CAPTAIN AMERICA #290

Cover shows sharp corners, strong glossy surface, and bright unfaded colors with no visible spine ticks or stress lines. Slight waviness/rippling is visible in the black background art, likely a printing/paper wave rather than damage, and there is minor bend near the left edge. No creases, tears, or color breaks are evident, though the book is in a protective sleeve which limits close inspection; interior and back cover were not assessed.

Captain America #290 arrived in February 1984 during J.M. DeMatteis's run as writer, a stretch of the series known more for character-driven subplots involving Steve Rogers's personal life and rotating cast of allies than for major first appearances. Paul Neary handled art duties in this stretch of the title as the book transitioned away from Mike Zeck's earlier, more collected run. The issue is a representative example of mid-1980s Captain America storytelling rather than a landmark chapter in the character's publishing history.

Market data on this issue is sparse, reflecting its status as a mid-run, non-key Copper Age comic printed in high volume for newsstand distribution. Certified sales cluster near a flat $22 across grades 7.5 through 9.2, with a single outlying 9.4 sale reaching $95, suggesting demand is thin and largely restricted to series completists rather than active speculation. There is no certified activity at 9.6 or above, meaning top-grade value is inferred rather than observed.

This book trades primarily within long-box and run-building contexts: collectors assembling a complete Captain America set, DeMatteis-era completists, or dollar-bin buyers rounding out early-1980s Marvel runs. Raw copies in low and mid grades carry only nominal value and are typically bought in bulk or as filler; only a top-census CGC 9.8, should one surface, would command meaningful attention, and even then likely from a narrow pool of registry-focused buyers rather than broad market demand.