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Cover: Jack Kirby & Paul Reinman

Fantastic Four #18

Name: Fantastic Four #18
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Sep 1963 · Marvel · 0.12 USD

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“A Skrull Walks Among Us!”

★ 1st appearance — Kl'rt★ 1st appearance — Super-Skrull

About this Issue

Fantastic Four #18 marks the debut of Kl'rt, the Super-Skrull — one of the most enduring alien antagonists in Marvel history and the template for every 'power-amalgam' villain that followed. By engineering a single warrior to wield all four of the Fantastic Four's abilities simultaneously, and at greater intensity than the heroes themselves, Lee and Kirby escalated the cosmic stakes of the series in a way that cemented the Skrull Empire as a genuine galactic threat rather than a one-off menace. The issue also introduced the concept of externally beamed, technologically augmented superpowers, a storytelling mechanic Reed Richards exploits to win the day, foregrounding the series' recurring theme that science and intelligence trump raw strength. Kl'rt went on to play major roles in the Kree–Skrull War, the Annihilation event, and Secret Invasion, making this issue a foundational node in six decades of Marvel cosmic storytelling.

In "A Skrull Walks Among Us!", the Skrull Emperor unleashes the Super-Skrull—armed with the combined powers of the Fantastic Four—on Earth in a bold bid for conquest. Written by Stan Lee and brought to life with dynamic art by Jack Kirby, this classic 1963 issue features bold colors by Stan Goldberg and sharp inks by Dick Ayers, with Paul Reinman's cover capturing the tension of an alien infiltrator among heroes.

writer Stan Lee · artist Jack Kirby · inker Dick Ayers · colorist Stan Goldberg · letterer Art Simek · cover Jack Kirby, Paul Reinman

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VG) $182

CGC 9.8 · 2 in census $46,042*

CGC 9.6 · 1 in census $14,360*

CGC 9.4 · 9 in census $9,729

CGC 9.2 · 13 in census $4,959

CGC 9.0 · 18 in census $2,895

CGC 8.5 · 41 in census $1,944

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CGC 8.0 · 40 in census $1,605

CGC 7.5 · 52 in census $635

CGC 7.0 · 67 in census $547*

CGC 6.5 · 82 in census $547*

CGC 6.0 · 93 in census $430

CGC 5.5 · 96 in census $430

CGC 5.0 · 121 in census $412

CGC 4.5 · 136 in census $305*

CGC 4.0 · 135 in census $305

CGC 3.5 · 112 in census $305

CGC 3.0 · 97 in census $171

CGC 2.5 · 63 in census $160

CGC 2.0 · 36 in census $157

CGC 1.5 · 16 in census $148*

CGC 1.0 · 5 in census $148

CGC 0.5 · 19 in census $130

* 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 $3,650 1 listing CGC 6.5 $650 1 listing CGC 6 $1,110 1 listing CGC 5.5 $475 1 listing CGC 5 $560 1 listing

CGC 4.5 ▾ $340–$395 2 listings

CGC 4.5 $340 CGC 4.5 $395

CGC 4 ▾ $235–$520 4 listings

CGC 4 $235 CGC 4 $235 CGC 4 $329.99 CGC 4 $520

CGC 3 $310 1 listing

CGC 2.5 ▾ $184–$350 2 listings

CGC 2.5 $184.4 CGC 2.5 $350

CGC 1.5 $215 1 listing CGC $400 1 listing PGX 7.5 $1,330 1 listing

Raw — NM ▾ $3.99–$24 2 listings

NM $3.99 NM $24

Raw — VF ▾ $4.98–$5.45 2 listings

VF $4.98 VF $5.45

Raw — VG+ ▾ $249–$325 2 listings

VG+ $249 VG+ $325

Raw — VG ▾ $235–$801 7 listings

VG $235 VG $275 VG $295 VG $299 VG $300 VG $345 VG $800.98

Raw — GD ▾ $78–$155 6 listings

GD $78 GD $83.92 GD $95 GD $134 GD $135 GD $155

Raw — FR ▾ $59.95–$99.99 4 listings

FR $59.95 FR $73 FR $82.5 FR $99.99

Raw / ungraded ▾ $3–$402 23 listings

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GD $199.99 3 Fantastic Four Marvel Comic Books # 18 19 20 X-Men Wolverine Hulk Thor 43 EJ10 $10.4 Marvel - FANTASTIC FOUR (1961-96; 2003-12) #18 - Grade 3.0 - Comic Book $221

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History

The issue was produced under the so-called 'Marvel Method,' with writer-editor Stan Lee supplying a loose plot and Jack Kirby generating full penciled pages before Lee's dialogue was added — a collaboration whose fluid division of creative credit has been debated ever since. The issue's credits as published read 'Written by Stan Lee, Drawn by Jack Kirby,' with Dick Ayers on inks, Stan Goldberg on colors, and Artie Simek on lettering; the cover was penciled by Kirby and inked by Paul Reinman. It went on sale June 11, 1963, with a cover date of September 1963 — consistent with the monthly shipping schedule the series had settled into by mid-year, having previously appeared bimonthly.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance and origin of Kl'rt, the Super-Skrull (Fantastic Four #18, cover date September 1963, on-sale June 11, 1963).
Created by Stan Lee (writer/editor) and Jack Kirby (penciler), with Dick Ayers on inks, Artie Simek on letters, Stan Goldberg on colors, and Paul Reinman inking the cover.
The story title is 'A Skrull Walks Among Us!' — the issue title listed on some covers and databases is 'The All-Powerful Super-Skrull!'
Kl'rt's powers — surpassing each member of the FF in their own specialty — are revealed to be technologically beamed to him via a satellite relay from the Skrull homeworld; Reed deduces this and builds a jamming device to defeat him.
This is the first appearance of the Skrull Emperor (later identified retroactively as Dorrek VII) on-panel; his name was not given in the issue itself and was only revealed in Fantastic Four #205.
The issue marks the Skrulls' first return since their debut in Fantastic Four #2, re-establishing them as a recurring interstellar threat rather than a single-story device.
The story has been reprinted numerous times, including Marvel Collectors' Item Classics #13 (1968), Marvel Masterworks #6 (1988), Essential Fantastic Four #1 (1998), Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 1 (2005), Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol. 1 (2014), True Believers: Fantastic Four – Super-Skrull #1 (2019), and Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 2 (2021).
Kl'rt has appeared in multiple animated series, voiced by different actors across The Marvel Super Heroes (1966), Fantastic Four (1967 and 1994), Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, The Super Hero Squad Show, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.