IRON MAN #140

Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible creases or color breaks; spine appears tight with no stress lines visible in this view. There is slight edge wear potentially visible near the top and bottom edges, and the book is preserved in a protective sleeve which limits full inspection. No stains, tears, or writing are visible on the front cover. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so grade is based solely on this front cover photo.

Iron Man #140 continues the Michelinie/Layton creative team's run on the title, opening the two-part "The Use of Deadly Force" storyline. Bob Layton supplies both the cover and interior art, working alongside writer David Michelinie during a period widely regarded as one of the strongest sustained runs on the character, later culminating in the celebrated "Demon in a Bottle" arc. The issue features series regulars Bethany Cabe and James Rhodes (here still functioning as Tony Stark's pilot rather than the armored War Machine he would later become), alongside the villain Force, in a story rooted in the era's grounded, espionage-inflected take on Iron Man.

Market data reflects a high-population Bronze Age title with no first appearances or landmark story beats driving independent demand. Certified population exceeds 100 Universal copies, and FMV data shows a typical late-curve premium concentrated at the top of the grade scale, with 9.8 copies trading well above 9.6 and 9.4 examples despite a comparatively deep census. Sales volume is modest across all grades, and lower-grade certified and raw copies show minimal recorded transaction activity, consistent with a book collected mainly as part of a complete Michelinie/Layton run rather than pursued individually.

This issue trades primarily as run-filler for Iron Man collectors assembling the Bronze Age creative team's output, with raw copies moving inexpensively in dealer bins and online lots regardless of grade below near-mint. High-grade CGC 9.8 copies attract a small pool of registry-driven buyers willing to pay a premium disproportionate to the book's broader demand, but the title lacks the character-first-appearance or story-significance hooks that would sustain deeper cross-grade appreciation.