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Marvel Comics #1 (Timely, 1939) CGC GD 2.0 Cream to o Marvel Comics #1 (Timely, 1939) CGC GD 2.0 Cre

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Comics Start Price:11,000.00 USD Estimated At:25,000.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
Marvel Comics #1 (Timely, 1939) CGC GD 2.0 Cream to o Marvel Comics #1 (Timely, 1939) CGC GD 2.0 Cre
<B>Marvel Comics #1 (Timely, 1939) CGC GD 2.0 Cream to off-white pages.</B></I> When it comes to sheer significance, you can't top <B>Marvel Comics</B></I> #1, a collection of firsts unrivaled anywhere in comicdom. It was the first Timely comic to hit newsstands; of course "Marvel" would later become the name of the company as a whole. As such, this book was effectively the start of the Marvel Universe, the fascinating conglomeration of characters which has collectively sold millions of comic books and left its mark on American popular culture. There's an entire roster of characters making their first appearances here, but we'll start by mentioning the debut and origin story of the first Human Torch, one of the most important characters of Timely's run. The book also boasts the <I>de facto</B></I> first appearance of the other major Timely character, the Sub-Mariner, who's still a star in Marvel comic books today (a story with the character had been printed in the promotional comic <B>Motion Picture Funnies Weekly</B></I>, but that book was never released to the general public; Overstreet terms <B>Marvel</B></I> #1 the Sub-Mariner's first <I>newsstand</B></I> appearance). There are even more key firsts here -- take the first comic book appearance of pulp hero Ka-Zar, who may have begun as a Tarzan imitation but has starred in his own comic series more than once and guest-starred in innumerable others. Then there's the first appearance of the original Angel, which in itself would be enough to make this a key book, as he was a Timely standby throughout the Golden Age. The cover, showing the Human Torch, is by science fiction pulp illustrator Frank R. Paul. The interior material was the work of the artistic "shop" known as Funnies, Inc. the best-known artists of which are Bill Everett (who created the Sub-Mariner and drew the character's story) and Carl Burgos (who did the same for the Human Torch). Overstreet ranks this book as the third-most valuable comic book of all, and while this copy was graded GD, that has the advantage of keeping it in the five-figure range. One of the few books that will wow even the most jaded collector! The CGC slab has a crack at the top right corner. Overstreet 2004 GD 2.0 value = $19,250. CGC census 12/04: 1 in 2.0, 9 higher. <I>From the Northern Lights Collection.</B></I>