Fantastic Four #34 for Sale - First Appearance of Thomas Gideon - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1961 series)
Issue: #34
Publication date: January 1965
Key date: 1965-01-00
On-sale date: 1964-10-08
Indicia publisher: Canam Publishers Sales Corp.
Price: $0.12
Pages: 36
Rating: Approved by the Comics Code Authority

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Thomas Gideon - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Demonicus - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Gregory Gideon - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Wrecker - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Frank Smith - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	A House Divided!	cover	1	script: Stan Lee; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Chic Stone; colors: Stan Goldberg; letters: Sam Rosen	Ben Grimm, Human Torch, Invisible Girl, Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, Susan Storm Richards, Johnny Storm, The Thing, Gregory Gideon First
2	A House Divided!	comic story	20	script: Stan Lee; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Chic Stone; colors: Stan Goldberg; letters: Artie Simek	Gregory Gideon First, Thomas Gideon First, Ben Grimm, Human Torch, Invisible Girl, Alicia Masters, Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, Susan Storm Richards, Johnny Storm, The Thing
3	More Triumphs for Marvel..!	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	pencils: Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby; inks: Chic Stone, Steve Ditko; letters: Sam Rosen	Balder, Bucky Barnes, Bucky, Captain America, Cobra, Izzy Cohen, Dum Dum Dugan, Nick Fury, Mac Gargan, Mister Hyde, Gabe Jones, Dino Manelli, Thor Odinson, Peter Parker
15	More Triumphs for Marvel..!	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	pencils: Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko; inks: Sol Brodsky, Chic Stone; letters: Sam Rosen, Artie Simek	Bruce Banner, Captain America, Demonicus First, Doctor Strange, Giant-Man, Ben Grimm, Hulk, Human Torch, Iron Man, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff, Thor Odinson, Peter Parker, Hank Pym
16	-	letters page	2	script: Stan Lee
17	A Marvel Masterwork Pin-Up	illustration	1	script: Stan Lee; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Chic Stone; colors: Stan Goldberg; letters: Artie Simek	Victor Von Doom, Doctor Doom, Ben Grimm, Human Torch, Invisible Girl, Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, Susan Storm Richards, Johnny Storm, The Thing

Plus 10 pages of advertisements and other matter across 14 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #15	1968	On eBay ›
Marvel's Greatest Comics #26	1970	On eBay ›
Marvel's Greatest Comics #35	1972	On eBay ›
Marvel Masterworks #21 ISBN 0-87135-913-8	1992	On eBay ›
Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four #4 ISBN 0-7851-1183-2	2003	On eBay ›
Fantastic Four Omnibus #2 ISBN 0-7851-2403-9	2007	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Check spine ticks and cover gloss in the photos; silver-age Marvels chip at the edges easily.
Look for tanning at the page edges and transfer stains on the inside covers.
Confirm the cover price against the plate; higher prices can mean a later or foreign printing.

Series context

‹ #3334 of 416#35 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com