Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1961 series) #48 [Regular Edition]

Volume: 1

Price: 0.12 USD

Pages: 36

On-sale Date: 1965-12-09

Editing: Stan Lee (editor)

Cover Thumbnail for Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1961 series) #48 [Regular Edition]

Edit Cover
Cover Gallery

Cover Thumbnail for Fantastic Four (1961 series) #48 [British]

The Coming of Galactus!

(Table of Contents)

Fantastic Four / cover / 1 page

Script:	Stan Lee
Pencils:	Jack Kirby
Inks:	Joe Sinnott
Colors:	Stan Goldberg
Letters:	Artie Simek

Genre:science fiction; superhero

Universe:

Marvel : mainstream

Characters:

Fantastic Four

The Watcher [Uatu]

Reprints (31)

in Los 4 Fantásticos (Editora de Periódicos, S. C. L. "La Prensa", 1962 series) #75
in Die Fantastischen Vier (BSV - Williams, 1974 series) #44
in Sarjakirja (Semic, 1972 series) #101
in HIP Comics (Classics/Williams, 1966 series) #1908 (1966)
in Hit Comics (BSV - Williams, 1966 series) #8 (Januar 1967)
in I Fantastici Quattro (Editoriale Corno, 1971 series) #44 (28 Novembre 1972)
in The Mighty World of Marvel (Marvel UK, 1972 series) #104 (September 28, 1974) [used as the first page of the reprinted story]
in Marvel-pocket (Semic, 1984 series) #1/1985; 2 ([januari] 1985)
in Marvel-pocket (Semic, 1985 series) #2/1985 - Fantastiske Fire møter Galactus (1985)
in Clásicos Marvel (Planeta DeAgostini, 1988 series) #18 (enero 1990) [média página]
in Marvel Masterworks (Marvel, 1987 series) #25 ([October] 1993)
in Essential Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1998 series) #3 (April 2000) [black and white]
in The 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time (Marvel, 2001 series) #1 (December 2001)
in Le Surfer d'Argent - L'intégrale (Soleil, 2001 series) #0 (juillet 2003)
in Marvel : Les origines (Panini France, 2002 series) #2 (décembre 2003)
in Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four (Marvel, 2003 series) #5 [Regular Edition] ([January] 2004)
in Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby (Marvel, 2004 series) #1 ([October] 2004)
in Marvel Platinum: The Definitive Silver Surfer (Panini UK, 2007 series) (2007)
in Fantastic Four : L'intégrale (Panini France, 2003 series) #1966 (mai 2007)
in Fantastic Four Omnibus (Marvel, 2005 series) #2 (2007)
in Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four (Marvel, 2009 series) #5 (2010)
in Marvel Gold. Los 4 Fantásticos (Panini España, 2011 series) #1 [3] - La Edad Dorada (Septiembre 2011)
in Marvel 75th Anniversary Omnibus (Marvel, 2014 series) (2014)
in Silver Surfer Epic Collection (Marvel, 2014 series) #1 - When Calls Galactus (2014)
in Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung (Hachette [DE], 2013 series) #4 - Fantastic Four: Galactus (Oktober 2015)
in Fantastic Four Epic Collection (Marvel, 2014 series) #3 - The Coming of Galactus (2018)
in True Believers: Fantastic Four - The Coming of Galactus (Marvel, 2018 series) #1 (September 2018), #1 (September 2018)
in Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)
in Marvel Facsímil (Panini España, 2019 series) #12 (Diciembre 2019), #12 (Diciembre 2019), #12 (Diciembre 2019) [mirrored image]
in Fantastic Four (Penguin Classics Marvel Collection) (Penguin Random House, 2023 series) (2023)
in Marvel Origins (Hachette [DE], 2023 series) #44 - Fantastic Four 11 (1966) ([April] 2025)

This issue has 1 variant

#48 [British]

Issue Data

Publisher's Brand: Marvel Comics Group [under character box]
Indicia / Colophon Publisher: Canam Publishers Sales Corp.
Indicia Frequency: monthly
Publisher's Age Guidelines: Approved by the Comics Code Authority
Printer: ?

Parts of this issue are reprinted:

Indexer Notes

On-sale date from 1966 Periodicals, Copyright Office, Library of Congress.

Polaris Nuclear Sub

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

Polaris Nuclear Sub / advertisement / 1 page

The Coming of Galactus!

