Approximate
Condition Profile
DC COMICS · 12/68
UNIT ECA-008295
BEWARE THE CREEPER #4
Steve Ditko's final issue on the short-lived Creeper series
// Unit specification
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows good color and gloss with no major creases visible, but there is mild wear at the corners and slight blunting at the top right corner. Spine appears mostly tight with no obvious major stress lines visible through the protective sleeve, though sleeve glare limits full assessment. No significant staining or discoloration noted on the front cover. Interior pages and back cover were not visible and were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $6 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $10 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $275 |
// Archive commentary
Beware the Creeper #4 closes out one of Steve Ditko's most idiosyncratic Silver Age creations, a six-issue run that folded before the character found a wider audience. Ditko wrote, drew, and defined the visual language of Jack Ryder's alter ego across the series, and this issue carries his signature blend of contorted anatomy, harsh shadow, and off-kilter page design. It arrived late in 1968, near the tail end of Ditko's DC tenure, at a moment when the publisher was still experimenting with antihero concepts in the wake of the character's introduction in issue #1.
Market data reflects a book that circulates almost entirely among Ditko completists and Creeper series collectors rather than mainstream key-issue buyers. The FMV curve is thin and uneven above the low-to-mid grades, with sales clustering in the $14-$70 range across 6.5 through 9.4, and no priced sales at all for the two highest certified tiers despite a modest number of copies existing there. That gap indicates a book that is scarce in top condition and rarely trades once it reaches those grades, rather than one in active high-end demand.
Collecting interest centers on Ditko's artwork and the completeness of a Creeper run rather than any landmark event within this specific issue. Raw copies in low and mid grade move as affordable run-fillers for Silver Age or Ditko-focused collections, while a true 9.8 would be a census-defining rarity commanding a premium disproportionate to the book's modest print-run demand, given that no such copy has yet traded.
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-008295 | ~6.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
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