NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #12

Cover shows moderate wear with soft rounded corners, particularly the lower right, and light edge wear along the top and right border. There is visible waviness/warping to the cover stock and slight color rub at the spine, though no major spine ticks or color breaks are apparent from this angle. Surface gloss appears diminished with some minor scuffing; interior and back cover were not assessed.

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. gave Marvel's premier spymaster his own title after graduating from the Strange Tales split-book, carrying the espionage-meets-superhero formula that Jim Steranko had made a sensation. By issue #12, cover-dated May 1969, the run was in its final stretch before cancellation with #15, and the book leaned on established creative hands to close out the volume. It sits as a solid late-Silver Age entry in a short, well-defined series that collectors pursue as a complete set rather than for a singular story beat.

The market here is driven by set completion and the enduring appeal of the Nick Fury character across media, rather than by key-issue status. Certified supply is healthy through the mid and upper-mid grades, with the census clustering in the 9.0 to 9.6 range and demand thinning quickly below Very Fine. The absence of any 9.8 on the census, paired with only a handful of 9.6 copies trading, means top-grade examples command a meaningful premium over the readily available high grades, while mid-grade copies remain affordable and liquid.

Buyers are primarily Silver Age Marvel collectors assembling the full fifteen-issue run and Nick Fury enthusiasts. Mid-grade raw copies trade steadily and inexpensively, making this an accessible fill for a run set; the interest and price acceleration concentrate at the census ceiling, where registry-minded collectors compete for the scarce best-known examples. Expect stable, modest movement in circulated grades and stronger, more selective bidding for anything grading 9.6 or better.