THE CHAMPIONS #5

Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant colors with sharp corners and no visible creases or color breaks. Slight surface sheen from the protective sleeve makes fine assessment difficult, but no major spine stress lines, tears, or stains are visible. Edges appear clean with only minor wear at the extreme corners. Interior and back cover were not assessed, and the book is stored in a plastic sleeve which may obscure minor defects.

The Champions #5 (Marvel, April 1976) introduces Rampage, the alter ego of scientist Stuart Clarke, whose armored form debuts here amid the short-lived team title starring Hercules, Angel, Iceman, and Black Widow. Rich Buckler supplies the cover, with interior art by Don Heck and John Tartaglione and inks by Dan Adkins; Marv Wolfman edited the issue, which also carries a Marvel Value Stamp (Series B) typical of the era's promotional inserts. Rampage himself remains a minor figure in Marvel continuity, appearing sporadically in later decades, which keeps this issue's recognition tied almost entirely to the first-appearance designation rather than ongoing character prominence.

Certified sales data shows a shallow but steady curve: mid- and high-grade copies trade in the $18-$70 range through 9.6, with a pronounced jump to $170 at 9.8, reflecting the usual Bronze Age pattern where pristine slabs command a large premium over the bulk of the census. Demand is driven by completists of the Champions run and Rampage first-appearance collectors rather than mainstream key-issue buyers, keeping overall transaction volume modest. The scarcity of raw and low-grade sales data reflects a book that circulates mostly in the CGC-graded space, with raw copies changing hands quietly and infrequently.

This is a book for series-focused and first-appearance completists rather than speculative buyers chasing major character launches. Across grades it trades as an inexpensive Bronze Age filler at the low and mid tiers, with value concentrated almost entirely in the top-census 9.8 slabs; the gap between mid-grade raw copies and a 9.8 is unusually wide relative to the book's overall market size, so grade sensitivity is high for anyone targeting this specific issue.