TALES OF SUSPENSE #76

This pre-1977 book has a single edition, so no direct/newsstand distinction applies. Visible defects include a vertical crease running through the upper logo box, moderate corner wear at the top corners, and general surface wear consistent with handling; colors remain bright with no major fading. Spine appears to have some stress but no major color breaks are visible in this photo. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

Tales of Suspense #76 arrived during the dual-feature era of the title, pairing a Captain America adventure with an ongoing Iron Man story arc pitting Tony Stark against the Soviet-created Titanium Man, a storyline that ran across several consecutive issues beginning with #75. Stan Lee scripted both features, with Jack Kirby providing layouts and cover work for the Captain America side and Don Heck handling the Iron Man art, reflecting Marvel's mid-1960s production model of alternating and shared art teams across its split anthology titles. The issue is representative of the title's mid-run output rather than a landmark chapter: no first appearances, deaths, or origin material occur here, and its interest lies in the ongoing Titanium Man conflict and typical Kirby/Heck era art rather than any singular historic event.

Market data shows a broad, well-populated census with steady sales activity across nearly every grade tier, indicating this is a book collectors pursue as part of complete Tales of Suspense or Iron Man/Captain America runs rather than as a standalone target. Values climb gradually through the mid grades before rising sharply at the top of the census, a pattern typical of Silver Age Marvel books where high-grade survivors are scarce relative to demand from run collectors and character completists. The thin sales record at 9.8 suggests that top-tier copies trade infrequently and command outsized premiums when they do appear.

This issue trades as a solid but unspectacular piece of a Silver Age Marvel collection, most attractive to those building complete Tales of Suspense sets or assembling early Iron Man and Captain America material. Lower and mid-grade copies remain affordable and readily available given the large certified population, while high-grade and especially 9.8 copies see disproportionate premiums driven by census scarcity rather than narrative importance. Expect steady, unspectacular appreciation in step with broader Silver Age Marvel demand.