FANTASTIC FOUR #298

Graded at 8.5 (VF+) on 2026-11-04, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front and back. Short color-breaking tick in the black near the top of the spine. Corners very lightly blunted at the spine ends. Good gloss on the front. Back clean under the glare.

Fantastic Four #298 (January 1987) falls within Steve Englehart's tenure as writer, illustrated by John Buscema, during the stretch of the series that reshuffled the classic lineup with She-Hulk and Sharon Ventura's Ms. Marvel filling in for Reed Richards and Sue Storm. The issue is part of the build toward the team's landmark 300th issue, in which the original Richards family rejoins full-time, giving #298 context as connective plotting rather than a stand-alone landmark. Buscema's pencils, a mainstay of Marvel's house style through the 1980s, anchor the visual continuity of the run during this transitional period.

Market data reflects a title with modest, steady collector interest rather than speculative demand: certified sales are sparse across the grade spectrum, and fair market values move gradually from the high-30s at 9.2 to the mid-40s at 9.4, with only a small premium at the top grade of 9.8. The absence of any 9.6 sales and the limited one-year average at the top of the census point to a book that trades occasionally among Fantastic Four run-builders rather than one pursued as a discrete key. Pricing at lower certified and raw grades tracks the broader pattern for late-1980s Marvel output, where high print runs keep entry-level copies inexpensive and readily available.

This issue suits collectors assembling a complete run of Englehart's Fantastic Four or the broader 1980s series rather than key-issue investors. Raw copies in low and mid grades remain affordable and are typically bought to fill gaps in long boxes or reading sets, while CGC 9.8 examples appeal mainly to census-chasers and completists seeking top-of-the-population copies. Long-term value is likely to move in step with overall interest in the Englehart/Buscema era and any renewed attention to the surrounding