First Superhero Appearance Values

First Appearance Values

If you didn’t already know, the first appearances of a popular superhero character in a comic book makes them not just ‘comic books’ – but rare pieces of art. The first moment when a comic book character comes to fruition in a comic is the birth point, the genesis; it is the initial few strokes of ink on a piece of paper, where the magic all started –bringing joy and happiness to readers worldwide through time in a manner of different mediums. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Thor; they all started somewhere. But the question is, ‘in which comic did they originate?’…and more importantly, how much are those lil’ paper goldmines worth now!?

Superman

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The ‘Man of Steel’ first featured in ‘Action Comics No1’. And since 2011, it is the most expensive comic book on record at $2.1 million…well, more specifically, Nicolas Cage’s copy. This is down to the mysterious past that comes with the actor’s comic – it was stolen from his property in the year 2000, to be recovered in April 2011 in an abandoned Southern California Storage Locker. There are apparently 100 copies of Action Comics No1 in existence.

Spiderman

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Spiderman first appeared in ‘Amazing Spider Man no1’, and now fetches a tidy sum of near $50,000 in near perfect condition. In 2002, a particular copy of this comic was stolen by a robber holding only a duffel bag and a shotgun, even stopping to gag and tie the shop owner up…unfortunately no caped crusader came to his aid. The robber has not met his webby demise, yet.

Batman

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The first appearance the bad boy of Gotham made was in ‘Detective #27’, which was valued at just over $1 million in 2010. Detective comics didn’t know at the time what kind of impact the Dark Knight would have, and later renamed the comic ‘Detective Comics featuring Batman’ – until the day Batman got his own comic just to himself.

Iron Man

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Ironman is the ultimate billionaire philanthropist playboy – as he states himself in the new Avengers movie. The Ironman franchise has undoubtedly become increasingly popular with the release of the films, and the new avengers movie – with Robert Downey JR adding his unique take on the character. This suit-wearing warrior’s first appearance was in 1963 in ‘Tales of Suspense no39’ and the comic as of April 2012 has been sold for $375,000.

The Flash

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The fastest man in the universe first came to the inky pages of a comic book in 1940, ‘Flash Comics no1’. This exceedingly fast mystery fella flashed up a mighty sum of $450,000 in recent years. This specific comic book also features the first appearances of other characters such as the Hawkman, Johnny Thunder and the Whip.

The Spectre

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Not one of the most popular comic book characters, but his first appearance in ‘More Fun Comics no52’ makes the graphic novelette a wealthy object – fetching a hefty $316,000 in mint condition. More fun comics was a American comic book anthology which ended in 1947.

Fantastic Four

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The Fantastic Four were first bought to audiences worldwide in ‘Fantastic Four no1’. This comic marked a turning point in marvel comics, setting the standard for humanely realistic comic book characters. Probably helped along by a half-decent film, the original comic is worth around $50,000. There are only 5 known copies that are in near mint condition (8.5 grade).

Green Arrow + Aquaman

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These two heroes were created by writer Mort Weisinger and artist George Pap in ‘More Fun Comics no73’ in 1941. The Green arrow is known for being quite the sharpshooter with a bow, bringing thugs to justice – whilst Aquaman is a champ of the water. The comic book is valued at $61,000.

Green Lantern

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In ‘All American Comics no16’ a young Alan Scott awakes from a train derailment to find out that he is the only survivor, and if that isn’t bizarre enough he finds a talking green lantern (which grants him the power of the green lantern funnily enough!). This is the first time comic book geeks everywhere met with titillation the Green Lantern. The comic book now estimated at $500,000 for near mint condition.

The X-Men

The first appearance of a brand of new heroes was in ‘X-Men no1’. The franchise has never ceased to be popular, and is helped by numerous pretty good movies. The original comic in mint condition is worth around $100,000.

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Thanks to Chessington Zoo Holidays for researching these superhero origins – apparently several of these heroes make an appearance at their annual parties! Let us know your thoughts below!

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