SPACE FAMILY ROBINSON, LOST IN SPACE #23

The cover shows several prominent horizontal and diagonal stress creases running through the upper black sky area and lower right corner, along with a small bindery/spine tear at the upper left edge. Corners show moderate blunting and wear, particularly the top left and bottom left, and there is visible surface rubbing and minor color flaking along the spine. The gloss appears diminished in areas with scattered surface wear, though colors remain bright and unfaded. Interior pages and back cover were not visible in this photo and were not assessed.

Space Family Robinson, Lost in Space #23 continues Western Publishing's long-running science-fiction adventure series, predating and later capitalizing on the unrelated but similarly-titled Irwin Allen television production. Dan Spiegle, a mainstay of Gold Key's adventure line, handled interior art with his characteristically clean, cinematic linework, while Gaylord DuBois supplied the scripting duties typical of his decades-long tenure writing Western's licensed and original adventure titles. The painted cover is credited to George Wilson, whose photorealistic gouache work defined the look of countless Gold Key covers of the era. This issue is a mid-run number, not an origin or first-appearance issue, and holds no landmark status within the broader run.

Market data reflects a title with a small but steady collector base rather than broad crossover demand. Sales cluster in the upper grades, with 9.6 copies trading with some regularity and a meaningful price step-up between 9.2 and 9.4, characteristic of Silver Age books where high-grade survivors are scarce due to fragile paper stock and low print-run durability rather than any speculative first-appearance premium. The absence of a confirmed 9.8 sale on the certified population underscores the rarity of top-tier survivors rather than any lack of interest in the title.

This book primarily attracts Gold Key and Western Publishing completists, Space Family Robinson series collectors, and admirers of Spiegle's and Wilson's artwork, rather than speculators chasing key-issue appreciation. Lower and mid-grade raw copies remain affordable entry points for readers and series builders, while high-grade certified copies command a real premium driven by scarcity of pristine survivors rather than narrative significance. Long-term demand is likely to track steadily with broader Silver Age and Gold Key collecting interest rather than experience sharp speculative swings.