FANTASTIC FOUR #82

Cover shows moderate wear consistent with a mid-grade Silver Age book: light corner blunting at top left and bottom corners, faint spine stress lines visible along the left edge without major color break, and slight surface sheen loss. The book is protected in a plastic sleeve which limits full assessment of edges and back cover, and interior pages were not visible for review. No major creases, tears, or stains are apparent in this photo, but subtle defects could be obscured by the sleeve's glare.

Fantastic Four #82 (January 1969) continues the Lee-Kirby run's late-1960s momentum, with Joe Sinnott's inks giving the Kirby pencils their customary polish. The issue folds into the ongoing Frightful Four subplot, pitting the team against the Wizard's reconstituted band, now including Sandman, alongside Trapster and Medusa, during the period when the FF's roster was in flux following Crystal's departure. It sits within a tightly serialized stretch of the title that historians regard as a high point of the Lee-Kirby collaboration, even though this particular chapter is not a first appearance or origin story.

The FMV curve for this issue is typical of a well-collected but non-key late-Silver-Age Marvel: values are gentle and flat through the mid grades, climbing modestly to the high-8s and low-9s, then accelerating sharply above 9.4 as the pool of pristine survivors thins dramatically. With 705 total copies graded and only 18 census 9.8s against 14 recorded sales at that grade, demand for top-tier copies is concentrated among a smaller set of run-completists and Kirby/Sinnott art collectors, producing a premium at the very top of the grade scale that is out of proportion with the rest of the curve.

This is a book most often acquired to complete a run rather than sought for its own landmark status. Mid-grade raw copies move steadily but inexpensively as part of bulk Silver Age FF lots or single-issue upgrades, while the 9.6-9.8 tier draws targeted bidding from Kirby-era specialists and registry-set builders. Collecting interest tracks the broader Lee-Kirby Fantastic Four demand curve, with this issue trading in step with adjacent numbers in the same Frightful Four arc rather than commanding any independent premium.