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$10k

Key Facts

Second published comic book in a modern-sized format, previous comics were published in larger tabloid-sized formats

This comic was a 64-page one-shot of reprinted newspaper comics strips distributed through department stores

Funnies On Parade published prior to this issue is considered the first modern format comic book but was only eight pages of reprinted newspaper comic strips

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$15k
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$50k
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$150k

Key Facts

First comic book to be sold on newsstands

Estimated print run of 35,000 copies though there is thought to be fewer than 10 still in existence and the highest graded copy is a 4.5

Eastern Color ⋅ 1934

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$3.7k
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$9.9k
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$27.9k

Key Facts

First ongoing monthly comic book to be sold on newsstands

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$7.3k
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$22k
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$60k

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First comic book published by National which would later become DC comics

1st appearance of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, preceded Mickey Mouse but eventually fell into obscurity

1st appearance of Jack Woods

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$2.2k
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$6.8k
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$24k

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First science fiction themed cover art in comics

First interior color pages in comics (partial)

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$3.5k
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$10k
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$35k

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1st appearance of Doctor Occult, one of the earliest superheroes in history

First artwork by Joe Shuster, co-creator of Superman

First written work by Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman

1st appearance of a vampire in comic books

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$1.2k
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$3.6k
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$14k

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First standard-sized comic book

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$790
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$2.4k
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$10k

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First time an issue number appears on a comic book cover

Cover art depicting Christmas

Fiction House ⋅ 1938

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$3.1k
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$9k
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$26k

Key Facts

First professionally published interior art by Jack Kirby, as Jack Curtiss

1st appearance of Sheena Queen of the Jungle

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$4.5k
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$14k
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$33k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Namor the Sub-Mariner

1st appearance of American Ace

1st appearance of the Holy One, later known as Thakorr, a former ruler of Atlantis

Only nine copies are known to exist

This comic was intended to be a giveaway at movie theaters but it never went into full production

Quality ⋅ 1939

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$550
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$1.6k
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$5.5k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Bozo the Iron Man

1st appearance of the Invisible Hood

1st appearance of Abdul the Arab

1st appearance of Hugh Hazzard

1st cover appearance of a robot in comic books

Triumph ⋅ 1939

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$1.3k
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$4k
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$22k

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1st appearance of Superman in the UK

Comic strips collected and reprinted in the larger format

Issue #771 depicts Superman in an advertisement

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$245
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$735
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$2.7k

Key Facts

First comic published by MLJ, later becomes Archie Comics

1st appearance of Richy the Amazing Boy

Funnies Inc. ⋅ 1940

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$400
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$1.2k
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$4k

Key Facts

First collaboration between Joe Simon & Jack Kirby who later co-created Captain America

Timely ⋅ 1940

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$1.8k
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$6k
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$22k

Key Facts

Debut artwork by Jack Kirby at Timely (Marvel) Comics

1st appearance and origin of the Red Raven and the Eternal Brain

1st appearance of Mercury, later becomes Hurricane then retconned to be Makkari from Kirbyโ€™s โ€˜Eternalsโ€™

1st appearance of Pluto who is later retconned to become Kro from Kirby's 'Eternals'

1st appearance of Magar the Mystic

This issue is the first appearance of a number of classical mythology characters but later appearances do not connect with these versions therefore they are not considered the mainstream Marvel depictions of the Olympians

1st appearance of Mercury (Hermes), Pluto (Hades), Jupiter (Zeus), Minerva (Athena), Vulcan (Hephaestus), Aeolus, Diana (Artemis), Apollo

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$1.4k
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$4.5k
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$14k

Key Facts

Second written work in the comic book industry by Stan Lee

Archie ⋅ 1941

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$400
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$1.2k
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$5.2k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Hangman, the brother of Comet

Death of Comet, shot by a gangster - the first death of a superhero in comic history

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$300
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$3k

Key Facts

First appearance of Batman and Superman in a story together

Batman and Superman join the JSA as honorary members

Archie ⋅ 1941

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$30k
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$10k
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$300k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Archie Andrews

1st appearance of Betty Cooper

1st appearance of Jughead Jones

Lev Gleason ⋅ 1942

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$560
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$1.7k
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$7.2k

