FANTASTIC FOUR #302

Cover shows sharp corners, strong color and gloss, with no visible creasing, spine stress, or edge chipping. There is a small price sticker/writing ('V6 1.00') in the lower right corner of the cover which is a value-detracting addition. The book is in a protective sleeve, and interior/back cover were not assessed, so grade is capped conservatively despite the clean appearance.

Fantastic Four #302 (Marvel, cover-dated May 1987) arrived during the transitional period after John Byrne's celebrated run, with Roger Stern scripting and John Buscema providing pencils over Joe Sinnott's inks. The issue is a standard chapter in the team's late-1980s adventures, featuring the core lineup of Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing, and reflects the workmanlike but well-regarded Stern/Buscema stewardship of the title in the years between Byrne's departure and Steve Englehart's later tenure. It carries no first appearance, origin story, or landmark creative milestone that would elevate it beyond a solid representative issue of the series' Copper Age chapter.

Market data shows demand concentrated almost entirely at the top of the census: the 9.8 Universal grade has seen twenty-one recorded sales with a fair market value near $44, while grades below 9.0 show almost no sales activity despite copies existing on census. This pattern is typical of a high-print-run direct-market book from the mid-1980s, where raw copies in low and mid grades are abundant and inexpensive, and value only becomes meaningful once a copy achieves pristine, unrestored condition suitable for the top of the CGC population report.

This issue is best understood as bulk-bin and long-box material in low and mid grades, appealing mainly to Fantastic Four completists assembling full Stern/Buscema runs rather than to speculative buyers. At the 9.8 level, it draws targeted interest from registry-set collectors chasing high-population Copper Age Marvel issues, where competition for top-graded slabs can sustain modest but consistent premiums. Across the grading spectrum, the book trades as a stable, low-volatility filler title rather than an investment-grade key.