STRANGE TALES #167

Cover shows a diagonal crease/stress line running through the upper right Comics Code stamp area and into the flag, along with some minor surface wear at the top edge. Corners appear reasonably sharp with slight blunting, and there is minor spine wear visible at the top. Colors remain bright with good gloss retained; slight waviness may be present from the plastic sleeve. Back cover and interior pages were not assessed as only the front cover is shown.

Strange Tales #167 (April 1968) arrived during the celebrated late-1960s run in which Jim Steranko wrote and drew the Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. feature, pushing superhero comics toward pop-art layouts, photo-collage effects, and cinematic pacing rarely seen in the Silver Age mainstream. The Doctor Strange half of the split book, scripted by Roy Thomas with art generally credited to Dan Adkins in this stretch, continued the sorcerer's ongoing battles in the mystic dimensions as the series wound toward its eventual retitling. Neither feature in this specific issue introduces a major character or origin, but the book is representative of one of the most artistically influential stretches Marvel published in the period.

Market data shows a typical Silver Age grade curve: raw and low-certified copies trade in the two-figure range with only gradual appreciation through 8.0-9.0, then a sharp climb from 9.4 upward as the population of true Gemini-mint copies thins considerably. Demand is driven less by any single first appearance and more by ongoing collector interest in Steranko's artwork, which has a dedicated following distinct from general Silver Age Marvel demand. Nine-plus grades command outsized premiums reflecting both genuine scarcity at the top of the census and steady bidding from Steranko completists and high-grade Silver Age registry builders.

This is a strong buy for collectors assembling a run of the Nick Fury Steranko issues or a Doctor Strange Silver Age set, and it holds appeal to Marvel art-history collectors more than to key-issue speculators. Raw copies in low and mid grade move steadily but modestly, reflecting ample supply, while CGC 9.6-9.8 copies see disproportionate demand and price acceleration, making the top of the grade curve the primary value driver for this issue.