Beginning his career in the late 1980s, Ennis has delighted fans with his work on books like Hellblazer, Preacher, and The Punisher. Here are some of his most sought-after books.
Hellblazer #41
Like many other prominent European comic writers, Garth Ennis wrote for DC's Hellblazer. His take on John Constantine was incredibly well-received and long-running. Ennis began his work on the series in 1991 and continued writing the book until 1995.
His first storyline, which begins in issue 41, is called Dangerous Habits. In the tale, Constantine is diagnosed with lung cancer and is willing to do any and everything to rid himself of the disease. After Ennis became one of the most prominent writers in comics, collectors quickly sought out his first take on the character. You can expect to pay around $50 for an issue in CGC 9.8 condition.
Preacher #1
After his run on Hellblazer, Ennis was given the opportunity to create his own title under DC's Vertigo umbrella. The result was Preacher, a celebrated book that featured doses of humor, action and blasphemy. The book would last for 75 issues with collectors eagerly snapping up their copies as soon as it was available.
The earlier issues had lower print runs and are more in demand than later books. A TV series on AMC helped to inspire fans that hadn't read the original series to take a look. Issue 1, which features the first appearances of Jesse Custer, Tulip O'Hare and Cassidy the Vampire sells for in a CGC 9.8.
Demon Annual #2
With things going so well on Preacher, DC gave Ennis the opportunity to create another character. Unlike the Preacher characters, Hitman would exist in the standard DC Universe. Tommy Monaghan made his first appearance in the Demon Annual 2 where he gained powers after being bitten by a parasite.
Hitman would run for 61 issues and the series included appearances from Superman and Batman. There have long been rumors about a return for the character either in comics or TV, but that has yet to happen. Hitman's first appearance, in Demon Annual 2, runs for around $250 in a CGC 9.8.
Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe
Ennis' first work with comics giant Marvel came in 1995. Featuring a character he would soon become famous for writing, the Irishman wrote Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe. It was a really smart pairing. Ennis was one of the hottest scripters in the came and Punisher was still a massive character for Marvel.
Ennis did not enjoy his time with Marvel, however, as the editing team had changed some of his dialogue after the fact. He would eventually return to Marvel in 2000 to again write the Punisher. This particular issue is valued at around $150 in a CGC 9.8.
Punisher #1 (2004)
By 2004, Ennis had been writing on Punisher for a few years but was still held back by Marvel's adherence to the Comics Code. That changed in 2004 when the publisher released Punisher under the new Max label. This allowed Ennis to include all the gore and violence he wanted.
The book was a hit and remains popular with collectors today. While Ennis had written other Punisher books this remains the most valuable first issue written by the superstar. A CGC 9.8 copy runs for around $100.
