Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Amazing Adventures, Beast, bronze age, marvel

The Beast and Patsy Walker in Amazing Adventures, Up for Auction

Published Sun, 06 Feb 2022 10:21:09 -0600

For a little while in the early 1970s, the Beast was the most important member of X-Men. The original X-Men series continued as reprints at the end of 1970, but less than 18 months later the Beast got his own solo series beginning with Amazing Adventures #11. While this series is best remembered as the moment that Hank McCoy turned into a real, furry beast, it's also a window into what was going on in the mutant corner of the Marvel Universe with mutant guest appearances and more. An underrated moment of 1970s Marvel X-Men, there's a nice high-grade group of Amazing Adventures featuring the Beast up for auction in today's 2022 February 6-7 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122206 from Heritage Auctions.

Interestingly, Hank McCoy is cast as sort of a Bruce Banner / Hulk figure in this series. While he doesn't transform between his human-looking and Beast forms (he is permanently stuck as the Beast), he makes a "Hank McCoy costume" for himself so that he can function normally as a scientist at the Brand Corporation. The Brand Corporation is another point of similarity between McCoy and Bruce Banner, as he's a scientist working for America's military-industrial complex. Brand itself is an obvious stand-in for the real-life Rand Corporation. The Beast is even seen losing control as he gets angry in the heat of battle.

Amazing Adventures #12 is a hidden gem of sorts in that it's also Patsy Walker's entrance into the Marvel Universe proper. Overall, this short run of the Beast's solo series is a fascinating and underrated moment of X-Men history, and there's a nice high-grade group of Amazing Adventures featuring the Beast up for auction in today's 2022 February 6-7 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122206 from Heritage Auctions.

Amazing Adventures #12 (Marvel, 1972) CGC NM+ 9.6 Off-white to white pages. The Beast battles Iron Man. Professor X and Jean Grey appearances. Brotherhood of Evil Mutants cameo. Gil Kane cover. Mike Ploog art. Overstreet 2021 NM- 9.2 value = $130. CGC census 1/22: 37 in 9.6, 14 higher.

Amazing Adventures #13 (Marvel, 1972) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages. The Beast battles the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (Mastermind, the Blob, and Unus the Untouchable). Patsy Walker appearance. John Romita Sr. cover. Tom Sutton art. Overstreet 2021 NM- 9.2 value = $130. CGC census 1/22: 11 in 9.6, 6 higher.

Amazing Adventures #14 (Marvel, 1972) CGC NM- 9.2 Off-white to white pages. Featuring the Beast. "Death" of Quasimodo. Iron Man and Patsy Walker appearances. Gil Kane cover. Tom Sutton art. Overstreet 2021 NM- 9.2 value = $130. CGC census 1/22: 11 in 9.2, 63 higher.