FANTASTIC FOUR #252

Graded at 8.5 (VF+) on 2026-11-03, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front, back and interior page. Pages cream to light tan. Tiny flecks of ink gone along the top edge in the black at the upper left. Narrow pale strip down the front at the spine. Corners near sharp, the lower left a touch soft. Lakeside Tattooz insert still bound in with its flap whole, no writing on the spreads shown.

Fantastic Four #252 (March 1983) arrives in the midst of John Byrne's celebrated tenure as writer, penciler, and inker on the title, a run widely regarded as one of the strongest sustained creative stretches in the team's history. The issue continues Byrne's ongoing Skrull Empire arc, showcasing his tight plotting and clean, dynamic linework at a point when he had full creative control of scripting and art. While the issue does not introduce a major new character or mark a historically pivotal first, it stands as a representative entry from a run that redefined the team's storytelling for a generation of readers.

Market data reflects a high-census, plentiful Bronze Age book: certified population sits above 300 copies in the CGC Universal registry, with steady but modest values across the grade spectrum until a pronounced jump at the 9.8 tier, where scarcity relative to demand from Byrne-run completists pushes fair market value into the $90s. Mid- and low-grade demand is driven primarily by readers assembling the full Byrne FF run rather than speculative key-issue buyers, keeping raw copies inexpensive and readily available. The absence of recorded sales below 6.5 further signals that most surviving copies were preserved in mid-to-high grade from the outset, typical of a book that was well-regarded but not aggressively spot-purchased in quantity at the newsstand.

This issue trades as a solid, affordable addition for collectors building a complete Byrne Fantastic Four set or assembling the broader early-1980s FF run, rather than as a standalone investment vehicle. Low- and mid-grade raw copies remain accessible entry points for readers, while 9.8 slabs command a real premium reflecting both genuine scarcity at the top of the census and enduring appreciation for Byrne's artwork. Expect steady, unspectacular demand rather than sharp appreciation, with the high-grade tier the primary area of collector competition.