Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 10/81 · NEWSSTAND
UNIT ECA-022357
AVENGERS #212
Yellowjacket's mental unraveling begins in the Avengers' ranks
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | October 1981 | Bronze | Newsstand | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-022357 | ~8.5 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and bright, unfaded colors with sharp corners. There is a light vertical crease/wrinkle running through the upper right area of the cover art and a few minor surface creases near the top edge; slight waviness is visible under the protective sleeve, possibly from handling or the bag itself. No major spine stress lines, tears, or color breaks are evident, though the book is in a plastic sleeve which limits full assessment. Back cover and interior pages were not visible for grading.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $3 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $8 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $140 |
// Archive commentary
Avengers #212 (October 1981) arrives during the David Michelinie-scripted arc that pushed founding Avenger Hank Pym, operating as Yellowjacket, toward a breaking point. Facing insecurity within the team, Pym constructs a rogue robot threat intended to let him appear heroic by defeating it, a scheme that instead exposes his instability and sets up the court-martial storyline that follows in the next issue. The book is a working chapter in one of the more psychologically pointed Avengers subplots of the early 1980s, notable for its role in the team's internal drama rather than for any first appearance or origin.
Market activity for this issue is thin and concentrated almost entirely at the high end of the grading scale. Recorded sales cluster around CGC 9.8 and 9.6, with only isolated data points at 9.0 and 8.5, reflecting a book that circulated in large numbers as a mainstream newsstand title and drew collector attention mainly for series completeness rather than landmark content. Demand is steady but modest, driven by Avengers team-run collectors and readers following the Pym/Yellowjacket subplot rather than speculative key-issue buyers.
This is a bulk-run Bronze Age Avengers issue best suited to set-builders and readers completing the early-1980s Michelinie/Pym storyline. Raw copies in low and mid grades trade for only a few dollars and are readily available, while a pristine CGC 9.8 commands a real but limited premium given the scarcity of top-census copies rather than any narrative importance. Collectors should view it as connective tissue in a larger arc rather than a standalone target.
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