JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS #4

Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with sharp corners and clean edges; no major creases, tears, or color breaks are visible. A faint vertical press line is noticeable near the spine but does not appear to break color. The book is protected in a plastic sleeve with a backing board, which limits full assessment of spine ticks and surface texture. Interior pages and back cover were not visible and were not assessed.

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #4 continues Marvel's mid-1970s adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom novels, with Marv Wolfman scripting the ongoing "Air-Pirates of Mars" storyline. Gil Kane supplies interior pencils and shares cover credit with Pablo Marcos, while Rudy Nebres inks; the issue continues to feature John Carter alongside supporting Barsoomian cast Tars Tarkas and Stara Kan. The series arrived on the heels of Marvel's licensing push for Burroughs properties in the Bronze Age, aiming to capture readers drawn to the publisher's fantasy and sword-and-planet output of the period.

Market data shows a thinly traded title with a small certified population and no CGC 9.8 yet recorded, despite a census of over five dozen graded copies. Sales activity clusters in the 6.0 to 9.6 range with flat FMVs across most grades, but recent 90-day and 30-day averages at the top of the certified curve show a marked uptick relative to the standing FMV, suggesting renewed but limited collector interest in high-grade copies. Demand is driven less by any first appearance or landmark event and more by Gil Kane's pencil work and general Burroughs/Barsoom completism among adaptation collectors.

This is a mid-run installment rather than a key issue, and it trades accordingly: modest across low and mid grades, with most of the value concentrated in well-preserved, high-grade slabs sought by Kane completists and Barsoom adaptation collectors. Given the absence of any 9.8 on the census, an early submission in top condition could command a rarity premium, but the broader market for this title remains a niche corner of Bronze Age sword-and-planet collecting rather than a mainstream key-issue category.