Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 3/73
UNIT ECA-028265
FANTASTIC FOUR #132
Fantastic Four battle the reunited Frightful Four with Thundra in tow
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | March 1973 | Bronze | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-028265 | ~7.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-039386 | ~6.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows good gloss and bright color with no major color breaks visible. There is a light vertical crease/rub near the left edge and some minor surface wear at the top edge and corners; spine appears mostly tight with only slight stress. Book is in a protective sleeve which slightly obscures fine detail, and interior/back cover 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 | $14 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $375 |
// Archive commentary
Fantastic Four #132 (March 1973) arrived during a stretch of the series steered by Stan Lee and penciler John Buscema, with inks by Joe Sinnott, continuing the storyline that pit Marvel's first family against a reconstituted Frightful Four bolstered by the amazon warrior Thundra, who had debuted a few issues earlier. The book is a solid example of early-1970s Marvel superhero plotting, layering team-versus-team conflict with the ongoing soap-opera dynamics between Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm, alongside Medusa's continued tenure as a fill-in Invisible Girl replacement.
Market data shows a typical long-tail Bronze Age curve: values stay compressed and modest through the mid grades, with FMVs in the $30-$40 range from 7.5 through 9.0, before climbing meaningfully at 9.4 and above and spiking hard at the 9.8 tier. This shape reflects a common book in circulated grades but a genuinely scarce one in true gem condition, with only ten 9.8s recorded against a total graded population above 200. Demand is driven primarily by Fantastic Four series completists and Bronze Age specialists rather than by any first-appearance or landmark-creator premium, since the issue itself introduces no new characters and is not treated as a storyline high point.
This is a run-filler for most collectors: affordable in low and mid grades, and priced for accessibility even at 9.8 relative to the era's true keys. It suits buyers assembling a complete Fantastic Four Bronze Age set or Buscema/Sinnott art collectors, and it trades steadily but without the volatility or bidding pressure seen on recognized key issues from the same title.
INQUIRE_ABOUT_THIS_UNIT
Institutional buyers, auction houses, and private collectors — direct line to the archive.
