Key Collector Comics

100 Bronze Keys

🗝 The Top 100 Key Issues from The Bronze Age Comic Books published from 1970 - 1985

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Scooby-Doo #1

Western ⋅ 1970

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Scooby-Doo #1
 
Low
$200
Mid
$800
High
$2.2k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Scooby-Doo in comics

Six months prior to the publication of this issue, Scooby-Doo appeared in Golden Comics Digest #7 in a one-page puzzle activity game, not in a story

[April 2024 - Greg Berlanti's production house has teamed with Warner Bros. for a live-action Scooby Doo Netflix series with writers Josh Applebaum and Scott Rosenberg (Cowboy Bebop)]

Green Lantern #76

DC ⋅ 1970

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Green Lantern #76
 
Low
$85
Mid
$260
High
$850
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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

Detective Comics #400

DC ⋅ 1970

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Detective Comics #400
 
Low
$60
Mid
$180
High
$600
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Man-Bat, a scientist whose experiment went awry after combining human and bat DNA to cure his own deafness

First solo Batgirl and Robin story

Conan the Barbarian #1

Marvel ⋅ 1970

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Conan the Barbarian #1
 
Low
$100
Mid
$300
High
$1k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Conan the Barbarian

1st cameo appearance of King Kull

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134

DC ⋅ 1970

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Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134
 
Low
$45
Mid
$130
High
$450
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Key Facts

1st cameo appearance of Darkseid, the ruler of Apokolips

Batman #227

DC ⋅ 1970

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Batman #227
 
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$200
Mid
$800
High
$2k
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Key Facts

Iconic cover art by Neal Adams inspired by Detective Comics #31 (1939)

Forever People, The #1

DC ⋅ 1971

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Forever People, The #1
 
Low
$18
Mid
$60
High
$180
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Key Facts

1st full appearance of Darkseid

1st team appearance of The Forever People: Beautiful Dreamer, Mark Moonrider, Serifan, Big Bear, Vykin the Black

First mention of Mother Boxes, sentient supercomputers of vast power and the Anti-Life Equation

1st appearance of Infinity-Man, a protector of The Forever People

New Gods #1

DC ⋅ 1971

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New Gods #1
 
Low
$18
Mid
$65
High
$180
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Orion, son of Darkseid

1st appearance of Highfather, Leader of New Genesis

1st appearance of Metron, Boom Tube inventor

1st appearance of Kalibak. son of Darkseid

1st appearance of Lightray

1st team appearance of the Parademons

Introduction of New Genesis and Apokolips

Debut of the Mobius Chair

Mister Miracle #1

DC ⋅ 1971

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

Detective Comics #411

DC ⋅ 1971

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Detective Comics #411
 
Low
$70
Mid
$270
High
$780
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Key Facts

1st appearance and cover of Talia al Ghul, daughter of Ra's al Ghul

Savage Tales Magazine #1

Marvel ⋅ 1971

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Savage Tales Magazine #1
 
Low
$80
Mid
$260
High
$850
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Man-Thing, Ted Sallis, a scientist who developed a serum to protect soldiers from chemical warfare

The Super Soldier program known as Project Sulphur aka Weapon IV, had the unintended effect of transforming Ted Sallis into Man-Thing

1st appearance of Ellen Brandt

1st team appearance of the Femizons

Batman #232

DC ⋅ 1971

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Batman #232
 
Low
$80
Mid
$250
High
$800
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Ra's al Ghul

2nd appearance of Talia al Ghul

House of Secrets #92

DC ⋅ 1971

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House of Secrets #92
 
Low
$425
Mid
$1.2k
High
$4.8k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of the Swamp Thing, Alex Olsen

[January 2023 - a Swamp Thing horror film is in development at DC Studios]

Fantastic Four #112

Marvel ⋅ 1971

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Fantastic Four #112
 
Low
$40
Mid
$120
High
$400
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Key Facts

