JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS #12

Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with no major creases or color breaks visible; corners appear sharp with only minor blunting at the bottom left. Slight surface handling wear is visible near the barcode area and a faint horizontal press line runs across the lower third of the cover. Spine appears tight with no visible stress ticks, though the book is in a protective sleeve which may obscure fine detail. Interior and back cover were not assessed.

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #12 continues Marvel's late-1970s adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom saga, with Marv Wolfman scripting and Carmine Infantino providing pencils on this installment. The issue sends the title characters, John Carter and Tars Tarkas, into the City of Skulls in search of the missing Sola, with regular supporting cast members Dejah Thoris and Kantos Kan also appearing. The series occupies a modest niche in Marvel's Bronze Age output, adapting a well-known pulp property but never developing the fanbase or crossover significance of Marvel's core superhero line.

Market data for this issue is thin, reflecting its status as a minor entry in a lightly collected series. Certified population remains small across all grades, with only a handful of recorded sales even at the top end of the census, and no graded copies exist above 9.8. Demand is driven almost entirely by completists assembling the full John Carter run and by Infantino or Burroughs-adaptation specialists rather than by any first-appearance or landmark-story premium, since the issue carries no key distinction.

This book trades as a low-value completion piece: raw copies in worn condition are essentially bargain-bin material, while mid-grade raw copies see only slightly elevated interest from those filling out a run. High-grade certified copies, particularly the rare 9.8s, command a real but modest premium reflecting scarcity rather than demand pressure, and the tight population suggests future census growth is limited. Collectors should expect this title to remain a value-priced back-issue outside a small pocket of dedicated Barsoom or Infantino collectors.