CAPTAIN AMERICA #195

Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant yellow background with no visible fading. Minor wear at the top and bottom spine areas with slight blunting at the corners, and a faint crease line near the lower left edge. No major creases, tears, or color breaks are visible on the front cover; the book is protected in a poly sleeve which limits full assessment of edges. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed.

Captain America #195 (March 1976) arrived during Jack Kirby's celebrated return to the character he co-created, midway through the multi-issue "Madbomb" storyline that ran roughly from #193 to #200. Kirby handled both the writing and the pencils, giving the book his signature blend of oversized machinery, conspiratorial villainy, and blunt Cold War-era social commentary, with the Falcon along for the ride as Cap's steady partner. The issue introduces no new characters and carries no origin, death, or landmark first appearance, so it is valued as a strong mid-run installment of a well-regarded creative stretch rather than as a key issue in its own right.

The GoCollect certified data shows a typical Bronze Age Marvel value curve: modest, closely bunched prices through the mid grades (roughly $20 to $38 from 8.5 through 9.0) that then climb sharply at the top of the census, with 9.8 copies fetching $136 to $170 despite a healthy population of thirty slabs at that grade. That steep late curve, rather than any narrative significance, is what drives the spread between raw and top-graded copies; demand is concentrated among collectors chasing a complete Kirby Captain America run and pressing for the highest possible grade rather than the issue's story content.

Expect this book to move steadily as filler material in Bronze Age Marvel and Kirby-specific collections: low-grade raw copies trade cheaply as reading copies, mid-grade raw copies are readily available to run-builders, and only the pursuit of a pristine 9.8 slab creates real competition, since the top of the census remains thin relative to demand from Kirby completists and Captain America specialists.