IRON MAN #156

Cover shows strong gloss and vivid color with sharp corners and no visible creasing or spine stress in this photo; the barcode box indicates a newsstand edition. Slight glare from the protective sleeve obscures fine surface detail, and there is minor waviness near the top edge consistent with light handling. No tears, stains, or color breaks are visible along the spine or edges. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed.

The Invincible Iron Man #156 arrived in March 1983 as part of the celebrated Michelinie/Layton/Romita Jr. run that defined Tony Stark's adventures in the early 1980s. This issue features Scott Lang's Ant-Man teaming with Iron Man against the returning villain Mauler, alongside a supporting cast that includes Edwin Cord and Yvette Avril, and an early appearance of the War Machine armor concept within the ongoing storyline. It is a solid but unremarkable installment in a run better remembered for other issues, including the armor wars and Stark's personal struggles chronicled elsewhere in the same creative team's tenure.

Market data for this issue is sparse, reflecting its status as a common mid-run back-issue-bin book rather than a sought-after single. The limited certified sales on record show modest prices even in high grade, with no meaningful population at the top of the CGC scale, indicating collectors rarely submit this title for grading. Demand is driven almost entirely by run completists assembling the full Michelinie/Layton/Romita Jr. Iron Man sequence rather than by any first appearance or landmark event within the issue itself.

This book trades as bulk-bin material in low and mid grades, typically bundled into lots or picked up inexpensively by Iron Man or Bronze Age Marvel collectors filling gaps. High-grade slabbed copies are scarce enough that a 9.8 would command a rarity premium over recent comparable sales, but overall interest remains limited to specialists building complete runs rather than character-key or investment-driven buyers.