SUPERMAN’S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE #74

Pre-1977 book so no direct/newsstand distinction applies. Cover shows moderate wear consistent with a mid-grade Silver Age copy: soft corners, some minor edge wear along the right and bottom margins, and slight color fading in the purple background. There's a visible crease/press mark near the lower right cover area and mild spine stress, though no major tears or missing pieces are apparent. The book is protected in a plastic sleeve which slightly obscures fine surface detail; interior and back cover were not assessed.

Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #74 arrived in May 1967 as part of DC's long-running solo title for the character, produced during the era when Robert Kanigher wrote the bulk of the series and Kurt Schaffenberger's clean, expressive linework defined its visual identity. The book continues the title's signature formula of romantic farce, disguise plots, and Superman-adjacent melodrama that made the series a dependable mid-list seller through the 1960s, though this particular issue is not associated with a first appearance, origin story, or other event that price guides flag as a key.

Market data reflects a typical Silver Age secondary-tier book: raw copies in low and mid grades trade for modest sums, with values climbing gradually through the mid-grade range before rising sharply at the top of the certified population. The steep jump between grade 9.4 and 9.8 is consistent with a thin high-grade census — only a handful of copies exist above 9.0 — so the small number of 9.8 sales command outsized premiums relative to the rest of the curve. Demand is driven less by narrative significance than by Silver Age DC completism and by Schaffenberger's popularity as a Lois Lane-era artist.

This is a book collected primarily by Lois Lane and Superman-family completists, Silver Age DC run-builders, and those pursuing high-grade Schaffenberger cover art rather than speculators chasing a key issue. Lower and mid-grade raw copies remain widely available and inexpensive, making the title accessible for readers assembling a run, while the true premium sits almost entirely with the rare top-census 9.8 slabs, where scarcity rather than storyline drives the price.