The Runaways 1st appearances & Key Comics

No offense to anyone, but I can only take so much Halloween or horror comics and even horror movies. I watched quite a few or as much as I had time for, but back to superheroes! 

I believe this was requested by Max Rebo or it could've been Ace or Speculation Jones, and it concerns Marvel the Runaways. Not the band with Lita Ford and Joan Jett.

No big deal to dig into this comic series a bit further, no?

My first thought was to just say, "Issue #1 is all you need!" Maybe true, but maybe not. As far as most know, the first issue is the only one to be concerned about, but who knows just how popular this Hulu show may or may not take off.

Example: Not too long ago NYX #3 was considered the only X-23 book to be concerned with. Then her 2nd appearance also took off, and largely because it's a much better cover than issue #3.

After uncovering several other keys to be on the look-out for, some of those have popped and some of those are still wildly over-looked concerning X-23 at the moment. So, just like the X-23 and Doctor Doom keys, which had more backstory about the character then I and probably quite a few knew previously, we will dig into the Runaways comics a bit and mainly talk about some 1st appearances, maybe a few origins here and there.

Before we get into it: If you are looking forward to the show and know nothing about this comic series and hate spoilers, turn back now! There will be A LOT OF SPOILERS! Fair warning.

RUNAWAYS #1

1st appearance of Runaways members
1st appearance of The Pride

Last year in the post that was Key Issue Comic Investments Still Under $100, this comic did make that list since Hulu had recently announced a show in production over there.

Now, it seems that the show has been cast and all the way to the very first trailer being dropped recently. It will be out in November, and I am looking forward to it.

Yes, this comic was selling higher than the $200 range for CGC 9.8s and 9.6s back then, but the chance for higher raw copies was still highly possible. Who knows now.

I went lazy on the key notations then and I am still going lazy on the key notations. I will give a detailed enough explanation and character breakdown of the Runaway members that debut in this issue though. Alright, here we go and the first one up is Alex Wilder who is considered the leader of the team for a while at least.

He does not possess super powers per say unless you consider being a child prodigy in logic and strategy a super power. Hey, there is the term super genius, right?

He is often distant from the rest of the group, and in later comics we discover why. Alex Wilder actually ends up being revealed as a mole for the Pride, and his betrayal does end with his death.

Alex is the son of Geoffrey and Catherine Wilder. Geoffrey is the leader of the Pride, an organized crime ring of super-powered villains in Los Angeles.

The Pride consists of the Mafia controlling Wilders, the Yorkes who can time travel, the telepathic Hayes, and the alien invader Deans from the planet Majesdan, the mad inventors known as the Steins, and the Minoru family magicians. If you ask my man Kevin Erickson, he believes their daughter Nico Minoru has major potential to be a break out character spec wise and in popularity.

With that said, Nico Minoru is a magician and does become the de facto leader during the 2nd series. She is Japanese-American and became a member of the all-female A-Force team in later comics. 

Because she did not receive formal training in magic, the source of her magical power is the Staff of One, an ancient magical weapon that her mother acquired from Nico's grandmother. She cannot repeat the same spell twice with the Staff of One, and the result is either it will not work whatsoever or it will create a random effect. While Alex refused to take on a superhero name, Nico took on the code name Sister Grimm.

Karolina Dean is the daughter of aliens from Majesdanians, the home planet of their species, who are basically able to absorb and project solar energy. She took on the code name Lucy in the Sky when she found out she was an alien and the extraordinary powers that came with it.

Issue #1 does not have her origin, nor does it see her discovering her secret as an alien nor her powers. That comes in another issue pretty close after this issue.

Yes, we shall get to that issue as well, and while I'm not really sure it counts as an origin per say, it does reveal her true alien form and hints she may be an alien. You'll see what I mean, and the reason I don't really consider it as an origin is because it doesn't really confirm that she is an alien nor her species.

Karolina Dean is revealed to be the only gay character in the group, and she had a crush on Nico. Her parents are reknowned actors Frank and Leslie Dean who are members of the evil Pride.

With her alien heritage, she has felt like an outcast and has had to wrestle with this insecurities during the evolution of her character arc. 

Also known as Talkback, Chase Stein is the wildcard of the group but extremely loyal to his friends. He is the oldest of the group and the most reckless.

Chase held X-Ray goggles and Fistagon gauntlets which had flamethrowers built in, but those who wore the Fistagons could mentally mold the flames into any shape he or she desired. He later gave the X-Ray goggles and Fistagon to Alex Wilder, but when Wilder betrayed the group, Nico destroyed the gauntlet.

