Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 1/79 · NEWSSTAND
UNIT ECA-028055
FANTASTIC FOUR #202
Marv Wolfman and John Buscema send the Fantastic Four up against Quasimodo, with Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Hawkeye along for the ride
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | January 1979 | Bronze | Newsstand | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-039618 | ~9.0 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-028055 | ~8.5 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-039311 | ~8.0 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
The cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with no visible fading. Slight corner softness is visible at the lower right corner, and there appears to be a faint crease near the bottom edge of the cover. The spine, seen edge-on, shows no obvious stress lines or color breaks in this view. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so the grade reflects front cover condition only.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $3 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $8 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $110 |
// Archive commentary
Fantastic Four #202 is a late-1970s issue from the Marv Wolfman/John Buscema run, teaming the core FF with Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Hawkeye against the recurring villain Quasimodo. Joe Sinnott's inks over Buscema give the art a polished, classic Marvel look typical of the era, and the multi-hero guest cast reflects the increasingly crossover-heavy storytelling Marvel favored in the late Bronze Age. The issue carries no first appearances, deaths, or other landmark events, placing it squarely in the category of a well-crafted but ordinary chapter in a long-running series.
Market activity tracks that status closely: certified sales cluster tightly in the low-to-mid double digits from grade 8.0 up through 9.4, with values only beginning to separate meaningfully at 9.6 and 9.8, where population scarcity and crossover appeal (particularly the Spider-Man and Iron Man cameos) support a modest premium. Demand is driven almost entirely by Fantastic Four and Buscema completists rather than by any character-milestone collecting base, which keeps the book's ceiling comparatively low even in top grade.
This is a run-filler for FF and Bronze Age Marvel collectors, bought to complete a series or a Buscema/Sinnott art run rather than as a standalone investment piece. Raw copies in low and mid grades trade cheaply and steadily at conventions and online marketplaces, while a clean 9.8 slab represents the practical ceiling for the book; grades above that remain effectively unpopulated on the census, leaving little room for further tiering at the very top.
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