The RAREST Comic Books I Dream About Adding to My Collection

Click here to read about which comic books I hope to add to my collection one day, and which ones I can only dream about owning!

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another issue of Supers Newsletter! In today’s article, I want to share with you some of my dream comic books! In an earlier post, I showed you some of the best comics in my collection. I mainly own modern-age books, although there are a few exceptions. I am very proud of the collection I’ve amassed throughout this journey; however, there are many books I can only dream of owning one day. As a current college student, these are definitely out of my price range, but let’s talk about them anyway!

1. Shazam #1

First up on this list is Shazam #1. I have always loved the cover of this book as it’s incredibly visually appealing, and I love that Superman is on it with Captain Marvel. This specific issue is the first appearance of Captain Marvel since his initial Golden Age appearance in Whiz Comics #2 from 1940. Although this book is out of my price range, at the moment, it is nowhere near the prices of the following books on this list. Ideally, I would like to buy a 9.8 CGC slab one day. Looking up the price, I saw a few ranging from $750-$1200. Maybe in the next few years, I’ll decide to go for it (As long as the price doesn’t shoot up). Shazam was one of my favorite characters within the DCAU growing up. I loved that he was just a kid taking on powerful villains and helping the JLA save the planet! He made me feel like I could do anything I wanted. With all that in mind, I would absolutely love to add this book to my collection one day.

2. Avengers #1

Now, we are diving straight into the expensive stuff. The book in the image above is the origin and first appearance of one of the most iconic superhero teams in history! Written by Stan Lee in 1963, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have banded together to protect the planet from evil! The original Avengers series is one that I have been collecting for years now. There are hundreds of issues within this series, so I have not been able to work my way down to the early ones just yet. I have been starting with the less valuable issues and will one day hope to purchase some of the more expensive ones. Low grades for this specific issue can cost you a few thousand dollars! Looking at the cover art, I love the character drawings. Iron Man and Hulk look nothing like their modern depictions, and it's so refreshing. I see this book at every convention I go to, and I always stop to take a look and dream about purchasing it one day!

3. Showcase #4

Moving along to my favorite superhero ever, The Flash! Showcase #4 is the first appearance of the Silver Age’s Barry Allen as the Flash. Out of all the versions of The Flash that exist, Barry is by far my favorite. I grew up reading his comics, and I was obsessed with the CW TV show for a while (I will be writing about that series soon. It broke my heart.). This book is on my dream list because The Flash is the character that started this long-time hobby for me. My father bought me my first comic book when I was a little kid. It was Flash, Vol. 2 #13, and I remember reading it multiple times because I thought it was so cool to own something from the 80's. I would love to bring everything full circle one day by buying the first appearance of my favorite hero, although the price is insane. If you thought Avengers #1 was expensive for a low grade, you would not believe what this one will run you. Low grades for Showcase #4 start around $20,000! Besides the sentimental factor, what appeals to me about this comic book is the color scheme. The orange backdrop matching Flash’s costume is such a great touch. The cover itself is fun, Barry running on a strip of film, but the color scheme is what I like. If I owned this book, it would be front and center on my display shelf so I could look at it all day! Maybe one day that dream will become a reality, but with its current price tag, I would be inclined to say that day is way out in the future.

4. Fantastic 4 #1

Switching back to another Marvel superhero squad we have Fantastic Four #1, the first appearance and origin of this crime-fighting family! Growing up, I loved the original F4 movies. I wanted to be just as intelligent as Reed Richards and as badass as Johnny Storm. This comic will always have a special place on my wish list despite its crazy price. Similar to Showcase #4, even a low grade for this comic can reach prices in the tens of thousands of dollars. It's not only a rare comic book to find, but it also had a tremendous impact on Marvel Comics. The Fantastic 4 was actually the first superhero team created by Marvel. They paved the way for The Avengers and all the other Marvel team-ups we see today. Imagine if Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hadn’t created this? What would have become of Marvel?

5. Amazing Fantasy #15

Here we have the last of my “dream comics”. Amazing Fantasy #15 is the holy grail for many comic book collectors. It's the book that started it all for a young teenager named Peter Parker. That’s right, this comic book is the first appearance and origin of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. Everything about this book, in my opinion, is perfect. The cover displaying Spider-Man swinging on a web while holding someone is such a cool image. Even the lettering at the top is just incredible. There is not one thing I would change about this book except its price because it is quite unaffordable. It also goes for tens of thousands of dollars for lower grades, but be prepared to pay much more than that for a better copy. I have seen books selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars due to their higher grade, and that is just a crazy concept to me. It is wild how much money people are willing to pay for a comic book, but it makes sense. Just like Fantastic Four #1 was so instrumental for Marvel, so was this book. This single issue created one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world. As of August of this year, Spider-Man has been in 13 films and has grossed over 10 billion. That’s a billion with a b! I have this issue on my list of dream comics because I still have to hold out hope. I have a 2015 reprint of this book that was signed by Stan Lee. It is one of the best comics in my collection, but maybe one day I’ll be able to replace it on my shelf with the original!

Bonus: The Impossible Dream

6. Detective Comics #27

I decided to add in here a final “bonus” book. Detective Comics #27 is my all-time favorite comic book. It is the first appearance of Batman from 1939! This book is one that many collectors dream of owning, but only a select few are able to achieve that dream. There are only around 75 copies of this issue in existence. Its price is exponentially higher than any other book I’ve mentioned. This year, a 6.0 grade sold at an auction for $1,740,000! Besides the incredible value, everything else about this book is pure perfection. The cover is clean with its old-fashioned depiction of Batman and the yellow and red color scheme. The fact that copies have survived over 80 years is astonishing and only adds to its appeal. If I ever had the means to afford this book, I would do everything in my power to purchase it. Who knows… Maybe one day in the distant future another one will find its way to an auction.

Do you have any of these comic books on your wish-list? If not, which ones do you dream about owning one day? Feel free to let me know what you all think by messaging me on Instagram @supers_newsletter. There are so many other issues that I want to buy one day! I had to narrow down the list because, if not, this article would never end. Lastly, I want to thank you all for making it to the end of my post. I hope you enjoyed reading about these comics as much as I enjoyed writing about them. In my next post, I am going to switch things up from comic books, so stay tuned for that. Now, to end as I always do…

"You may not be able to fly or leap tall buildings in a single bound, but to me, you're all Super!"

-Supers