World's Finest Comics #87 for Sale - First Appearance of Mickey Mantle - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: World's Finest Comics (DC, 1941 series)
Issue: #87
Publication date: March-April 1957
Key date: 1957-03-00
On-sale date: 1957-01-22
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 Mickey Mantle - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Lionel - 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 Reversed Heroes!	cover	1	pencils: Curt Swan; inks: Stan Kaye; letters: Ira Schnapp	Batman, Dick Grayson, Clark Kent, Robin, Superman, Bruce Wayne
2	The Reversed Heroes	comic story	12	script: Bill Finger; pencils: Dick Sprang; inks: Ray Burnley; letters: Pat Gordon	Batman, Jor-El, Dick Grayson, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lara, Robin, Superman, Bruce Wayne, Perry White
4	Buzzy's Special Brotherhood Week Quiz	public service announcement	1	script: Jack Schiff; pencils: Ruben Moreira; inks: Ruben Moreira; letters: Ira Schnapp	Buzzy Brown
5	The Green Sword	comic story	6	script: Dave Wood; pencils: George Papp; inks: George Papp; letters: Pat Gordon	Green Arrow, Roy Harper, Oliver Queen, Speedy
7	-	comic story	1	script: Henry Boltinoff; pencils: Henry Boltinoff; inks: Henry Boltinoff; letters: Henry Boltinoff	Lionel First
8	Secret Below the Sea	text story	1.75	letters: typeset	Walt March; Tom Smathers
9	-	statement of ownership	0.25	letters: typeset
10	The Retirement of Tomahawk	comic story	6	pencils: Nick Cardy; inks: Nick Cardy; letters: Pat Gordon	Tom Hawk, Dan Hunter, Tomahawk

Plus 7 pages of advertisements and other matter across 7 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
World's Finest Comics #223	1974	On eBay ›
World's Finest Comics Archives #2 ISBN 1-56389-743-1	2002	On eBay ›
The Greatest 1950s Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0930289838	1992	On eBay ›
Showcase Presents: World's Finest #1 ISBN 978-1-4012-1697-9	2007	On eBay ›
Batman and Superman in World's Finest: The Silver Age Omnibus #1 ISBN 978-1-4012-6112-2	2016	On eBay ›
Batman & Superman in World's Finest Comics: The Silver Age #1 ISBN 978-1-4012-6833-6	2017	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

‹ #8686 of 322#88 ›

Sources

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

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