Key Collector Comics

NYE Countdown

Countdown of iconic issues associated with the number. Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve... ...and wishing you a great 2026!

« ‹ 1 2

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Amazing Spider-Man #50

Marvel ⋅ 1967

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Amazing Spider-Man #50
 
Low
$220
Mid
$715
High
$2.2k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk

Story includes the iconic interior panel of Peter Parker walking away from his Spider-Man suit that is discarded in a garbage can

Startling Comics #49

Pines ⋅ 1948

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Startling Comics #49
 
Low
$3k
Mid
$8.7k
High
$17.5k
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Key Facts

Iconic cover art by Alex Schomburg

This robot is speculated to have been the inspiration for Futurama's Bender, a theory unconfirmed by series creator Matt Groening

Fantastic Four #48

Marvel ⋅ 1966

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Fantastic Four #48
 
Low
$400
Mid
$1.2k
High
$4k
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Silver Surfer

1st cameo appearance of Galactus

DC Comics Presents #47

DC ⋅ 1982

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DC Comics Presents #47
 
Low
$25
Mid
$90
High
$260
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Key Facts

1st appearance of He-Man in standard comic book format

1st appearance of Skeletor in standard comic book format

1st appearance of Man-at-Arms in standard comic book format

[2024 - Masters of the Universe to premiere June 5, 2026 / Jared Leto cast as Skeletor / Nicholas Galitzine cast as He-Man / Idris Elba to portray Man-at-Arms]

Summer Love #46

Charlton ⋅ 1965

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Summer Love #46
 
Low
$25
Mid
$80
High
$250
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Key Facts

Cover appearance of The Beatles

Interior story titled 'The Beatles Were My Downfall' about a girl obsessed with Ringo Starr

Premiere issue of Summer Love, one of two series that split off from the title 'Brides of Love'

Deadpool #45

1:50 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2015

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Deadpool #45
 
Low
$35
Mid
$115
High
$350
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Key Facts

Variant cover art by Skottie Young

'Run the Jewels' edition

Tales of the Teen Titans #44

DC ⋅ 1984

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Tales of the Teen Titans #44
 
Low
$5
Mid
$20
High
$75
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Key Facts

Dick Grayson becomes Nightwing, formerly Robin

Joseph adopts the name Jericho

Origin of Deathstroke and Jericho

Weekly Shonen Jump #43

Shueisha ⋅ 1999

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Weekly Shonen Jump #43
 
Low
$45
Mid
$160
High
$475
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Key Facts

First chapter of Naruto, serialized in Shonen Jump

Prototype of the Naruto universe was published in Akamaru Jump in 1997

[February 2024 - a Naruto movie is in development with Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) attached to direct]

Star Wars #42

Marvel ⋅ 1980

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Star Wars #42
 
Low
$25
Mid
$60
High
$280
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Key Facts

Standard-sized comic book appearances:

1st appearance of Boba Fett, a bounty hunter

1st cameo appearance of Dengar, Bossk, IG-88 and Zuckuss - bounty hunters

1st cameo appearance of Emperor Palpatine aka Darth Sidious

Debut of Slave I, a pursuit craft

Reprinted from Marvel Comics Super Special Magazine, adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back

Teen-Age Romances #41

St. John ⋅ 1955

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Teen-Age Romances #41
 
Low
$1k
Mid
$3k
High
$10k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

Cover art by Matt Baker

Fightin' Five #40

Charlton ⋅ 1966

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Fightin' Five #40
 
Low
$100
Mid
$300
High
$1k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Peacemaker

Tales of Suspense #39

Marvel ⋅ 1963

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Tales of Suspense #39
 
Low
$6.2k
Mid
$18.5k
High
$44k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Iron Man

Debut of Iron Man's 'Model 1' armor

1st appearance of Wong-Chu, a Viet Cong warlord and Iron Man's first enemy

Akira #38

Epic ⋅ 1996

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Akira #38
 
Low
$20
Mid
$70
High
$235
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Key Facts

Final issue

Saga of the Swamp Thing #37

DC ⋅ 1985

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Saga of the Swamp Thing #37
 
Low
$30
Mid
$100
High
$300
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of John Constantine, Hellblazer

[September 2022 - Warner Bros. announced Keanu Reeves will reprise the role of Constantine in a sequel film]

Amazing Spider-Man #36

Marvel ⋅ 2001

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Amazing Spider-Man #36
 
Low
$5
Mid
$25
High
$85
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Key Facts

September 11th, 2001 tribute issue depicting various Marvel teams and characters working alongside emergency services as New York native, Spider-Man narrates the experience

Batman / Superman: World's Finest #35

Variant ⋅ DC ⋅ 2025

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Batman / Superman: World's Finest #35
 
Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$80
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Key Facts

