Uncle Walt
Known as one of the friendliest people in the industry - and affectionately known as Uncle Walt, Walt Simonson has been amazing fans with his distinctive artistic style and original stories since the 1970s.
From his early work on Manhunter through his groundbreaking run on Thor to his recent work on Ragnarok, Simonson is a comic book creative unlike any other who through it all has carried himself as one of the great ambassadors of the medium.
First Issue
Walt Simonson’s first published work was a fan drawing that made it to the “Robot Gallery” page of Magnus Robot Fighter #10 in May 1965. Most notably, even back then Simonson was signing his name in the shape of a brontosaurus, a sure way to identify any of his works.
There are only 29 graded copies, and I can’t imagine searching one out unless you’re an absolute Simonson die-hard or a first-series Magnus Robot Fighter completist. The only sale this year – and only sale since 2021 - was a 9.0 going for $264 in a January 23 Heritage auction. So, if you absolutely have to have it, that’s the lone data point you have.
Simonson’s first paid work was in the pages of Weird War Tales #10, published by DC in January 1973. There are 31 graded copies in the CGC census with the most recent sale being a 9.4 selling for $119 in May 2022.
There are only two 9.8 graded copies, neither of which has ever sold. The top sale was also for a 9.4 - $150 way back in 2013. It’s not surprising to see an artist’s earliest work go for this little, particularly if it was in an obscure title. If you’re a Simonson fan, though, it’s worth adding to your collection.
Manhunter and Early DC Work
Simonson’s reputation as an up-and-coming comic artist was solidified with his work with writer Archie Goodwin in the backup stories in Detective Comics #437 through Detective Comics #443, published in 1973 and featuring the revival of the DC Golden Age character Manhunter. The award-winning series excited fans and guaranteed Simonson work for the rest of his career.
There are 221 graded copies of Detective Comics #437. The top price paid was in a very recent sale – the August 15 Heritage auction in which a 9.6 sold for $2,640. While that sale looks very much like an extreme outlier, keep in mind that the previous high was just prior to the comic book boom - $660 for a 9.8 in a February 2021 Heritage auction.
With only 8 copies in the 9.8 grade (3.9% of the total) it’s possible that the high price paid in August may not be as much of an outlier as it looks. Keep an eye out for any 9.8 graded copies of Detective Comics #437 in upcoming auctions.
It’ll be very interesting to see the final price. In any event, all the issues of Detective Comics containing the Manhunter backups are must-haves for your Simonson collection and are definitely worth reading.
Simonson’s other notable DC work from the mid-1970s includes Detective Comics #469 featuring the first appearance of Doctor Phosphorus (9.8 FMV $625), as well as multiple issue of Metal Men and Hercules Unbound.
Move to Marvel
Simonson took his talents to Marvel beginning in 1977. One of his earliest works there was a run on the character with whom he is most closely associated beginning with Thor #260. There are 82 graded copies of this issue in the CGC census. That’s roughly 25% more than the issue prior and likely due in no small part to this being Simonson’s first pencils on the series.
While we see some snippets of what was to come when he returned to the series six years later, it definitely lacks the dynamism of his 1980s work. If you’re a Simonson fan, it’s not a particularly hard issue to find. It’s also not very expensive.
While a 9.8 last sold in 2021 for $200 all grades below that are much cheaper, including a 9.4 selling on April 17 for just $100.
During his early tenure at Marvel, Simonson became something of the publisher’s go-to artist for sci-fi books. He contributed covers and interior pencils for a sporadic number of issues of Battlestar Galactica beginning with Battlestar Galactica #4 and ending with the series’ final issue, Battlestar Galactica #23.
He also drew numerous Star Wars covers and was the co-plotter (along with future wife Louise Jones and David Michelinie) and artist on Star Wars #56 through Star Wars #65.
The key issue in Simonson’s run was Star Wars #60. In addition to the origin of Shira Brie and the first appearances of Admiral Mila Giel and Hanc Thorben, the issue also featured the first appearance of Wald, a member of Rogue Squadron who bears a striking similarity to Simonson.
There are 381 graded copies, including a lone 9.9. The current 30-day average for a 9.8 is $120, up from the 90-day average of $106 but down slightly from the one-year average of $123.
Early 80s Rising Star
Perhaps no comic brought Simonson to the attention of the masses more than Marvel & DC Present The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans #1. Written by Chris Claremont with pencils by Simonson and inks by Terry Austin, this was one of the big comics of 1982.
