FANTASTIC FOUR #133

Graded at 8.0 (VF) on 2026-11-02, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front, back and interior page. Tight spine with no visible ticks. Sharp corners. Bright cover with light toning on the white top margin. Clean back. Cream pages.

Fantastic Four #133 (April 1973) continues the Thundra saga that began a few issues earlier, with writer Gerry Conway and penciler John Buscema staging an extended slugfest between Ben Grimm and the warrior woman from an alternate future. The issue sits within Marvel's early-1970s expansion of the FF's rogues' gallery and reflects the era's growing interest in physically imposing female antagonists who could credibly go toe-to-toe with the team's strongman. It is a solid connective chapter in a multi-issue arc rather than a stand-alone landmark, with no first appearances or origin material of note.

Market data shows a typical long-tail Bronze Age distribution: modest demand through the low and mid grades, with value climbing sharply only at the top of the census. High-grade copies in 9.6 and above see the bulk of collector activity, driven less by the issue's own significance than by set-builders completing a full run of Buscema-era Fantastic Four and by the scarcity of true Gem Mint survivors from the period. Raw copies below 6.0 trade as inexpensive bulk-run filler, reflecting minimal standalone demand.

This is a book for Fantastic Four completists and Bronze Age run-builders rather than character or key-issue speculators. Lower and mid grades will move steadily but cheaply as part of long-box or bulk-lot purchases, while pristine 9.6-9.8 copies command outsized premiums purely on condition census scarcity. Long-term appreciation should track general Bronze Age FF demand rather than any independent collector narrative tied to this specific issue.