Approximate
Condition Profile
MARVEL COMICS · 7/78 · NEWSSTAND
UNIT ECA-017126
MARVEL TALES #93
Marvel Tales reprints a mid-1970s Amazing Spider-Man Jackal/Doctor Octopus story with John Romita art
// Unit specification
| Publisher | Cover date | Era | Variant | Key attribute | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marvel Comics | July 1978 | Bronze | Newsstand | — | AVAILABLE |
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-017126 | ~9.2 | Newsstand | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
The cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with sharp corners and no visible creases or tears. There is a faint vertical crease line near the spine and minor handling wear at the top edge, but overall the surface appears clean with good registration. The book is in a protective sleeve, which may be masking subtle surface wear; interior pages and back cover were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $4 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $10 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $95 |
// Archive commentary
Marvel Tales #93 is a Bronze Age reprint title that recycled earlier Amazing Spider-Man stories for the newsstand market, and this issue reprints a mid-1970s tale from the Spider-Man/Jackal-Doctor Octopus continuity, featuring Gwen Stacy, Aunt May, and Hammerhead alongside the primary antagonists. John Romita, the definitive Spider-Man artist of the era, is credited on pencils and inks, and the issue offers period-accurate art at a fraction of the cost of the original Amazing Spider-Man issue it reprints. As a reprint vehicle rather than a first printing, it carries none of the historical weight of the source material and was never treated as a notable issue in its own right by collectors or price guides.
Market activity for this book is thin, consistent with its status as a low-demand reprint title: certified sales exist only sporadically at mid and upper grades, with modest prices even at 9.2 and 9.4. Demand is driven almost entirely by Spider-Man team completists, Marvel Tales run-builders, and John Romita art collectors seeking an affordable alternative to the pricier original appearance. There is no meaningful character first-appearance or creative milestone attached to this specific issue to generate independent collector interest.
This is a book that trades in the value tier of common late Bronze Age fare: raw copies in low and mid grade remain inexpensive and are typically bought as reading copies or filler for Marvel Tales runs, while high-grade certified examples appeal to a small pool of registry-set builders chasing census-top copies of an otherwise overlooked reprint title. Given the scarcity of 9.6 and 9.8 census copies and near-total absence of sales data at the top of the grade scale, pricing there should be treated as speculative until further transactions establish a firmer trend.
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