Key Collector Comics

First Cover

Featuring first cover appearances of character's who were introduced in earlier issues

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Eternals #4

Marvel ⋅ 1976

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Eternals #4
 
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$30

Key Facts

1st appearance of Gammenon the Gatherer, a celestial

1st cover and 2nd appearance of Sersi

Star Wars: Darth Maul #3

Marvel ⋅ 2017

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Star Wars: Darth Maul #3
 
Low
$3
Mid
$9
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$30

Key Facts

1st cover and 2nd appearance of Cad Bane

Tales of Suspense #76

Marvel ⋅ 1966

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Tales of Suspense #76
 
Low
$18
Mid
$55
High
$170

Key Facts

1st cameo appearance of Ultimo, an alien robot programmed to destroy

1st cover and 2nd appearance of Sharon Carter

2nd appearance of Batroc the Leaper

Warlock #15

Marvel ⋅ 1976

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Warlock #15
 
Low
$3
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$9
High
$35

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Gamora

Partial origin of Thanos

1st appearance of Marr Garr, Lamilm Gor, Constable Trueheart and the Ancient Traveler

1st team appearance of the R'Malk'i, an alien race

Captain America #232

Marvel ⋅ 1979

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Captain America #232
 
Low
$1
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$2
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$5

Key Facts

1st full cover appearance of Peggy Carter, partially seen on the cover of Captain America #161

Flash #127

DC ⋅ 1962

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Flash #127
 
Low
$35
Mid
$110
High
$380

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Gorilla Grodd

X-Men Annual #13

Marvel ⋅ 1989

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X-Men Annual #13
 
Low
$1
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$2
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$8

Key Facts

1st cover and 2nd appearance of Jubilee

Debut of Jubilee's classic ruby red sunglasses

Daredevil #310

Marvel ⋅ 1992

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Daredevil #310
 
Low
$1
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$5
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$15

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Calypso

Journey Into Mystery #111

Marvel ⋅ 1964

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Journey Into Mystery #111
 
Low
$12
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$40
High
$120

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Balder

Thor #139

Marvel ⋅ 1967

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Thor #139
 
Low
$12
Mid
$40
High
$145

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Sif

Doctor Strange #170

Marvel ⋅ 1968

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Doctor Strange #170
 
Low
$35
Mid
$95
High
$360

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Nightmare

All-New Wolverine #6

Marvel ⋅ 2016

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All-New Wolverine #6
 
Low
$1
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$2
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$8

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Gabby

Astonishing Tales #13

Marvel ⋅ 1972

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Astonishing Tales #13
 
Low
$8
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$20
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$80

Key Facts

1st cover and third appearance of Man-Thing

Amazing Spider-Man #59

Marvel ⋅ 1968

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Amazing Spider-Man #59
 
Low
$35
Mid
$110
High
$370

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Mary Jane Watson

First kiss between Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker

1st appearance of Brainwasher, alter ego of Kingpin

Strange Tales #167

Marvel ⋅ 1968

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Strange Tales #167
 
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$200

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Contessa Valentina Allegro de Fontaine

Iconic cover art by Jim Steranko

Fantastic Four #110

Marvel ⋅ 1971

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Fantastic Four #110
 
Low
$10
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$40
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$115

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Agatha Harkness

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9

Mirage ⋅ 1986

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #9
 
Low
$3
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$9
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$30

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Splinter

2000 AD #5

Rebellion ⋅ 1977

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2000 AD #5
 
Low
$10
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$30
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$100

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Judge Dredd, not the primary figure

Amazing Spider-Man #279

Marvel ⋅ 1986

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Amazing Spider-Man #279
 
Low
$1
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$3
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$12

Key Facts

1st cover and 3rd appearance of Silver Sable

Green Lantern #51

DC ⋅ 1994

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Green Lantern #51
 
Low
$1
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$5
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$15

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner

Rayner appeared as the Green Lantern on the final page of issue #50 and as Green Lantern throughout this issue

Kick-Ass #3

2nd Print ⋅ Icon ⋅ 2008

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Kick-Ass #3
 
Low
$1
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$2
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$8

Key Facts

Second printing

1st cover appearance of Hit-Girl

Copies ordered by retailers

Green Lantern #9

DC ⋅ 1961

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Green Lantern #9
 
Low
$120
Mid
$400
High
$1.2k

Key Facts

1st cover and 2nd appearance of Sinestro

1st appearance of Rori Stroh, Larvox, NautKeLoi, Chaselon, Xax - members of the Green Lantern Corps

