Skip to main content
Fantastic Four #190 front cover
~8.5 AI-Estimated
Approximate
Condition Profile
FANTASTIC FOUR #190
MARVEL COMICS · 1/78 · NEWSSTAND
UNIT ECA-028091

FANTASTIC FOUR #190

Doctor Doom and the Mad Thinker menace the Fantastic Four in a Jack Kirby cover, Sal Buscema interiors

SIG 2/10 Available

// Unit specification

PublisherCover dateEraVariantKey attributeStatus
Marvel Comics January 1978 Bronze Newsstand AVAILABLE

// Copies in archive

UnitGradeVariantStatus
ECA-028091 ~8.5 Newsstand AVAILABLE
ECA-039315 ~7.0 Newsstand AVAILABLE

// Run position

Part of an unbroken run · #1–#319 · 319 issues View all 379 available issues of FANTASTIC FOUR →

// Condition analysis

⚠ AI-Estimated / Approximate Condition Profile

Cover shows strong gloss and bright color with sharp corners and no visible creases or spine stress; a faint vertical press line is visible near the upper right edge but does not break color. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment of edges. Interior and back cover were not assessed, and slight bindery/trim wear at corners keeps this from a higher grade.

// Valuation — market reference

⚠ AI-Estimated values — approximate, not an appraisal
BracketGradeEst. market valueMarker
LOW_RAW 0.5 – 1.5 $3
MID_RAW 4.0 – 6.0 $8
HIGH_CERT 9.8 SLAB $100

// Archive commentary

Fantastic Four #190 closes out a Doctor Doom/Mad Thinker team-up storyline scripted by Marv Wolfman, with interior art by Sal Buscema over a cover pencilled by Jack Kirby and inked by Frank Giacoia. The issue features the classic FF roster alongside Namor and Medusa, and reflects the title's late-1970s creative transition as it moved past the Lee/Kirby era while still drawing on Kirby's cover work. No first appearances, origins, or landmark creative milestones occur in this issue; it is a well-crafted but standard entry in the series' long villain-team-up tradition.

Market data shows a shallow, flat value curve typical of a common Bronze Age issue with no independent collecting driver. Grades 8.0 through 9.0 all trade around the same $65 mark, with only modest premiums emerging at 9.2 and above, topping out near $100 at the CGC 9.8 level on a healthy population of 25 census copies and 20 recorded sales. This pattern indicates a book bought primarily for completism within Fantastic Four runs rather than for any standalone demand spike, with pricing driven by high-grade scarcity rather than character or story significance.

This issue suits run-builders and Fantastic Four Bronze Age completists rather than key-issue investors or speculative buyers. Raw copies in lower and mid grades carry modest value and change hands inexpensively as filler in longer collections, while the CGC 9.8 tier commands a real but limited premium reflecting the difficulty of finding pristine white-page copies rather than any intrinsic story importance. Expect steady, unspectacular demand tied closely to the broader FF collector base rather than independent market movement.

INQUIRE_ABOUT_THIS_UNIT

Institutional buyers, auction houses, and private collectors — direct line to the archive.