COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Amazing Spider-Man 238 Modern
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Grade:
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9.8
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Page Quality:
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WHITE
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Certification #:
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3707425010
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Owner:
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Professor Pecora
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Amazing Spider-Man #238 features the 1st appearance of the Hobgoblin!
Overstreet 2023 NM- 9.2 value = $500.
Currently Ranked #13 on Overstreet's list of Top 25 Copper Age Comics.
According to the CGC Census Report as of Tuesday, August 22, 2023, out of a total of 8,920 Universal copies graded, only 703 copies were graded in 9.8 with ONLY 2 copies graded higher in 9.9!
With these statistics in mind, this represents a rarity factor of only 7.88% of the total population!
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Writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr. created the Hobgoblin. When avid Spider-Man readers first viewed this now classic cover in March of 1983, they truly had no clue as to who this new character could possibly be.
Drawn by legendary artists John Romita Sr. and Jr., the cover depicts a mysterious and evil looking villain cloaked in a medieval style robe, standing on a mechanical glider reminiscent of the Green Goblin and ripping Spider-Man’s suit in half! With his face shrouded in darkness and his demonic red eyes piercing at the captivated reader, coupled with the caption “IN THE SHADOW OF EVILS PAST,” the creation of one of Spider-Man’s most wicked foes was born!
The Hobgoblin terrorized Spider-Man heavily throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, and like the Green Goblin, would take on various identities ranging from the initial Roderick Kingsley to Norman Osborn and Kingsley’s butler, Claude. In 2009, the Hobgoblin was ranked by Imagine Games Network (IGN) as the 57th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time!
In terms of the significance of Amazing Spider-Man #238, after issue #194 (1st appearance of the Black Cat), there isn’t a single issue more valuable until issue #300 (Origin and 1st full appearance of Venom)!
Although ASM #238 is not as rare in CGC 9.8 compared to the Silver and Bronze Age Keys featured in ARACHNOPHOBIA, the exceptional aesthetic properties that this particular copy exhibits make it VERY RARE!
For example, the cover alignment and wrap is absolutely PERFECT! The staples are perfectly inserted into the spine and there is not even a slight overlap of the front or back cover appearing on the opposite side! The corners are razor sharp and the color saturation is unbelievable as if the book were printed yesterday! The beautiful purple background pops vibrantly with the bright yellow ASM title and the deep red, orange and blue colors in both Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin’s suits! Now throw in the internal milk WHITE PAGES and this copy can compete with any CGC 9.8 copy out there! It actually looks like it should be a CGC 9.9 MINT Copy!
In closing, I purchased this pristine beauty from Eric of Monster Comic Shop (via eBay/Instagram) in October of 2020! I couldn’t be more pleased with the purchase, and I’ll never feel the need to find a better-looking copy!
Happy Collecting & Enjoy the Hunt!
-Professor Pecora
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