Superboy #52 for Sale - First Appearance of Power-Boy - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Superboy (DC, 1949 series)
Issue: #52
Publication date: October 1956
Key date: 1956-10-00
On-sale date: 1956-08-14
Indicia publisher: National Comics Publications Inc.
Price: $0.10
Pages: 36
Rating: Approved by the Comics Code Authority

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Power-Boy - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Zarl Vorne - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	Power-Boy from Earth!	cover	1	pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Stan Kaye	Clark Kent, Power-Boy First, Superboy, Zarl Vorne First
2	The Heroine of Smallville	comic story	8	script: Otto Binder; pencils: John Sikela; inks: John Sikela	Clark Kent, Martha Kent, Jonathan Kent, Lana Lang, Lewis Lang, Superboy
4	Binky Shows "How to Spend a Summer Week!"	public service announcement	1	script: Jack Schiff; pencils: Win Mortimer; inks: Win Mortimer; letters: Ira Schnapp	Binky Biggs
6	The Power-Boy from Earth	comic story	7.5	script: Otto Binder; pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Stan Kaye	Clark Kent, Power-Boy First, Superboy, Zarl Vorne First
8	Magic at Your Fingertips	text article	1	letters: typeset
9	Here Are the Prizes	promo (ad from the publisher)	3	letters: typeset
10	-	comic story	0.67	script: Henry Boltinoff; pencils: Henry Boltinoff; inks: Henry Boltinoff; letters: Henry Boltinoff	Varsity Vic
12	The Super-Robot	comic story	6	script: Otto Binder; pencils: Curt Swan; inks: John Giunta	Clark Kent, Superboy

Plus 7.83 pages of advertisements and other matter across 9 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #61	1962	On eBay ›
Superboy Annual #1	1964	On eBay ›
Superboy #163	1970	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Check spine ticks and cover gloss in the photos; silver-age Marvels chip at the edges easily.
Look for tanning at the page edges and transfer stains on the inside covers.
Confirm the cover price against the plate; higher prices can mean a later or foreign printing.

Series context

‹ #5152 of 230#53 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com