After the death of Gert, Chase Stein was empathetically linked to Old Lace. His parents are some of the most brilliant inventors in the world and are reknown. It has been seen that even Tony Stark is impressed by their work.

Chase is the opposite of his parents and not a good student. He is more of a jock and a cliche, and it is revealed that his father, Victor, is physically and emotionally abusive towards Chase. He is the reason why the other Pride members decide to have children as he is the first to be born out of the group.

Now we are venturing into my territory of fandom and that's the mutants of Marvel. Molly Hayes and her parents are mutants and both are telepaths. Gene and Alice Hayes are doctors, but the world of the X-Men are not far away from this Runaways world.

During the origin issue of the Pride, which we will get to, we see them having problems with the neighbors and rocks were being thrown at their house because they are mutants. Thus, it is revealed during the series that they have a strong hatred for humans or homo inferior.

Molly was originally the youngest member of the group, and I think she is going to be the coolest one to see. Unlike her parents, Molly does not have telepathic powers. 

Instead, the littlest of the bunch has super-human strength and is later revealed to have the power of invulnerability. She is 11 in the beginning of the series, so she is the baby of the group.

Skeptical of her parents being murderers as she is escorted away by Karolina just before the ritual sacrifice, she is excited in the super-hero prospect though she is seen as unsure why they even ran away to begin with. She takes on the name Princess Powerful. 

Molly Hayes is extremely proud of her mutant heritage and also an X-Men fan, which easily makes her my favorite of the bunch. Her powers manifest later in the comic series and we will get to that issue for sure, and even though it's not a well-known key issue, it is important to the character and in the series.

Gertrude Yorkes or simply known as Gert is the daughter of time-traveling parents, and she gave herself the code name of Arsenic. She is the sarcastic and cynical member of the bunch, in which she is the only member who is not shocked at the fact her parents are evil baddies.

She is the first to have a telepathic bond with Old Lace, and her and Chase do have an intimate relationship. Gert is known to often babysit Molly, but a stronger more brotherly bond was formed between Molly and Chase.

Her and Nico are best of friends out of the bunch. This is the grail of Runaways key comics to have. No doubt, but this isn't the only key issue to consider and snag.

As usual, I will dig and uncover many of the important keys and state exactly why they're important. If these matters of importance aren't noted in the headers to the listings, they will be discussed in the descriptions.

The Runaways' premise? A group of teenagers who find out that their parents are part of a criminal organization called "The Pride." This group also learns that they inherited their parent's powers and ban together to thwart their evil parents. Runways #1 by Marvel Comics has the cover date of July, 2003.

RUNAWAYS #2

2nd appearance of Runaways members
1st cameo of Old Lace
1st Alex Wilder cover

Alright, once again, I went lazy on the notations. So this is the 2nd appearance of all the members of the Runaways, and that means Alex Wilder, Chase Stein, Nico Minoru, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes and Gertrude Yorkes.

Yeah, I know 2nd appearances are sometimes sought-after but this has more goodness to it than that.

So, the Runaways decide to investigate their parents as a team in this issue. Also, another important cast member makes a cameo debut in this issue and it is Old Lace, who was Gert's pet dinosaur. Old Lace will be in the show as the trailer shows.

In this comic, Old Lace shows up on the very last page as shown below. She is, of course, unnamed.

So, issue #1 is an extremely important key for the Runaways sure, but issue #2 is also an important key that should be snagged as well. The team forms in this issue, and it could be argued that this is the 1st appearance of the actual team. It also holds the 2nd appearance of all the members and has a cameo of Old Lace.

Like issue #1, this comic supposedly does not have large sales to North American comic shops. Estimated print run is probably low, and this has been argued that all the cast of the series with the exception of Molly Hayes actually first joined the team in this issue.

Actually, and to get this out of the way beforehand, the entire volume one series most likely had a lower print run or distribution. I already mentioned this in the Total Comic Mayhem G+ community. August, 2003 is the cover for the Runaways #2.

RUNAWAYS #3

1st full appearance of Old Lace
Origin of Old Lace & Gert
1st appearance of the Abstract
Karolina Dean discovers powers & 1st cover
3rd appearance of Runaways members

Oh, wow, is this just going to be a #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 type of thing, man? That's crazy.

Actually, yeah, it might be and if you actually read the comics or knew the story, these kids...

