MAGNUS, ROBOT FIGHTER 4000 A.D. #9

The cover shows strong, vibrant color reproduction with no visible fading, staining, or writing. Corners appear sharp with only minor softness at the lower right tip, and the spine shows no obvious stress lines or color breaks in this view. There is slight edge wear along the top and right border consistent with light handling, but no creases, tears, or chips are evident. The book is housed in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment; interior pages and back cover were not visible and are not assessed.

Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #9 continues Russ Manning's celebrated run on the title he created for Western Publishing's Gold Key imprint, with Manning again handling both story and art alongside Bill Spicer, under editor Chase Craig. Set in a future North Am where robots serve humanity and Magnus polices their misuse, the series was distinguished by Manning's clean, meticulously researched linework and forward-looking design sense, qualities on full display in this issue's adventure featuring Leeja, Commander Zarz, Senator Clane, and President Claiburne. George Wilson's cover work for the line was widely admired in the era for its painted realism, a hallmark of Gold Key's output through the 1960s.

The certified population for this issue is small across every grade tier, with only a handful of copies graded at any level and just two copies reaching 9.6 with no 9.8 yet recorded. Recorded sales cluster at the top of the census, with 9.4s trading in the low $300s and 9.2s roughly $150-200 less, while the sole 7.5 sales point sits well below that. This scarcity of graded material, combined with the title's durable following among Silver Age science-fiction and Gold Key completists, supports a steep grade-to-price curve typical of low-population books rather than a smooth, well-populated one.

Demand centers on Russ Manning's art and the character's cult status among fans of 1960s adventure science fiction, rather than any first-appearance premium, since Magnus and his supporting cast debuted earlier in the run. Raw copies in low and mid grades move steadily but modestly among series collectors filling out runs, while a hypothetical 9.8 would command a significant premium over any currently certified copy given the total absence of that grade on census. This is a book for Gold Key specialists and Manning admirers more than speculative investors, trading in a thin but consistent secondary market.