SUPERMAN #198

Graded at 1.0 (FR) on 2026-10-15, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front, back, close-up and interior page. Cover detached from the staples. Large chunk missing from the lower back cover beside the spine. Heavy wear and chipping along the front spine edge. Creasing and rubbing on the front. Cream pages.

Superman #198, cover-dated July 1967, arrived during DC's late Silver Age stewardship of the character under editor Mort Weisinger, when Curt Swan's clean, classic rendering had become the visual standard for the Man of Steel. The issue reflects the house style of the period: tightly plotted single- or two-part adventures built around Superman's expansive power set, supporting cast, and recurring science-fiction conceits, produced at a point when the title was a reliable monthly seller rather than a showcase for any landmark first appearance or creative departure.

Market data shows a well-populated census of 84 Universal copies, with pricing that climbs steadily but not dramatically from low to high grade, consistent with a book collected mainly as part of a run rather than chased for a single defining moment. Demand is driven by Superman completists and Silver Age DC run-builders rather than speculative or crossover buyers, and sales activity is thin at the extremes of the grade scale, with the bulk of recorded transactions clustering in the 5.0 to 9.4 range.

This is a book that trades in step with broader Silver Age Superman collecting rather than against its own independent narrative: raw copies in low and mid grade serve run-fillers and readers, while top-census 9.6 and any eventual 9.8 command outsized premiums simply on the strength of scarcity at the summit of the grading curve. Expect steady, unspectacular turnover at the low end and a thin, patient market for the handful of superlative slabs.