A. Discover their parents are evil
B. Discover they have some kind of ability or family secret
C. This happens throughout the first couple of issues

So, all these kids stories and backstories don't just happen in one issue. No, it progresses throughout the first couple of issues and each contain an origin or reveal for individual members.

You'll see more of what I'm talking about as we progress. Old Lace makes her first full appearance and her existence is explained by a hologram of Gert's parents.

Old Lace is a genetically engineered dinosaur from the future to obey all of Gert's commands. She is absolutely loyal to Gert and has been known to snap at other team mates in defense of Gert.

Victor Mancha would later accurately describe Old Lace as a Deinonychus and not a Velociraptor.

This issue definitely reveals that the Yorkes are time travelers. It has a first origin of sorts, and that includes Gert and Old Lace. As shown in the panel, it also explains a bit about the Abstract which Alex Wilder becomes routinely obsessed in deciphering in much of the comic series before his betrayal.

The Abstract is an important item as we shall see more of as Alex uncovers more of it during the series. This issue has a lot of key goodness concerning the Runaways, and it also reveals Karolina's super powers and her true alien form.

So revelations for not just one but three characters of the Runaways happen in this very issue of #3 and could be seen as origins of sorts. As mentioned before, lots of goodness in this issue, and September, 2003 is the cover date to Runaways #3.

THE RUNAWAYS #4

1st appearance of Staff of One
1st X-Ray goggles & Fistagons
1st Gert and Old Lace cover
Origin of Nico Minoru
4th appearance of Runaways members

So this issue reveals that Chase's parents are mad inventors, and that Chase does not nor resemble his parents in that department. He reveals that he finds their shed, which is like their inventing laboratory, quite boring, and therefore, his parents would most likely hide a bunch of stuff there.

Of course, they go investigating and this is where Chase discovers the X-Ray goggles and the Fistagons that I mentioned in the long-winded description underneath issue #1. 

Not only does this issue see the debut of these two important items or weapons, but it also sees the debut of the Staff of One and reveals that Nico Minoru and the Minoru's are magicians. One source claims this is Nico's first origin issue. I am not sure why but maybe it's because she discovers her family are magicians and that she has a bond with the Staff of One since it is absorbed into her body.

If you want to get into more nit-pickery, this issue also has the first battle between the Runaways and Nico's and Chase's parents since they are discovered snooping around in the Stein's shed.

Molly Hayes does not appear in issue #3 and she only appears in cameo in this issue. Some sources like Marvel.com state that this is the origin of Nico Minoru. 

Not really so sure about that. So important issue as it is the debut of the Staff of One, which is a magical item long associated with the character of Nico Minoru. 

Runaways #4 has the cover date of October, 2003.

RUNAWAYS #5

 1st Chase Stein cover
Molly revealed as mutant
Reveals Hayes are mutants

The great thing about this series is that things unfold but are paced exceptionally well. The pacing of the story and character development are not rushed and it is not forced within the story.

There are character surprises in each of the early issues as a pretty complicated over-all story is revealed bit by bit. In reading it, I can see why Hulu chose to turn this show into a live-action series.

I am actually convinced it will be a break out show like Stranger Things. So, this issue reveals that the Hayes are mutants and it also reveals that Molly is a mutant as well.

However, this issue does not reveal her mutant ability. As mentioned before, the Hayes are telepathic, but Molly's actual mutant power of super-strength is revealed in the next issue of issue #6.

She ends up knocking Karolina's mom through her bedroom wall in protecting Gert in issue #6 or the next issue. Just another thing to mention since I mentioned it, but issue #6 does reveal that there is an unknown "mole' among the rebelling children.

A note was found by the parents from one of the kids, and I also already spoiled it that it ended up being Alex Wilder who wrote it.

I originally decided in not putting issue #6 in the "featured" section, but I changed my mind. Issue #5 may be a minor key but issue #6 is definitely one to consider. November, 2003.

RUNAWAYS #6

Molly Hayes super strength revealed
1st Molly Hayes cover
Molly Hayes joins team 
1st as Arsenic and Old Lace
1st as Lucy in the Sky and Talkback
1st as Sister Grimm and Bruiser

Like mentioned before, the Runaways tale is linear concerning this comic series. So the team goes to the Hayes house to rescue Molly Hayes, and her mutant powers emerge.

Molly did not see her parents, nor the other parents, kill the girl. She has no clue why Nico just whacked her mom with the Staff of One, but isn't too happy about it.

