FANTASTIC FOUR #304

Graded at 9.0 (VF/NM) on 2026-11-04, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front and back. Upper staple wire looks tan-orange, possibly light rust. Cover wrap sits slightly off, with front art rolling onto the back at the fold. Sharp corners and strong gloss. Clean back cover.

Fantastic Four #304 arrived in July 1987 during Steve Englehart's tenure as writer, a period following John Byrne's celebrated run when Marvel's flagship team book settled into a steady, if less heralded, rhythm of standalone and short-arc adventures. The issue features the core lineup of Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing navigating another installment in the team's ongoing rogues' gallery conflicts, executed with the polished but workmanlike art typical of the era's studio pencilers. No first appearance, death, or landmark creative statement is attached to this specific issue, placing it squarely within the vast majority of long-running Copper Age superhero output rather than among the series' recognized turning points.

Market data reflects that positioning: certified sales are sparse across the grade spectrum, with only a handful of transactions recorded even at the top end, and the FMV curve shows a gentle rather than steep climb from the mid-grade tiers into 9.6 and 9.8. This pattern is characteristic of a book with negligible speculative pressure — collectors seeking it are typically completists filling out a full Fantastic Four run rather than key-hunters chasing a specific milestone. Demand is steady but modest, and the gap between raw mid-grade material and a top-graded slab is comparatively narrow next to genuine key issues from the same decade.

This is a book that trades within long-box and run-building contexts rather than as a standalone investment vehicle. Raw copies in low and mid grade move cheaply and frequently through dealer inventory and online marketplaces, while a CGC 9.8 commands a modest premium reflecting scarcity of pristine survivors rather than intrinsic content value. Buyers are overwhelmingly Fantastic Four series collectors and Copper Age generalists; it is not a book pursued by character-first or first-appearance-driven collectors, and pricing across all grades should be expected to remain flat and comps-thin for the foreseeable future.