Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 10/71
UNIT ECA-028315
FANTASTIC FOUR #115
Frightful Four return to besiege the Baxter Building, John Buscema art
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | October 1971 | Bronze | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-028315 | ~7.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-039457 | ~6.5 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows strong color and gloss with sharp registration; corners appear only lightly rounded and edges are mostly clean with a couple of minor nicks along the right border. There is slight whitening at the top-right corner tip and faint spine stress lines visible near the mid-spine, though no major color break is evident. The book is protected in a plastic sleeve, which limits close inspection of surface sheen and any pinholes; interior pages and back cover were not assessed. Overall the front cover presents in the Fine to Fine/Very Fine range based on visible evidence.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $32 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $40 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $775 |
// Archive commentary
Fantastic Four #115 arrived in the fall of 1971 during the title's early post-Kirby period, with Stan Lee scripting and John Buscema handling pencils, inked by Joe Sinnott. The issue pits the FF against a reconstituted Frightful Four, continuing the villain team's recurring role as the group's most persistent antagonists. While not a first appearance or origin issue, it represents a solid example of Marvel's early-1970s superhero output, produced by a top-tier art team during a transitional creative era for the series.
Market data shows a typically shaped Bronze Age curve: values stay compressed and modest through mid and low grades, with a pronounced spike in the top tiers. Sales at 9.4 and below cluster tightly between $40 and $95, reflecting steady but unspectacular demand for a non-key issue. Above 9.4, however, the population thins sharply and prices climb quickly, with 9.8 copies commanding a substantial premium over 9.6 and below — evidence that condition scarcity, not narrative significance, is the primary driver of value here.
This is a collector's book rather than an investment-grade key: appeal centers on Buscema/Sinnott art and completism within long FF runs rather than any landmark story content. Raw copies in low and mid grades trade as affordable filler for readers assembling the series, while high-grade census copies attract grade-chasing collectors and registry participants willing to pay a premium for the scarce 9.8 tier. Expect steady, unexciting demand across most grades with occasional spikes in bidding activity whenever a fresh 9.8 comes to market.
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