When Karolina's mom shows up and begins to hurt Gert in front of Molly, she defends her friend and sends Karolina's mom through her bedroom wall into the pool below. So which is Molly's origin, this issue or issue #5?

Well, we do find out that Molly and her parents are mutants in issue #5 and that she was not suppose to be. Her mom states that she tested negative of the mutant genome.

There's lots to this issue and it is important as the many of the team members take their super-hero code names. In the comic collecting hobby, we are not strangers to the term, "1st appearance as", right?

Well, it's in issue #6 in which the Runaways give each other names. Gert gives her pet dinosaur the name of Old Lace, and she calls herself Arsenic.

Karolina follows the lead and calls herself Lucy in the Sky while Nico settles on Sister Grimm. 

Chase tries to pick the name of Neo but Karolina chastises him into picking something more "original". He settles on Talkback after Gert makes a joke about what his super-hero name should be.

Molly is given the name Bruiser by Chase, but she never really settled on it as she wanted to be called Princess Powerful. This does kinda become a joke in the comic series and the team affectionately does call her Bruiser throughout.

Important Runaways key issue? I'm gonna call it a yes. Like Kevin, I think Nico will be a break out character, but I also think Molly Hayes will be as well.

December, 2003 is the cover date to Runaways #6.

RUNAWAYS #7

1st appearance of Topher

In the previous issue, we see that the Runaways have retreated to a dilapidated old hotel called the "hostel" in which serves as their team hideout/headquarters. They then present their code names, but Alex is the only one who thinks it's utterly ridiculous.

This issue has Alex decipher a bit of the Abstract, and we first hear of the Gibborim mentioned in this issue. They are an important aspect to the Pride.

Other than that, the character of Topher makes his debut in this issue, but he is only revealed in a cameo on the very last page of this issue. He does show up in about 7 panels but is in a ski mask for six of those panels and unidentifiable.

He meets a few members of the Runaways while trying to rob a convenience store. It's later learned that Topher is actually a vampire.

Not a character that lasts long in the series. He apparently dies in issue #10.

Pretty minor character and most likely a minor key as well. Runaways #7 has the cover date of

RUNAWAYS #13

1st appearance of Gibborim
Origin of the Pride

Just when you thought issue #1 was still the only key issue in this series to consider getting, this one is an important one for all of you who dismiss the market influence that villains or key issues for villains should be dismissed and only "heroes" should count as good investments. This issue reveals the origin of the Pride.

With the origin of the Pride, comes the Gibborim, as first mentioned in issue #7.So who are the Gibborim?

The Gibborim are the last survivors of a race of giants with six fingers. They apparently ruled Earth before humans came and messed that up and are the benefactors of the Pride.

This comic also tells the origin of each individual family of the Pride and how they came into contact with the Gibborim. Pretty neat, and I'll save the origins so there's actually something I won't spoil for those who want to watch the show but still want to invest in these comics.

This is a cool issue. Shows the backstory of how the Pride first meet and why they come together to do the bidding of the Gibborim. 

I will show the the debut of the Gibborim in this issue. Heck why not!

There we are and I'm sure some of this will play out in the TV show. Well, I hope we see this origin of the Pride in the show, but who knows?

We all know Hollywood toys around with comic material from panel to screen. We shall see, and Runaways #13 has the cover date of May, 2004 

RUNAWAYS #17

Death of Alex Wilder
Death of the Pride

The big betrayal. Yep, Alex Wilder betrays his friends and ends up getting offed by none other than Nico Minoru.

Actually, all of the Pride end up dying in this issue. This is not the last issue of the volume 1 series.

The next issue of #18 is the last issue and sets up the volume 2 series which was published in 2005. I guess I'll spoil it now, but Geoffrey Wilder does end up coming back in the volume 2 series.

You will find out in the second part to this series on how that happens. It's not as lame as you think and does make sense.

Minor key? Yes, probably and most likely, but this comic issue is near the tail end of the series. I think distribution may have been quite a bit lower.

I am wondering in what season this turning point in the comics will play out. I hope season one doesn't use up the entire first volume in terms of material and then the 2nd season be more based off the volume 2 comic series.

Dunno, but I am excited for this show now. October, 2004 is the cover date for Runaways #17 of the 2003 series.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, when it comes to TV show hype, I'm initially wiping most of it to the side. These comics lay the groundwork for whatever story writers of the show decide to translate from panel to screen.

