FANTASTIC FOUR #249

Graded at 9.0 (VF/NM) on 2026-11-03, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front and back. White cover clean and bright. Spine free of color-breaking ticks. Corners near sharp, the upper right a touch soft. Narrow pale strip down the front at the spine.

Fantastic Four #249 (December 1982) arrives during John Byrne's celebrated run as writer-artist on the title, a stretch widely regarded as one of the strongest creative periods in the book's history. This issue falls within the aftermath of the Terrax and Galactus arc, as the team grapples with the political and personal fallout of Reed Richards' choice to spare Galactus rather than let him be destroyed, a plotline that would culminate in Reed's trial before the Shi'ar Imperial court in issue #262. While #249 contains no first appearance, origin, or death of lasting significance, it is emblematic of Byrne's tightly plotted, character-driven approach to the Fantastic Four during a period that redefined the team for a new generation of readers.

Market data shows a high-volume, well-populated census of nearly 300 CGC Universal copies, with sales concentrated at the top of the grading scale — over a third of certified copies sit at 9.8, and sales activity there is robust with a full year of pricing history. Mid- and low-grade copies see comparatively thin sales activity, consistent with a book from an era of high print runs and strong initial distribution, where surviving raw copies in worn condition rarely command dealer attention or high resale value. Demand is driven primarily by Byrne-run completists and Fantastic Four series collectors building out the 1980s stretch rather than by speculative or key-issue buyers.

This is a book that trades as a mid-tier Bronze Age title: readily available in nearly any grade, inexpensive in raw form, and only meaningfully valuable once certified in top condition. Collectors assembling a run of Byrne's Fantastic Four will find this an affordable and unproblematic addition, while high-grade census chasers pursuing pristine 9.8 slabs represent the primary source of upward price pressure. It is not a book expected to see significant appreciation outside of general Bronze Age market trends, but its steady sales volume across grades indicates consistent, low-friction liquidity for dealers and collectors alike.