TARZAN LORD OF THE JUNGLE #5

Cover shows strong gloss and bright colors with sharp corners and no visible creases or color breaks. There is minor surface wrinkling/staining near the top edge, likely from the protective sleeve, and slight waviness along the spine area. No major spine stress lines, tears, or edge chipping are apparent in this photo. Interior and back cover were not assessed, so grade is based solely on front cover appearance.

Tarzan Lord of the Jungle launched Marvel's mid-1970s license to adapt Edgar Rice Burroughs' character following the company's earlier Tarzan of the Apes series, with writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema continuing the adaptation into the later Burroughs novels. Issue #5, cover dated October 1977, falls within this Thomas/Buscema run and reflects Marvel's broader push into licensed adventure properties during the Bronze Age, alongside contemporaneous efforts like Conan the Barbarian. The book carries no first appearance, origin story, or other landmark content beyond its place in a well-regarded but commercially modest adaptation series.

Market data for this issue is sparse, with only 24 Universal copies recorded in census and a handful of tracked sales across all grades. Pricing is essentially flat from mid to high grade, with an 8.0 selling for $60 and a 9.8 fetching $75, indicating limited grade-sensitivity and a low overall demand ceiling. This pattern is typical of licensed Bronze Age adaptations that lack a signature first appearance or a widely cited classic cover, leaving value driven mainly by completism among Tarzan and Buscema collectors rather than broad speculative interest.

This issue trades as an affordable piece for Tarzan completists, Bronze Age Marvel license collectors, and John Buscema art fans assembling a full run. Given the low sales volume and narrow price spread across grades, raw copies in low and mid condition carry modest value, while a top-census CGC 9.8 commands only a slight premium reflecting genuine scarcity in top holder grade rather than intense collector competition. It is best positioned as a value-priced addition to a themed collection rather than a standalone investment piece.