Comics first, TV hype second. If the Runaways TV show follows these comics, then it should be a break out hit.

A great thing about the Runaways show is that it will definitely appeal to a younger teen audience if it doesn't nab the ole adults. The great thing about the comics is that it appeals to both young teens and adults.

There's a lot more going on in the Runaways series than just the debut of the main characters and the Pride in issue #1. There are key comics within this comic series and mythos, and like mentioned earlier, it would be a bit confusing if one didn't read issues #1-6.

#13 is also important in terms of issues to help readers understand the jist of the mythos; hence, the term "key issues".

For those who don't know the series or have yet to read it, the characters do find out their family secrets and their powers throughout the comic series. It's a great story for all these characters that intertwine and it is very much a coming of age story for many of the Runaway's main cast.

The Runaways series most likely does not have a large print run. Issue #1 from the original 2003 series is quite well-known by now and it has a very modest CGC Census currently for a modern 1st appearance backed by a TV show.

I am predicting that many of these keys will become hot comics or hotter comics to get in the near future and many, besides issue #1, are still widely over-looked by the market at large. In reading these comics, I am now a fan and see great potential for this show.

PART 2 >>

Doctor Doom Key Comics & Other Issues Part 1

Yes, and "other issues" because Victor von Doom has quite a few issues. We shall get to those.

This was requested a while back by Da Ragu when news first broke that a solo Dr. Doom flick was in production. The thought was very much like is Doctor Doom key comics worth investigating or not?

I didn't think it would hurt to investigate to see if there were other significant Dr. Doom key issues. I mean, he is an iconic Marvel villain and arguably one of the most iconic in Marveldom. 

What else is there to Doom besides 1st, 2nd, 3rd appearance, origin, and first villain team-up? I thought, What the heck? We can find out and maybe uncover some not so well-known sleepers or minor keys. 

Maybe some that aren't necessarily keys either or just not seen as significant yet but are to the character. Some say villains aren't good comic investments. I think there are exceptions and Doctor Doom is definitely one of them, but this should be fun if not anything else.

Paging Dr. Doom, paging Dr. Doom.  

The doctor is in!

FANTASTIC FOUR #5 VOLUME 1

1st appearance & origin Doctor Doom

One of the best and notable Fantastic Four key issues since it debuts one of the most iconic FF and Marvel villains ever, Doctor Doom. He is Victor von Doom and not only is this guy a super genius that invents a whole bunch of cool tech but he is also a powerful sorcerer.

Double the trouble and double the villainy. He is also the ruler of his very own nation, and that is the fictional nation of Latveria. Needless to say that he is a ruthless dictator and Doomstadt is its capitol.

Anyway, we'll get to Latveria a bit more. So, the story goes that after Lee and Kirby kicked off the Fantastic Four title, it had been selling quite well.

The next step was to introduce a new baddie that would be the crème de la crème of super villains, one whose very name would make fans fear for the lives of their favorite heroes. Legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were up to the task.

In the words of Stan Lee himself, the name for this sensational villain was to be "eloquent in its simplicity — magnificent in its implied menace," and so it was Doctor Doom!

As most already know cause you can pretty much look it up on wikipedia, Kirby modeled Doom's look on death and wanted the metal armor to signify a creature void of flesh and thus mercy. In his own words:

"It was the reason for the armor and the hood. Death is connected with armor and the inhuman-like steel. Death is something without mercy, and human flesh contains that mercy."

What about Doom's first origin? Let's take a look at this pretty short origin of Doctor Doom.

As most know, there are pence copies or "UK Editions" for this particular issue. They are considered 1st prints as well, and as I've said prior, a niche market is growing for them.

I'll put the image for your reference in case you're into them or these pence copies garner your fancy somewhere down the line. They are currently harder to find and more scarce in the secondary market.

As shown before, the CGC Census is a lot more sparse than the regular U.S. Editions or copies. Not hyping them up or pushing them. I'm just stating what it is at the time of this writing, and that is all.

Like 'em or don't care for 'em: They do exist. Fantastic Four #5 has the cover date of July, 1962 and was released in April of the same year.

FANTASTIC FOUR #6 VOLUME 1

2nd appearance of Doctor Doom
2nd S.A. Sub-Mariner appearance
1st Marvel super-villain team up

Usually, I'd say if you can't afford the debut of a major comic character you can try their 2nd appearance, but in this case, this issue is pretty pricey already itself. No surprise there since this issue does have Doom's 2nd appearance and it goes hand-in-hand with Namor's 2nd Silver Age appearance.