Classic battle of the Hulk vs the Thing

Iconic cover art by John Buscema

Green Lantern #85

DC ⋅ 1971

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Green Lantern #85
 
Low
$30
Mid
$120
High
$300
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Key Facts

Pioneering story arc that confronted the topic of drug addiction which led to more realistic and relatable stories in comics

Adams and Mr. O'Neil won a Shazam Award in 1971 for 'Best Individual Story' and recognized by NYC mayor, John Lindsay in a letter which was printed in issue #86

Mister Miracle #4

DC ⋅ 1971

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Mister Miracle #4
 
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$10
Mid
$30
High
$100
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Big Barda, highly skilled warrior and love interest of Mister Miracle

Amazing Spider-Man #100

Marvel ⋅ 1971

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Amazing Spider-Man #100
 
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$200
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Key Facts

Milestone issue #100

Iconic cover art by John Romita Sr.

Amazing Spider-Man #101

Marvel ⋅ 1971

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Amazing Spider-Man #101
 
Low
$80
Mid
$200
High
$800
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Morbius the Living Vampire

Marvel Spotlight #2

Marvel ⋅ 1972

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Marvel Spotlight #2
 
Low
$75
Mid
$190
High
$750
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Werewolf by Night

Amazing Adventures #11

Marvel ⋅ 1972

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Amazing Adventures #11
 
Low
$20
Mid
$85
High
$275
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Key Facts

Beast undergoes a mutation which grows gray hair all over his body

All-Star Western #10

DC ⋅ 1972

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All-Star Western #10
 
Low
$100
Mid
$300
High
$1k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Jonah Hex

Tomb of Dracula #1

Marvel ⋅ 1972

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Tomb of Dracula #1
 
Low
$60
Mid
$180
High
$600
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Dracula, created by Gerry Conway and Gene Colan, inspired by Bram Stoker’s classic character

1st appearance of Van Helsing

1st appearance of Frank Drake, a descendant of Dracula

Marvel Premiere #1

Marvel ⋅ 1972

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Marvel Premiere #1
 
Low
$45
Mid
$135
High
$450
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Key Facts

Rebirth of HIM, renamed Warlock by the High Evolutionary

Debut of Warlock's costume including an unnamed emerald, later revealed to be the Soul Infinity Stone

Hero for Hire #1

Marvel ⋅ 1972

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Hero for Hire #1
 
Low
$40
Mid
$120
High
$400
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Luke Cage, the first black superhero to headline a title in mainstream comics

Luke Cage became invincible to harm through a Super Soldier program called Project Power aka Weapon VI

1st appearance of Diamondback, Comanche and Shades

Marvel Spotlight #5

Marvel ⋅ 1972

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Marvel Spotlight #5
 
Low
$200
Mid
$800
High
$2k
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze

[January 2023 - rumor that a Ghost Rider project is in development, possibly a Halloween special - no info on which version of Ghost Rider will be used in the event that this is true]

Demon, The #1

DC ⋅ 1972

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Demon, The #1
 
Low
$15
Mid
$60
High
$175
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Etrigan the Demon

1st appearance of Morgaine Le Fay, the sister of Madame Xanadu

1st appearance of Randu Singh

Swamp Thing #1

DC ⋅ 1972

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Swamp Thing #1
 
Low
$30
Mid
$90
High
$300
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of the second Swamp Thing, Alec Holland

1st cameo appearance of Anton Arcane

1st appearance of Matt Cable, later becomes the Sandman's raven

1st cameo appearance of the Un-Men

1st appearance of Nathan Ellery, the man who caused the explosion that created Swamp Thing

First ongoing Swamp Thing solo title

Cat, The #1

Marvel ⋅ 1972

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Cat, The #1
 
Low
$18
Mid
$75
High
$245
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of The Cat, Greer Grant

Iron Man #54

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Iron Man #54
 
Low
$45
Mid
$135
High
$480
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Madame MacEvil, daughter of Drax, later referred to by the name Moondragon

