First Appearance of a DC Duo
DC’s Showcase is a fantastic series for comic collectors, offering a slew of first and early appearances by a plethora of DC heroes. However, often overlooked are the issues published later in the 1960s. Such is the case with Showcase #75 – the first appearance of Hawk & Dove.
Created by Steve Ditko in 1968, the characters were brothers who approached super-heroics in opposite ways. Hank was a tough brawler while Don was a pacifist. They were briefly members of the Teen Titans and would go on to have their own series both in the late 1960s and late 1980s, albeit with the deceased Don being replaced by a new Dove.
There are 594 graded copies of Showcase #75 in the CGC census. While that may, at first glance, appear to be an appreciable number, it’s actually fairly low for the first appearance of a duo that may not be top-flight DC heroes but is recognized by most comic fans.
It’s also a comic that is undervalued. Recent sales include a 9.2 going for $361, down from the one-year average of $409; an 8.0 for $128, down from the one-year average of $140; and a 6.0 for $67, down 50% from the $135 previous sale. These are very low prices for a significant first appearance.
First Magical Full Cover Appearance
As hard as it may be to believe, Doctor Strange didn’t appear on the cover of a comic until nearly a year after his creation. While he did appear on the cover of Strange Tales #121 in May 1964, he was relegated to the lower third of the cover and appeared as a tiny figure.
It wasn’t until a month later that the good doctor made his first full appearance on the cover of Fantastic Four #27. Sandwiched between the Hulk/Avengers storyline in Fantastic Four #25 and Fantastic Four #26 and the team-up with the X-Men in Fantastic Four #28, this issue is often overlooked by collectors.
There are 1,017 graded copies in the CGC census, 27% fewer copies than the aforementioned three issues. Values are also comparatively low. The 30-day average for a 7.0 copy of Fantastic Four #27 stands at $282 while the 30-day average for a 7.0 Fantastic Four #28 is at $460.
Considering the low (and falling) cost of obtaining an issue, it’s worth entertaining the idea of adding Doctor Strange's first full cover appearance to your collection.
First Comic Adaptation of a Classic TV Show
One of the greatest sci-fi TV shows ever was The Twilight Zone, which ran from 1959 to 1964. The anthology series dealt with all kinds of dark and mysterious doings that were often cribbed from famous short stories or comics and became instant classics when shown on TV. The series also saw a long life in syndication with reruns available on broadcast television for decades after.
As with many TV series, The Twilight Zone was adapted to comic book form and the first issue was Dell Comics’ Four Color #1173 from 1963.
There are a scant 52 graded copies of this comic in the CGC census. The most recent sale was a 9.2 going for $420 in a May 9 Heritage auction. That’s a tremendous drop from the previous sale of a 9.2: $1,560 in a May 2022 Heritage auction. In the mid to lower grades, previous sales have been for less than $100, although in many cases it’s been a few years since one went up for sale.
The low census count and the rock-bottom current prices make this a very undervalued and overlooked comic worth consideration for your collection.
Do you think Showcase #75, Fantastic Four #27, and Four Color #1173 are undervalued, overlooked, or both? Let us know below!