I know it's not a true 2nd appearance as Subby is from the Golden Age, but it's the 2nd appearance for the character under the Marvel banner. Anyway, those two things already make this comic pretty awesome.

But there is extra gravy to this issue, and this issue also has the first villain team up under the Marvel banner as well. That is very cool. Come to think about it, is Namor the earliest comic anti-hero for Marvel?

Mind is wandering there. So, with all the key issue goodness for this comic, it's still a cheaper alternative than Doom's debut but already pretty expensive. Not surprising since it is an early Fantastic Four comic and the FF kicked off the world of Marvel Comics.

Fantastic Four #5 CGC 8.0 | Fantastic Four #6 CGC 8.0

$5,655.00 (Sep 2015 | $1595.95 (Jun 2017)

Fantastic Four #5 CGC 7.0 | Fantastic Four #6 CGC 7.0

$3,500.00 (Sep 2015 | $750.00 (Aug 2017)

Fantastic Four #5 CGC 4.0 | Fantastic Four #6 CGC 4.0

$1,450.00  (Jun 2017 | $395.00 (Sep 2017)

Interesting numbers of slabbed sales data that GoCollect has for these two issues. Take from it what you will. I already have.

UK pence copies obviously exist. Not that many slabbed copies and this issue is pretty sparse in high grade 9.6 and 9.4 so far in the CGC Census.

Zero 9.8s as of this writing. Is this an over-looked key? Well, at least, CGC does note this as the 2nd appearance of Dr. Doom.

Anyway, don't wanna look like I'm hyping this book up or anything, but important key for Dr. Doom. Released June of 1962, Fantastic Four #6 has the cover date of September, 1962.

FANTASTIC FOUR #10

3rd appearance of Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom returns to build upon his legacy as being the formidable foe of the Fantastic Four. This his 3rd appearance, and other than that, there really isn't much else to be honest.

Well, there is the gag that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby are in this comic. First time ever in a Fantastic Four comic but I am not sure if this is the first time they put themselves in a comic story.

According to marvel.wiki.com, Stan Lee did put himself in the 78th issue of Patsy and Hedy. That came out more than a year prior to this issue.

According to the same source, this may be King Kirby's first appearance in a comic. I'm not 100% sure about that though, so take with a grain of salt.


Cover date for Fantastic Four #10 is January, 1963 and release date is October, 1962.

FANTASTIC FOUR #16

4th appearance of Doctor Doom
1st Ant-Man x-over
1st appearance of Pearla 
1st appearance of Sub-Atomica

Sub-Atomica and the Microverse in Marvel Comics is a bit confusing. I tried to explain this in the Micronauts key issues/comics series and brought up this comic.

With news of Janet van Dyne definitely being in the Ant-Man and Wasp flick and all that jargon about how she went sub atomic, speculation has it that a region of the Microverse called Sub-Atomica just might be explored in the sequel. Sounds logical to me.

Ant-Man does guest-star in this issue like the cover suggests, so there is an early connection with Sub-Atomica and Ant-Man. Sub-Atomica is a location in the Microverse and somewhere in comics the two were merged into one universe.

Back then, however, and in this comic, Sub-Atomica appears to be a teeny weeny tiny universe in which Doctor Doom had shrunk down and into after his last encounter with the Fantastic Four. Of course, he ended up taking over this realm of the Microverse.

As usual, the team ends up going to this strange tiny universe and crossing paths with ole Doom again. Not a very well-known key but connects with Ant-Man's micro world and the world of the Micronauts.

Maybe even Psycho-Man since he is greatly associated with Sub-Atomica and the Microverse. Princess Pearla is a pretty minor character but is royalty on the Mirwood planet in Sub-Atomica. She would later ascend to Queen and Psycho-Man would overthrow her kingdom twice.

After researching a bit more, this issue does appear to be the first Ant-Man cross-over in comics. With that said and having the debut of Sub-Atomica, this just might be more of an Ant-Man key issue being that it is his cross-over.

Some other minor goodness is that this is the first meeting between Doctor Doom and Ant-Man. It actually might very well be the first meeting between the Fantastic Four and Ant-Man.

There are pence copies or UK Editions for this comic as well. Cover is to the left for reference as usual.

As shown above, both CGC and Overstreet recognize this issue as the 1st Ant-Man cross-over. Not an overly sought-out Silver Age key at the moment but not cheap in high grades either.

