Key Collector Comics

DC Possibilities

On October 25, 2022, Warner Bros. announced James Gunn (Suicide Squad, GotG) and producer Peter Safran (Suicide Squad, Aquaman) will lead DC's film, TV and animation efforts under the newly formed division DC STUDIOS. This could be the most significant decision to happen to the DC brand. Featured below are properties uniquely different from Marvel that we would love to see brought to life.    

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Showcase #17

DC ⋅ 1958

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Showcase #17
 
Low
$1k
Mid
$3k
High
$10k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Adam Strange

1st appearance of Alanna, daughter of Sardath

1st appearance of Sardath, a scientist from Rann who created Zeta-Beams

🔮 DC Possibilities: James Gunn reviewed the 2020 Tom King series as a 'freaking masterpiece' and DC had previously shown interest in an HBO Max show with Adam Strange therefore Adam Strange overall has high potential

Hawkman #4

DC ⋅ 1964

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Hawkman #4
 
Low
$260
Mid
$950
High
$2.7k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Zatanna

🔮DC Possibilities: On many levels Zatanna presents an incredible franchise opportunity for Warner Bros. and, if done right, could bring a fresh take to the superhero genre if focusing more on the magical power-set in a darker horror tone

Brave and the Bold, The #57

DC ⋅ 1964

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Brave and the Bold, The #57
 
Low
$50
Mid
$150
High
$525

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Metamorpho

1st appearance of Simon Stagg, a business magnate and enemy of Metamorpho

1st appearance of Java, servant of Stagg

1st appearance of Sapphire Stagg, girlfriend of Metamorpho and daughter of Simon Stagg

[July 2023 - Anthony Carrigan will portray Metamorpho in Superman: Legacy]

Superman #30

DC ⋅ 1944

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Superman #30
 
Low
$380
Mid
$1.6k
High
$3.8k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Mr. Mxyzptlk

First time Superman references his ability to "fly", previously he was known to leap

🔮 DC Possibilities: Obviously James Gunn won't have time to do all of these projects but he is familiar with the subject matter and has the creative vision to know what gems are buried in the vast DC catalog to hand-off to the right filmmakers

DC Comics Presents #27

DC ⋅ 1980

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DC Comics Presents #27
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$45

Key Facts

1st appearance of Mongul, an alien warlord

🔮 DC Possibilities: Mongul has the potential to be the Thanos of DC and his daughter was already introduced in the Suicide Squad so maybe one day he’ll decide to avenge her

Blue Beetle #1

Charlton ⋅ 1967

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Blue Beetle #1
 
Low
$75
Mid
$185
High
$750

Key Facts

1st appearance of The Question, an investigative journalist

âš  Buyer Beware: there is reprint from 1977 from Modern Comics that can be identified by the Modern logo in the upper left corner

🔮 DC Possibilities: Warner Bros. would be wise to not put all their chips on major superheroes and utilize time-tested characters like The Question who has potential for a visually unique noir story. Recent sales indicate this is an undervalued book with a character created by Steve Ditko in 1967

OMAC #1

DC ⋅ 1974

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OMAC #1
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$20

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of OMAC, One Man Army Corps, controlled by Brother Eye

🔮 DC Possibilities: A corporate stooge transformed into a peace-keeping agent by the artificial intelligence satellite Brother Eye seems like a great dystopian future yarn that could make for solid social commentary

Justice League #1

DC ⋅ 1987

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Justice League #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$3
High
$12

Key Facts

1st appearance of Maxwell Lord

🔮 DC Possibilities: Gunn is a fan of this Justice League run

[December 2023 - Sean Gunn cast as Maxwell Lord in DCU]

Detective Comics #225

DC ⋅ 1955

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Detective Comics #225
 
Low
$1.6k
Mid
$5.8k
High
$16.5k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Martian Manhunter

🔮 DC Possibilities: There is a lot of story to tell with this character who has yet to get the screen time he deserves

Omega Men #3

DC ⋅ 1983

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Omega Men #3
 
Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$85

Key Facts

1st appearance of Lobo, an intergalactic bounty hunter

[January 2023 - Jason Momoa speculated to play Lobo in James Gunn's DC films]

Mister Miracle #1

DC ⋅ 1971

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Mister Miracle #1
 
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$200

Key Facts

1st appearance of Mister Miracle, Scott Free, the son of Highfather

1st appearance of Oberon, Mister Miracle's stage manager

1st appearance and death of Thaddeus Brown, the Miracle Man who preceded Scott Free

🔮 DC Possibilities: Mister Miracle is a second chance for DC to develop the New Gods which was supposed to happen in 2018 but stalled like many of their other projects

Justice League of America #107

DC ⋅ 1973

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Justice League of America #107
 
Low
$10
Mid
$35
High
$115

Key Facts

1st team appearance of The Freedom Fighters: Uncle Sam, The Ray, Black Condor, Doll Man, Phantom Lady and the Human Bomb

1st appearance of Earth-X, a parallel Earth where The Third Reich won World War II

🔮 DC Possibilities: Doom Patrol, Suicide Squad, The Boys - unexpected hits come from some of DC's wonkier properties and there is no shortage of wonk with a group like the Freedom Fighters

Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #4

DC ⋅ 1952

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Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #4
 
Low
$445
Mid
$1.4k
High
$4.5k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Detective Chimp

🔮 DC Possibilities: this could be the Rocket Raccoon of the DCU in a Justice League Dark movie

House of Mystery #1

DC ⋅ 1951

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House of Mystery #1
 
Low
$250
Mid
$750
High
$2.7k

Key Facts

First horror title published by DC

🔮 DC Possibilities: Creepshow seems to be doing well for the Shudder streaming service which could give Warner Bros. confidence to delve into their deep catalog of horror anthology titles

