Giant-Size Defenders #3 for Sale - First Appearance of Korvac - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Giant-Size Defenders (Marvel, 1974 series)
Issue: #3
Publication date: January 1975
Key date: 1975-01-00
On-sale date: 1974-10-03
Indicia publisher: Marvel Comics Group
Price: $0.50
Pages: 68
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 Korvac - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

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

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

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

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

First appearance of Takkor - 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	When the Grandmaster Plays-- the Prize Is Earth!	cover	1	pencils: Ron Wilson; inks: Joe Sinnott; letters: Danny Crespi	Bruce Banner, Chiroptera First, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, The Grandmaster, Hulk, Matt Murdock, Namor, Barbara Norriss, Stephen Strange, Sub-Mariner, Takkor First, Teju First, Valkyrie
2	Games Godlings Play!	comic story	32	script: Steve Gerber, Jim Starlin, Len Wein; pencils: Jim Starlin, Dan Adkins, Don Newton, Jim Mooney; inks: Dan Adkins, Don Newton, Jim Mooney; colors: Glynis Wein; letters: Charlotte Jetter	Aragorn, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Captain America, Chiroptera First, Daredevil, Doctor Spectrum, Doctor Strange, Victor Von Doom, Doctor Doom, Dumog First, Nick Fury, En Dwi Gast, Goliath
5	Awesome Announcements and Autumnal Admonishments for All!	in-house column	0.83	script: Stan Lee
6	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.17
7	The Origins of Marvel Comics!	promo (ad from the publisher)	1
10	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	letters: typeset
15	-	letters page	2	script: Steve Gerber; pencils: Gil Kane, Jim Starlin; inks: Klaus Janson, Jim Starlin	Hulk; Sub-Mariner; Dr. Strange
16	The World Destroyers!	comic story	7	script: Bill Everett; pencils: Bill Everett; inks: Bill Everett; letters: Bill Everett; editing: Stan Lee	Betty Dean, Namor, Sub-Mariner
17	The House of Shadows!	comic story	9	script: Stan Lee; pencils: Steve Ditko; inks: Steve Ditko; letters: Sam Rosen; editing: Stan Lee	Doctor Strange, Stephen Strange
20	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	1
21	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	1

Plus 12 pages of advertisements and other matter across 14 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Essential Defenders #2 ISBN 0-7851-2150-1	2006	On eBay ›
Comic Reader #111	1974	On eBay ›
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders #3 ISBN 978-0-7851-5961-2	2012	On eBay ›
Giant-Size Defenders #3 Facsimile Edition #[nn]	2020	On eBay ›
The Defenders Omnibus #2 ISBN 978-1-302-94877-1	2023	On eBay ›
Enter - The Headmen ISBN 978-1-302-95531-1	2024	On eBay ›
Giant-Size Marvel Omnibus #[nn] ISBN 978-1-302-96388-0	2025	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

‹ #23 of 5#4 ›

Sources

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

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