STRANGE TALES #167

Cover shows strong gloss and vivid Steranko color with sharp corners overall, though there is minor wear at the top right corner and slight edge toning along the top edge. A faint vertical crease is visible near the left edge close to the spine, and the spine appears tight with no major stress lines visible. Book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment; interior and back cover were not examined.

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.