Welcome back to our blog series about the Fantastic Four CPI! This time, we’re going to take a look at the most titanic of all battles in comicdom – the Thing vs. the Hulk. We’ll investigate the issues of Fantastic Four included in the index that contain these famous fights. We’ll also see how the CPI has changed in the past couple weeks and which issues were driving the changes.
First Fisticuffs
It had to happen. Two of Marvel’s strongest characters in the Silver Age were the Thing and the Hulk. Both were considered monsters, yet one was a gruff but lovable hero, while the other was deemed a threat to civilization and hounded at every turn. It was only a matter of time until the two met. And boy did they ever for the first time in the pages of Fantastic Four #12.
Considered a top ten issue of the Fantastic Four in terms of value, this issue has, like nearly every issue in the Fantastic Four CPI, experienced a downturn. However, the slide hasn’t been quite as steep as other issues. Since peaking at an index value of 87.87 in late 2022, we’ve seen a 6.4% drop. However, the FF index as a whole experienced a 7.5% drop, and the Silver Age CPI in total a 15.2% plunge. When most comics are dropping in value, it’s always important to focus on books that outperform the index, as does this first-ever Thing vs. Hulk brawl.
The Main Event
The second fight between the Thing and the Hulk in Fantastic Four #25 was bigger than the first and included the first meeting of the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, a story that stretched into Fantastic Four #26. In terms of outpacing the index, Fantastic Four #25 is the king of all Thing vs. Hulk donnybrooks. It peaked with an index value of 42.39 in late 2022 and has only dropped 3.6% since. This is clearly a key issue and one that should be on your target list if you’re focusing on collecting Thing vs. Hulk battles.
The Big Apple Brawl
One hundred issues after their first meeting, the Thing and the Hulk would once again engage in a melee that would tear New York City apart. With its classic John Buscema cover, Fantastic Four #112 is the highest valued Bronze Age comic in the Fantastic Four CPI. As with other issues in the index, it peaked in late 2022 with an index value of 10.00. It has since dropped 5.5%, outpacing the index and the Bronze Age CPI’s drop of 17.9% in the same time frame. A moderately valued Bronze Age book, this is one that should also be on your target list.
The Tag Team
Later in the 1970s, the Thing and the Hulk met once more. While there was an initial fight – one that actually saw the Invisible Girl deal the final blow – by the end of Fantastic Four #166, the two titanic monsters were teamed up to take on the world. This issue, unfortunately, has not performed particularly well during the downturn of the past couple years. Peaking in March 2023 at an index value of 0.83, it has since dropped 24%, performing far worse than the Fantastic Four CPI, which has only seen a slide of 5.8% in the same period. However, comics that perform worse than the index often make for good buying opportunities. In fact, the 90-day average for a 9.8 is now below $300, the first time it’s dropped to that level in more than three years.
Recent Fantastic Four CPI Movement
While the index was flat for the week, we did see some downward trends in the value of Fantastic Four #1, Fantastic Four #3, and Fantastic Four #4, these were all in grades 5.0 and below. The $6,900 sale of a 1.8 graded Fantastic Four #1 marked a 5% drop from the 90-day average of $7,266, so holders of low grades might want to continue to monitor sales before considering parting with your own copy. The downturns at the top of the index were counterbalanced by increases in value for Fantastic Four #49, Fantastic Four #48, Fantastic Four Annual #6, and Fantastic Four #9 in particular.
