ICEMAN #3

Cover shows good gloss and bright color with sharp corners; a few faint handling creases and light edge wear are visible along the right and bottom borders. Slight waviness/rippling in the paper is noticeable near the top left corner and along the spine, possibly from humidity exposure. No major creases, tears, or color breaks are evident in this photo. Interior and back cover were not assessed, and the book appears to be in a protective sleeve which may slightly affect visual clarity.

Iceman #3 is the third chapter of Marvel's 1984 four-issue limited series starring Bobby Drake, written by J.M. DeMatteis with art by Alan Kupperberg and a cover by Mike Zeck. The issue is notable in the back matter of X-Men lore as the first full appearance of the cosmic entity Oblivion, who had previously been shown only in shadowed cameo in Iceman #1. The story draws together the original X-Men lineup alongside the Champions and the Defenders, making it a minor crossroads issue for several of Marvel's ensemble teams during the early Copper Age.

Market activity reflects a book with a healthy certified population but limited crossover demand outside of X-Men-adjacent completists. Certified sales cluster at the top of the grade scale, with a steep and fairly typical decline in value moving down from 9.8, and very little transactional data below 9.0, consistent with a book that was well preserved at the newsstand but rarely pursued in worn condition. The presence of Oblivion's first full appearance provides a modest, durable floor of interest, but the character has never achieved mainstream recognition, keeping demand narrow and price appreciation gradual rather than driven by speculative surges.

The book suits X-Men team-history collectors, Mike Zeck cover collectors, and completists chasing minor Marvel first appearances rather than mainstream key-issue investors. Across grades it trades as a value-friendly project book: raw low- and mid-grade copies remain inexpensive and widely available, while high-grade certified examples command a real but unspectacular premium tied to relative scarcity in 9.6 and above rather than to broad character demand.