Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 2/65
UNIT ECA-020402
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #113
Kirby-drawn Thor tale from early 1965, the issue immediately preceding Absorbing Man's debut in Journey Into Mystery #114
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | February 1965 | Silver | — | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-030745 | ~6.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-020402 | ~3.5 | — | AVAILABLE |
| ECA-020479 | ~0.3 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
The cover shows multiple vertical spine stress lines and small chips along the left edge, plus a diagonal crease running through the upper title area. There are visible pencil/ink markings and a faint '10¢' inscription in the lower yellow background, indicating prior ownership marks or price alterations. Corners show moderate rounding and the top edge has minor creasing and a small tear near the upper right. Interior pages and back cover were not visible in this photo and were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $20 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $41 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $5,000 |
// Archive commentary
Journey Into Mystery #113 arrived in February 1965 during the high point of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's collaboration on the Thor feature, with Kirby supplying the pencils and cover and Lee scripting the Asgardian mythology that defined the title's Silver Age identity. The issue sits directly ahead of Journey Into Mystery #114, which introduces the Absorbing Man, placing #113 within one of the most heavily collected consecutive runs of the early Marvel era even though it does not itself carry a recognized first appearance.
The certified population is substantial, with over five hundred Universal-graded copies on census and steady sales activity spread across nearly every grade tier, indicating a book that trades often rather than one driven by scarcity. Values climb sharply above the 9.0 threshold, with 9.4 copies roughly tripling the 9.0 price and 9.6 copies more than doubling again, a curve typical of Silver Age Marvel books where high-grade survivors thin out quickly despite a healthy raw population below 8.0.
Demand centers on Thor completists and Kirby cover collectors building out the Lee-Kirby Journey Into Mystery run rather than speculators chasing a singular key moment. Lower and mid-grade copies remain accessible and change hands routinely as reading or run-filling copies, while high-grade examples, especially anything approaching or exceeding the current census ceiling, command outsized premiums reflecting both genuine scarcity at the top and the book's proximity to the far more expensive #114.
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