Publisher

Publication Types

Era

Cover Types

Characters

Hidden Messages

Featuring Hidden Messages and Easter Eggs in comic books

Marvel Aug 1990

Spider-Man #1

Spider-Man #1
View Series Variants (39)
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15
View on eBay
Premiere issue of the fourth ongoing Spider-Man series
Todd McFarlane begins including images of Felix the Cat in the interior art of many issues after meeting someone suffering from post-traumatic stress who carried around a Felix the Cat doll
The man told McFarlane that he was not a fan of superhero books, therefore he didn't purchase Spider-Man comics, McFarlane asked if he would start reading them if Felix the Cat was drawn into them and the man said, "yes"
Marvel May 1990

Amazing Spider-Man #332

Amazing Spider-Man #332
View Series Variants (3)
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25
View on eBay
First time Venom is depicted with a long tongue and drool, a significant addition to Venom's design, added by Erik Larsen
Hidden in the background of a panel featuring Spider-Man in a park are Charlie Brown and Snoopy having a picnic - tap cover and swipe to view additional image
Pacific Comics Oct 1982

Ms. Mystic #1

Ms. Mystic #1
View Series
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$3
View on eBay
Hidden on the first page of this issue is Deadman who might be difficult to spot in the print version of the comic but easier on the digital image - see attached
Marvel May 1974

Creatures on the Loose #29

Creatures on the Loose #29
View Series
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$50
View on eBay
Hidden under a stained-glass illustration and written upside down in Spanish are the words: Esta vineta se la dedico a Neal (This vignette is dedicated to Neal) Adams
DC Nov 1966

Flash #165

Flash #165
View Series
Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$100
View on eBay
Marriage of Barry Allen and Iris West
The cover artist on this issue, Murphy Anderson spelled his last name on the bible pages
DC Dec 2013 Vol 5

Green Lantern #26

Green Lantern #26
View Series Variants (4)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$3
View on eBay
1st appearance of Gorrin-Sunn, a member of the Green Lantern Corps made of living energy
Gorrin-Sunn was named for Hunter Gorinson who, at the time, was Marketing Director at Valiant
Marvel Sep 2004 Vol 2

Weapon X #28

Weapon X #28
View Series
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$3
View on eBay
Final issue with 'I want this issue to be finished and over with! I don't like slogging through the last issue of a dead book if I'm a pro"
DC Feb 1969

Strange Adventures #216

Strange Adventures #216
View Series
Low
$8
Mid
$25
High
$80
View on eBay
In one panel, Neal Adams pays tribute to artist Jim Steranko with a hidden message in the artwork that spells out the phrase 'HEY A JIM STERANKO EFFECT' - tap cover and swipe to view panel
Marvel Aug 1970

Ka-Zar #1

Ka-Zar #1
View Series
Low
$12
Mid
$40
High
$120
View on eBay
Curse word visible on the cover, above the backside of Zabu and to the right of the tree trunk
First standalone back-up story featuring Hercules, first solo story in Avengers #47
First reprint of Ka-Zar's first appearance from X-Men #10 (1965)
Marvel Nov 1980

Defenders #89

Defenders #89
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$8
View on eBay
Origin of Hellcat, Patsy Walker, specifically her long history in Marvel's romance comics explained as fictional stories written by her mother
Profanity panel: a cartoon rabbit is holding a box of cereal with the word 'SHIT' on it that was missed by editors
Marvel Mar 2010

Captain America #602

Captain America #602
View Series
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$5
View on eBay
Interior panel depicting protestors with one sign that reads: Tea Bag The Libs Before They Tea Bag YOU!
Ed Brubaker has stated this text was not written into the issue
This issue is often listed on eBay as recalled but this is false
Atlas (Paramount) Feb 1975

Brute #1

Brute #1
View Series
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10
View on eBay
1st appearance and origin of Brute, a Neanderthal thawed from ice in the modern day
Former owner of Marvel Comics, Martin Goodman, wanted to get back into publishing and established Atlas Comics with characters like The Brute to replicate the success Marvel had with the Hulk
Veteran artist Mike Sekowsky did not respect the unoriginality of Atlas's creative direction and expressed his feelings on the page with the word 'SHIT' vaguely hidden in the letters/numbers 5H17 on the side of an airplane
Marvel Oct 1979

Iron Man #127

Iron Man #127
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15
View on eBay
"Demon in a Bottle" part 8
In the final panels of this issue, the Avengers' butler Jarvis quits after witnessing a drunken outburst from Tony Stark
In real life, prior to the publication of this issue, veteran writer Dave Cockrum had tendered his resignation in a scathing letter to upper management that is printed as if the words were penned by Jarvis
Cockrum's grievances aren't fully aligned with Jarvis's which confused readers and was later explained in the fan mail column of Iron Man #130
See additional images by tapping the cover image and swiping
Marvel Nov 2001

New X-Men #118

New X-Men #118
View Series Variants (1)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10
View on eBay
1st team appearance of the Stepford Cuckoos, a product of Weapon XIV, created from Emma Frost's DNA
1st appearance of Angel Salvadore
1st appearance of Cerebella, a disembodied mutant brain
Artist Ethan Van Sciver hid the word 'sex' in multiple panels throughout the book, many of which were caught by editors but one slipped past which is evident in a protest scene
Marvel Oct 1995

Uncanny X-Men #325

Uncanny X-Men #325
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$3
View on eBay
Interior panel depicts a man with a newspaper with a headline that reads 'Cruz Swipes Again'
Joe Madureira intentionally added these words to express frustration toward fledgling artist, Roger Cruz for swiping panel compositions from other artists for his own
Marvel Aug 2006

Wolverine: Origins #3

Surprise
Wolverine: Origins #3
View Series
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$8
View on eBay
Variant cover art by Simone Bianchi
Hidden message variant with Bianchi's name written into the tiles of the background wall
Another name hidden in the tiles is Loeb and above Wolverine's knee is W 50
The message was a hint of the yet unannounced news that beginning with Wolverine #50 of the main series, Loeb and Bianchi would take over writing and illustrating the title
Now Jul 1990

Terminator: The Burning Earth #5

Terminator: The Burning Earth #5
View Series Variants (1)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$4
View on eBay
Spelled backwards on the cover is text that reads: NOW COMIX BLOZ
Cover artist Alex Ross was nineteen years old at the time and working a full time job while working on this series in his off hours which caused him to quickly burn out on the book
Marvel Jan 2001

Universe X: Spidey #1

Recalled
Universe X: Spidey #1
View Series
Low
$15
Mid
$60
High
$150
View on eBay
Recalled issue due to a hidden message drawn by Al Milgrom onto the spines of a stack of books about Marvel Editor-In-Chief that reads: Bob Harras Ha ha He's Gone Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish He Was A Nasty S.O.B.

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

No Results Found

Try adjusting the "Variants" search filter above, or disable "Keys Only" to see all issues.

  • Variant Covers ()

Subscribe to Unlock

View Graded Pricing

Unlock graded pricing and other premium features by subscribing to Key Collector Comics.

Subscribe Learn what's included

Price Guide

Prices are estimates based on recent sales data and may not reflect actual market value. Key Collector Comics does not guarantee the accuracy of any pricing information.