First Appearance of a Legionnaire
One of the more popular members of the Legion of Super-Heroes since his debut in Adventure Comics #327 is Timber Wolf. Brin Londo – originally introduced as Lone Wolf in this issue – had many of the same attributes as Wolverine (minus the claws, of course) long before that character even existed.
When using his powers, he would often take on wolf-like characteristics, and would eventually go completely feral, becoming Furball in later Legion of Super-Heroes issues.
There are a mere 72 graded copies of Adventure Comics #327 in the CGC census, and it’s a very affordable comic. A 9.0 graded copy sold for a slashed $500 on February 25, the only sale so far this year. However, that sale strikes me as an outlier.
More telling is the 9.2 selling in a November 2022 Heritage auction for $288. With so few graded copies, we only see a few sales of this issue per year. That 9.2 sale should be your guide regarding fair current pricing. It’s definitely an overlooked comic; just don’t overpay for it.
First Steranko Comic Work?
For many years there has been some debate regarding the first artwork by Jim Steranko in a comic book. His first full comic story is regarded by many to be Strange Tales #151, an issue in which he finished and inked Jack Kirby’s pencils. However, Steranko did some work for Harvey prior to this, conceiving of and designing characters for their superhero line.
Whether or not he drew – or at least provided rough pencils - for the story, “The Legend of the Glowing Gladiator,” in the pages of Double-Dare Adventures #1 has been a bone of contention among Steranko fans.
There are only 24 graded copies of this comic in the CGC census, and there have been no sales this year, marking this definitively as an overlooked comic. The lone sale in 2022 was a 6.5 going for $55. The highest price paid was $359 for a 9.6 way back in 2015.
Whether or not you consider this undervalued has everything to do with where you stand on Steranko’s contribution to the artwork. We know he scripted the story. But was he the artist? That’s for you to decide.
First Appearance of the Second Rawhide Kid
In 1960, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby revamped the character of the Rawhide Kid, giving him a new name – Johnny Bart – and his distinctive red hair in the pages of The Rawhide Kid #17.
There are 96 graded copies of this oft-overlooked classic. While not the most inexpensive of comics, compared to Marvel’s superheroes of the time, it’s dirt cheap.
The only sale this year is a 2.5 going for $395 in a March 18 eBay sale. This is a tough one to find in high grade; the top 10% of graded copies are those at 7.5 and above. So, you’re more likely to find – and pay a lot less – for the lower grades.
The highest price paid for this comic was for the singular 9.4 graded copy: $20,600 in a May 2020 ComicConnect auction. Kind of makes $395 for a 2.5 seem like quite a bargain, especially when you consider Rawhide Kid's relationship to the Avengers and their mid-1970s battles with Kang.
Do you think Adventure Comics #327, Double-Dare Adventures #1, and The Rawhide Kid #17 are undervalued, overlooked, or both? Let us know below.