Key Facts

First "true crime" comic book format

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$200
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$600
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$2k

Key Facts

30-page pamphlet that includes a text essay about the evolution of storytelling and sequential art or graphic storytelling, originally published in Print: A Quarterly Journal of the Graphic Arts

Written by M. C. Gaines, the founder of EC Comics and pioneer of the early modern comic book format

Two stories accompany the essay: a four-page war bond promotion titled 'The Minute Man Answers the Call' and an 8-page excerpt from 'Picture Stories from the Bible'

Eastern Color ⋅ 1942

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$20
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$60
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$200

Key Facts

First comic book to reach issue #100

Gilberton ⋅ 1943

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$120
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$400
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$1.6k

Key Facts

First comic book to feature a horror story throughout

Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comic Code Authority

Reason: Mr. Hyde beats a little girl to death with his cane

[March 2022 - Eddie Izzard to play Dr. Nina Jekyll, who fears self-destruction from Mr. Hyde in reboot of classic horror production house, Hammer Studios]

HRN stands for Highest Re-order issue Number on back cover - the lower the number the earlier the printing. Generally a first printing will have an HRN that matches the issue number on the front

Charlton ⋅ 1944

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$120
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$400
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$1.2k

Key Facts

First comic book published by Charlton

1st appearance of Yellowjacket, a hero who employs bees in his crimefighting

Avon ⋅ 1947

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$1.6k
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$5.5k
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$16k

Key Facts

First comic book title dedicated to the horror genre

All Negro Comics ⋅ 1947

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$2.5k
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$8.5k
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$25k

Key Facts

First comic book produced in full by black creators including writers, artists and the publisher

As quoted by editor Orrin C. Evans "every brush stroke and pen line in the drawings on these pages are by Negro artists"

Inside back cover has an advertisement for #2 but it was never published

Prize ⋅ 1947

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$400
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$1.2k
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$4k

Key Facts

First comic book published in the romance genre

St. John ⋅ 1950

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$800
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$2k
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$8k

Key Facts

128-page comic book measuring 5.5 x 7.75

Considered to be the first 'graphic novel' intended to bridge the gap between novels and comic books

Interior black and white art by Matt Baker

Dell ⋅ 1950

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$65
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$190
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$1.1k

Key Facts

First comic book adaptation of a television show

1st appearance of Howdy Doody in comic books

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First EC horror comic which, along with Vault of Horror #12, changed the course of the publisher and set into motion future censorship

Key ⋅ 1953

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$1.2k
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$3.6k
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$8.8k

Key Facts

First interior art by Steve Ditko

Marvel ⋅ 1963

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$45
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$120
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$450

Key Facts

First use of a corner box on a comic cover, added to make it easier for collectors to find issues of interest when comics were often overlapping one another on a shelf

Marvel ⋅ 1964

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$180
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$650
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$1.8k

Key Facts

Namor is confirmed to be a mutant in this issue making him the first mutant to appear in Marvel Comics having been introduced in 1939

3rd team appearance of The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants: Magneto, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Mastermind, Toad

Warren ⋅ 1969

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$40
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$110
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$415

Key Facts

Cover art by Frank Frazetta

In 2019, the original art for this cover sold at auction for $5.4 million dollars

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$85
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$260
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$850

Key Facts

1st appearance of Appa Ali Apsa, a Guardian of the Universe

Retitled Green Arrow/Green Lantern

Issue considered by many to mark the end of the comic book Silver Age

Introduction of controversial social themes in comics - Green Lantern is reprimanded by a black man which was an expression of frustration by the creators for the lack of accurately presented black people in comics

Last Gasp ⋅ 1970

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$18
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$60

Key Facts

First comic book produced entirely by women

36-page one-shot by various female cartoonists who were frustrated by the misogyny that was a cornerstone of the adult-themed underground comics

Prolific and enduring publisher, Last Gasp purchased the rights to the issue for $1,000

20,000 copies of the first print run were sold and an additional 20,000 split between the second and third printings

The title, 'It Ain't Me Babe' is a snub to the Bob Dylan song of the same name due to its anti-female lyrical content

The success of this issue led to a follow-up, all-female liberation project called Wimmen's Comix Collective

