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A 15% BUYER'S PREMIUM WILL BE ADDED TO THIS ITEM AT CONCLUSION OF THE AUCTION
John Romita Sr. pencils/John Verpoorten inks; page 1; 1970; image size 10" x 15"
The first FF interior page NOT drawn by Jack Kirby!

This incredible opening splash page marks a major transition for the Fantastic Four, as well as for Marvel Comics, as it represents a new beginning for the company. Jack Kirby, who was integral in the creation of the Marvel Universe had made the decision to leave the company, taking his talents to the Distinguished Completion, leaving his signature title, which had drawn uninterrupted for 102 issues, without an artist. Enter John Romita Sr., who by this point had become one of Stan Lee's most trusted artists, having already had to follow Steve Ditko on Spider-Man, to take over the title to show to readers that even without Kirby it would retain the level of quality that they had become accustomed to. Romita delivered in spades, bringing his unique stamp to the characters, This page, opening with the unlikely pairing of classic FF foe Namor, the Sub-Mariner and traditional X-Men villain Magneto, while the Fantastic Four (Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, The Thing, and Crystal) appear on a large monitor being observed by the two villains who are preparing their attack. Pen and ink. Art is in excellent condition.

The significance to this page can't be overstated, it being the very first page from the main Fantastic Four title NOT drawn by Kirby truly makes it the end of an era, and while technically still in the Silver Age it represents Marvel's moving forward into what would become the Bronze Age of comics. Romita would only last four issues on the title before handing the art chores to the very capable John Buscema, making Romita FF pages even more difficult to obtain. Pieces of this level of historical significance very rarely come up for auction, making this an opportunity not to be missed.

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Artists Information

John Romita was one of the driving forces behind Marvel's Silver Age, first taking up the reins on Amazing Spider-Man following the departure of Steve Ditko with issue #38. Romita's long run on Spider-Man would include the introduction of classic characters such as Mary Jane Watson, the Kingpin and many others. He would be a major contributor to the entire Marvel line throughout the 1970s — including designing the look of The Punisher. Romita's influence has since been felt for decades, including the emergence of John Romita, Jr. as one of the industry's top illustrators.

John Verpoorten was an American comic book artist and editorial worker best known as Marvel Comics' production manager during the latter part of the Silver Age of Comic Books and afterward, during a seminal period of Marvel's expansion from a small publishing concern to a multinational popular culture corporation. Verpoorten worked on books including Fantastic Four, The Inhumans, and Captain America before becoming Marvel's production manager, coordinating the work of writers, artists, letterers and printers. He held this position for seven years, until his unexpected death in 1977. Biography