(Table of Contents: 2)

Fantastic Four / comic story / 20 pages

Script:	Stan Lee (credited) Jack Kirby (co-plotter, uncredited)
Pencils:	Jack Kirby (credited)
Inks:	Joe Sinnott (credited)
Colors:	Stan Goldberg ?
Letters:	Artie Simek (credited)

Genre:science fiction; superhero

First Line of Dialogue or Text:Black Bolt's evil brother, Maximus the Magnificent, in a final, desperate attempt to regain his lost crown, has fired the dreaded atmo gun...
Keywords:matter mobilizer

Universe:

Marvel : mainstream

Characters:

Fantastic Four

The Inhumans

Galactus [Galan]
(first appearance)
Maximus
Seeker
Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]
(first appearance)
The Watcher [Uatu]

Skrulls

Synopsis:: Black Bolt and the Fantastic Four put an end to Maximus's plan to destroy all the humans. Once the Fantastic Four return to New York the Watcher tells them of the coming danger of Galactus.; in Die Fantastischen Vier (BSV - Williams, 1974 series) #44
in The Mighty World of Marvel (Marvel UK, 1972 series) #54 [page 6, panel 2]
in HIP Comics (Classics/Williams, 1966 series) #1908 (1966)
in Hit Comics (BSV - Williams, 1966 series) #8 (Januar 1967)
in Marvel's Greatest Comics (Marvel, 1969 series) #35 (June 1972)
in I Fantastici Quattro (Editoriale Corno, 1971 series) #44 (28 Novembre 1972)
in Une Aventure des Fantastiques (Editions Lug, 1973 series) #1 - Les Inhumains sont parmi nous ! (2e trimestre 1973) [6 premières pages seulement, 1 page omise]
in Une Aventure des Fantastiques (Editions Lug, 1973 series) #2 - La Saga du Surfer d'Argent (4e trimestre 1973) [13 dernières pages [Last 13 pages]]
which is reprinted
in Marvel (Editions du Taupinambour, 2013 ? series) #16
in The Mighty World of Marvel (Marvel UK, 1972 series) #103 (September 21, 1974) [pages 1-10], #104 (September 28, 1974) [pages 11-20]
in Marvel Treasury Edition (Marvel, 1974 series) #2 (December 1974) [edited]
in Acção e Mistério - Série Fantástica (Palirex, 1977 ? series) #28 (c. 1977) [black & white]
in The Fantastic Four (Simon and Schuster, 1979 series) (1979)
in Fantastic Four Pocket Book (Marvel UK, 1980 series) #3 (1980) [black & white]
in Los 4 Fantásticos (Ediciones Vértice, 1977 series) #27 (abril 1980) [printed in black and white]
in Marvel-pocket (Semic, 1984 series) #1/1985; 2 ([januari] 1985) [De sex första sidorna har redigerats bort, medan sidan 7 har redigerats om.]
in Marvel-pocket (Semic, 1985 series) #2/1985 - Fantastiske Fire møter Galactus (1985) [6.5 pages removed]
in Une Aventure des Fantastiques (Editions Lug, 1973 series) #39 - Les Inhumains sont parmi nous ! (1986) [First 7 pages only, panels 5-6 page 6, panels 1-2, 5-6 page 7 omitted.], #40 - La Saga du Surfer d'Argent (1986) [pages 8-20]
in Clásicos Marvel (Planeta DeAgostini, 1988 series) #18 (enero 1990)
in Silver Surfer: The Coming of Galactus (Marvel, 1992 series) #[nn] (November 1992) [partial]
in Marvel Masterworks (Marvel, 1987 series) #25 ([October] 1993)
in Fantastic Four (Bethy, 1998 series) (1998)
in Essential Fantastic Four (Marvel, 1998 series) #3 (April 2000) [black and white]
in The 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time (Marvel, 2001 series) #1 (December 2001)
in Wizard Ace Edition: Fantastic Four #48 (Marvel; Wizard, 2002 series) (December 2002)
in Le Surfer d'Argent - L'intégrale (Soleil, 2001 series) #0 (juillet 2003)
in Marvel : Les origines (Panini France, 2002 series) #2 (décembre 2003)
in Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four (Marvel, 2003 series) #5 [Regular Edition] ([January] 2004)
in Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby (Marvel, 2004 series) #1 ([October] 2004)
in Klassiker der Comic-Literatur (Frankfurter Allgemeine, 2005 series) #4 - Die Fantastischen Vier (2005)
in Marvel Platinum: The Definitive Silver Surfer (Panini UK, 2007 series) (2007)
in Fantastic Four : L'intégrale (Panini France, 2003 series) #1966 (mai 2007)
in Fantastic Four Omnibus (Marvel, 2005 series) #2 (2007)
in Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four (Marvel, 2009 series) #5 (2010)
in Marvel Gold. Los 4 Fantásticos (Panini España, 2011 series) #1 [3] - La Edad Dorada (Septiembre 2011)
in Inhumans: The Origin of the Inhumans (Marvel, 2013 series) (2013) [Pages 1-6 and panels 1-4 of page 7]
in Marvel 75th Anniversary Omnibus (Marvel, 2014 series) (2014)
in Silver Surfer Epic Collection (Marvel, 2014 series) #1 - When Calls Galactus (2014)
in Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung (Hachette [DE], 2013 series) #4 - Fantastic Four: Galactus (Oktober 2015)
in Marvel. Официальная коллекция комиксов (Ашет Коллекция [Hachette], 2014 series) #97 - Фантастическая Четверка: Пришествие Галактуса
in Fantastic Four Epic Collection (Marvel, 2014 series) #3 - The Coming of Galactus (2018)
in True Believers: Fantastic Four - The Coming of Galactus (Marvel, 2018 series) #1 (September 2018)
in Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby (Marvel, 2019 series) (2019)
in Marvel Facsímil (Panini España, 2019 series) #12 (Diciembre 2019)
in Fantastic Four (Penguin Classics Marvel Collection) (Penguin Random House, 2023 series) (2023)
in Marvel Origins (Hachette [DE], 2023 series) #44 - Fantastic Four 11 (1966) ([April] 2025)

