TALES TO ASTONISH #87

Cover shows notable wear consistent with a mid-grade Silver Age book: a horizontal crease/rub across the top margin near the Comics Code box, moderate corner softness at top right, and general surface wear with slight color rub at the spine area (not fully visible due to protective sleeve). There is light waviness/undulation to the cover stock and some edge wear along the right border. The book is in a protective sleeve which slightly obscures fine spine detail. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

Tales to Astonish #87 arrived in early 1967 as part of Marvel's dual-feature format, pairing a Hulk adventure drawn by Gil Kane with a Sub-Mariner story illustrated by Gene Colan, both scripted under Stan Lee's editorial hand. The issue falls within the extended Warlord Krang/undersea-empire storyline that ran through the Sub-Mariner half of the title in this era, a stretch of issues prized by fans of Colan's fluid, moody linework on Namor as much as for Kane's increasingly kinetic Hulk pages. It carries no first appearance, death, or origin story of consequence, positioning it as a strong representative example of Marvel's mid-1960s split-book strategy rather than a recognized key.

Demand for the issue tracks the broader collector base for Silver Age Hulk and Sub-Mariner material: steady interest across the grading spectrum with a sizable population already certified, over three hundred copies across the CGC census. Values climb gradually through the mid grades before rising sharply at the top of the curve, where the small pool of Gem Mint-adjacent copies commands a significant premium over nearly identical books graded a point or two lower. This shape is typical of a well-collected but non-key Silver Age issue, where art-team and character appeal sustain a broad market without the outsized multiples that first-appearance issues command.

The book suits collectors building complete Hulk or Sub-Mariner runs, Gene Colan or Gil Kane art collections, or general Silver Age Marvel sets, rather than key-issue speculators. Lower and mid-grade copies remain accessible entry points for readers and run-builders, while top-census 9.8 copies trade as scarce, condition-sensitive pieces whose value is driven almost entirely by the tight population at that grade rather than by any narrative significance of the issue itself.