CAPTAIN AMERICA #390

Cover shows sharp corners and clean, glossy surface with strong color registration and no visible spine stress or ticks. No creases, tears, or color breaks are apparent, and the white background areas show no noticeable soiling or discoloration. The book is housed in a protective sleeve with minor glare, and only the front cover was assessed; interior pages and back cover condition are unknown.

Captain America #390 arrived in August 1991 during Mark Gruenwald's long tenure as writer on the title, with Rik Levins handling penciling duties, a pairing that defined the book's look for much of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The issue falls within the extended "Superia Stratagem" storyline, in which Cap contends with the villainess Superia and her all-female army of super-powered agents, a plotline notable for its social commentary but not for introducing any character or concept that has become a lasting fixture of the Marvel Universe.

Market data reflects a book with a modest but real collector base rather than broad crossover demand. Raw copies in low and mid grades trade for a few dollars, consistent with unremarkable Copper Age direct-market issues that were printed in large quantities and remain plentiful in back-issue bins. The disproportionate jump to $180 at CGC 9.8 is a function of census scarcity rather than storyline importance: pristine survivors of ordinary early-1990s Marvel titles are limited by handling and print-era paper stock rather than hoarding, so the top grade commands a premium built almost entirely on condition rarity.

This is a book for Captain America run-builders and CGC 9.8 registry competitors rather than key-issue investors. Raw copies move slowly and cheaply as filler for long boxes and reading collections, while slabbed 9.8 examples see steady, low-volume interest tied to census-chasing rather than character or story significance. Grade is the dominant value driver here, and the gap between mid-grade and gem-mint pricing is expected to persist as census population inches upward.