PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #40

Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with sharp corners and no major creasing visible. There is minor edge wear along the top and right border and a faint bend near the lower left corner box; spine appears mostly tight with no obvious stress lines visible in this photo. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment of surface sheen and back cover; interior pages were not examined.

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #40 is a late-1970s/early-1980s Bronze Age issue written by Bill Mantlo with art by Frank Springer and inks by Ricardo Villamonte. The story pits Spider-Man against a rotating cast of established rogues, including Electro, the Lizard, and Sandman, alongside supporting cast regulars Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, J. Jonah Jameson, and Daily Bugle staffers Ben Urich and Barney Bushkin. It carries no first appearances, deaths, or landmark creative milestones, placing it firmly within the vast body of workmanlike Spider-Man team-up and villain-gauntlet issues that defined the era's second monthly title.

Market data reflects a book of modest but steady demand: certified sales cluster in the single digits across most grades, with values climbing gradually from the mid-teens in the 7.5-8.0 range up to the mid-fifties and sixties at the top of the census. The census itself, with 56 of 62 graded copies falling in the Universal category and a healthy concentration in 9.6, indicates ample raw and slabbed supply at all grade levels. Demand is driven almost entirely by Spider-Man completists and villain-roster collectors rather than by any specific character or story milestone, keeping pricing tight and grade-dependent rather than event-driven.

This is a title that trades as filler or run-completion material for the vast majority of buyers, appealing mainly to those assembling a full run of Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man or a villain-focused Spider-Man collection. Raw copies in low and mid grades move cheaply and frequently through dealer bins and online lots, while high-grade CGC 9.8 copies see modest but real premiums reflecting relative scarcity at the top of the census rather than any inherent collectibility of the issue itself. Long-term appreciation potential is limited, and the book is best positioned as an accessible, budget-friendly addition to larger Spider-Man or Bronze Age collections.