Although just about any comic book collector will acknowledge that Action Comics #1 is the most significant and valuable comic of all time, I think few would say that Superman is their favorite superhero. If the number of Google searches can serve as an indicator of popularity, then that distinction has belonged to Spider-Man by a wide margin and for a long time. (Check out this blog about how Silver Age Amazing Spider-Man books have climbed in value in spite of the broader market downturn).
It sounds crazy to say, but I do think there are some Superman key issues that are flying under the radar, including those that feature his rogue's gallery. Collectors love Batman and Spider-Man's rogue's galleries, but you don't see the same kind of love for Superman's.
As a case study, let's take a look at the first appearance of one of Superman's most well-known nemeses: General Zod. While Lex Luthor is the most recognizable villain in Superman’s rogue’s gallery, I prefer General Zod. We'll see Luthor again as the villain in James Gunn's upcoming Superman film, but I hope Zod is the antagonist in the sequel. Luthor is fine as a foil for a first movie (see, e.g., Gene Hackman in Superman The Movie and Kevin Spacey in Superman Returns) where the main focus is more about world-building. But the best sequels are always about the best villains (see, e.g., Khan in Star Trek: Wrath of Khan, the Joker in The Dark Knight, and Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2). The best villains bring out the best (or worst) in our heroes.
Zod is to Superman as Khan is to Captain Kirk. Zod is one of the few beings in the DC universe that can go physically toe-to-toe with Superman (Darkseid and Doomsday being the other two). In fact, because of Zod’s military training and his ruthlessness, you could argue that he is more powerful than Superman.
In spite of how important Zod is, how many of you can name Zod's first appearance off the top of your head? I have been collecting comics since 1987 and I wasn't sure until I Googled it earlier today: Adventure Comics #283.
How many of you would recognize the cover of that issue if you came across it in a longbox? One indication that this book may be undervalued is that fact that it hasn't been included in GoCollect's Silver Age CPI which is an index of the 50 most valuable comics published during the Silver Age. In addition, Zod's first appearance doesn't compare favorably to other DC villains who also made their first appearances in the late 1950s and early 1960s: Mr. Freeze, Brainiac and Poison Ivy.
For example, let's take a look at Mr. Freeze's first appearance in Batman #121. This issue is comparable to Adventure Comics #283 because it's another Silver Age DC key issue that features the first appearance of a well-known villain. There's also less supply of Adventure Comics #283 according to the CGC Census (466 vs. 977 universal blue label copies).
And yet graded copies of Batman #121 are generally much more expensive. For example, according to GoCollect, the FMV of a CGC 5.0 copy of Batman #121 is $3,400. In comparison, the FMV of a 5.0 copy of Adventure Comics #283 is only $270. This CGC 5.0 copy of Batman #121 sold on Heritage Auctions for $3,360 just a couple of weeks ago:
Batman #121 has a much better cover for sure since it features Mr. Freeze on it, but I don't think that justifies such a huge difference in value between these two key issues. The same is true if you take a look at the values of CGC 5.0 copies of Action Comics #242 (first appearance of Brainiac) or Batman #181 (first appearance of Poison Ivy). The FMV of a 5.0 copy of Action Comics #242 is $2,600 and $725 for Batman #151. To me, when you look at the values of these comparable comics, Adventure Comics #283 appears to be undervalued.
