PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #96

Cover shows strong color and gloss with sharp corners and no visible creases or spine stress; the black spider-man head logo in the barcode box confirms this is the direct edition. Minor handling wear may be present at the extreme corners but is not clearly visible in this photo; a faint sheen from the protective sleeve slightly obscures fine surface detail. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so the grade reflects front-cover appearance only.

Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #96 is a mid-1980s installment written and penciled by Al Milgrom, with inks by Jim Mooney, continuing the title's ongoing Kingpin and Black Cat storylines while bringing in the then-recently introduced Cloak and Dagger for a guest appearance. The issue also features Silvermane and the villain known as the Answer, placing it firmly within Spider-Man's expanding rogues' gallery of the era rather than marking any origin, first appearance, or other landmark event for the wall-crawler or his supporting cast.

Market data shows this as a common, plentiful Copper Age book, with a large certified census of nearly 100 copies and modest but steady sales activity concentrated at the high end of the grading scale. Values remain flat and low across most grades, with only CGC 9.8 commanding a meaningful premium relative to the near-mint tiers just below it, a pattern typical of mass-produced 1980s direct-market comics where survival in top condition is the primary driver of value rather than character or story significance.

This issue appeals mainly to Spider-Man run completists and Cloak and Dagger crossover collectors rounding out their character-specific holdings, rather than to speculators chasing key issues. Raw copies in low and mid grade trade for pocket change and are readily available, while CGC 9.8 slabs represent the only bracket with genuine collector demand, reflecting condition scarcity rather than any inherent narrative or historical importance.