The most requested booklet in this file is not indexed to his name: this is the May 1966 issue which introduces an artifact that became famous on screens, and which the market classifies under the name of this object. Around, the hierarchy is clear: the two fascicles of 1941, the return of February 1965 , the origin of March 1965, the 1966 sequence (with its British editions at 10d ), and the sum story of June 1984, very affordable.
Most antagonist files are organized around appearances. This is partly organized around a accessory.
This is a scenario that we rarely encounter, and which produces a lasting anomaly: the most sought-after number in the sequence is sold, searched for and referenced under a name that is not that of the character.
When the request belongs to an object
The booklet went on sale on May 10, 1966, at 12 cents, has a story title that talks about the one who holds a certain cube. This artifact would become, decades later, a central element of several adaptations with a very wide audience, under a different designation.
The result is an instructive situation.
The number is sought by people who know nothing about the antagonist. They want the object, or more precisely the first appearance of the object. The character who brandishes it is indifferent to them.
This request is independent of the file. It rises and falls to the rhythm of the projects which feature the artifact, without any relation to the place of the character in the current publications.
It is not indexed anywhere correctly. A seller who arranges his booklets by character will never put this one in the right box. There is no section for accessories.
The lesson goes beyond this case:an object can carry an autonomous demand, and this demand escapes all market classification grids. When an adaptation makes an artifact famous, find out which issue introduced it—it's often cheaper than its notoriety suggests, precisely because no one knows where to put it.
The folder hierarchy
Five levels, from highest to most accessible.
December 1940: the first issue of the series, which dominates everything - but whose value goes to the hero and not to the antagonist, as explained in ourarticle about his beginnings.
August 1941: the seventh issue, held by convention for the debut of the lasting wearer of the mask. Old, sought-after, and incommensurate with the previous one.
February and March 1965: two consecutive booklets, one announcing its return, the other its origin. They mark the character's reintegration into modern publication after a long absence.
April, May and June 1966: the three-part sequence that contains the artifact. The central fascicle carries the request; the other two, less expensive, frame the story.
June 1984: a double issue devoted entirely to the biography of the character, written by J.M. DeMatteis and drawn by Paul Neary. This is the best report in the entire file, and we will return to it below.
British prints from 1966
The three issues of the 1966 sequence each exist in two official versions.
The American version announces 12 cents. The one intended for the United Kingdom displays 10d— ten pence, in the old British monetary system, the one before decimalization.
This typographical detail constitutes an absolutely reliable dating marker. The United Kingdom changed its system in the early 1970s:any copy bearing old pence necessarily predates this reform. On a booklet of which one would doubt the vintage, it is an immediate confirmation.
On the price side, these prints are subject to a discount, with the reference transactions being concluded in the United States. The difference amplifies proportionally to the value of the number concerned - and becomes frankly notable on the central issue of this sequence, the one carried by the request for the artifact.
This is precisely where these copies become interesting: identical content, identical year, significantly lower expense. The price to pay is a smaller circle of buyers the day you want to resell.
Buy the terminals rather than the center
The 1966 sequence lends itself to a precise and profitable arbitrage, which few buyers make.
These three consecutive issues — April, May and June — form a continuous story. The first launches the situation, the second introduces the artifact, the third concludes. On a narrative level, they are inseparable: reading the second alone is like jumping on a moving train and then getting off before it stops.
In terms of prices, however, they are very unequal. The entire premium is concentrated on the middle one, because it is he that external demand demands. The other two are treated as regular issues of the series.
Three uses arise from this gap.
To read, buy all three— the two terminals together cost a fraction of the central one, and the story finally makes sense.
To build a collection, start with the terminals. They fill the sequence, they rise slowly, and they give you time to watch for an opportunity on the expensive piece.
To decide on a budget, compare the central one in the British version to the three in the American version. Depending on the moment, both options are equivalent, and the second provides more.
Finally, a warning: the “complete sequence” lots offered on this type of story have often been emptied of their expensive number before being put on sale. Claim the list of numbers, not the advertised range.
The two circuits did not receive the same day
Here is a detail that we have never encountered so clearly, and which deserves to be known.
On the double issue of 1984, the catalog records two different on-sale dates for the same issue: June 12 for the version distributed in specialized stores,July 3 for the one intended for kiosks. Three weeks apart.
