Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 2/72
UNIT ECA-029585
ASTONISHING TALES #10
Bronze Age Ka-Zar and Dr. Doom split-book issue from early 1972
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | February 1972 | Bronze | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-029585 | ~8.5 | — | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-031513 | ~6.5 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with sharp corners and no visible creases or color breaks. Slight edge wear is visible along the top and right border, and there appears to be minor waviness near the top edge consistent with light handling. The book is protected in a plastic sleeve, which limits full assessment of the spine; interior pages and back cover were not visible in this photo.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $4 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $10 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $650 |
// Archive commentary
Astonishing Tales #10 arrived during Marvel's early-1970s experiment with split-format anthology titles, pairing a Ka-Zar adventure story with a solo Doctor Doom feature. The series gave both characters rare standalone spotlight time outside team books like The Fantastic Four and The X-Men, letting Ka-Zar's jungle-adventure roots and Doom's schemes as ruler of Latveria develop independently. The issue reflects Marvel's continued push into genre-adjacent adventure and science-fiction storytelling as the line diversified beyond its core superhero output in the early Bronze Age.
Market data shows a typical long-tail Bronze Age distribution: modest demand and pricing through the mid grades, with value climbing sharply only at the top of the census. The gap between 9.4 and 9.6 FMVs, and the further jump to 9.8, indicates that high-grade survivors are scarce relative to raw and mid-grade copies, which are plentiful and inexpensive. This is consistent with a book that was not heavily key-driven at release and has instead built its collector base gradually around the Ka-Zar and Doctor Doom features rather than any singular first appearance.
This issue trades as a reading and completist copy for Ka-Zar and Doctor Doom collectors, and as a affordable, accessible Bronze Age Marvel title for buyers assembling runs of Astonishing Tales. Raw copies in low and mid grade see little competitive bidding and remain cheap entry points, while CGC 9.8 examples command outsized premiums purely on condition scarcity rather than character or story significance. Expect steady, unspectacular demand from run-builders and character specialists rather than speculative key-issue buyers.
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