First appeared

Ambiguous cases

• Those unfamiliar to comics may assume that Iron Man's first appearance is The Invincible Iron Man #1 (May 1968), but in the golden and early silver ages of comic books, few superheroes debuted in magazines carrying their names. More often a character first appeared in a generically titled anthology series. If the character proved popular, a new series was launched. For example, Iron Man first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 (March 1963) and appeared regularly in that series for five years before Marvel launched a series properly named Iron Man. Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Thor, and many others also first appeared in anthology series.
• The first appearance of "all-star" teams is given as the first instance in which that team banded together regardless of whether or not it consists of previously existing characters. The first appearance of the Justice League is considered The Brave and the Bold #28 (May 1960), the issue in which they first operated as a group, although none of its members first appeared in that issue. Alternatively, X-Men #1 (September 1963) is both the first appearance of the X-Men and its original members.
• Sometimes a character first appears in the last page of an issue, foreshadowing a greater role in the next issue. Arguments may be made over whether the first appearance is the issue containing the final page cameo or the subsequent issue which more adequately introduced the character. Wolverine was first seen in the last page of The Incredible Hulk #180 (October 1974) but makes a more full appearance in issue #181 (November 1974). Some fans may consider The Incredible Hulk #180 Wolverine's first appearance, but most consider it #181. ComicsPriceGuide.com lists a copy of issue #180, rated very fine, at $149 and #181 at $2,075. Comparatively, The Incredible Hulk #179 (September 1974), which has no special importance, is listed at $11, so both types of first appearance add value to a comic book.
• Retconning can also complicate first appearances. Initially, Cable was portrayed as a wholly new character, first appearing in The New Mutants #87 (March 1990), but writers later changed his background, stating that Cable is an adult, time traveling Nathan Summers, the son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor, first seen in Uncanny X-Men #201 (January 1986). Both issues could be given as the first appearance of Cable. Further complicating the matter, Cable was seen in a cameo at the end of The New Mutants #86 (February 1990).
• Some superhero identities are used by more than one character. The original Green Lantern (Alan Scott) first appeared in All-American Comics #16 (April 1940). During the Silver Age, Green Lantern, like many DC heroes, was rebooted with a totally new identity. The second Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, debuted in Showcase #22 (October 1959). All-American Comics #16 is still considered the first appearance of Green Lantern, both of the original title-bearer and the superhero identity itself. To avoid confusion, Showcase #22 is called the first appearance of Hal Jordan, of Green Lantern or of the Silver Age Green Lantern.
• Occasionally, a character will appear in the background of a comic book before fully introduced. Spider-Man's early love interest Liz Allan is first addressed by name in The Amazing Spider-Man #4 (September 1963), but an unnamed character in Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963) is, based on her appearance and dialogue, probably Allan. Also, Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962), shows an unnamed character who resembles Allan. Thus, Allan's first appearance may be given as any of the three.
• Some characters appear in more than one continuity. While the first appearance of Nightcrawler is Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975), the first appearance of the character's Ultimate Marvel counterpart is Ultimate X-Men #6 (August 2001).
• Occasionally, new characters are created for television or film adaptations of a franchise and are later added to the comic book continuity. The Batman adversary Harley Quinn debuted in the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series episode "Joker's Favor". Her first appearance in comic format was the graphic novelThe Batman Adventures #12, which took place in the continuity of Batman: The Animated Series. Her first appearance in the regular "DC Universe" was the 1999 one-shotBatman: Harley Quinn. Thus, her first appearance is technically "Joker's Favor", her first appearance in a comic book was The Batman Adventures #12 and her first appearance in the regular DC Comics continuity was Batman: Harley Quinn. Similarly, Firestar first appeared in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends #1, which adapted the first episode of the TV series. Her first Earth-616 appearance was in the Uncanny X-Men #193.
• Rarely, a character debuts in a publisher's foreign branch and then appears in a domestic series. Psylocke first appeared in Captain Britain #8 (December 1976), an original series of Marvel UK not widely available outside Great Britain. Her debut in an American series was The New Mutants Annual #2 (1986). Her first appearance is sometimes given as either but more correctly it is Captain Britain #8 while The New Mutants Annual #2 is her first US appearance.
• Some characters appear first in a normal supporting role before becoming a superhero or villain. For example, Roderick Kingsley first appeared as a minor supporting character in The Spectacular Spider-Man #43 (June 1980), but he would later take on the villainous role of the Hobgoblin in The Amazing Spider-Man #238 (March 1983), becoming one of Spider-Man's most dangerous foes. The latter issue, featuring his first appearance as the Hobgoblin, is worth more than his original debut.