Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 3/87 · DIRECT EDITION
UNIT ECA-011820
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #124
Sal Buscema-drawn Copper Age Spidey issue from the late-1986/early-1987 direct-market run
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | March 1987 | Copper | Direct Edition | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-011820 | ~9.2 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with no visible fading; corners appear sharp with only minor bluntness at the top right; no creases, tears, or color breaks are visible along the spine in this image. The book is housed in a protective sleeve, which limits close inspection of edge wear and spine stress ticks. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so the grade reflects only the visible front cover condition.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $3 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $6 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $90 |
// Archive commentary
The Spectacular Spider-Man #124 (cover-dated March 1987) arrived during Marvel's mid-1980s expansion of the Spider-Man line, when the title ran alongside Amazing and Web of Spider-Man as part of the character's regular monthly output. The book falls in a stretch of the series illustrated by Sal Buscema, whose long tenure on the title defined its house style through the decade, and it sits chronologically just ahead of the better-remembered "Kraven's Last Hunt" crossover that would run through the Spider-Man titles later that year. No first appearance, death, or origin story is associated with this specific issue, and it is not cited in standard price guides as a notable cover or story landmark.
Market data reflects that status: certified sales are sparse across the grade spectrum, with only a handful of transactions recorded at any grade level and none reported in the low or mid raw ranges. Demand is concentrated at the high end of the census, where a small number of 9.8 sales establish value in the double digits rather than the triple- or quadruple-digit levels associated with recognized keys of the era. This is a volume-market Copper Age comic: plentiful in the direct-market distribution model of the mid-1980s, with survivorship skewed toward higher grades because collectors of the period increasingly bagged and boarded new comics at the newsstand and shop level.
This issue trades as a completion piece for Spider-Man run collectors and Sal Buscema art fans rather than as a speculative target. Raw copies in low and mid grade move for nominal sums as reading copies or long-box fillers, while top-census 9.8 slabs command a modest premium reflecting genuine scarcity in gem grade relative to the number of copies originally produced. Buyers should expect this title to track broader Copper Age Spider-Man demand rather than move independently, with value concentrated almost entirely in the pursuit of a complete high-grade run rather than in the issue itself.
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