new herald – Gabriel, the Air-Walker. Fantastic Four #120 is currently the leader of this group, due in no small part to this issue being Gabriel’s debut. However, this wasn’t always the case. Fantastic Four #123 was the leader back in 2019, perhaps due to President Nixon appearing on the cover. Fantastic Four #120 has since leapfrogged ahead of this issue and is currently worth more than twice what it was in 2019. Fantastic Four #121 is down a bit recently but has retained its value well, while Fantastic Four #122 is very close to its all-time peak of 1.40 with a current index value of 1.39. And, while it may have been surpassed by others, Fantastic Four #123 has a current index value that is at its peak of 1.14.

Another New Herald

It wouldn’t be until the late 1970s that a new herald would debut in the first Fantastic Four series, Firelord having made his first appearance in the pages of Thor. Terrax, probably the most evil of the early Galactus heralds, appeared for the first time in Fantastic Four #211. This issue skyrocketed in the boom, gaining 137% in value between 2019 and 2022. It’s since lost 44% of its value and stands at 0.73 in the index. While the downward trajectory has slowed over the past year it is still falling in value.

…and Yet Another New Herald

The final issue containing Galactus and another new herald in our index is Fantastic Four #244, the first appearance of Frankie Ray as the herald Nova. This book exploded early on in the boom, rising quickly beginning in March 2021. However, in less than a year that growth had stalled reaching a peak of 1.15 at the end of 2021. It’s since dropped down to an index value of 0.50. While it still has an index value nearly double what it was five years ago, the trajectory does not look promising. Of particular concern is the decrease in rumors of Nova being included in the MCU with the revelation of a female Silver Surfer in the upcoming Fantastic Four film.

Recent Fantastic Four CPI Movement

The Fantastic Four CPI has now been flat for three straight weeks, staying at a value of 4,212. That’s despite growth in the value of Fantastic Four #1 with strong 3.0 and 0.5 grade sales, and a nice 6.0 grade jump for Fantastic Four #3. Dragging the index down and erasing those gains were drops in Fantastic Four #5 with poor sales in the 4.0, 1.0, and 1.5 grades, and Fantastic Four #52, the only book in the index that has seen a continual decline throughout the month.

What are your thoughts on the Fantastic Four CPI? What are your favorite Galactus and/or Silver Surfer issues in the index? Is another herald your favorite? Let us know in the comments.