The standout key for The Walking Dead is the #1 first print (October 2003, Image Comics): with only approximately 7,200 to 7,500 copies printed, a CGC 9.8 sold for $32,000 at Heritage Auctions in 2024. The AMC series (2010–2022) created lasting demand; spin-offs Dead City and Daryl Dixon (2023–) keep the franchise culturally active. Important caveat: our estimator returns a median of €12 across 101 eBay listings for issue #1 — that figure is dominated by later printings and in no way reflects the value of the first print.
The Walking Dead is a comic series created by Robert Kirkman (writer) and Tony Moore (artist) for Image Comics. The first issue was published in October 2003 and introduces Rick Grimes, a sheriff's deputy who wakes to find the world overrun. Tony Moore drew issues #1 to #6; Charlie Adlard took over from #7 and remained on the series through its final issue, #193, in July 2019. This is entirely a Modern Age series: there are no Golden Age, Silver Age, or Bronze Age issues of The Walking Dead.
This guide sticks to the verifiable: eBay medians from our estimator (eBay.fr + eBay.com, June 2026) and records documented by Heritage Auctions and specialist sources. For key issues with very few active listings — #19 (3 listings), #27 (4 listings), #92 (1 listing), #100 (5 listings) — no eBay median is cited, as volume is too thin for a reliable figure. Price references come from auction houses and specialist guides.
Walking Dead key issues at a glance (June 2026 data)
The first print of #1 sits in a category of its own. The other keys — #19, #27, #92, and #100 — are sparsely listed on eBay, making auction and specialist records the only reliable price reference for any of them.
| Issue | Significance | eBay data (June 2026) | Documented reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| TWD #1 — 1st print (Oct. 2003) | 1st appearance of Rick Grimes; ~7,200–7,500 copies | Median not cited — 101 listings dominated by later printings | $32,000 (CGC 9.8, Heritage Auctions 2024); $24,200 (CGC 9.8, Heritage March 2022) |
| TWD #19 (2005) | 1st appearance of Michonne | 3 listings — insufficient volume | ~$650 (CGC 9.8, Goldin Auctions) |
| TWD #27 (Apr. 2006) | 1st appearance of the Governor | 4 listings — insufficient volume | ~$650 (CGC 9.8, Goldin Auctions) |
| TWD #92 (Dec. 2011) | 1st appearance of Paul "Jesus" Monroe | 1 listing — insufficient volume | ~$180 (CGC 9.8) |
| TWD #100 (2012) | 1st appearance of Negan & Lucille; death of Glenn | 5 listings — insufficient volume | ~$370 (Red Foil variant, CGC 9.8) |
TWD #1 first print: the Modern Age grail
The first printing of The Walking Dead #1 is identified by its black "Mature Readers" banner at the bottom of the cover, its $2.95 cover price, and its slightly cream-colored matte paper. With approximately 7,200 to 7,500 copies ordered by North American comic shops at launch, this is one of the lowest initial print runs in recent Image Comics history. In late 2003, Kirkman and Moore were little-known creators, and the book sold out quietly — only for demand to explode years later.
Our eBay estimator returns a median of €12 across 101 listings for issue #1, but that figure is entirely skewed by the many subsequent printings (2nd, 3rd, 4th, and later reprints) that circulate under the same title. It must not be read as the value of the first print. In high grade, a CGC 9.8 first print sold for $32,000 at Heritage Auctions in 2024, up from $24,200 in March 2022. The gap between the first and second printing is large: 2nd and 3rd printing copies in CGC 9.8 trade for a fraction of that price.
The AMC effect: how the TV show shaped the collector market
The premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead in October 2010 fundamentally changed the market for the series' key issues. Over eleven seasons (2010–2022), the show introduced characters like Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier — absent from the comics — to tens of millions of viewers worldwide, creating a broad new audience for the source material. Demand for key issues spiked around major show events: the introduction of Negan in Season 7 (2016) drove renewed interest in issue #100 and its variant covers.
Since the main series ended in 2022, AMC spin-offs Dead City (Negan and Maggie, 2023–) and Daryl Dixon (2023–) have kept the franchise culturally present. In 2026, the market for Walking Dead keys remains underpinned by this ongoing media presence, even if it no longer sees the speculative spikes of the 2016–2019 period. The #1 first print retains its status as a Modern Age blue chip, with its logic of scarcity comparable to other low-print-run first issues from the same era.
The supporting keys: #19, #27, #92, #100
The Walking Dead #19 (2005) contains the first appearance of Michonne, one of the franchise's most popular characters. Issue #27 (April 2006, art by Charlie Adlard) introduces the Governor. Both issues show fewer than five active eBay listings — no median is cited. Documented records in CGC 9.8 sit around $650 for each, according to Goldin Auctions — a level well below issue #1, reflecting greater availability in high grade.
Issue #92 (December 2011) is the first appearance of Paul "Jesus" Monroe, a fan-favourite supporting character; only one active eBay listing was found. Issue #100 (2012) was the series' highest-selling issue — over 380,000 copies — thanks to its large number of variant covers: it features the first appearance of Negan and Lucille and the death of Glenn. In CGC 9.8, the Red Foil variant trades around $370 according to specialist sources. For both of these issues, the five or fewer eBay listings do not permit a reliable median to be cited.
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