Red Raven Comics #1 for Sale - First Appearance of Red Raven - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Red Raven Comics (Marvel, 1940 series)
Issue: #1
Publication date: August 1940
Key date: 1940-08-00
On-sale date: 1940-05-29
Indicia publisher: Timely Publications
Price: $0.10
Pages: 68

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

Why this issue matters

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

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

First appearance of Mercury - 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	-	cover	1	pencils: Jack Kirby, Joe Simon; inks: Joe Simon; letters: Howard Ferguson	Red Raven First
2	The Origin of the Red Raven	comic story	17	script: Martin A. Bursten; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Louis Cazeneuve	Red Raven First
3	The Origin of the Human Top	comic story	10	script: Dick Briefer; pencils: Dick Briefer; inks: Dick Briefer	The Human Top [Bruce Bravelle] (introduction, origin); Martha Davis (introduction); Horace Vanderveer (villain, introduction)
4	Mercury in the 20th Century	comic story	8	script: Martin A. Bursten; pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Jack Kirby; letters: Jack Kirby	Mercury First, Pluto First
5	The Death Switch	text story	2	script: Herbert J. Martin
6	-	comic story	7	pencils: Jack Kirby; inks: Jack Kirby; letters: Jack Kirby	Comet Pierce (introduction); Avis Jort (villain, introduction); Queen Larania (introduction); Murfi (introduction)
7	-	comic story	2	script: Fred Schwab; pencils: Fred Schwab; inks: Fred Schwab; letters: Fred Schwab	Officer O'Krime (introduction); Officer Moiphy (introduction)
8	Re-Creator of Souls	comic story	10		Magar (introduction, origin); Solomon (ghost); Mata Hari (ghost); Houdini (ghost, spelled Houdine); Napoleon (ghost); Wellington (ghost); Thomas Edison (ghost, spelled Edisan)
9	-	comic story	8	pencils: R. Louis Golden; inks: R. Louis Golden	The Eternal Brain [Professor Carmody] (introduction, origin); Mary Carmody (his daughter, introduction); Jim (his assistant, introduction); Peg-Leg Martin (villain, introduction, death); The Mongolian Emperor (villain, introduction, death)

Plus 3 pages of advertisements and other matter across 3 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Marvel Super-Heroes #14	1968	On eBay ›
1917-1940 ISBN 1-56685-006-1	1997	On eBay ›
1940-1941 ISBN 1-56685-006-3	1997	On eBay ›
Golden Age of Marvel #2 ISBN 0-7851-0713-4	1999	On eBay ›
Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby #1 ISBN 0785115749; 978-0785115748	2004	On eBay ›
Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age: 1933-45 #[nn] ISBN 9781606994948	2011	On eBay ›
King-Size Kirby #[nn] ISBN 978-0-7851-9795-9	2015	On eBay ›
Marvel Firsts: WWII Super Heroes #[nn] ISBN 978-0-7851-6791-4	2013	On eBay ›
The Rocket's Blast-Comicollector #110	1974	On eBay ›
Timely's Greatest: The Golden Age Simon & Kirby Omnibus #[nn] ISBN 978-1-302-91934-4	2019	On eBay ›
Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby #[nn] ISBN 978-1-302-91969-6	2019	On eBay ›

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

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

1 of 1

Sources

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

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