SUPERBOY #137
Silver Age Superboy adventure featuring Krypto and the Kents
// Unit specification
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and bright inks with no major creases visible; corners appear reasonably sharp with only slight wear at the top corners. There is minor edge wear along the right side and a faint vertical crease near the spine area. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment of spine ticks and surface texture. Interior and back cover were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $8 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $18 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $275 |
// Archive commentary
Superboy #137, cover-dated April 1967, arrived during a period when DC's Superboy title regularly paired the Boy of Steel with familiar supporting cast members including Krypto, Ma and Pa Kent, and Lana Lang, reflecting the small-town Smallville formula that anchored the series throughout the mid-1960s. The book was part of DC's broader Superman-family line during a period when Otto Binder and successors like E. Nelson Bridwell were shaping much of the scripting, with Bob Brown among the era's regular pencilers on the title. No first appearance, origin story, or landmark creative event is attached to this issue, and it is not cited in standard price guides as a key.
Certified population data shows a modest but active census of roughly fifty graded copies, concentrated in the 8.0 to 9.4 range, with thinner representation at the extremes. Sales activity tracks a conventional Silver Age curve: values climb gradually through the mid grades before accelerating sharply above 9.0, consistent with typical collector behavior for common-to-moderate-demand back issues where high-grade survivors are scarce relative to demand from Superman-family completists and Silver Age grade-chasers. Demand for the book is driven almost entirely by series completism and condition census chasing rather than character-specific or historical significance.
This issue trades as a representative mid-run Silver Age Superboy book: affordable in low and mid grades for readers and set-builders, with a pronounced premium reserved for top-census copies pursued by registry collectors. Expect steady but unspectacular movement in raw grades, and outsized bidding only when a top-tier certified copy — particularly an unclaimed 9.8 — surfaces, since scarcity at the apex of the census, not narrative importance, is what commands the premium here.
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-007499 | ~7.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
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