MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER 4000 A.D. #3

The cover shows overall bright, unfaded color on the main artwork, but there is noticeable wear along the top edge with light soiling and a few small stress lines/creases near the upper right corner. A diagonal crease/scratch line runs through the upper portion of the cover, and the corners show mild rounding and blunting, especially at bottom right. Spine appears mostly tight with only minor ticking visible; the book is currently housed in a protective sleeve which adds some glare. Interior pages and back cover were not visible in this photo and were not assessed.

Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #3 continues Gold Key's futuristic sci-fi series created and illustrated by Russ Manning, following the character's debut a year earlier. Set in a 4000 A.D. North Am ruled by robots, the series distinguished itself with Manning's clean, dynamic linework and forward-looking design sense, at a time when most newsstand competitors were still leaning on standard superhero formulas. Issue #3 finds the title still in its formative stretch, building out the world of Magnus, Leeja Clane, and the sentient robot 1-A that Manning established in the earlier issues.

The book's market behavior reflects a modest-demand Gold Key title with a small but active certified population, just over fifty copies across the CGC Universal census. Pricing climbs steadily but not steeply through the mid grades, with a pronounced jump appearing only at the top of the curve between 9.2 and 9.4, where sales activity thins considerably. Demand is driven primarily by Manning completists and Gold Key sci-fi specialists rather than broad crossover collecting, keeping raw and mid-grade copies affordable and liquid.

This is a book that trades as a series-collector item rather than a speculative key: raw copies move steadily among Gold Key and Silver Age sci-fi buyers, while high-grade certified examples are scarce enough that a true gem copy would set new benchmarks given the complete absence of any 9.8 on census. Buyers seeking Manning's artwork or building a complete run of early Magnus issues form the primary market, with condition-census chasers representing the thin but real demand at the top end.