SUPERMAN #176

Graded at 1.8 (GD-) on 2026-10-15, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front, back, interior page and spine. Pieces missing from the front cover along the lower spine edge. Heavy chipping along the spine. Many colour-breaking creases across the cover. Rounded, creased corners. Cream to tan pages.

Superman #176 arrived in April 1965 during the height of the Mort Weisinger editorial era, a period defined by tightly plotted done-in-one adventures, recurring supporting cast antics, and the visual consistency of penciler Curt Swan, whose clean, classical rendering of the Man of Steel became the definitive Silver Age look for the character. The issue is a representative example of the era's house style rather than a landmark entry in Superman's publishing history: there is no first appearance, origin retelling, or major creative milestone attached to it, and it is not cited as a key in standard price guides.

Market data for the issue is thin across nearly every grade, reflecting a book that circulates in modest numbers relative to more heavily collected Silver Age Superman issues. Certified sales cluster in the low-to-mid grade range with values in the tens of dollars, while the handful of near-mint sales show the pricing curve accelerating sharply once a copy clears the 9.4 threshold, consistent with the broader pattern in Silver Age DC books where high-grade survivors are disproportionately scarce. With no 9.8 or 10 currently on the census, the top of the market for this title remains undefined and speculative rather than established by repeat sales.

This is a book collected primarily as part of a complete Superman run or a Curt Swan-focused Silver Age collection rather than as a standalone target. Low and mid-grade raw copies trade cheaply and steadily to run-builders filling gaps, while high-grade certified copies are chased by a small pool of condition-census collectors willing to pay a steep premium for top-of-population examples given the near-total absence of 9.8s. Liquidity is best in the low-to-mid grade tiers; the top end of the market should be treated as thinly traded and subject to significant swings as new high-grade copies surface.