Clicking on the eBay link and making a purchase may result in this site earning a commission from the eBay Partner Network.

Rip Off Press ⋅ 1964

Low
$0
Mid
$0
High
$7.5k

Key Facts

Considered one of the earliest underground comix

Collection of comic strips that were published in Charlatan, a college fanzine

Print run: 1,000

There is only one known sale that is visible across multiple resources for $7,500 on eBay from a seller who has very few reviews

Last Gasp ⋅ 1981

Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$80

Key Facts

Magazine-sized anthology of underground comics from independent creators that served as a crass counterpoint to publications such as Raw and MAD

First printing ($2.25): 10,000 copies

Last Gasp ⋅ 1970

Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$85

Key Facts

First comic book published by Last Gasp

Created with the intention to donate the proceeds to an ecology center and published on Earth Day but was rejected by the monetary recipient

Collection of humorous, mature-themed stories criticizing enemies of the environment

First printing: 20,000 copies with red border on cover

Later printings have a white border on the cover

Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$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)

Print Mint ⋅ 1971

Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100

Key Facts

One-shot by Greg Irons, an artist who gained fame for his tattoo work, album art and as an animator on the Beatles film 'Yellow Submarine'

28-page illustrated narrative that witnesses the Biblical apocalypse through a psychedelic lens

Minimal prose by Tom Veitch from the novel 'The Luis Armed Story'

Unknown ⋅ 1974

Low
$55
Mid
$160
High
$650

Key Facts

Anthology of stories by Errol McCarthy, the artist most famous for the artwork on the back of 1980s He-Man action figure packaging

Head Press ⋅ 1973

Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

Anthology of stories including 'Prisoner on the Hell Planet' by Art Spiegelman, an autobiographical story from the creator of Maus

The story is about Spiegelman’s time spent in a state hospital after suffering from a depressive episode and is reprinted/integrated in Maus Vol. I

Apex ⋅ 1972

Low
$15
Mid
$50
High
$150

Key Facts

Debut of Maus, a three-page black and white story

Art Spiegelman expanded on this concept with a seven-chapter, serialized story published in Raw Magazine between 1980 - 1986

The framework of this story was inspired by interviews with Spiegelman's father, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor

Low
$30
Mid
$85
High
$300

Key Facts

Collected stories

First printing has a $0.50 cover price with the number 50 colored purple and a gray tire behind the trash can

Adapted into an animated series on the streaming platform, Tubi

Gilbert Shelton ⋅ 1968

Low
$110
Mid
$380
High
$1.1k

Key Facts

1st appearance of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers in comic books

First printing has a yellow road and white buildings in the background

Adapted into an animated TV series, voiced by Pete Davidson, John Goodman and Woody Harrelson

Kitchen Sink Press ⋅ 1981

Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$70

Key Facts

1st appearance of Omaha the Cat Dancer in a standard comic book

Omaha previously appeared in Vootie, a fanzine of comic book strips

Omaha the Cat Dancer is a sexually explicit yarn featuring an anthropomorphic feline stripper

First printing has a $1.50 cover price, dated August 1981 and has the number 54321 on the interior cover

Last Gasp ⋅ 1982

Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$200

Key Facts

Premiere issue of adult comic featuring Cherry Poptart

Last Gasp ⋅ 1970

Low
$5
Mid
$18
High
$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

Print Mint ⋅ 1969

Low
$90
Mid
$220
High
$460

Key Facts

First underground comic published in Detroit

The term "Underground" refers to self-published comics in the late 60s/early 70s that disregarded the Comics Code with adult-oriented stories

Back cover advertisement of music acts performing at the Grande Ballroom: Jethro Tull, Chuck Berry, The Who

Stories by Robert Crumb and other notable names of the sub-genre

Illustrations by famed concert poster artists Carl Lundgren and Gary Grimshaw

Last Gasp ⋅ 1989

Low
$1
Mid
$3
High
$12

Key Facts

1st appearance of Donald Trump in a standard-sized comic book

Fantagraphics ⋅ 1995

Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$30

Key Facts

Written and illustrated by Robert Crumb

First printing price: $2.95

Last Gasp ⋅ 1986

Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

First print was published in 1986 and has a $2.50 cover price

Print Mint ⋅ 1968

Low
$45
Mid
$135
High
$515

Key Facts

Written and illustrated by Robert Crumb and other artists

San Francisco Comic Book Company ⋅ 1970

Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$35

Key Facts

Two-issue solo title series

Mr. Natural first appeared in standard comic books in Zap Comix #1 (1967)

Mr. Natural was introduced in the independent newspaper Yarrowstalks #1 (1967)

Print Mint ⋅ 1967

Low
$350
Mid
$1.1k
High
$4.5k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Mr. Natural

First printing states "printed by Charles Plymell" on back cover

Credited for birthing the adult-themed, independently published comic genre

Last Gasp ⋅ 1972

Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

1st appearance of Dr. Atomic in a standard U.S. comic book, previously introduced in Sunday Paper, a San Francisco-based publication that specialized in underground comix strips

First issue reprints strips from Sunday Paper

First and second printings indistinguishable from one another, third printing has a $0.75 cover price

Adjust Your Filters To See More Comics!

By default Key Collector searches for Standard Cover Key Issues.

Adjust the "Variants" search filter above for additional content:

  • Variant Covers ([[totalVariants]])

At Key Collector, our primary focus is on unearthing those rare Standard Cover Key Issues for you. However, the world of comic collectibles is vast and varied. We want to make sure you have the tools to explore it all!