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Cover: Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott

Fantastic Four #177

Name: Fantastic Four #177
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Dec 1976 · Marvel · 0.30 USD

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“Look Out for the Frightful Four!”

★ 1st appearance — Texas Twister★ 1st appearance — Captain Ultra

About this Issue

Fantastic Four #177 is the debut issue for three characters — Captain Ultra (Griffin Gogol), Texas Twister (Drew Daniels), and the Osprey (Oscar Kincaid Jr.) — all introduced through one of Marvel's most inventive Silver-to-Bronze Age storytelling devices: a public super-villain job audition. Writer Roy Thomas later confirmed that the audition format was a deliberate comedic riff on DC's Legion of Super-Heroes tryout stories, which gives the issue an unusually self-aware, cross-company satirical dimension rare for its era. The issue also delivers the cliffhanger reveal that the mysterious Brute — the Frightful Four's chosen new recruit — is actually the Reed Richards of Counter-Earth, a continuity thread that ties back to the earlier Warlock series and sets up a multi-issue arc that tests the entire FF. As an early chapter in George Pérez's celebrated run on the title, it stands as a showcase of his ability to choreograph large casts with clarity and energy.

In "Look Out for the Frightful Four!", the Fantastic Four face a new threat as the Frightful Four expand their ranks—though not in the way anyone expects. With George Pérez's dynamic art and Joe Sinnott's sharp inks bringing the action to life, this issue sets up a mystery that lingers beyond the final page. Cover by Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott.

writer Roy Thomas · writer Mike Friedrich · artist George Pérez · inker Joe Sinnott · colorist Marie Severin · letterer Joe Rosen · cover Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $6

CGC 9.8 · 12 in census $357*

CGC 9.6 · 23 in census $98

CGC 9.4 · 11 in census $61*

CGC 9.2 · 15 in census $43*

CGC 9.0 · 12 in census $36

CGC 8.5 · 11 in census $29*

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CGC 8.0 · 6 in census $27*

CGC 7.5 · 5 in census $27

CGC 7.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 none in existence

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 3.0 none in existence

CGC 2.5 none in existence

CGC 2.0 · 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 8.5 $85 1 listing CGC 5.5 $49 1 listing CGC $80 1 listing

Raw — VF/NM ▾ $9.99–$17.88 2 listings

VF/NM $9.99 VF/NM $17.88

Raw — VF+ $18.99 1 listing

Raw — VF ▾ $5.19–$27.99 8 listings

VF $5.19 VF $6.5 VF $12.88 VF $15 VF $19.99 VF $21 VF $24.99 VF $27.99

Raw — FN+ ▾ $4.99–$33.5 2 listings

FN+ $4.99 FN+ $33.5

Raw — FN $10 1 listing

Raw — VG ▾ $2.49–$7 6 listings

VG $2.49 VG $2.99 VG $2.99 VG $3 VG $5.99 VG $7

Raw / ungraded ▾ $2–$29 32 listings

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History

The issue was written and edited by Roy Thomas, penciled by George Pérez, inked by longtime FF stalwart Joe Sinnott, colored by Marie Severin, and lettered by Joe Rosen — with the cover supplied by Jack Kirby (inked by Al Milgrom per the Marvel Database, though multiple sources credit Sinnott on the interior). Thomas was serving simultaneously as writer and editor of the book in 1976, a common arrangement at Marvel during that period, and the audition storyline grew directly out of the preceding issues' Counter-Earth and Impossible Man plots. Thomas has stated in interviews that Captain Ultra was purposely designed as a parody figure, right down to a deliberately busy 'church-window' costume that Pérez executed to satirical effect, and that the character's fire phobia was a conscious nod to the Martian Manhunter's weakness.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Captain Ultra (Griffin Gogol), a Superman-analog parody character created by Roy Thomas and George Pérez; his power set is vast but he is disqualified from the Frightful Four when the Wizard's lit cigarette triggers his pyrophobia.
First appearance of Texas Twister (Drew Daniels), a radioactively-empowered Texan cowboy created by Roy Thomas and George Pérez; he declines the Frightful Four's offer and later becomes a S.H.I.E.L.D. Super-Agent and member of the Rangers.
First appearance of the Osprey (Oscar Kincaid Jr.), a minor character introduced as one of the audition hopefuls who never achieved significant ongoing use in Marvel continuity.
The Brute joins the Frightful Four at the end of the issue and is revealed to be the Counter-Earth version of Reed Richards, a plot thread seeded by events from the Warlock series (issues #6–7) written by Mike Friedrich.
The story was conceived by Thomas as a parody of DC's Legion of Super-Heroes membership-audition format, giving the issue an unusually meta, genre-commentary dimension for a 1976 Marvel comic.
Cover pencils by Jack Kirby (inked by Al Milgrom per Marvel Database; some sources credit Joe Sinnott); interior art by George Pérez with inks by Joe Sinnott — Roy Thomas also served as editor.
The issue is part of a story arc continued through Fantastic Four #178 and #179, with the Thing being forced into the Negative Zone as a direct consequence of this issue's climax.
Reprinted in Fantastic Four Visionaries: George Pérez Vol. 1 (2005), Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 8 (2010, black and white), Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 17 (2015), and the Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 6 (2025).