PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #21

Cover shows strong gloss and bright inks with sharp corners and no visible creasing or color break. There is minor edge wear along the top and right border and slight whitening at the spine tick points near the top staple. The barcode box is intact confirming newsstand edition; no stains or tears are visible. Interior and back cover were not assessed, so grade is based solely on this front cover image.

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #21 (August 1978) is a mid-run Bronze Age issue written by Bill Mantlo with interior art by Jim Mooney and Mike Esposito, under Jim Shooter's editorship. The issue is notable chiefly for a guest appearance by Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel, crossing over from her own title, alongside series regulars including Aunt May, Mary Jane, J. Jonah Jameson, and Flash Thompson. It does not contain a first appearance, origin, or other landmark event, and the Keith Pollard/Terry Austin cover, while well composed, has not achieved the status of a widely cited classic.

Market data reflects a common, well-supplied Bronze Age back-issue: a substantial CGC population across the grading spectrum with no examples above 9.8, and per-grade values that step up modestly through the mid grades before rising toward the top of the census. Demand is driven primarily by Spider-Man completists and Ms. Marvel crossover collectors rather than broad key-issue interest, and sales volume at the 9.6-9.8 tier suggests steady but unspectacular turnover among high-grade buyers.

This issue trades as a filler or crossover-completion book rather than an investment-grade key. Raw copies in low and mid grades see minimal collector competition and are readily available, while a Universal 9.8 commands a real but modest premium reflecting Bronze Age newsstand survivability rather than intrinsic rarity of content. Best suited to Spider-Man run collectors and Ms. Marvel appearance completists building toward a specific character or title set.