Ronin #1

DC ⋅ 1983

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Ronin #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10

Key Facts

Six-issue limited series that thrusts a Samurai from feudal Japan into a future high-tech dystopian New York City to wage battle against the demon who killed his master

🔮 DC Possibilities: Frank Miller's non-superhero work (300 and Sin City) has been successfully adapted which could encourage Warner Bros. to delve further into his catalog

Batman Beyond #1

DC ⋅ 1999

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Batman Beyond #1
 
Low
$40
Mid
$120
High
$400

Key Facts

1st appearance of Terry McGinnis in a comic book

It is important to be aware of the differences between several editions of this book that exist

Direct Edition - as seen in the image with DIRECT EDITION printed in the UPC box

Newsstand Edition - UPC box in the lower-left corner, dated March 1999 with an original retail price of $1.99

Promotional Edition - 'FREE Special Origin Issue' printed below the DC logo with a white rectangle in the lower-left corner intended for stores to stamp their logo. Dated June 1999 with a Jell-O advertisement on the back cover

Six Flags Promotional Edition - displays a Six Flags amusement park logo printed in the white rectangle. Dated October 1999 with a PlayStation advertisement on the back cover

Third Printing Promotional Edition - dated July 2000 with a Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker DVD advertisement on the back cover

🔮 DC Possibilities: Bruce Wayne as Batman has been rebooted for close to half of a century so it would make a whole lot of sense to see a different vision in a sharp, ultra-futuristic, cyberpunk-type take on DC's most successful franchise

Police Comics #1

Quality ⋅ 1941

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Police Comics #1
 
Low
$3.5k
Mid
$11k
High
$35k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Plastic Man

1st appearance of the Human Bomb

1st appearance of Firebrand

1st appearance of Phantom Lady

🔮 DC Possibilities: Yet another property that has had its fair share of false starts over the years is a perfect fit for the right balance of slapstick humor and zany action

[September 2023 - a trademark was registered by WB for Plastic Man additional media]

House of Mystery #156

DC ⋅ 1966

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House of Mystery #156
 
Low
$18
Mid
$85
High
$220

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Robby Reed

Introduction of the Dial "H" For Hero dial, a magical artifact that temporarily transforms ordinary people into superheroes

🔮 DC Possibilities: This is the biggest no-brainer for Warner Bros. to develop, not only because there are endless creative opportunities but it is also a way to test out ideas to expand into bigger projects

Strange Adventures #205

DC ⋅ 1967

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Strange Adventures #205
 
Low
$120
Mid
$400
High
$1.2k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Deadman, a ghost with the ability to possess the living

[August 2024 - a Deadman animated series is rumored to be in development]

Transmetropolitan #1

DC Vertigo ⋅ 1997

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Transmetropolitan #1
 
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$55

Key Facts

1st appearance of Spider Jerusalem

🔮 DC Possibilities: Optioned back in 2019 by UPC, the status of this project is unknown but definitely one of the all-time classic titles under the Vertigo banner

Spectre, The #54

DC ⋅ 1997

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Spectre, The #54
 
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$50

Key Facts

1st appearance of the second Mr. Terrific, Michael Holt

🔮 DC Possibilities: James Gunn tweeted an image of Mr. Terrific and on another occasion, an image of The Terrifics leading to speculation the character or possibly the team will play a role in the live-action DCU

[July 2023 - Edi Gathegi will portray Mister Terrific]

Strange Adventures #180

DC ⋅ 1965

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Strange Adventures #180
 
Low
$105
Mid
$240
High
$1.1k

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Buddy Baker aka Animal Man not in costume

🔮 DC Possibilities: If you know nothing about Animal Man, he might seem fairly lame going on just the name and character design but just check out the first arc of Lemire's 2011 take on Buddy Baker to understand how he can fit into the horror elements of the DCU

Manhunter #1

DC ⋅ 2004

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Manhunter #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$3

Key Facts

1st appearance of Manhunter, Kate Spencer

Death of Copperhead

🔮 DC Possibilities: If DC wants to bank on the success of strong female leads, Kate Spencer is a great choice and there is plenty of backstory in the Manhunter lore to play around with

Gotham City Sirens #1

DC ⋅ 2009

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Gotham City Sirens #1
 
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$30

Key Facts

1st team appearance of Gotham City Sirens: Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy

🔮 DC Possibilities: Gunn is probably the only one who can attract Margot Robbie back to the Harley Quinn role and create a blockbuster female team action movie of which there are few

Demon Annual, The #2

DC ⋅ 1993

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Demon Annual, The #2
 
Low
$1
Mid
$3
High
$12

Key Facts

1st appearance of Hitman, a contract killer with a strict moral code who received special powers after being bitten by an alien

🔮 DC Possibilities: With the success of The Boys, here is another Garth Ennis creation that could work with the combined tone of John Wick and early Guy Ritchie films

Basketful of Heads #1
Non-Key

DC ⋅ 2019

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Basketful of Heads #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$7

Key Facts

A young woman wields a bewitched Viking axe against four criminals whose decapitated heads speak to her and continue to endanger the life of the one she loves

🔮 DC Possibilities: James Gunn cut his chops on horror and the genre is winning at the box office so chances are good we’ll see chillers coming from WB, possibly even from the son of Stephen King’s Hill House DC imprint

Showcase #37

DC ⋅ 1962

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Showcase #37
 
Low
$75
Mid
$210
High
$1.3k

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the Metal Men: Iron, Gold, Lead, Mercury, Platinum and Tin

1st appearance of Dr. Magus

🔮 DC Possibilities: The status of Metal Men is unclear at this time but hopefully the new leadership decides to go big with this one

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