FANTASTIC FOUR #181

Cover shows strong color and gloss with sharp corners; a few faint vertical stress lines are visible near the top edge above the logo, and minor white specking/handling wear is present along the top spine area. No major creases, tears, or color breaks are visible, and the UPC barcode box confirms the newsstand edition. The book is in a protective sleeve, and interior pages and back cover were not assessed.

Fantastic Four #181 arrived in April 1977 as a mid-run Bronze Age issue scripted by Roy Thomas, with art by Ron Wilson and Joe Sinnott. The story pits the team against a formidable trio of adversaries — Annihilus, Blastaar, and the shape-shifting Impossible Man — alongside supporting cast members Agatha Harkness, Alicia Masters, and a young Franklin Richards, with Frankie Raye appearing prior to her later transformation into Nova. The issue is representative of the FF's mid-1970s stretch under a rotating creative roster, offering a solid but not era-defining entry in the title's long history.

Market data shows this is a common, high-population book: census figures list 185 Universal copies among 194 total graded, with 34 sales recorded at 9.8 alone. Values are flat and modest across the low-to-mid grade spectrum, with $12 fair market value holding steady from grade 4 through 6.5, reflecting minimal differentiation in that range for buyers. Demand concentrates sharply at the top of the grade curve, where 9.8 copies command a substantial premium over 9.6 and below, driven by the usual gap between