Is Fantastic Four #39–60 the single greatest run in comic book history?
In this long-awaited deep dive, we break down Stan Lee and Jack Kirby at the absolute height of their creative powers—covering all 23 issues (including Annual #3) issue-by-issue, auditing the groundbreaking story arcs, and breaking down the exact real-world cost to collect this legendary run across four distinct budget tiers.
From Daredevil defending a powerless Baxter Building in #39 to the cosmic clash of Doctor Doom wielding the Power Cosmic in #60, this single stretch redefined world-building in American sequential art:
The Story Arcs: The heartbreaking conditioning of Ben Grimm (#40–43), the star-studded wedding of Reed and Sue in Annual #3, the secret debut of the Inhumans (#44–47), the immortal Galactus Trilogy (#48–50), the emotional high-water mark of the Silver Age in "This Man, This Monster!" (#51), the landmark geopolitical introduction of the Black Panther and Wakanda (#52–53), and the epic 4-part cosmic Doom saga (#57–60).
The Market & Collecting Math (What Does It Cost?):
The Apex Tier (Top Registry): Chasing the unique 9.9 unicorns (#48 & #55), peak 9.6s where no 9.8s exist (#40 & #51), and 9.8s across the board runs $850,000 to $1,000,000 at historic highs, or ~$450,000 based on recent sales.
The Investment Grade (Uniform CGC 9.4): Assembling a clean 9.4 run totals $60,000 to $70,000—with over two-thirds of that budget tied up in just five mega-keys (#45, #48, #49, #50, #52).
The Collector Sweet Spot (CGC 8.0): Scoring incredible cover eye-appeal without the punishing 9.4+ registry multipliers lands the complete run between $10,000 and $18,000.
The $100 Entry Level (Accessible Silver Age): The most shocking realization of this run: 19 of the 23 issues can be acquired for $100 or less! You can land 14 issues in respectable 6.0 to 8.0 condition and another six in solid VG 4.0 holders—leaving only the Galactus Trilogy and the first appearance of Black Panther out of reach at the century mark.
Which issue in this run is your absolute favorite? If you had the budget, which mega-key would you buy first? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
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