1st appearance of Jim Jordan, the younger brother of Hal Jordan

Amazing Spider-Man #5

Marvel ⋅ 2014

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Amazing Spider-Man #5
 
Low
$1
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$2
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$10

Key Facts

2nd appearance of Silk and full cover appearance

1st appearance of Goblin King, Phil Urich, formerly Goblin Knight

📖 Spider-Verse Reading Order: read The Amazing Spider-Man #5, then Free Comic Book Day 2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy

Hulk #1

Marvel ⋅ 2008

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Hulk #1
 
Low
$5
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$15
High
$75

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of the Red Hulk, General 'Thunderbolt' Ross

Death of Abomination, initially suspected to have been shot to death by the Hulk but later revealed to be murdered by the Red Hulk

1st team appearance of a new Winter Guard roster: Red Guardian, Ursa Major, Crimson Dynamo, Darkstar

⚠️ Debatable Firsts: the interior story is about a murder perpetrated by, who is believed to be the Hulk, Bruce Banner. Doc Samson as an investigator is piecing together what occurred and the panels depict a recreation of events from his point-of-view with the belief that it is Bruce Banner, the green Hulk who is the killer

[October 2022 - Harrison Ford has been cast as General Ross in Thunderbolts / July 2024 - Red Hulk confirmed to appear in Captain America]

Incredible Hulk #271

Marvel ⋅ 1982

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Incredible Hulk #271
 
Low
$20
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$80
High
$215

Key Facts

2nd appearance and first cover of Rocket Raccoon, formerly Rocky Raccoon in Marvel Preview #7

1st appearance of Judson Jakes

1st appearance of Lylla, an otter and the love interest of Rocket

1st appearance of Wal Rus

1st appearance of Blackjack O'Hare

Black Panther #1

Marvel ⋅ 2009

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Black Panther #1
 
Low
$5
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$15
High
$50

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Shuri as the Black Panther

Shuri does not fully appear in the interior pages until Black Panther #5 (2009) but she does appear as Black Panther in cameo in an alternate reality in Black Panther Annual #1 (2008)

Conan the Barbarian #24

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Conan the Barbarian #24
 
Low
$15
Mid
$55
High
$160

Key Facts

1st cover and 2nd appearance of Red Sonja

Uncanny X-Men #266

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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Uncanny X-Men #266
 
Low
$20
Mid
$85
High
$215

Key Facts

2nd appearance and first cover of Gambit

1st chronological appearance of Gambit in-story / in-continuity

X-Men Annual #14 went on sale three weeks before this issue and is often considered the first cameo appearance of Gambit

This would imply that his appearance is brief though he appears in 15 panels throughout X-Men Annual #14 with at least 10 instances of dialogue

Tap cover and swipe left to view images where Gambit is the main or partial focus of the sequence in X-Men Annual #14

Uncanny X-Men #266 was written as if it were to be published prior to the annual, therefore #266 would be the first chronological appearance of Gambit in-story (or in-continuity)

CGC, the grading certification company for comic books, recognizes Uncanny X-Men #266 as the first full appearance of Gambit

Avengers #35

Marvel ⋅ 2014

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Avengers #35
 
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$1
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$5
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$15

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Sam Wilson in Captain America costume, does not appear in story

2nd cameo appearance and first cover of Superior Iron Man

Time Runs Out story arc officially begins as collected by Marvel in trade paperback editions

[August 2023 - rumor circulating that Marvel will address the multiverse saga in Doctor Strange 3 by adapting elements of this story arc which includes various subplots that have yet to be introduced to the MCU like the existence of Molecule Man as a focal point of multiverse incursions which are contradictions in a timeline that cause two realities to collide, effectively destroying one or both]

X-Factor #24

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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X-Factor #24
 
Low
$4
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$12
High
$40

Key Facts

1st cover and second appearance of Angel as the Horseman, Death

In X-Factor #38, Beast gives Warren Worthington III the new codename Archangel

Worthington appears in full as the Horseman, Death in X-Factor #23 and in multiple cameos leading up to the issue

Tales to Astonish #91

Marvel ⋅ 1967

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Tales to Astonish #91
 
Low
$25
Mid
$80
High
$250

Key Facts

1st cover and 2nd appearance of Abomination

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #59

IDW ⋅ 2016

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #59
 
Low
$1
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$5
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$15

Key Facts

Death of Splinter

1st cover appearance of Jennika

New X-Men #129

Marvel ⋅ 2002

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New X-Men #129
 
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$1
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$3
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$12

Key Facts

2nd appearance and 1st cover appearance of Fantomex

1st cameo appearance of Huntsman, Weapon XII

Origin of the Weapon Plus program

1st appearance of E.V.A.