Madame MacEvil becomes Moondragon in Daredevil #105

[April 2023 - speculation that the child named ‘Love’ in Thor 4 is a young Moondragon who will later appear as an adult]

Iron Man #55

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Iron Man #55
 
Low
$135
Mid
$480
High
$1.4k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Thanos, an Eternal from Titan born with the Deviants gene

1st cameo appearance of Eros aka Starfox, brother of Thanos

1st appearance of Kronos, Grandfather of Thanos

1st appearance of Mentor, father of Thanos

1st appearance of Drax the Destroyer, created by Kronus to kill Thanos

1st appearance of the Blood Brothers

Shazam #1

DC ⋅ 1973

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Shazam #1
 
Low
$6
Mid
$20
High
$75
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Key Facts

DC begins publishing Shazam after licensing the Captain Marvel character from Fawcett who they had successfully sued 20 years earlier for copyright infringement due to the character's similarities to Superman

1st appearance of Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel since the Golden Age

1st appearance of Doctor Sivana and family since the Golden Age

Origin of Captain Marvel retold

Conan the Barbarian #23

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Conan the Barbarian #23
 
Low
$30
Mid
$90
High
$345
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Red Sonja

⚠ Misconception: cited by many resources as a cameo appearance of Red Sonja but she appears in over 20 panels, fights and is introduced by name

[August 2022 - filming is scheduled to begin with Matilda Lutz cast in the main role]

Amazing Spider-Man #121

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Amazing Spider-Man #121
 
Low
$90
Mid
$285
High
$900
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Key Facts

Death of Gwen Stacy, neck unintentionally snapped as Spider-Man attempted to rescue her

Tomb of Dracula #10

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Tomb of Dracula #10
 
Low
$180
Mid
$550
High
$1.5k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Blade

Amazing Spider-Man #122

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Amazing Spider-Man #122
 
Low
$45
Mid
$120
High
$450
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Key Facts

Death of Green Goblin

Ghost Rider #1

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Ghost Rider #1
 
Low
$120
Mid
$415
High
$1.2k
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Key Facts

First solo titled series featuring Ghost Rider

1st cameo appearance of Daimon Hellstrom, Son of Satan, multiple panels in shadows

Batman #251

DC ⋅ 1973

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Batman #251
 
Low
$200
Mid
$800
High
$2k
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Key Facts

Iconic cover art by Neal Adams

Issue credited for revitalizing the Joker as a homicidal villain instead of a comical villain

Strange Tales #169

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Strange Tales #169
 
Low
$40
Mid
$120
High
$400
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Brother Voodoo, Jericho Drumm

1st appearance of Daniel Drumm, the brother of Jericho

Marvel Spotlight #12

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Marvel Spotlight #12
 
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$200
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Key Facts

1st full appearance and origin of Son of Satan

Thought many sources cite Ghost Rider#2 as the first full appearance of Damion Hellstrom he is obscured by shadows throughout the issue

Fear (Adventure Into) #19

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Fear (Adventure Into) #19
 
Low
$30
Mid
$90
High
$300
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Howard the Duck

Special Marvel Edition #15

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Special Marvel Edition #15
 
Low
$45
Mid
$120
High
$450
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung-Fu

1st appearance of Sir Dennis Nayland-Smith

1st appearance of Fu Manchu, father of Shang-Chi, later renamed Han, then Zheng Zu

1st team appearance of Si-Fan, a secret society with allegiances to Fu Manchu

1st appearance of Shang-Chi's unnamed mother, an American - later retconned in Shang-Chi #4 (2021)

Amazing Spider-Man #129

Marvel ⋅ 1974

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Amazing Spider-Man #129
 
Low
$200
Mid
$800
High
$2k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of the Punisher

1st appearance of the Jackal

Marvel Premiere #15

Marvel ⋅ 1974

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Marvel Premiere #15
 
Low
$45
Mid
$120
High
$450
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Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Iron Fist, Daniel Rand

