Fantastic Four 102 VF- 7.5 1970 / last Jack Kirby issue, vs Sub-Mariner, Magneto

Description: *** If you can read this text, wait a moment to give your browser time to load the proper styling. If the listing does not display nicely after a few moments, it may not be capable of presenting this listing properly. Please try on another device or contact the seller for assistance. ***Title:Fantastic FourIssue:102 (last of Jack Kirby's 102 consecutive FF issues)Date:Sept, 1970Publisher:MarvelCondition:VF- 7.5"The Strength of the Sub-Mariner" is the title of this nearly-55 year-old copy of Fantastic Four issue 102, published by Marvel in 1970 and brought to you one final time by the immortal team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who with this issue marks the end of his 102 consecutive issue run on the title (plus 6 annuals) -- so a remarkable feat by the pair of them! As for the FF themselves, they're up against the Sub-Mariner and Magneto! I've had this book for decades, and it was well-cared for, stored away virtually undisturbed in all that time. Before offering it for sale, I carefully took the time to eyeball each page to make sure there was nothing obvious hiding in there that might otherwise be missed. Here is the generally-accepted description of a VF comic book (as you can find on multiple online grading websites): 8.0 VERY FINE (VF): An excellent copy with outstanding eye appeal. A limited accumulation of minor bindery/printing defects is allowed. Cover is relatively flat with minimal surface wear beginning to show, possibly including some minute wear at corners. Inks are generally bright with moderate to high reflectivity. An unnoticeable 1/4" crease is acceptable if color is not broken. Stamped or inked arrival dates may be present. Minor foxing. Spine is almost completely flat with a possible minor color break. Staples may show some discoloration. Very slight staple tears and a few almost insignificant stress lines may be present. Paper is cream to tan and supple. Centerfold is mostly secure. Minor interior tears at the margin may be present. (I include this description so you can refer to it while following along with my observations below.) Surfaceflat, clean, still with outstanting shine, and quite smooth to the touchEdge Wearas you can see in the photos, there's a little blemish on the upper edge, dead center, but otherwise, nothing more than little fold remnants, razor-thin color breaks (which is largely why this doesn't quite make VF, but keep reading...)Folds/Creasesa couple of the corners show little fold remnants that break color. Even though they're very minor, they still lead to disqualification of a VF grade.Wrinklingalmost noneCornersslightly bluntedPrinting DefectsnoneArrival StampsnoneSpinewhile it's clear the book has been gently read before, the color breaks / spine ticks remain minimal. See the close-up, in-your-face side photos I provided, and note the solid black line that runs down its length is hardly broken at all. VF copies allow for little ticks here, and this certainly seems to be in lineSpine Rollabsolutely noneTears/Splitsnone detectedStaplesnot discolored or rusty -- both look good and go all the way through to the centerfold.Back coverstill near-white with only slight fading over the course of a half-century plus. I do note when I hold the book up to the light that's still shiny, but I also see a faint vertical line running down the middle that reminds me of a subscription crease. When I turn the book back over to the front and eyeball it closely in the light, I can see that line as well, but other than the one little spot on the top edge, it doesn't appear to break color, so if that is a subscription crease (and it may very well be), it's only left the slightest bit of evidence behind). But yes, it's more noticeable in the back, and it does slightly break color here. (Hey, you get all the gory details in my listings!)Smudgesholding the book up to the light to check for smudges, I really don't see any -- this is a clean surface that's still got good shineSurface build-uplight coating on back side. Some little foxing dots are also detected (and I see a couple on the inner front cover as well)Inner coversstill bright with no Silver Age tanning. The faint vertical crease line is more noticeable on the inner back cover when you turn that page open, and you can kind of make that out in my photo there. Little foxing dots are showing here.Page coloroff-whitePage conditionexcellent with no sign of brittleness; everything seems well attachedBOTTOM LINEThis does miss the mark when it comes to getting a VF grade, but I left that description up there because it was the closest one. This is a clear-cut upper-mid-grade copy whose main flaw is the two or three places where the color is broken due to little folds or that long vertical crease remnant, and it largely seemed better than FN/VF (and what a shine it still has too -- wow!), but take a look at the photos, read along with my notes and see if you agree. If you require a high-grade copy, sorry -- can't help you, but if a step down from there is acceptable, then maybe this one will work for you. Even if you disagree with my final assessment, there's no doubt this is a very solid copy! Look at my feedback and you'll see "item as described" posted over and over again! I cannot believe other sellers expect you to make a purchase decision with just one or two photos -- ridiculous -- you always see what you're getting from me! See the link below to find other issues to add to this order and pay no additional shipping! Check out my Other Items! Fantastic FourAmazing Spider-ManAvengersCaptain AmericaDaredevilIron ManMarvel Team-Up/Two-In-OneSpectacular Spider-ManStrange TalesSub-MarinerTales to AstonishThorWeb of Spider-ManUncanny X-MenNew Teen TitansFive and Under Comics (20+ years-old)Ten and Under Comics (20+ years-old)

Price: 24.75 USD

Location: Olney, Maryland

End Time: 2025-02-06T17:30:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.85 USD