Welcome back to our blog series about the Fantastic Four CPI! This time, we’re going to take a look at individual issues in the Fantastic Four CPI with Doctor Doom covers and appearance. We’ll also see how the index has changed in the past week and which issues were driving the changes.
Why Doom?
Doctor Doom isn’t just the Fantastic Four’s top foe – he’s also Marvel’s quintessential villain, manipulating events far and wide in the Marvel universe. It also just so happens that he’s going to be the big bad in the MCU in the near future. So, it makes perfect sense that collectors are focused on Doom. But how has this focus affected values for his appearances within issues of the Fantastic Four? Let’s take a look…
The Second Coming of Doom
Right off the bat, we’re going to skip past Fantastic Four #5. It’s Doom’s first appearance, so its value is second only to Fantastic Four #1. But what about his second appearance in Fantastic Four #6?
It’s a little surprising that it’s as far down the index as it is, ranking number 10 overall, and quite a bit behind Fantastic Four #12. The issue is, after all, the first team-up between two Marvel villains in Doom and the Sub-Mariner. While it saw a nice spike in late 2021, that’s due primarily to the $60,000 sale of a 9.6 in a November 21 Heritage auction, nearly doubling the value of all sales in that grade, of which there have only been two. In grades 7.5 and below, we’re seeing the same general trend as we see in the index as a whole: values higher than 2019, but below the peak years of 2021 and 2022.
Overall, it’s down about 10% since peaking in 2022. It’s a worse performance than the Fantastic Four CPI as a whole, which is down 7.5% from its peak. That makes it a potential target. Collectors priced out of obtaining Fantastic Four #5, could turn to his second appearance in Fantastic Four #6, particularly as the hype machine builds in anticipation of Doom’s MCU debut. That doesn’t mean that you should go out and purchase a copy today; but definitely track the sales.
Other Early Doom
The classic mind-swapping story between Doctor Doom and Mr. Fantastic in Fantastic Four #10 hasn’t seen the same peaks and valleys as other issues in the index:
It’s only down 4.4% since its 2022 peak and up 10% since 2019. While the cover is somewhat silly, the storyline itself does more to highlight Doom’s genius and his abilities than his previous two appearances. It’s about where we would expect to see it in the index as one of the first ten issues of the series and containing an early Doom appearance. This one will be less of a target in the future – unless Doom uses similar brain-swapping stratagems in the movies.
An issue that might not have even made the index were it not for Doctor Doom’s appearance is Fantastic Four #16.
While there’s been some downward movement since 2022 – roughly 8.8% - it’s up 37% since 2019, driven primarily by Doom showing up on the cover. The 5-year trend has been enough to pull this issue ahead of Fantastic Four #26, a blockbuster first meeting of the FF and the Avengers, that was 3.5 points higher in the index back in 2019. I do think it’s less likely that this issue has similar potential to Fantastic Four #6, but it’s worth keeping an eye on if collectors start going Doom crazy.
Doom’s Origin
Doctor Doom’s origin was covered in depth in Fantastic Four Annual #2. This comic has had bigger swings than the others we’ve looked at so far:
It’s down 13% since reaching its peak in October 2022. It’s a pretty big correction, but value in the CPI is still up 72% since 2019. Value was likely a little overinflated, but don’t be shocked if there’s a bit of a rebound coming as we get closer to Doom showing up in the MCU.
Classic Doom Kirby Covers
A trio of issues with iconic Doctor Doom covers by Jack Kirby are at or near their peaks right now.
Fantastic Four #39 is at its peak right now and up 43% over the past five years. Fantastic Four #57 peaked in December 2022 but is only down 4% since then. Overall, it’s up 50% since 2019. Fantastic Four #86 – perhaps the best Doom cover of the three – peaked in January of this year and is only down 3% since. In five years, it’s value has increased a staggering 171%, testimony to the power of Doom.
The Newer Classics – Doom Byrne Covers
It isn’t just Silver Age Doom covers that have fared well:
Fantastic Four #247 and Fantastic Four #258 are two late Bronze age Doom covers by John Byrne that have captured the eye of collectors. Both are currently at their respective peaks. Fantastic Four #247 likely wouldn’t have been included in the Fantastic Four CPI back in 2019. However, its 367% climb since then marks it as a comic to watch. The same can be said for Fantastic Four #258, which has shown an even more striking increase of 383%.
Recent Fantastic Four CPI Movement
The Fantastic Four CPI was flat for the week, with little movement in terms of recorded sales of graded copies. The biggest surprises were slight upticks in values for Fantastic Four #185 and Fantastic Four #186, which is likely due to Salem Seven’s appearance (although drastically different from the comics) in the Disney+ series Agatha All Along.