1st appearance of Yu-Ti, a Dragon Lord

1st team appearance of the Dragon Kings

Introduction of K'un-Lun, one of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven

1st appearance of Wendell Rand, father of Daniel Rand

Astonishing Tales #25

Marvel ⋅ 1974

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Astonishing Tales #25
 
Low
$15
Mid
$50
High
$150
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Deathlok, Luther Manning

1st appearance of Major Ryker

First published artwork for Marvel by George Perez, interior two-page backup story

Prior to the publication of this issue, George Perez was published in the science-fiction magazine Hot Stuf'

Incredible Hulk #180

Marvel ⋅ 1974

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Incredible Hulk #180
 
Low
$300
Mid
$1k
High
$3.2k
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Key Facts

1st cameo appearance of Wolverine

2nd appearance of Wendigo

Marvel Value Stamp Series A #67 - Cyclops

⚠️ Debatable Firsts: this issue, by far, is the most debated "cameo versus full" book and likely the main reason "cameo" became such a significant yet loosely defined term in comic book collecting

Theoretically, The Incredible Hulk #180 being labeled "cameo" of Wolverine was due to an oversight by Overstreet (see additional images)

In the 1980/1981 edition of Overstreet, Hulk#181 is labeled - 1st app of Wolverine and Hulk#180 is without a descriptor, commanding the same value as issues #151 - #176

In the 1981/1982 Overstreet, the description had been amended to read #180 - 1st app. Wolverine but mislabeled #181 and #182 - Wolverine cameo

Finally, in 1982/1983, Overstreet labeled Hulk #180 - 1st app. Wolverine (cameo) and #181 - Wolverine app. #182 - Wolverine cameo

In recent years, Marvel has taken a stance on Hulk #180 as the first appearance of Wolverine, wanting to eliminate the term "cameo" altogether, presumably to avoid this exact debate

But in years past, official Marvel guidebooks and trading cards would often trade-off which issue was given the coveted 1st (full) appearance designation (see additional images)

Incredible Hulk #181

Marvel ⋅ 1974

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Incredible Hulk #181
 
Low
$1k
Mid
$4.5k
High
$11k
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Key Facts

1st full appearance of Wolverine, final page cameo in issue #180

Marvel Value Stamp Series A #54 - Shanna the She-Devil

Giant-Size Defenders #3

Marvel ⋅ 1975

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Giant-Size Defenders #3
 
Low
$30
Mid
$90
High
$300
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Korvac

Marvel Value Stamp

[April 2020 - two inside sources have confirmed that Korvac will be in multiple upcoming Marvel projects. Although the sources are independent from one another and close to Marvel Studios this is still unconfirmed until official word is released]

Strange Tales #178

Marvel ⋅ 1975

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Strange Tales #178
 
Low
$30
Mid
$95
High
$315
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Key Facts

Ongoing stories featuring Adam Warlock begin

1st appearance of Magus, an evil version of Adam Warlock from the future

1st team appearance of The Universal Church of Truth

1st appearance of The Matriarch, a leader of The Universal Church of Truth

Joker, The #1

DC ⋅ 1975

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Joker, The #1
 
Low
$18
Mid
$55
High
$160
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Key Facts

First solo titled Joker series

Giant-Size X-Men #1

Marvel ⋅ 1975

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Giant-Size X-Men #1
 
Low
$550
Mid
$1.5k
High
$5.5k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of the new X-Men: Storm (1st), Nightcrawler (1st), Colossus (1st), Thunderbird (1st), Wolverine (3rd)

Many resources label this the 2nd full appearance of Wolverine and The Incredible Hulk #182 a second cameo

1st appearance of Illyana Rasputin as a child, later becomes Magik

Introduction of Krakoa, the Living Island

First use of the sound effect 'snikt' associated with Wolverine's claws

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