Fantastic Four #85 - First Appearance of Gustav Hauptmann, Printings and Contents

Identification plate

Series: Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1961 series)
Issue: #85
Publication date: April 1969
Key date: April 1969
On-sale date: January 9, 1969
Indicia publisher: Magazine Management Co.
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 Gustav Hauptmann - 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	...Within This Tortured Land!	cover	1	script: Stan Lee; pencils: Jack Kirby, John Romita; inks: Joe Sinnott, John Romita; colors: Stan Goldberg	Crystal, Ben Grimm, Human Torch, Crystalia Amaquelin Maximoff, Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, The Thing
2	Within This Tortured Land	comic story	20	script: Stan Lee; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Joe Sinnott; letters: Artie Simek	Crystal, Doctor Doom, Victor Von Doom, Ben Grimm, Gustav Hauptmann First, Human Torch, Crystalia Amaquelin Maximoff, Mister Fantastic, Reed Richards, Susan Storm Richards, Johnny Storm, The Thing
4	Marvel Plastic Pillows; Marvel T-Shirts; Merry Marvel Marching Society Membership Kit	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	script: ? (ad copy)	Spider-Man; Thor; The Thing; Captain Marvel [Mar-Vell]; The Hulk
11	-	in-house column	1	script: Smiley; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Joe Sinnott	Mr. Fantastic [Reed Richards]
14	-	letters page	2	script: Roy Thomas; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Joe Sinnott; letters: Sam Rosen	Dr. Doom
15	Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation	statement of ownership	0.25	letters: typeset
16	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.75	pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Frank Giacoia	Captain America [Steve Rogers]; Sub-Mariner [Namor]; Red Skull; Batroc; Baron Zemo [Heinrich Zemo]; Living Laser; Doctor Faustus; Trapster

Plus 10 pages of advertisements and other matter across 12 sequences, as published.

Printings and variants

Edition	How to tell
British	price 1/- [0-1-0 GBP]

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Marvel's Greatest Comics #67	1976	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

‹ #8485 of 416#86 ›

Sources

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

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