DC Comics is the original superhero universe, taking elements of adventure serials, sci-fi stories, pulp detective novels, and many other forms of so-called “low” fiction to create characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the the Justice Society of America. These old comics might not read as well as the modern ones, but they are the cornerstone of the superhero comic as we know it. They have become some of the most valuable comics in the world. While DC has reprinted them many times over the years, allowing modern readers to read them, all comic fans know that there’s something about holding one of those old books you’ve always wanted.
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However, while you can find some of those older comics for a somewhat reasonable price, some of them are far out of range of the average comic fan. Some of those old milestone comics have reached price ranges that all but the wealthiest fans would find impossible to pay. These are the seven rarest DC comics and if you want to own them, you better have some generational wealth.
7) The Brave and the Bold #28
The Justice League has become DC’s greatest team, taking the place of the Justice Society in the Silver Age and staying there as the top team. There are a lot of really expensive Justice League comics but none of them can reach the price that The Brave and the Bold #28 goes for. The Brave and the Bold was one of Silver Age DC’s most important anthology books, where new concepts would be given a try out. A high graded copy of the book can go for as much as $800,000, with lower graded copies books going for the price of a nice car.
6) All-American Comics #1
Alan Scott has become one of DC’s greatest icons. He is one of the founders of the Justice Society and the first Green Lantern. The character debuted in All-American Comics #16, one of the many anthology books of those days. These comics combined stories from numerous characters, with a feature story getting the cover and this one introduced readers to Scott, the power ring, and his magical lamp. The book was cover dated July of 1940, and the current highest value available copy goes for $203,105. However, copies have sold for as much as a million dollars before.
5) The Flash Comics #1
The Flash is one of the most well-known superheroes in comics and it started back in 1940 with The Flash Comics #1. The first Flash was Jay Garrick, a young college student who gained super speed thanks to an experiment with hard water. He was the first DC hero to debut in their own title back then, and that title goes for a pretty penny nowadays. In the past, high grade copies have gone for a cool $1,000,000, with lower grade copies going for the same price as a starter home.
4) All-Star Comics #8
All-Star Comics #8 has the Justice Society on the cover, but the reason that the book is so valuable isn’t because the first superteam appears in it, but because it’s the first appearance of the greatest superheroine ever, Wonder Woman. A mint condition copy of this book is valued at $1,000,000, and lower graded copies have sold for anywhere from $13,000 on up. The chances of finding a mint copy of this book are quite rare, but if you did, you’d never be able to buy it.
3) Batman (Vol. 1) #1
Batman is the most popular superhero of them all, so you’d expect the inaugural issue of his first solo book to be expensive. However, Batman (Vol. 1) #1 hasn’t sold for over a $1,000,000 for high grade copies just because of that. No, this issue is also the debut of villains the Joker and Catwoman, as well as a retelling of the Caped Crusader’s origin, making it one of the most important Batman comics ever. This book has sold for as much $2,220,000 and high grade copies are regularly in that range and a little above. It’s one of the most most valuable comics ever, so be ready with the AmEx Black.
2) Detective Comics #27
Speaking of Batman, the first appearance of the Dark Knight is one of the most expensive comics out there. Detective Comics is one of the oldest DC books, but it wouldn’t be until the first appearance of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego that it would become the legendary book that it is today. Lower grade copies can for over a $100,000 and a 7.0 went for $2,310,000 at Heritage Auctions. Even damaged copies go for anywhere from $30,000 to $85,000. If a 7.0 goes for over 2 mil, anything higher than that is going to go for almost $5,000,000. Good luck affording that unless you have parents that most of us have heard of.
1) Action Comics #1
Superman is the greatest superhero of them all, which makes sense because he was the first. His first appearance is Action Comics #1 and it is the most expensive comic of them all. Numerous copies of it have been sold for upwards of a million dollars, with Nicholas Cage’s copy being sold for $15,000,000. Another has been sold for $6,000,000. Damaged copies are still in the hundreds of thousands of dollars range, and even older reprints of the book can go for thousands.
What rare DC comic would you like to own? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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