SUPERMAN #229

Graded at 6.0 (FN) on 2026-10-15, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front, back, interior page and spine. Bright, glossy front cover. Small colour-breaking ticks along the spine edge. Corners lightly blunted. Faint smudge on the grey background. Lightly soiled back with cream to light tan pages.

Superman #229 (DC Comics, cover-dated August 1970) arrived during the Bronze Age transition of the Man of Steel's flagship title, a period still dominated by the clean, classical house style associated with Curt Swan. The issue predates the more famous Kryptonite-Nevermore relaunch that would begin a few issues later under Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, and it does not carry a first appearance, origin, or other landmark distinction that collectors and price guides single out. It remains a representative example of mainstream Superman storytelling at the close of the 1960s, produced for a large newsstand audience rather than a speculative collector market.

Census data shows a modest population of 38 certified Universal copies against 41 total graded, with sales activity concentrated in the mid-to-high grades (9.0 through 9.4) and only sparse transactions below that. The 9.4 tier has the most sales recorded and anchors the curve at $160, while grades at 9.6 and 9.8 exist on census but have not generated enough recorded sales to establish a reliable market price. This pattern is typical of common-run Bronze Age issues: steady demand at accessible mid-grades from series completists, with a thin, illiquid market at the top driven by census scarcity rather than storyline significance.

This book trades primarily as a collected-run filler for Superman series builders rather than a standalone target for key-issue collectors. Low- and mid-grade raw copies move steadily and affordably as reading or run copies, while a 9.8 slab would command a real premium purely because so few copies have been certified at that level, not because of any content-driven demand. Buyers are typically Superman title completists and Bronze Age generalists; high-grade examples should be expected to sell infrequently and with wide price variance given the absence of recent 9.6/9.8 sale comps.