FANTASTIC FOUR #262

Graded at 9.0 (VF/NM) on 2026-11-04, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front and back. Thin pale strip along the fold on the lower front. Strong gloss and bright red color. Corners sharp. Spine clean with no color-breaking ticks. Back cover clean.

Fantastic Four #262 arrives at the climax of John Byrne's celebrated Terrax/Galactus arc that runs from roughly issue #257 through #262. Byrne, serving as writer, penciler, and inker, closes the storyline with Reed Richards facing the collected judgment of the Marvel Universe's heroes for having spared Galactus rather than allow his death, a confrontation immortalized on the cover by a phalanx of costumed characters surrounding and accusing Reed. The issue sets up the subsequent "Trial of Reed Richards" material and is frequently cited by readers as one of the more dramatic character-driven beats of Byrne's acclaimed run on the title.

Market data for this issue is thin, reflecting its status as a well-regarded but non-key Copper Age newsstand book rather than a first appearance or death issue. Certified sales cluster at the high end, with 9.8 copies trading around the $70-80 range and a meaningful value gap opening between 8.5-9.0 copies and gem-mint slabs, a pattern typical of 1980s Marvel newsstand issues where high-grade survivors are scarce relative to demand from Byrne-run completists. Raw copies in lower and mid grades see comparatively little dedicated attention, trading closer to bulk Copper Age Marvel pricing.

This issue appeals primarily to Fantastic Four and John Byrne run collectors assembling the full Terrax/Galactus storyline or the broader Trial of Reed Richards arc, rather than to speculators chasing a single iconic key. Raw copies in low and mid grade move steadily as reading-and-filler copies within longer FF runs, while certified 9.6 and 9.8 slabs command a real premium reflecting genuine scarcity at the top of the census. Demand should track overall interest in Byrne's FF work rather than independent key-issue momentum.