FANTASTIC FOUR #104

Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with sharp corners; a couple of minor edge stress ticks are visible along the right edge, and there is a slight bend near the bottom left corner. No major creases, tears, or color breaks are apparent, and the spine appears tight with no visible stress lines. The book is in a protective sleeve, which limits full inspection of surface sheen; interior pages and back cover were not assessed.

Fantastic Four #104 arrived in the fall of 1970, just two issues removed from Jack Kirby's departure from the title he had co-created and defined for nearly a decade. Scripted by Stan Lee with art handled by John Buscema and inked by longtime FF inker Joe Sinnott, the issue is part of the brief but historically notable creative handoff period during which Marvel's flagship team book searched for its post-Kirby identity. While it does not introduce a major villain or supporting character that has entered the wider Marvel mythology, it stands as a representative artifact of that transition, drawn by one of the artists most associated with carrying the Fantastic Four forward through the 1970s.

The market data reflects a book that trades as a mid-tier Bronze Age issue rather than a spotlight key. Census population is substantial at 213 Universal copies, and pricing rises gradually and predictably from low grade through the high-9 range before spiking sharply at 9.8, where only seven copies exist and just two sales have been recorded. That gap between $280 at 9.6 and $2,150 at 9.8 is characteristic of common-run Bronze Age Marvel books, where top-census scarcity rather than storyline importance drives the premium. Demand across the low and mid grades is steady but modest, consistent with a book bought primarily to complete a run rather than sought for a singular first appearance.

This issue suits Fantastic Four run collectors, Bronze Age Marvel specialists, and buyers assembling a complete Buscema/Sinnott stretch of the title, rather than key-issue investors. Lower and mid-grade raw copies move steadily and affordably as filler for long-box runs, while the 9.8 tier commands outsized attention purely from census scarcity, attracting registry-focused buyers willing to pay a large multiple over the next grade down. Outside of that top tier, the book is unlikely to see rapid appreciation and should be valued and acquired as a solid, unspectacular piece of early-1970s Marvel history.