Approximate
Condition Profile
DC COMICS · 10/68
UNIT ECA-007915
OUR ARMY AT WAR #198
Sgt. Rock and Easy Company battle on with a Joe Kubert cover
// Unit specification
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows moderate wear with soft corners, particularly the top corners appearing slightly rounded. There is a visible crease/bend along the upper right edge and some minor surface wear across the black background revealing light handling marks. Spine appears mostly straight with no major stress lines visible, though slight edge wear is present at top and bottom spine ends. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits full assessment; interior and back cover were not visible or assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $3 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $9 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $350 |
// Archive commentary
Our Army at War #198 arrived in October 1968 as part of DC's long-running war anthology built around Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, with a cover credited to Joe Kubert, the artist most closely associated with the title's visual identity throughout the Silver Age. The series had by this point settled into a dependable formula of gritty combat drama scripted primarily by Robert Kanigher, and issue #198 reflects the standard production values and battlefield storytelling that made the run a steady seller rather than a headline-grabbing release. No first appearance, death, or landmark creative shift is attached to this particular issue.
Market data for certified copies shows a compact, low-volume curve: sales cluster in the 8.5 to 9.2 range at modest two-figure prices, with only a handful of copies submitted at any grade and none reaching the 9.6 or 9.8 tier. This pattern is typical of mid-run war comics from the era, where demand comes from Sgt. Rock completists and war-genre collectors rather than speculative key-issue buyers. Prices rise gradually through the graded midrange and would be expected to climb more steeply toward pristine grades, where survivorship is thin and any 9.8 copy would represent a true rarity on the open market.
This issue suits collectors assembling a run of the Kanigher-Kubert Sgt. Rock era rather than those chasing landmark keys. Raw copies in low and mid grades remain affordable entry points for building a run, while a hypothetical 9.8 would command a significant premium purely on condition scarcity rather than content. Trading activity is modest at every level, so buyers should expect thin comps and patience when transacting outside the most common mid-grade range.
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-007915 | ~6.5 | — | AVAILABLE |
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