Superboy #85 for Sale - First Appearance of John Corben - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Superboy (DC, 1949 series)
Issue: #85
Publication date: December 1960
Key date: 1960-12-00
On-sale date: 1960-10-06
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 John Corben - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

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

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

First appearance of Mighty Dog - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

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

First appearance of Tom Keith / Zarl Kazzan - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Rovo - 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	The Secret of Mighty Boy!	cover	1	pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Stan Kaye; letters: Ira Schnapp	Tom Keith / Zarl Kazzan First, Clark Kent, Mighty Boy First, Mighty Dog First, Rovo First, Superboy
2	The Mystery of Mighty Boy! Part I	comic story	10	script: Otto Binder; pencils: George Papp; inks: George Papp	Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Superboy, Tom Keith / Zarl Kazzan First, Clark Kent, Krypto, Lana Lang, Mighty Boy First, Mighty Dog First, Rovo First
3	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Stan Kaye	Bizarro-Superboy, Brainiac, John Corben First, Clark Kent, Metallo First, Superman, Titano First
4	Children of Tomorrow!	public service announcement	1	script: Jack Schiff; pencils: Bernard Baily; inks: Bernard Baily; letters: Ira Schnapp
5	[The Mystery of Mighty Boy!] Part II: Superboy's Lost Friend!	comic story	9	script: Otto Binder; pencils: George Papp; inks: George Papp	Superboy, Tom Keith / Zarl Kazzan First, Clark Kent, Mighty Boy First, Mighty Dog First, Rovo First
6	-	comic story	0.67	script: Henry Boltinoff; pencils: Henry Boltinoff; inks: Henry Boltinoff; letters: Henry Boltinoff	Homer
7	Coming Super-Attractions!	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.33		Clark Kent, Krypto, Jimmy Olsen, Superman
8	-	letters page	1	letters: typeset
9	The Impossible Mission!	comic story	7	script: Jerry Siegel; pencils: George Papp; inks: George Papp	Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Abraham Lincoln, Lex Luthor, Superboy, John Wilkes Booth
10	-	comic story	1	script: Henry Boltinoff; pencils: Henry Boltinoff; inks: Henry Boltinoff; letters: Henry Boltinoff	Bebe

Plus 4 pages of advertisements and other matter across 4 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Superman #158	1963	On eBay ›
Superman Annual #6	1962	On eBay ›
80 Page Giant Magazine #11	1965	On eBay ›
Superman in the Sixties #[nn] ISBN 1-56389-522-6	1999	On eBay ›
Superman: Past and Future #[nn] ISBN 978-1-4012-1934-5	2009	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

‹ #8485 of 230#86 ›

Sources

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

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