THE UNCANNY X-MEN #198

Cover shows sharp corners and clean, glossy surface with strong color and no visible spine ticks or stress lines from this angle. Slight edge wear may be present near the top right but is hard to distinguish from glare through the protective sleeve. No creases, tears, or fading are visible; the book is in a plastic sleeve which limits full assessment of edges. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

Uncanny X-Men #198 arrived in October 1985 during Chris Claremont's long, defining run on the title, with art by John Romita Jr. and inks by Dan Green. The issue continues the story of the Reavers, the cyborg mercenary outfit introduced the previous issue, as Storm's depowered team works to survive their ambush. The book sits within a stretch of the series widely read for its ensemble character work — Rogue, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, and Rachel Summers all factor into the arc — rather than for any single landmark event captured on this cover.

Market data reflects a well-populated, actively collected Copper Age issue rather than a speculative key. Census numbers are substantial (over 500 Universal copies graded), and sales activity is steady across the high grades, with values climbing sharply only in the 9.4-9.8 range where the surviving pool of pristine copies thins. Demand is driven primarily by completists of Claremont's X-Men run and by Romita Jr. cover collectors, rather than by first-appearance speculation.

This issue trades as a representative mid-run X-Men book: inexpensive in raw mid and low grades, where supply comfortably meets demand, and only meaningfully valuable in true Gemmary 9.8 condition, where population scarcity and long-run completist demand combine to push prices well above the rest of the curve. It suits collectors building a complete Claremont/Romita Jr. run or filling out a grade set rather than buyers chasing a single marquee key.