MARVEL TEAM-UP #97

Cover shows strong gloss and bright, unfaded colors with sharp corners and no visible creases or spine stress lines. Slight softness may be present at the top corners but no whitening or color break is evident in this photo. The book is in a protective sleeve, which limits full assessment of edges; interior and back cover were not examined.

Marvel Team-Up #97 arrived in September 1980, part of the long-running anthology title built around Spider-Man's rotating guest-star format, though this particular issue pairs the Hulk with Spider-Woman in a story written by Steven Grant. Pencils are credited to both Carmine Infantino and Frank Springer, with Springer also supplying the cover and inks alongside Al Gordon, under the editorial oversight of Dennis O'Neil and Jim Shooter. The issue falls late in the series' first volume, a period when Marvel Team-Up frequently used its flexible format to spotlight second-tier heroes and villains rather than marquee crossover events, and this issue's cast of Johnny Yen, Scotty McDowell, Sheriff Bradley Martin, and W. Lee Benway reflects a standalone, self-contained plot rather than a continuity-heavy tie-in.

The book carries no recognized first appearance, death, or landmark creative milestone, and it has not accumulated the kind of collector demand that drives price guide attention; it trades at or near cover price in raw condition. Interest in the issue is largely tied to general Bronze Age Marvel Team-Up collecting and to fans assembling complete runs of the Hulk's or Spider-Woman's guest appearances rather than to any standalone key status. Infantino's presence adds modest interest for collectors following his later-career work, but it does not elevate the issue's market position.

This is a reader's and completist's book: appealing to those building full runs of Marvel Team-Up or tracking secondary appearances of Spider-Woman and the Hulk, but not a title that draws speculative or investment-driven buying. Raw copies in any condition are readily available and inexpensive, while a high-grade certified example carries a modest premium reflecting scarcity in top grades rather than any inherent demand spike. Pricing across the grade spectrum remains stable and unremarkable, typical of the vast majority of late-series Marvel Team-Up issues.