FANTASTIC FOUR #103

Cover shows strong gloss and bright color with sharp corners and a clean spine with no visible ticks or stress lines. There is minor edge wear at the bottom right corner and slight waviness near the top edge, likely from the protective sleeve. No creases, tears, or color breaks are visible, and the book is currently housed in a plastic sleeve which limits full assessment of spine and edges. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

Fantastic Four #103 arrived in October 1970 as the last issue to carry any Jack Kirby artwork on the title he co-created with Stan Lee. Kirby, departing Marvel for DC shortly after, provided layouts that were finished by Joe Sinnott, closing out one of comics' most consequential collaborations. The issue itself pits the team against the cosmic villain the Over-Mind, a lesser-known threat, but the real draw for collectors is the creative transition it represents, marking the end of the Lee-Kirby FF run that had defined the series since 1961.

Market data shows a book with steady but unspectacular demand across most grades, with FMVs holding in the low-to-mid twenties through grade 6.5 before climbing more sharply from 9.0 upward. That inflection point reflects typical Bronze Age grade-rarity dynamics: mid-grade copies are plentiful relative to demand, while high-grade copies become disproportionately scarce and desirable, particularly among Kirby completists and Fantastic Four run collectors assembling the Lee-Kirby era in top condition. No 9.8 has yet appeared on the census, underscoring how thin the population becomes at the summit.

This is a book that trades modestly in raw form and rewards patience at the high end. Low- and mid-grade copies serve reading and run-building collectors at accessible prices, while a 9.8 would command a strong premium as one of the finest known copies of Kirby's Marvel swan song. Long-term interest is likely to track broader Kirby and Silver-to-Bronze transition scholarship rather than any single character or story event.