[August 2023 - Weapon Plus rumored to be introduced in Captain America: Brave New World]

Earth 2 #25

DC ⋅ 2014

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Earth 2 #25
 
Low
$3
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$9
High
$35

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Val-Zod

Venom #10

Variant ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2019

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Venom #10
 
Low
$2
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$8
High
$20

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Philip Tan

1st cover appearance of Dylan Brock

Store exclusive

Batman #92

DC ⋅ 2020

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Batman #92
 
Low
$1
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$2
High
$4

Key Facts

2nd full appearance of Punchline

1st cover appearance of Punchline - Joker 80th Anniversary Special #1 InHyuk Lee store exclusive also featured Punchline on the cover and went on sale the same day as this issue

1st appearance of the Underbroker, the finance manager in the Designer's inner circle

First meeting of Punchline and Harley Quinn

New Gods #2

DC ⋅ 1971

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New Gods #2
 
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$165

Key Facts

1st cover and 2nd full appearance of Darkseid

1st cameo team appearance of the Deep Six, Darkseid's mercenary force that respawn when killed

1st cameo appearance of Slig

Marvel Mystery Comics #4

Timely ⋅ 1940

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Marvel Mystery Comics #4
 
Low
$11.2k
Mid
$33.2k
High
$96k

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Namor the Sub-Mariner

1st appearance of Electro, a robot

First depiction of a Nazi flag on a Timely (Marvel) cover

See Top Notch Comics #2 for first Nazi symbol on a comic cover

Comic Talk #1

Buffalo Books ⋅ 1993

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Comic Talk #1
 
Low
$5
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$15
High
$50

Key Facts

First consumer-facing cover of the Maxx

Interior Sam Kieth interview

Batman #657

DC ⋅ 2006

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Batman #657
 
Low
$1
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$5
High
$18

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Damian Wayne

1st unofficial appearance of Damian Wayne as Robin after defeating Tim Drake and claiming the mantle

Star Wars: Republic #52

Dark Horse ⋅ 2003

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Star Wars: Republic #52
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of Asajj Ventress

1st cover appearance of Durge

Amazing Spider-Man #316

Marvel ⋅ 1989

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Amazing Spider-Man #316
 
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$110

Key Facts

3rd appearance of Venom

1st full cover appearance of Venom - head appears in and inset of issue #315

Spawn #141

Image ⋅ 2004

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Spawn #141
 
Low
$9
Mid
$25
High
$90

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of She-Spawn in the U.S.

X-Men #5

Marvel ⋅ 1992

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X-Men #5
 
Low
$1
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$2
High
$8

Key Facts

1st appearance of Maverick, later becomes Agent Zero

2nd appearance and 1st full cover appearance of Omega Red

✅ Nick's Picks: Maverick will take center stage in the upcoming, ongoing Wolverine and Deadpool title which should give the underrated character some much needed exposure considering he has a fairly well-developed backstory and even his own twelve-issue series that premiered just 15 issues after his first appearance here

Atom #19

DC ⋅ 1965

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Atom #19
 
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$200

Key Facts

2nd appearance and first cover appearance of Zatanna

Marvel Now Point One #1

Marvel ⋅ 2012

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Marvel Now Point One #1
 
Low
$2
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$8
High
$20

Key Facts

1st cover appearance of America Chavez, seen on the cover of a comic book being tossed by Nick Fury Jr.

Preview of Young Avengers #1 (2013)

Daredevil #10

Marvel ⋅ 2000

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Daredevil #10
 
Low
$2
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$8
High
$25

Key Facts

2nd appearance, origin and first cover appearance of Echo, Maya Lopez

1st appearance of Crazy Horse, Echo's father, seen briefly in a flashback

Invincible #115

Image ⋅ 2014

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Invincible #115
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

Cover art featuring Battle Beast

Copies ordered by retailers: 13,277

Uncanny X-Men #239

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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Uncanny X-Men #239
 
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$35

Key Facts

1st cover and 2nd appearance of Mr. Sinister

1st cover appearance and mention of Madelyne Pryor as the Goblin Queen

📖 Inferno Crossover: Prologue begins, then read X-Factor #33 - #35

Wolverine: Origins #13

Marvel ⋅ 2007

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Wolverine: Origins #13
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$3

Key Facts

1st full cover appearance of Daken

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