Featuring the most popular teams from each publisher in their first joint publication in a number of years, the comic pitted them against Darkseid and Dark Phoenix and would feature the first appearance of the Source Wall.
There are 1,218 graded copies and the 90-day average for a 9.8 currently stands at $154. It’s surprisingly inexpensive when you consider the popularity of the two teams at the time and the stunningly gorgeous artwork by Simonson and Austin.
The wraparound cover alone is enough to start 1980s comic fans drooling.
Simonson also contributed pencils for a pivotal X-Men comic, Uncanny X-Men #171, the issue where Rogue joins the team.
There are 1,908 graded copies including a 9.9 which last sold in 2011 for $832. 9.8 graded copies have a current 30-day average of $145.
Thor
There are few correlations in comics between creators and characters greater than Walt Simonson with Thor. In 1983, Simonson breathed new life into a character who had become boring and directionless. Besides giving the series a look that felt like something out of Norse mythology, Simonson added new characters and concepts to the Thor mythos.
From the introduction of Malekith in Thor #344 and the origin of the Odinforce in Thor #349 to the yearlong Surtur Saga concluding in Thor #353 every issue was an absolute (pardon the pun) marvel. Even concepts from later in his run, such as Thor transforming into a frog in Thor #364 and the introduction of the Time Variance Authority in Thor #371 have stood the test of time. But all of that pales in comparison to Simonson’s first issue in his Thor run: Thor #337.
It's hard now for collectors to understand the effect Thor #337 had on the comic marketplace in 1983. The cover of Beta Ray Bill alone was so eye-catching, and the impact of the story and the artwork inside the comic were so monumental it sold out everywhere. Overnight, copies shot up to $7, an ungodly sum for a brand-new comic at the time. To this day it’s still the most sought-after of all Simonson’s comic work.
There are 10,362 graded copies in the CGC census, including two in the 9.9 grade, one of which last sold in 2010 for $1,315. The most recent sale of a 9.8 was on August 25 for $500. While that’s down from a slashed $1,400 peak last reached in January 2022, it’s still considered one of the most important comics of the early 1980s.
X-Factor and Fantastic Four
During Simonson’s last year on Thor he passed the artistic baton on to Sal Buscema while continuing to write the series. The reason for this was so he could join his wife Louise Simonson on X-Factor. During the Fall of the Mutants storyline in that series, the couple transformed the character Angel into first Death – one of Apokolips’ horsemen – and then Archangel. X-Factor #24 is the go-to issue for the Simonsons' run on the series.
The issue features the first cover appearance and second full appearance (there were many cameos prior) of Angel as Death. There are 4,848 graded copies including a lone 9.9. The current 30-day average for a 9.8 is $166, down from the 90-day average of $174 and the one-year average of $188.
Simonson next had a pivotal run on Fantastic Four that included a Time Variance Authority storyline. The key issue in this run is Fantastic Four #353, the first full appearance of Mobius M. Mobius, a character well known from his inclusion in the Loki Disney+ series.
There are 950 graded copies in the CGC census. Current values are running high in anticipation of the second season beginning October 5. The 30-day average for a 9.8 stands at $169, up from the 90-day average of $106 and one-year average of $117.
Later Career
Simonson’s career since Fantastic Four has included writing the Jurassic Park series from Topps Comics in 1993, artwork on Orion and Jack Kirby’s Fourth World for DC in the late 1990s, and his Star Slammer series, released first as Marvel Graphic Novel #6 (an absolutely gorgeous work that is, unfortunately, inconsequential to collectors) with subsequent issues published by Malibu in 1994.
Among Simonson’s most recent works is the series Ragnarok published by IDW in 2014 and its sequel series Ragnarok: The Breaking of Helheim. The artwork is as beautiful as it has ever been in a fresh take on the character of Thor – albeit a different one from the Marvel version – in the far future.
There are only 10 graded copies of Ragnarok #1 and a 9.8 last sold in 2016 for just $45. You’re likely far better off seeking out a raw copy and sending it in for grading.
Legacy
Walt Simonson will forever be remembered as the creator who made Thor a comic worth reading and collecting again. His work on the series has proven to be one of the peaks of the character’s long comic book history and one of the most influential works of the 1980s.
Do you collect Walt Simonson’s works? What are some of your favorites?
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