Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 12/71
UNIT ECA-028309
FANTASTIC FOUR #117
Bronze Age Fantastic Four battling the alien Over-Mind, John Buscema art and cover
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | December 1971 | Bronze | — | — | LISTED ON EBAY |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-028309 | ~8.0 | — | LISTED ON EBAY ↗ (opens eBay in a new tab) |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Graded at 8.0 (VF) on 2026-11-02, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front, back and interior page. Bright glossy red cover. Sharp corners. Tight spine with no color-breaking ticks. Tiny nick on the top edge near the right corner. Light tan pages.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $10 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $18 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $2,200 |
// Archive commentary
Fantastic Four #117 arrived in December 1971 during the transitional period when Roy Thomas took over scripting duties from Stan Lee, with John Buscema handling pencils and covers and Joe Sinnott inking. The issue continues the multi-part saga introducing the cosmic menace called the Over-Mind, pitting Marvel's First Family against a threat whose scale echoes the book's earlier Galactus and Skrull epics. While not a first appearance or origin issue, it represents the polished house style of Buscema/Sinnott artwork that defined the title's look through the early 1970s and is valued by readers who collect the full Over-Mind arc.
Market data shows a typical mid-run Bronze Age FF profile: values stay modest through the mid-grade tiers, climbing only gradually from $36 at VF- to $150 at NM-, before spiking sharply at the top of the census, where a small pool of 9.8 copies commands roughly $2,200 based on recent certified sales. This shape reflects a book with adequate raw supply for collectors assembling complete Fantastic Four runs, but genuine scarcity at the pristine end, where thin paper stock and handling from the era limit true Gem Mint survivors.
This issue suits FF run-builders and Bronze Age Marvel specialists rather than key-issue speculators; demand is steady but unspectacular in the low and mid grades, where the book trades as a common piece of a larger set, while the 9.8 tier draws targeted competition from registry collectors chasing top-census Buscema-era Fantastic Four issues.
INQUIRE_ABOUT_THIS_UNIT
Listed on eBay. This unit is for sale on eBay: view the listing ↗ (opens eBay in a new tab). Questions about it are welcome here too.
