Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #3 for Sale - First Appearance of Larry Boltiansky - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe (DC, 1985 series)
Issue: #3
Publication date: May 1985
Key date: 1985-05-00
On-sale date: 1985-01-29
Indicia publisher: DC Comics Inc.
Price: $1.00; 1.35 CAD; 0.45 GBP
Pages: 36

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

Why this issue matters

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

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

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

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

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

First appearance of The Bug-Eyed Bandit - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First appearance of Kattayan-Besh - 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	Who's Who	cover	2	pencils: George Pérez; inks: Dick Giordano	B'wana Beast, Rachael Berkowitz First, Black Lightning, Black Manta, Black Orchid, The Black Pirate, The Black Racer, Black Spider First, Blackrock First, Blackstarr First, Blockbuster, Blok, Sebastian Blood, Blue Beetle
1	Who's Who's Hows and Whys	letters page	1	script: Len Wein
2	Black Lightning	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Jim Aparo; inks: Jim Aparo; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Black Lightning, Jefferson Pierce, Tobias Whale
3	Black Manta	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Bill Willingham; inks: Romeo Tanghal; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Aquaman, Black Manta, Arthur Curry, David Hyde
4	Black Orchid	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Terry Austin; inks: Terry Austin; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Black Orchid, Susan Linden-Thorne
5	Black Pirate	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Jerry Ordway; inks: Jerry Ordway; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	The Black Pirate, Jon Valor, Justin Valor
6	Black Racer	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Greg Theakston; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	The Black Racer, Lightray, Willie Walker First, Solis
7	Blackrock	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Murphy Anderson; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Blackrock First, Blackrock First, Clark Kent, Dr. Peter Silverstone, Superman, Samuel Tanner, Les Vegas First
8	Black Spider	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Pat Broderick; inks: Pat Broderick; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Batman, Black Spider First, Eric Needham First, Bruce Wayne
9	Blackstarr	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Carmine Infantino; inks: Rick Magyar; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Rachael Berkowitz First, Blackstarr First, Kara Zor-El, Supergirl
10	Blockbuster	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Michael T. Gilbert; inks: Michael T. Gilbert; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Batman, Blockbuster, Mark Desmond, Bruce Wayne
11	Blok	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Steve Lightle; inks: Steve Lightle; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Blok, Kharlak First
12	Blue Beetle	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Steve Rude; inks: Steve Rude; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Blue Beetle, Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett, Ted Kord
13	Blue Devil	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Paris Cullins; inks: Gary Martin; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Blue Devil, Daniel Cassidy, Nebiros First
14	Bolt	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Paris Cullins; inks: Gary Martin; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko; letters: Todd Klein	Blue Devil, Bolt First, Larry Boltiansky First, Daniel Cassidy
15	Bouncing Boy	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Keith Giffen; inks: Karl Kesel; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko; letters: Todd Klein	Bouncing Boy, Chuck Taine
16	The Boy Commandos	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Greg Theakston; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Brooklyn, Rip Carter, Andre Chavard, Percy Clearweather First, Jan Haasan, Tex, Alfy Twidgett
17	The Brain	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Bill Sienkiewicz; inks: Bill Sienkiewicz; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko; letters: Todd Klein	The Brain, Monsieur Mallah, Eric Morden First, Rog First
18	Brainiac	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Ed Hannigan; inks: Mike DeCarlo; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Brainiac, Clark Kent, Superman
19	Brainiac 5	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Karl Kesel; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Brainiac 5, Kara Zor-El, Querl Dox, Supergirl, Tharok
20	Brain Storm	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Al Williamson; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko; letters: Todd Klein	Barry Allen, Batman, Brain Storm, The Flash, Hawkman, Katar Hol, Clark Kent, Princess Diana, Axel Storm, Superman, Bruce Wayne, Wonder Woman
21	The Brain Wave	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Joe Staton; inks: Joe Staton; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	The Atom, Brain Wave, Jim Corrigan, Doctor Fate, Wesley Dodds, Dr. Mid-Nite, Carter Hall, Hawkman, Henry King, Ted Knight, Charles McNider, Kent Nelson, Al Pratt, The Sandman
22	Brainwave Jr.	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Jerry Ordway; inks: Jerry Ordway; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Brain Wave, Brainwave Jr., Henry King, Henry King, Jr., Merry, Merry Pemberton
23	Breathtaker	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Rafael Kayanan; inks: Rafael Kayanan; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	The Breathtaker First, Firestorm, Ronnie Raymond, Martin Stein
24	Bronze Tiger	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Denys Cowan; inks: Frank Giacoia; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko; letters: Todd Klein	Batman, The Bronze Tiger, Benjamin Turner, Bruce Wayne
25	Broot	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Shawn McManus; inks: Shawn McManus; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Broot, Charis-Nar, Kattayan-Besh First
26	Brother Blood	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: George Pérez; inks: George Pérez; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	May Bennett, Sebastian Blood, Brother Blood, Confessor, Mother Mayhem
27	The Brotherhood of Evil	character profile	2	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: George Pérez; inks: George Pérez; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	The Brain, Laura De Mille, Jean-Louis Droo, Garguax, General Immortus, Angela Hawkins III, Houngan, Emil LaSalle, Madame Rouge, Monsieur Mallah, Phobia, Plasmus, Otto von Furth, Warp
28	Brother Power	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Jim Valentino; inks: Karl Kesel; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Brother Power
29	Bug-Eyed Bandit	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Gil Kane; inks: Gil Kane; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko; letters: Todd Klein	The Atom, The Bug-Eyed Bandit First, Bertram Larvan First, Ray Palmer
30	Bug & Byte	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Rafael Kayanan; inks: Bob Smith; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko; letters: Todd Klein	Barney Bonner, Blythe Bonner, Bug, Byte, Firestorm, Ronnie Raymond, Martin Stein
31	B'wana Beast	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Chuck Patton; inks: Rick Magyar; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	B'wana Beast, Djuba First, Mike Maxwell
32	Byth	character profile	1	script: Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Paul Levitz, Gary Cohn; pencils: Joe Kubert; inks: Joe Kubert; colors: Helen Vesik, Shelley Eiber, Tatjana Wood, Tom Ziuko	Byth, Hawkman, Katar Hol

Printings and variants

Edition	How to tell
Newsstand	price 1.00 USD; barcode 0709893125105
Canadian	price 1.35 CAD; barcode 0709893125105

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus #4 ISBN 978-1-4012-1583-5	2008	On eBay ›
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus #4 ISBN 978-1-4012-3746-2	2013	On eBay ›
The Jack Kirby Omnibus #2 ISBN 978-1-4012-3833-9	2013	On eBay ›
The Fourth World Omnibus by Jack Kirby #[nn] ISBN 978-1-4012-7475-7	2018	On eBay ›
Black Lightning #2 ISBN 978-1-4012-7546-4	2018	On eBay ›
Batman and the Outsiders #2 ISBN 978-1-4012-7753-6	2018	On eBay ›

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

Before you buy

Confirm the UPC box: a publisher mark instead of a barcode means direct edition, a barcode means newsstand.
Glossy covers of this era show edge chipping easily. Check black edges closely in the photos.
Check the staples and centerfold; heavily read anniversary and key issues loosen there first.

Series context

‹ #23 of 26#4 ›

Sources

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

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