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Cover: John Buscema & John Romita

Fantastic Four #122

Name: Fantastic Four #122
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

May 1972 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

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“Galactus Unleashed”

About this Issue

Fantastic Four #122 is the pivotal third chapter of the four-part Bronze Age Galactus arc spanning issues #120–123, and it stands as one of Stan Lee's most dramatically concentrated Galactus stories after Jack Kirby's departure. The issue crystallizes the core moral tension that has defined Norrin Radd since his debut — his refusal to surrender his hard-won freedom even when Galactus holds the entire planet hostage — and pushes that conflict to a fever pitch within a single 21-page story. It also delivers one of the more ingenious Reed Richards gambits of the Bronze Age: rather than out-punching the World Devourer, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl quietly slip away mid-battle to hijack Galactus's own starship, reframing cosmic-scale conflict as a chess problem instead of a brawl. The issue demonstrated that the Lee–Buscema partnership could produce stories carrying genuine cosmic weight comparable to the Kirby years, at a transitional moment when the Fantastic Four's creative identity was still finding its post-Kirby footing.

"Galactus Unleashed" marks a pivotal moment in the Fantastic Four saga, as the Silver Surfer joins forces with the team in a desperate bid to face the cosmic threat of Galactus. Written by Stan Lee and brought to life with dynamic art by John Buscema, inks by Joe Sinnott, and lettering by Artie Simek, this 1972 issue captures the escalating tension as Earth’s mightiest heroes confront the planet-devourer’s overwhelming power. The cover, a striking collaboration by John Buscema and John Romita, perfectly encapsulates the scale of the impending clash.

writer Stan Lee · artist John Buscema · inker Joe Sinnott · letterer Artie Simek · cover John Buscema, John Romita

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $19

CGC 9.8 · 15 in census $1,513

CGC 9.6 · 62 in census $337

CGC 9.4 · 75 in census $142

CGC 9.2 · 44 in census $137

CGC 9.0 · 39 in census $76

CGC 8.5 · 43 in census $76

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CGC 8.0 · 27 in census $63

CGC 7.5 · 14 in census $62*

CGC 7.0 · 16 in census $52*

CGC 6.5 · 8 in census $43

CGC 6.0 · 12 in census $43*

CGC 5.5 · 6 in census $36*

CGC 5.0 · 4 in census $34*

CGC 4.5 · 2 in census $33

CGC 4.0 · 3 in census $29*

CGC 3.5 · 3 in census $24*

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $21*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 2.0 none in existence

CGC 1.5 none in existence

CGC 1.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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CGC 9.6 ▾ $450–$705 3 listings

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CGC 9.4 $245 1 listing

CGC 9.2 ▾ $150–$205 3 listings

CGC 9.2 $150 CGC 9.2 $180 CGC 9.2 $205

CGC 9 $165 1 listing

CGC 8.5 ▾ $83–$87 2 listings

CGC 8.5 $83 CGC 8.5 $87

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Raw / ungraded ▾ $2.5–$104 34 listings

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History

Produced in late 1971 for a February 1972 on-sale date (May 1972 cover date), the issue was scripted by Stan Lee — who was simultaneously serving as Marvel's editor-in-chief — and plotted in collaboration with penciler John Buscema, with inks by the long-tenured Joe Sinnott and lettering by Artie Simek. The cover is a composite: researcher Nick Caputo confirmed that the upper portion featuring Galactus and the Silver Surfer is original Buscema art, while the lower section depicting the Torch, the Thing, and Mr. Fantastic was replaced by a stat of John Romita Sr. artwork, making the published cover a Buscema–Romita collaboration. A self-deprecating editorial note by Lee within the issue acknowledges he could not remember which prior issue contained Galactus's vow to spare Earth — the correct reference was Fantastic Four #50 — a candid, if unintentional, window into the rapid-fire production pace of the era.

Trivia · 7 facts

Title: 'Galactus Unleashed!' — the third installment of a four-part arc running through Fantastic Four #120–123.
Creators: Script by Stan Lee; pencils by John Buscema; inks by Joe Sinnott; letters by Artie Simek; cover pencils by John Buscema (upper) and John Romita Sr. (lower, via stat), inked by John Romita Sr.
Plot: Galactus returns to Earth and threatens annihilation unless the Silver Surfer agrees to serve as his herald again; the Surfer refuses and fights alongside the FF; Reed Richards and Sue Storm secretly launch into space to commandeer Galactus's starship as leverage.
The battle sequence is set in and around Coney Island in Brooklyn, though the location is never directly named in the dialogue.
Stan Lee's editorial note in the issue admits he cannot recall which previous issue contained Galactus's oath to spare Earth; the correct reference was Fantastic Four #50 (May 1966).
The letters page features a published letter from Scott Edelman, who would go on to become a professional comics writer and editor.
Reprinted in: Marvel Treasury Edition #21 (1979, oversized tabloid format collecting FF #120–123); Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 6 (2007); and Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 19 (2017).