Not really sure if this one is that well-known or not. Most movement for slabbed copies are in the 8.0 and below range.

3 most recent sales this year for 8.0 CGC copies were two on eBay and one on Heritage. Only 2017 sales numbers I could find for this issue at that slabbed grade:

2017

Heritage: $479 (February)

eBay: $535 (July) and $450.00 (April)

However, since 2007, the most slabbed sales were 7.0s for this issue and there's only been 13 of 'em sold on eBay from then 'till now. Not that well-known and in-demand is pretty accurate.

Take from that what you will also. Just an observation, and although I will not feature it, I will mention that the next issue of Fantastic Four #17 has the 5th appearance of Dr. Doom.

July, 1963 is the cover date of Fantastic Four #16. It hit the newsstands around April, 1963.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #5

1st meeting of Spider-Man & Doctor Doom
1st Doctor Doom x-over
1st Spidey & Doctor Doom battle

Amazing Spider-Man #5 is still an important issue as it's the first time Spider-Man meets one of the most iconic villains in the Marvel Comics universe. That's right, the wise-crackin' wall crawler meets Doctor Doom here for the first time. 

Seeing that both he and Spidey are outcasts, ole Doctor Doom tries to recruit Spider-Man in joining his cause for evil and that the two of them together could rule the world! Hey, who doesn't want to rule the world?

Well, Spidey doesn't, and he doesn't buy into Doctor Doom's brilliant idea either. Of course, this 1st meeting between our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and the iconic arch nemesis of the Fantastic Four would evolve into their 1st battle as well.

Actually, there would be two face offs between the two contained in this mighty issue. After Spidey escapes their first skirmish, Doom plans to capture Spidey but captures a certain Flash Thompson dressed as the webhead instead. 

The 2nd battle is definitely longer and more action-packed than the first. Good ole Silver Age action drawn by Steve Ditko. 

 
Definitely a classic issue and a great Spider-Man Silver Age key comic as well. Only one 9.8 in the CGC Census at the time of this writing and it's a Universal. 9.6s only has 9 currently with none of them being restored. Only twelve 9.4s and one is under the Restored label. Total is 1,510 registered copies.

Onto Pence copies for this issue and the highest graded copies are so far are four 7.0s, all Universal, non-restored copies. 2nd highest are also four 6.5 non-restored comics. Only 16 total copies graded to date concerning UK Pence copies of this issue in the registry. Cover price is still 9d in the price box.

Pence copies for these early Spidey issues are rising in price and demand. Needless to say, but the niche is growing and becoming more recognized by collectors. Here's the UK Pence CGC stats.

This was taken directly from Part 1 to the Spider-Man Silver Age Key Issues series that was recently done. Numbers may be slightly different since then (January 7th, 2017). 

The Amazing Spider-Man #5 has the cover date of October, 1963 and the LoC copyright date of July 9, 1963.

FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #2

Expanded origin of Doctor Doom
1st appearance of Werner von Doom
1st appearance of Boris

I was tempted to note this a "full" origin of Doom. Boy, but this issue does have a more complete origin or back ground story for Victor von Doom.

It's not the first origin of the villain, but we do see the first appearance of Victor's pops, Werner von Doom, in flashback.  Of course, this issue reveals Doom's back history that eventually leads him to his rivalry with Reed Richards and how they first met.

Getting slightly ahead of ourselves here. Let's get to the basic core of Doom's story.

This origin is important and key because it establishes important things about the character and villainy of Doom. It establishes that he was from a gypsy family and community that was looked down upon by most of Latveria, especially the ruthless ruler King Vladimir Fortunov (debuts in this issue also).

Much like Magneto, Victor and his people were persecuted by this ruthless King Vladimir Fortunov, and cruelty directly affected the boy who would later become Doom. 

A disastrous set up and we can all guess what is to happen next. The King does hunt down him and his father.

So, we also learn some more interesting and important facts about Doom and his lineage. His mother knew magic also and left behind some things that would shape the character of Victor von Doom and his own magical prowess.

 

As Victor makes more mischief for the King and Latveria as the years go by, they too begin to hunt him down. Regardless, his magic and intelligence always fool the King's men. 

Doom would use robot decoys to keep from getting caught, much like he would later use Doombots in his villainous career. Word of his genius would spread.

And at the university, he would meet Reed Richards. The original origin doesn't really explain much of a connection to Doom and Reed, but this origin does make that important connection. 

