The Walking Dead key issues — and why there is no Silver Age Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is a modern era series, created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore (issues #1–6), with Charlie Adlard taking over from #7 onward. Issue #1 was published in October 2003 by Image Comics. The series concluded with #193 in 2019, after sixteen uninterrupted years of publication. There are therefore no Golden Age, Silver Age, or Bronze Age Walking Dead keys: anyone claiming otherwise is either selling you a reprint or working from faulty information.

This guide sticks to the verifiable: eBay medians from our estimator (eBay.fr + eBay.com, June 2026) and records documented by Heritage Auctions and the specialist press. One critical warning: our tool returns a median of €12 for TWD #1 across 101 listings, but those listings are overwhelmingly 2nd, 3rd, and 4th printings — that figure in no way reflects the value of the 2003 first print, which is the real grail. Issues #19, #27, and #100 each show only 3 to 5 active listings: no eBay median is cited for those issues.

The Walking Dead key issue ranking (eBay data and documented records, June 2026)

Issues #19, #27, and #100 each show only 3 to 5 active eBay listings — insufficient volume to produce a reliable median. Documented sale records and specialist price guides are the only credible reference for those issues. The #1 median across 101 listings is usable only as an all-printings blended indicator.

A note on the Silver Age — and why it does not apply here

The Silver Age of comics broadly spans from 1956 (the return of the Flash in Showcase #4) to the late 1960s or early 1970s depending on the definition used. At that time, Robert Kirkman had not yet begun writing, and The Walking Dead would not exist for several decades more. If you have come across references to "Silver Age Walking Dead keys," you are looking at a category error or a confusion with unrelated zombie comics from that period — EC Comics titles such as Tales from the Crypt, for instance — which have no direct connection to Kirkman's saga.

The good news: the real Walking Dead keys are all modern comics published between 2003 and 2012, generally well-preserved and still findable on the market. That makes them a more realistic entry point than Golden Age grails — with the notable exception of the #1 first print, which has become scarce enough to command prices that rival the great classics.

The Walking Dead #1 (2003): the modern grail — and its pitfalls

The Walking Dead #1 is the first appearance of Rick Grimes, the central protagonist of the entire saga. The initial print run is estimated at approximately 7,500 copies through Diamond Distribution — a tiny figure compared to the 100,000-plus copies that major Marvel or DC series routinely printed at the time. The first print is identifiable by the absence of any reprint designation on the cover and a cover price of $2.95. Caution: without CGC certification, any uncertified copy should be treated with care, as later printings can be difficult to distinguish at a glance.

Our eBay estimator returns a median of €12 across 101 listings for TWD #1 — but that figure is entirely skewed by 2nd, 3rd, and 4th printings flooding the market under the same title. It must never be read as the value of the first print. The AMC series The Walking Dead (2010–2022, 11 seasons) dramatically multiplied demand for the #1 first print. In CGC 9.8, certified copies sold for around $24,000 at Heritage Auctions in 2022 and around $32,000 in 2024 based on documented data.

The Walking Dead #19 (2005): first appearance of Michonne

Published in 2005, The Walking Dead #19 marks the debut of Michonne, one of the most popular characters in the entire franchise. Drawn by Charlie Adlard, who had taken over the series from issue #7, this key is driven by the character's on-screen prominence — Danai Gurira portrays her in the AMC series from season 3 (2012) onward and in the spin-off The Ones Who Live (2024). Our estimator returns only 3 eBay listings: too few to produce a reliable median. The CGC 9.8 value is documented at around $650 according to specialist sources.

The Walking Dead #27 (2006) and #100 (2012)

The Walking Dead #27 (2006) introduces the Governor, the major antagonist of volumes 5 through 8 of the series and a pivotal figure in the AMC adaptation's third and fourth seasons. Our estimator returns only 4 eBay listings: insufficient volume. The CGC 9.8 value is documented at around $650. Issue #100 (July 2012) is a commercial milestone: the bestselling issue of the series at publication, released across roughly ten cover variants, it marks both the first appearance of Negan and his barbed-wire bat Lucille, and the death of Glenn Rhee — a scene that became one of the most discussed moments in AMC season 7 (2016). Our estimator returns 5 eBay listings: insufficient for a reliable median. Chromium and Hitch variant copies in CGC 9.8 have traded between $200 and $500 in documented sales.