ASTONISHING TALES #22

Cover shows good color and gloss with no major creases or color breaks visible. Slight rubbing/wear is present along the top edge near the logo and a faint corner softness at top left; spine appears mostly flat with no obvious stress lines from this angle. The book is protected in a plastic sleeve, which limits full assessment of edge and corner sharpness. Interior pages and back cover were not visible and were not assessed.

Astonishing Tales #22 arrived during the title's transitional period, after the Ka-Zar/Doctor Doom split-book era had given way to a rotating lineup of secondary features built around It, the Living Colossus and other Marvel Bronze Age concepts. The series had already established itself as a testing ground for characters and creative teams who did not yet warrant standalone titles, and issue #22 reflects that experimental, backup-driven format typical of early-to-mid 1970s Marvel anthology books. It carries no major first appearance or origin story and is not counted among the title's recognized keys, which are concentrated a few issues later with the introduction of Deathlok.

Market data shows a small, tightly held certified population, with the overwhelming majority of the roughly forty-five graded copies sitting in the 8.5 to 9.6 range and only a handful reaching the top of the census. Recorded sales are thin at every grade level, and pricing is driven almost entirely by census scarcity rather than character demand: 9.6 copies have traded in the $140-150 range, while the few 9.2 and lower-grade sales on record show a steep dropoff, consistent with a book that collectors pursue mainly for series completion rather than for any single landmark moment inside its pages.

Demand centers on Bronze Age Marvel anthology completists and readers assembling a full run of Astonishing Tales rather than character-first key hunters. Raw copies in worn condition trade as inexpensive filler, while mid-grade raw examples see modest but steady interest from readers filling gaps ahead of the Deathlok issues. High-grade certified copies, particularly at the top of the census, command outsized premiums simply because so few exist, making this a book where grade scarcity — not story content — dictates the price ceiling.