Variant cover art by Kris Anka

Weekly Shonen Jump #34

Shueisha ⋅ 1997

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Weekly Shonen Jump #34
 
Low
$15
Mid
$50
High
$150
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Key Facts

First serialized 'One Piece' story

1st appearance of Monkey D. Luffy

Space Adventures #33

Charlton ⋅ 1960

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Space Adventures #33
 
Low
$350
Mid
$1.1k
High
$3.5k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Captain Atom

Werewolf By Night #32

Marvel ⋅ 1975

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Werewolf By Night #32
 
Low
$100
Mid
$300
High
$1k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Moon Knight

Amazing Spider-Man #31

Marvel ⋅ 1965

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Amazing Spider-Man #31
 
Low
$150
Mid
$650
High
$1.9k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Gwen Stacy

1st appearance of Harry Osborn

1st appearance of Miles Warren, later becomes the Jackal

First time Doctor Octopus is referred to as the Master Planner

First use of the word 'Thwip' when activating Spider-Man's web-shooters

Tim Holt #30

Magazine Enterprises ⋅ 1952

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Tim Holt #30
 
Low
$1k
Mid
$3k
High
$10k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

In 1970, a San Francisco reporter received a Halloween greeting card from the real-life Zodiac serial killer with the words "by fire, by gun, by knife, by rope”

Later, a comic collector noticed the wording was eerily similar to 1952’s “Death Wheel" on the cover of this book

Weird Science-Fantasy #29

EC ⋅ 1955

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Weird Science-Fantasy #29
 
Low
$350
Mid
$850
High
$2.5k
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Key Facts

Iconic cover art by Frank Frazetta

Brave and the Bold, The #28

DC ⋅ 1960

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Brave and the Bold, The #28
 
Low
$2.2k
Mid
$9.3k
High
$74k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the Justice League of America: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman

1st appearance of Starro the Conqueror

Tales to Astonish #27

Marvel ⋅ 1962

View Details  ⋅  View Series  ⋅  View Variants (1)
Tales to Astonish #27
 
Low
$1.4k
Mid
$4.7k
High
$21k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Hank Pym, later becomes Ant-Man, Goliath, Giant-Man and Yellowjacket

DC Comics Presents #26

DC ⋅ 1980

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DC Comics Presents #26
 
Low
$25
Mid
$90
High
$250
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the new Teen Titans: Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Starfire

1st appearance of Raven

1st appearance of Cyborg

1st appearance of Starfire

Beast Boy becomes Changeling

Brave and the Bold, The #25

DC ⋅ 1959

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Brave and the Bold, The #25
 
Low
$290
Mid
$650
High
$4.5k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the Suicide Squad: Rick Flag, Jess Bright, Karin Grace, Hugh Evans

The first iteration of the Suicide Squad preceded the formation of the Justice League of America by three issues

Young Magazine #24

Young Magazine ⋅ 1982

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Young Magazine #24
 
Low
$0
Mid
$0
High
$0
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Akira in a Manga magazine

Value unknown

Action Comics #23

DC ⋅ 1940

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Action Comics #23
 
Low
$6.5k
Mid
$19k
High
$65k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Lex Luthor, depicted with red hair

1st appearance of Black Pirate, an adventurer who later appeared as a ghost in present day stories

First mention of The Daily Planet

Showcase #22

DC ⋅ 1959

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Showcase #22
 
Low
$2.2k
Mid
$7k
High
$35k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern

1st appearance Carol Ferris, later becomes the second Star Sapphire

1st appearance and death of Abin Sur, an alien who gave Hal his ring as he died

First mention of the Green Lantern Corps

[January 2023 - Hal Jordan and John Stewart will lead a new Green Lantern TV series inspired by True Detective]

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21

Marvel ⋅ 1984

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G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21
 
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$220
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Storm Shadow, a former ally of Snake Eyes and the Young Master of the Arashikage Clan

Solo story featuring Snake-Eyes, told without any text or dialogue

Crime Suspenstories #20

EC ⋅ 1953

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Crime Suspenstories #20
 
Low
$600
Mid
$1.8k
High
$6k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority

Invincible #19

Image ⋅ 2004

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Invincible #19
 
Low
$35
Mid
$90
High
$375
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Key Facts

1st appearance of Battle Beast

1st appearance of Magnattack

1st appearance of Magmaniac

1st appearance of Tether Tyrant

Copies ordered by retailers: 9,660

Captain Marvel Adventures #18

Fawcett ⋅ 1942

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Captain Marvel Adventures #18
 
Low
$1.3k
Mid
$4.2k
High
$16.5k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Mary Marvel

1st appearance of the Marvel Family together in one issue: Captain Marvel, Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr.