Editor, writer and cover artist Trina Robbins died of a stroke on April 10, 2024 at the age of 85

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$15
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$50

Key Facts

Final continuous Stan Lee and Jack Kirby collaboration on the Fantastic Four title

Unpublished Kirby art used for Fantastic Four #108 but this issue marks the end of an ongoing creative team-up that began with the publication of The Fantastic Four #1

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$50
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$150
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$650

Key Facts

1st appearance of Green Lantern, John Stewart

[October 2024 - Aaron Pierre cast as John Stewart in the Lanterns]

2nd appearance of Green Lantern, Guy Gardner

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$15
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$50

Key Facts

44-page one-shot considered to be the first autobiographical comic wherein the creator utilizes the medium to confess deeply personal traumas resulting from a Catholic upbringing clashing against a post-publication diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Inspired creators including Art Spiegelman, Robert Crumb and Jim Woodring

First printing approximate copies: 55,000

Subsequent printings can be identified from the first by the absence of an illustration of the virgin Mary in the background behind a full text panel on page 23 (tap cover and swipe for clarification)

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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$100
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$300

Key Facts

1st appearance of Erik Killmonger, T'Challa's most persistent rival for the throne of Wakanda

Preview of Venomm, a villain introduced in Jungle Action #7

Part 1 of a 13 issue story titled "The Panther's Rage," the first Black Panther solo story arc

Star Reach ⋅ 1974

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$2
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$8
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$25

Key Facts

Independent comic book that pioneered mature stories for adults to a wider audience

1st appearance of Cody Starbuck

Marvel ⋅ 1974

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$2
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$10

Key Facts

2nd appearance of the algae creature that appeared in DC's Aquaman #56 (1972)

Secret DC/Marvel crossover issue - see Aquaman #56 for details

Final issue of the Savage Sub-Mariner

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$30
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$90
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$325

Key Facts

100-page oversized crossover featuring Superman and Spider-Man

First official crossover of characters from the Marvel and DC Universe

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$10
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$30
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$100

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Black Lightning

1st appearance of Tobias Whale

First solo title featuring a black hero at DC

Paragon Publications ⋅ 1981

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$3
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$9
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$35

Key Facts

1st team appearance of FemForce, the world's first all-female superteam: Phantom Lady, Synn, Tara, Miss Victory, Blonde Bomber

Marvel ⋅ 1983

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$18
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$60

Key Facts

1st cameo appearance and death of Miracleman, an alternate reality version of Marvelman

First mention of the standard Marvel Universe referred to as 616

1st full appearance of Captain U.K., in costume

First ⋅ 1985

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$4

Key Facts

First digitally-illustrated comic book, created on a Macintosh, released by Apple in 1984

Dark Horse ⋅ 1986

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$2
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$8
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$25

Key Facts

First comic book published by Dark Horse Comics founded in 1986

1st appearance of Concrete, an average man's journey through life in a stone body

1st appearance of Black Cross, a fearless warrior in a post-apocalyptic world

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$5
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$15
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$60

Key Facts

Premiere issue of a twelve-issue series that explores the dark side of superheroes from a realistic, flawed perspective

1st appearance of Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre, The Comedian and Night Owl

Alan Moore based his characters off of DC's newly acquired Charlton heroes: the Question, Captain Atom, Thunderbolt, Nightshade, the Peacemaker and Blue Beetle

[July 2023 - Warner Bros. announced an animated Watchmen feature is in development]

Michael Hunt Publications ⋅ 1989

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$0
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$0

Key Facts

100-page, black and white, independently published comic book written and illustrated by Mike Diana then distributed to approximately 300 subscribers

Diana has the distinction of being the first person in the United States to be convicted of 'artistic obscenity' for the graphic content of the Boiled Angel series which included extreme violence, sexual assault and murder of men, women and children

Diana was fined $3,000, ordered to stay away from minors and given three years probation with one of the conditions being to cease creating art

In addition to police viewing Diana's work as illegal, they also supposedly identified the creator as a suspect in the 1990 Gainseville Ripper slayings, of which he was cleared

A documentary about the case titled 'Boiled Angels: The Trial of Mike Diana' was released in 2018

Value unknown

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