FANTASTIC FOUR #122

Cover shows strong gloss and vivid color with sharp corners; a faint vertical crease is visible near the spine's midsection and a couple of minor spine ticks are present. The top edge shows very slight wear and the book is protected in a plastic sleeve, which limits full assessment of edges. Interior and back cover were not visible and were not assessed, so this grade reflects front cover appearance only.

Fantastic Four #122, cover-dated May 1972, arrives during Roy Thomas's tenure as writer following Stan Lee's departure from the title, with art by John Buscema and inks by Joe Sinnott. The issue is part of the broader early-1970s stretch of the series that carried forward the team's cosmic-adventure formula established under Lee and Jack Kirby, pitting Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm against escalating threats as the title transitioned creative hands. It is not associated with a first appearance, origin, or landmark creative milestone, and its standing in the run is that of a solid mid-series Bronze Age issue rather than a recognized key.

Market activity reflects that profile: values sit flat through the low and mid grades, with FMVs holding near $18-$22 from grade 3.5 up through 6.0, before rising steadily through the 7s, 8s, and 9s and then accelerating sharply at the top of the census, where 9.6 copies have traded around $450. That steep late curve is typical of Bronze Age Marvel team books with substantial census populations — demand is concentrated almost entirely in high-grade certified copies sought by census-chasers and Fantastic Four run-builders, while raw copies in reading condition trade as inexpensive filler.

Collecting interest in this issue centers on completists assembling the Thomas/Buscema Fantastic Four run and on grade-focused collectors targeting the upper end of the census, where 9.6 and any eventual 9.8 copies command outsized premiums over the bulk of the graded population. Mid- and low-grade raw copies remain readily available and inexpensive, suitable for reading copies or run-filling, while pristine slabs are scarce enough that a confirmed 9.8 would likely set a new high-water mark well above current 9.6 levels.