Superman #323 for Sale - First Appearance of The Atomic Skull - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Superman (DC, 1939 series)
Issue: #323
Publication date: May 1978
Key date: 1978-05-00
On-sale date: 1978-02-07
Indicia publisher: DC Comics Inc.
Price: $0.35
Pages: 36
Barcode: 0709893067505
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 The Atomic Skull - 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 Man with the Self-Destruct Mind!	cover	1	pencils: José Luis García-López; inks: José Luis García-López	The Atomic Skull First, Clark Kent, Dr. Albert Michaels, Superman
1	The Man with the Self-Destruct Mind!	comic story	17	script: Martin Pasko; pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Dan Adkins; colors: Jerry Serpe; letters: Ben Oda	The Atomic Skull First, Josh Coyle, Jenet Klyburn, Lana Lang, Dr. Albert Michaels, Titano
3	-	letters page	0.75	script: E. Nelson Bridwell
4	-	statement of ownership	0.25	letters: typeset
5	Len Wein Returns	in-house column	1	script: Jenette Kahn

Plus 1 page of advertisements and other matter across 1 sequence, as published.

Printings and variants

Edition	How to tell
Whitman	price [none]
British	price 0.12 GBP

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Superman from the Thirties to the Eighties #[nn] ISBN 0517551004	1983	On eBay ›
Comic Reader #153	1978	On eBay ›
Adventures of Superman: José Luis García-López #2 ISBN 978-1-77950-102-8	2020	On eBay ›

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

Before you buy

Check the price box: Marvel ran 30-cent and 35-cent test-market price variants in 1976-77.
Canadian and Whitman editions exist for many bronze books; match the barcode area to the plate.
Look for Mark Jewelers inserts and date stamps - they affect collector preference, not authenticity.

Series context

‹ #322323 of 423#324 ›

Sources

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

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