Phantom Lady #17

Fox ⋅ 1948

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Phantom Lady #17
 
Low
$7.5k
Mid
$24k
High
$75k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

Cover art by Matt Baker

Referenced in Seduction of the Innocent, led to establishing the Comics Code Authority

Reason: Wertham writes of the cover art, 'sexual stimulation by combining headlights with the sadist's dream of tying up a woman' -headlights a reference to her breasts

Batman #16

DC ⋅ 1943

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Batman #16
 
Low
$1.5k
Mid
$5k
High
$15k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Alfred Pennyworth

Amazing Fantasy #15

Marvel ⋅ 1962

View Details  ⋅  View Series  ⋅  View Variants (14)
Amazing Fantasy #15
 
Low
$30k
Mid
$115k
High
$695k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Spider-Man

1st appearance and death of Uncle Ben

1st appearance of Aunt May

1st appearance of Flash Thompson

1st appearance of Liz Allan, later marries Harry Osborn

💰 In Sept. 2021, a 9.6 sale of $3.6 million surpassed the previous record in this grade of $1.1 million from 2011

Amazing Spider-Man #14

Marvel ⋅ 1964

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Amazing Spider-Man #14
 
Low
$600
Mid
$1.8k
High
$6k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of the Green Goblin

First battle of Spider-Man versus the Hulk

Malibu Sun #13

Error ⋅ Malibu ⋅ 1992

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Malibu Sun #13
 
Low
$120
Mid
$400
High
$1.2k
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Key Facts

Error edition, green-colored Spawn on back cover - tap cover and swipe to view

Batman Adventures #12

Newsstand ⋅ DC ⋅ 1993

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Batman Adventures #12
 
Low
$150
Mid
$500
High
$2.5k
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Key Facts

Newsstand Edition, indicated by the barcode

Startling Terror Tales #11

Star ⋅ 1952

View Details  ⋅  View Series  ⋅  View Variants (1)
Startling Terror Tales #11
 
Low
$2k
Mid
$8k
High
$25k
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Key Facts

Published prior to the establishment of the Comics Code Authority

Tomb of Dracula #10

Marvel ⋅ 1973

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Tomb of Dracula #10
 
Low
$110
Mid
$385
High
$1.1k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Blade

Four Color #9

Dell ⋅ 1942

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Four Color #9
 
Low
$1.2k
Mid
$3.8k
High
$12k
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Key Facts

First artwork on Donald Duck by Carl Barks

Avengers, The #8

Marvel ⋅ 1964

View Details  ⋅  View Series  ⋅  View Variants (2)
Avengers, The #8
 
Low
$100
Mid
$300
High
$1k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Kang, the original version

Care Bears #7

Newsstand ⋅ Star Comics ⋅ 1986

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Care Bears #7
 
Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$350
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

Newsstand Edition, indicated by the barcode

Brick Bradford #6

Pines ⋅ 1948

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Brick Bradford #6
 
Low
$130
Mid
$425
High
$1.3k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

Robot cover by Clarence Gray

Fantastic Four #5

Marvel ⋅ 1962

View Details  ⋅  View Series  ⋅  View Variants (6)
Fantastic Four #5
 
Low
$3.5k
Mid
$11k
High
$32k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Doctor Doom

1st appearance of a Doombot

Ultimate Fallout #4

Marvel ⋅ 2011

View Details  ⋅  View Series  ⋅  View Variants (25)
Ultimate Fallout #4
 
Low
$25
Mid
$90
High
$300
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Miles Morales, Spider-Man from an alternate reality

Distributed in a polybag

Diamond Comics Distributors estimates 65,000 copies of the first printing were shipped

Captain America Comics #3

Marvel ⋅ 1941

View Details  ⋅  View Series
Captain America Comics #3
 
Low
$8.7k
Mid
$24k
High
$87k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

First written work in the comic book industry by Stan Lee

Two-page text story with a couple of illustrations by Kirby

3rd appearance of Captain America

3rd appearance of Bucky Barnes

2nd appearance and 1st cover of the Red Skull, George Maxon

Albedo #2

Thoughts & Images ⋅ 1984

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Albedo #2
 
Low
$950
Mid
$3.2k
High
$9.5k
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Usagi Yojimbo

Yojimbo is Japanese for bodyguard

An animated series set in the Usagi Yojimbo universe is in production for Netflix

Action Comics #1

DC ⋅ 1938

View Details  ⋅  View Series  ⋅  View Variants (29)
Action Comics #1
 
Low
$285k
Mid
$1.1M
High
$4.6M
Buy it on eBay!

Key Facts

1st appearance of Superman

1st appearance of Lois Lane

1st appearance of Zatara, Zatanna's father

1st appearance of Tex Thompson, later becomes Mr. America

💰 In June 2024, an 8.5 Kansas City Pedigree sold for $6,000,000

« ‹ 1 2

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