FANTASTIC FOUR #136

Cover shows strong color and gloss with sharp corners overall; slight softening visible at the bottom right corner and minor edge wear along the top edge. There is a faint vertical crease near the spine but no major color break visible. The book is in a protective sleeve which obscures fine surface detail and prevents assessment of the back cover and interior pages.

Fantastic Four #136 arrived in July 1973 during the title's transitional Bronze Age period, when writer Gerry Conway and penciler John Buscema (inked by Joe Sinnott) were carrying the series forward in the wake of the Lee-Kirby era. The issue features the core team of Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, and the Thing in a standard adventure typical of the mid-1970s run, without a first appearance, death, or other landmark event attached to it. It is a representative example of the workmanlike, well-crafted Fantastic Four issues that filled out the series between its foundational Kirby years and the later Byrne relaunch.

Market data shows a book with a large certified population (144 census copies of 152 total graded) and steady but unspectacular demand across most grades, with FMVs clustering tightly in the $22-$65 range through 9.2 before jumping sharply at 9.6 and 9.8. This pattern reflects a common trait of high-print-run 1970s Marvel titles: the book is not scarce in raw or mid-grade form, so value is driven almost entirely by condition rarity at the very top of the census rather than by story content or character significance.

This issue suits collectors building a complete run of Fantastic Four rather than character or key-issue specialists. Low- and mid-grade raw copies remain affordable and trade mostly as run-fillers, while pressure-sensitive, high-grade census scarcity pushes 9.8 examples into a different pricing tier entirely. Long-term demand should track general Bronze Age Marvel collecting activity and the overall health of the Fantastic Four completist market rather than any issue-specific catalyst.