AVENGERS #289

Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible creasing or spine stress in this photo; colors appear bright and unfaded. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment of edges, and a small fold or crease is visible near the top edge of the bag rather than the comic itself. No stains, tears, or writing are visible on the cover; interior and back cover were not assessed.

Avengers #289 arrived during Roger Stern's extended run as the title's writer, with art by John Buscema and inks by Tom Palmer, a creative team that defined the book's late Bronze into Copper Age identity. The issue falls within a period when the roster included Captain America, Thor, She-Hulk, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), the Black Knight, and Namor the Sub-Mariner, reflecting Stern's efforts to balance longtime mainstays with newer additions. It is a mid-run installment rather than a storyline milestone, offering steady continuity and craftsmanship typical of the era's flagship team title without a first appearance, death, or other landmark event attached to it.

Market activity for this issue is limited, with only a handful of recorded certified sales spread across a wide grade range. Prices climb sharply at the top of the census, consistent with a book that has plenty of high-grade copies available but few active buyers competing for them, meaning demand is present but not deep. The gap between mid-grade and near-mint sales suggests collectors chasing pristine copies pay a real premium, while raw and lower-grade copies remain inexpensive and readily available for readers assembling a run.

This issue mainly appeals to Avengers completists and Roger Stern/John Buscema run collectors rather than speculators chasing a key. Lower-grade raw copies trade as inexpensive filler for long boxes and reading collections, mid-grade raw copies see modest interest from those building presentable runs, and true high-grade CGC 9.8 examples, while scarce on census, command buyer interest mostly from grade-chasers and registry participants rather than from broad market demand.