Indexer Notes

Kirby's co-plotting credit is acknowledged by Lee and Kirby in many interviews. Actual credits read "Stan Lee, writer without peer Jack Kirby penciller of the year."

This is the first issue of the three-part story which introduces Galactus and the Silver Surfer.

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 3)

Hulk; Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos; Spider-Man; Tales to Astonish / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

Joker’s Special

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

Ultra Products Novelties / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 5)

Christy Trades School Training / advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 6)

Precise Publications Defense Training / advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

100 Toy Soldiers / advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 8)

Grit Newspaper / advertisement / 0.5 page

Stamps

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 10)

"X-Ray" Specs [Glasses] / advertisement / 0.5 page

Shop by Mail

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 11)

advertisement / 1 page

U.S. Gov't Surplus

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 12)

Surplus Bargains / advertisement / 0.5 page

Hypno-Coin

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

Hypno-Coin / advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 14)

Bullpen Bulletins; Mighty Marvel Checklist / in-house column / 1 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 15)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 16)

Fantastic 4 Fan Page / letters page / 1.8 pages

Script:	Stan Lee ?
Pencils:	Jack Kirby (illustration)
Inks:	Joe Sinnott (illustration)
Colors:	?
Letters:	typeset

Feature Logo:Fantastic Four Fan Page
First Line of Dialogue or Text:Dear Stan and Jack, I've just reread my copy of Fantastic Four Annual #3, and to me, the best thing that happened in it was not the marriage of Reed and Sue[...]

Characters:

Human Torch [Johnny Storm]

Reprints (1)

in Fantastic Four Omnibus (Marvel, 2005 series) #2 (2007)

Indexer Notes

Letters from: Janey Davis, Houston TX; Diane Nagura, San Francisco CA; Leonard Tirado, Saratoga Springs NY; Robert Brissette, Caribou ME; Don McGregor, West Warwick RI; Alice Jean Schorfheide, Belleville, IL; Ty Bizony, New York NY; and Marlene Jablon, Chicago IL.

The Coming of Galactus! (Table of Contents)

Fantastic Four / cover / 1 page

Issue Data

Indexer Notes

Polaris Nuclear Sub (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

Polaris Nuclear Sub / advertisement / 1 page

The Coming of Galactus! (Table of Contents: 2)

Fantastic Four / comic story / 20 pages

Indexer Notes

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 3)

Hulk; Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos; Spider-Man; Tales to Astonish / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

Joker’s Special (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

Ultra Products Novelties / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 5)

Christy Trades School Training / advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 6)

Precise Publications Defense Training / advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

100 Toy Soldiers / advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 8)

Grit Newspaper / advertisement / 0.5 page

Stamps (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 10)

"X-Ray" Specs [Glasses] / advertisement / 0.5 page

Shop by Mail (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 11)

advertisement / 1 page

U.S. Gov't Surplus (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 12)

Surplus Bargains / advertisement / 0.5 page

Hypno-Coin (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

Hypno-Coin / advertisement / 0.5 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 14)

Bullpen Bulletins; Mighty Marvel Checklist / in-house column / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 15)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16)

Fantastic 4 Fan Page / letters page / 1.8 pages

Indexer Notes

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 17)

Fantasy Masterpieces / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.2 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 18)

Hit Records / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 19)

American Basic Science Labs / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 20)

Mike Marvel Scientific Isometric Dynaflex System / advertisement / 1 page

The Coming of Galactus!

(Table of Contents)

Polaris Nuclear Sub

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

The Coming of Galactus!

(Table of Contents: 2)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 3)

Joker’s Special

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 5)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 6)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 8)

Stamps

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 10)

Shop by Mail

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 11)

U.S. Gov't Surplus

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 12)

Hypno-Coin

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 14)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 15)

[no title indexed]

(Table of Contents: 16)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 17)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 18)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 19)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 20)