STRANGE TALES #2

Cover shows strong gloss and sharp corners with no visible creasing or spine stress lines; the black background shows minimal print/handling wear. There is a faint diagonal press mark or crease line visible in the lower right portion of the cover near the water scene, and slight surface glare from the protective sleeve makes fine detail assessment difficult in spots. No major edge chipping, tears, or color breaks are apparent. Interior pages and back cover were not assessed, so grade is based solely on this front cover photo.

Strange Tales #2 (Vol. 2, May 1987) is part of Marvel's short-lived revival of the Strange Tales title as a vehicle for Cloak and Dagger, the street-level vigilante duo created by Bill Mantlo and Ed Hannigan who had previously carried their own miniseries and appeared in Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man. This volume of Strange Tales ran only nineteen issues before cancellation, positioning Cloak and Dagger as the lead feature alongside rotating back-up strips, a common publishing pattern for Marvel's mid-1980s attempt to extend its supporting-character stable into ongoing series.

As a second issue of a short, low-circulation Copper Age title with no first appearances or landmark creative milestones, the book carries the market profile of an ordinary reader copy. It does not appear on standard fair-market indexes, which reflects the broader pattern for this run: modest print numbers, a cast with a dedicated but limited following, and no single issue standing out as a sought-after key. Demand is driven almost entirely by Cloak and Dagger completists and readers filling out the Strange Tales Vol. 2 run rather than speculative key-issue buyers.

This is a book for series and character completists rather than investment-driven collectors. Raw copies move steadily but cheaply at conventions, quarter bins, and online marketplaces, generally trading near or slightly above cover price regardless of condition tier. High-grade certified examples are scarce simply because few copies were ever submitted for grading, not because of collector demand, so a top-grade slab commands a premium mostly from Copper Age completionists building certified runs rather than from broad market pull.