This discrepancy is not anecdotal. He recalls that in the 1980s, two parallel distribution networks coexisted, with distinct logics and schedules: the specialized circuit bought firm and received early, the kiosk operated as a consignment and received later.
Three practical consequences.
A date of sale is not enough to identify a copy. Two listings that give different dates for the same issue may both be accurate.
The two versions are not equally common. Over this period, the proportion between the two circuits evolved rapidly, which makes one rarer than the other - and not always the one we think.
A Canadian edition also exists. The catalog lists it on this same number, with a price in local currency. Three objects, therefore, under a single reference.
1984: the best report on the file
Let's emphasize this number, because it is systematically underestimated.
Published at 60 cents in double format, it is entirely devoted to retracing the character's journey, from his childhood to his present state. The title of the story announces it bluntly.
Its interest lies in what it does with the material of 1941. The original character was a propaganda caricature, functional and without depth. Forty years later, DeMatteis constructs a coherent trajectory that explains how one becomes that — without ever excusing anything, which is exactly the difficult exercise.
This booklet has become the common reference: most subsequent authors rely on it. And it can be found for a pittance, in generally excellent condition, since it dates from a period when buyers were already carefully storing it.
If you only have to buy one booklet from this file, this is it.
The state, according to the times
About 1940-1941, the dominant issue is authenticity as much as grade. The paper is very acidic, the 68-page blocks wear out on staples, and old repairs are frequent. A copy that is too good for its age calls for more checks, not less.
About 1965-1966, we find the characteristic defects of the silver age: browning of the edges, fold of the spine, corners rounded by reading. The edition was massive, which makes the good condition accessible — except on the booklet carried by the request for the artifact.
About 1984, impeccable condition is common and costs almost nothing extra. There is no reason to accept a mediocre copy.
Three costly mistakes
Buy the first issue from 1941 for the antagonist. You will pay a price set by another request, on an object where its presence is one detail among others.
Ignore the British version on the 1966 sequence. This is where it makes the most sense: same content, same year, significantly lower cost, on the only expensive issue in the series.
Rely on an isolated on-sale date. In the 1980s, the two circuits received the booklets on different dates. Ask for the number and printed price, never a date alone.
Where to enter
The summary story of June 1984, as absolute priority. Inexpensive, available in good condition, and it is the reference text.
The 1966 sequence, by first targeting the two framing booklets, which are much less in demand than the central one. You'll get the full story for a fraction of the price.
The seventh issue of 1941, for those who build an old collection — and knowing precisely the distinction explained in ourarticle about his beginnings.
For the stories themselves, see ourbest bows; to build a coherent whole, ourcollection guide.
What we are asked about this issue
The one from May 10, 1966, at 12 cents — but not for the character. He introduces an artifact that has become famous through adaptations, under another designation, and the market classifies it under the name of this object. Its request is therefore made by buyers who know nothing about the antagonist, and it evolves independently of the rest of the file.
Because there is no section for accessories. A seller who organizes his booklets by character will never arrange them correctly. This is a general lesson: when an adaptation makes an object famous, look for the booklet that introduced it - it is often less expensive than its notoriety suggests, for lack of a box to put it.
The one from June 1984, without hesitation. This sixty-cent double format fully retraces the character's journey, from the pen of J. M. DeMatteis and the pencil of Paul Neary. It has become the common reference upon which most later authors rely, and it can be found for a pittance in excellent condition.
Less than Americans on an equal basis, since the reference market is in the United States. However, these are official prints from the same publisher. Their interest is maximum on the expensive 1966 issue: same content, same vintage, significantly lower cost. The counterpart is a closer resale.
By the printed monetary system. A reference to old pence, like the 10d from 1966, necessarily places the copy before the British decimalization of the early 1970s. It is an absolutely reliable benchmark, independent of the cover year, and useful for all production from this period.
No. On the 1984 issue, the catalog records June 12 for the specialized store version and July 3 for the kiosk version: three weeks apart, because two parallel networks coexisted with distinct calendars. Two announcements giving different dates can therefore both be accurate.
Three. The specialty store version, the newsstand version — distributed three weeks apart — and a Canadian edition with a price in local currency. Three different objects under a single reference, which means asking for the printed price rather than relying on the number alone.
Yes, because the print runs of 1965-1966 were massive and the good condition remains accessible - except on the issue carried by the demand for the artifact, where competition is real. The defects to watch out for are those from the period: browning of the edges, folds in the spine, corners rounded by reading.
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