So we can clearly see an early glimpse of Doom's world class arrogance. It's this arrogance that has led to his downfall quite a few times.

However, this arrogance would lead to Richards rooming with Grimm instead and his fateful disfigurement. I think he would blame the accident on Richards in later comics.

And finally, we have the famous scene where he acquires his famous armor, mask and hooded garb.

So, pretty important origin that would establish quite a few things that we all connect to the character today. Not sure just how well-known this key origin is, and Overstreet just notes it as a Dr. Doom origin.

Here's how CGC notes it as of this writing.


Pretty uneventful notation as well, but this origin, although not the first, is important for both the characters of Doctor Doom and Reed Richards as well.

Yes, there are Canadian Editions of this issue as well. I don't know much about these, but I do believe that these Canadian Editions basically had the same cover and price.

No different prices for these, I believe. However, they were noticeably different.

Regular back cover and Canadian Edition back cover

The backs were blank and I think the inside cover was also blank where the ads should be like in the regular U.S. copies. I remember Strange Tales Annual #2 had one of these Canadian Editions without adverts.

Fantastic Four Annual #2 has the cover date of September, 1964. It hit the stands around July, 1964.

FANTASTIC FOUR #57

Dr. Doom steals Silver Surfer's powers
4rth Silver Surfer on cover

Part of this story was greatly used in the Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer movie, and Dr. Doom does end up stealing Silver Surfer's power and board. If there were a villain who would think and could pull such a coup, it has to be Doctor Doom.

The Inhumans also make an appearance, and the story is continued in the next issue, Fantastic Four #58. I believe the story arc ends with issue #60.

Yes, it's a whole Dr. Doom goes cosmic, and I believe it's considered a classic Doom & Silver Surfer story arc. It's definitely pretty well-known among collectors and even more so since the flick that based part of it off this story arc.

This is the 4rth comic cover the Silver Surfer graces and Fantastic Four #57 was released September of 1966 with the cover date of December of the same year.

MARVEL SUPER-HEROES #20

1st appearance of Valeria

Who says that super-villains don't need love too? Sure, they do.

Apparently, Victor von Doom wasn't always hard-hearted, and supposedly he and Valeria were teenage lovers. Doom a softie for anyone?

This villain does have them as we'll later learn. Because Doom is such a badass, Diablo wants to do a super-villain team up but the Doctor is having none of it.

That's until, Diablo reveals that he has Valeria hostage. There is then a brief flashback that reveals a bit more about Doom's past and this woman who holds a special place in his heart.

Then this memory connects with part of the origin of Victor von Doom told in Fantastic Four Annual #2. Actually, the character of Valeria is written into Doom's origin in this very issue as shown below.

So it retells the death of Victor von Doom's father but also adds this extra bit of information that has Valeria written into it.

So this retelling of Dr. Doom's origin not only writes Valeria into it, but it also reveals that before he leaves to study in the U.S., he already had become cold-hearted and intent on seeking ultimate power to basically rule mankind. Thus, he left Valeria behind.

Now, it seems that old feelings start coming back when it comes to Valeria. He fights to free her from Diablo but she would realize that Doom was far from the boy she had once loved so dearly.


In the end, she refuses Doom and leaves him this time. Another tragic ending for the iconic villain and another addition to his back story and mythos. 

CGC is a bit sparse for this issue. Don't think it's all that in-demand, even though a 9.8 sold last year (2016) for $1050. Most recent 9.4 CGC sold for only $176.50 back in September of last year also.


When it comes to character of Doctor Doom in the movies, I wonder if they'll ever tell any of this stuff on the big screen. So far, Hollyweird has yet to do a good on-screen translation of this iconic villain.

We shall have to see how they once again tackle this character in a third attempt. I'd like to see a little more back story.

Roy Thomas wrote this story with art by Stan Lee's brother, Larry Lieber. Cover date for Marvel Super-Heroes #20 is May, 1969 and hit the newsstands February of the same year.

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Please do not mistake the Valeria with the daughter of Reed and Sue Richards. Two different characters but they are both connected by Dr. Doom.

Getting ahead of ourselves here, but we do have Part 2 to this thing. Despite that these comics may not be known or not on the radar for most doesn't mean they aren't significant to the character of Doom.

It just means they aren't that well-known. Anyway, I had all three parts done and all the sudden my Part 2 draft vanished. Super mucking pissed.

Looks like I'll be rewriting the entire post again.

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