Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 12/88 · DIRECT EDITION
UNIT ECA-019477
AVENGERS #298
Kang time-travel saga installment from Walt Simonson's late-1980s Avengers run
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | December 1988 | Copper | Direct Edition | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-019477 | ~9.2 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-019518 | ~9.0 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-022010 | ~9.0 | Direct Edition | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible whitening or blunting. Spine appears tight with no stress lines or ticks visible in this photo. There is a small vertical crease/wave near the top of the logo area and slight surface waviness on the right edge, along with minor bindery wave common to Copper Age books. Book is in a protective sleeve, and the back cover and interior pages were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $3 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $10 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $46 |
// Archive commentary
Avengers #298 (December 1988) appeared during Walt Simonson's tenure as writer on Marvel's flagship team title, a run remembered for reviving Kang the Conqueror as a major antagonist and for laying groundwork toward the landmark 300th issue. This installment falls within the multi-part time-travel arc pitting the team against Kang, Rama-Tut, and Immortus, part of the larger continuity that Marvel's editorial and fan commentary would later treat as an essential bridge to Avengers #300's anniversary storyline. The book carries no first appearance, death, or origin of lasting significance, and its cover is a solid but unremarkable Copper Age team image rather than one cited in price guides as a design landmark.
Market activity for this issue is thin and typical of a mid-run Copper Age Avengers back issue: certified population sits at 30 graded copies with the bulk concentrated in the low-to-mid 9-range, and sales data is sparse even at the top grade. The modest 9.8 fair market value, coupled with recent averages running noticeably above the current FMV, points to a small, illiquid niche of high-grade buyers rather than sustained broad demand. Lower-grade raw copies see negligible trading activity, reflecting the issue's status as a completist purchase within a Simonson or Kang collection rather than a standalone target.
This is a book for Avengers run-builders, Kang completists, and Simonson-era collectors rather than investment-driven key hunters. Raw copies in low and mid grade trade for pocket change and are readily found in back-issue bins or online lots; the real activity, such as it is, concentrates at the CGC 9.8 tier where population remains small enough to reward patience. Expect steady but unspectacular demand, with pricing sensitive to whichever adjacent, more significant issue (such as #300) collectors are chasing at a given time.
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