The 100 Most Valuable Comic Books of All Time
These are the most valuable comic books in the world — the crown jewels of the hobby. This list is led by the Golden Age keys that created the superhero: the first Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain America, alongside the Silver Age debut of Spider-Man. Below are the 100 most valuable comic books of all time, ranked by current raw Near Mint (9.4) value and refreshed automatically from live market data.
Every book on this list is worth five figures or more — from Action Comics #1 at the very top to the 100th entry, still valued in the tens of thousands. Nearly all are first appearances, and the vast majority are Golden and Silver Age books whose scarcity in high grade keeps them at the summit of the market.
| # | Comic | Key / First Appearance | NM Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Action Comics (1938) #1 | Superman (Clark Kent), Lois Lane, Zatara | $5,600,000 |
| 2 | Superman (1939) #1 | Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent | $4,500,000 |
| 3 | Detective Comics (1937) #27 | Batman (Bruce Wayne), Commissioner Gordon (James Gordon) | $2,200,000 |
| 4 | Batman (1940) #1 | Joker, Selina Kyle (Catwoman) | $2,100,000 |
| 5 | Marvel Comics (1939) #1 | The Human Torch (Jim Hammond), Sub-Mariner (Namor), Dorma, Ka-Zar (David Rand), Angel (Thomas Halloway), Jungle Terror, The Masked Raider (Jim Gardley) | $1,900,000 |
| 6 | All Star Comics (1940) #8 | Wonder Woman (Diana Prince), Hippolyta (Queen of Themyscira), Hercules (Herakles), Steve Trevor, Amazons, Paradise Island | $936,223 |
| 7 | Amazing Fantasy (1961) #15 | Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Flash Thompson | $695,000 |
| 8 | Detective Comics (1937) #31 | The Monk, Julie Madison, Batarang, Batgyro (Batplane) | $410,000 |
| 9 | Captain America Comics (1941) #1 | Captain America (Steve Rogers), Bucky Barnes, Red Skull | $400,000 |
| 10 | All-American Comics (1939) #16 | Green Lantern | $375,000 |
| 11 | Flash Comics (1940) #1 | The Flash (Jay Garrick), Hawkman (Carter Hall), Johnny Thunder (Johnny Thunderbolt), Thunderbolt (Ylzkz), Hath-Set, Shiera Sanders, Keystone City | $330,000 |
| 12 | Pep Comics (1940) #22 | Archie (Archibald Andrews), Jughead (Forsythe Pendleton Jones III), Betty (Elizabeth Cooper) | $280,000 |
| 13 | WHIZ Comics (1940) #1 | Captain Marvel | $280,000 |
| 14 | Detective Comics (1937) #29 | Doctor Death | $245,000 |
| 15 | Wonder Woman (1942) #1 | Ares | $220,000 |
| 16 | Fantastic Four (1961) #1 | Fantastic Four (team), Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards), Invisible Girl (Susan Storm), Human Torch, (Johnny Storm), The Thing (Ben Grimm), Mole Man (Harvey Elder) | $190,000 |
| 17 | More Fun Comics (1935) #52 | The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) | $170,000 |
| 18 | Detective Comics (1937) #38 | Robin (Dick Grayson) | $140,000 |
| 19 | Detective Comics (1937) #1 | Slam Bradley | $125,000 |
| 20 | Action Comics (1938) #13 | Ultra Humanite | $125,000 |
| 21 | All Star Comics (1940) #3 | Justice Society of America (JSA) | $115,000 |
| 22 | Sensation Comics (1942) #1 | Black Pirate, Wildcat, Mister Terrific (Terry Sloane), Grim Ghost, Little Boy Blue and Blue Boys | $112,000 |
| 23 | More Fun Comics (1935) #73 | Aquaman (Arthur Curry), Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), and Speedy (Ron Harper) | $100,000 |
| 24 | Showcase (1956) #4 | Flash (Barry Allen), Iris West, Turtle Man | $100,000 |
| 25 | Adventure Comics (1938) #40 | Sandman (Wesley Dodds) | $95,000 |
| 26 | The X-Men (1963) #1 | X-Men (team), Professor X (Charles Xavier), Cyclops (Scott Summers), Iceman (Bobby Drake), Angel (Warren Worthington III), Marvel Girl (Jean Grey), Magneto (Erik Lehnsherr) | $90,000 |
| 27 | The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #1 | J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson, Chameleon (Dmitri Smerdyakov) | $82,000 |
| 28 | Journey Into Mystery (1952) #83 | Thor (Dr. Don Blake), Mjolnir (Thor's hammer), Korg | $81,000 |
| 29 | Jumbo Comics (1938) #1 | Sheena, Queen of the Jungle (in comic book) | $80,000 |
| 30 | Marvel Comics (1939) #2 | American Ace | $75,000 |
| 31 | Marvel Comics (1939) #3 | Betty Dean | $60,000 |
| 32 | More Fun Comics (1935) #1 | Oswald the Rabbit, DC Comic | $57,000 |
| 33 | Detective Comics (1937) #36 | Dr. Hugo | $55,000 |
| 34 | Detective Comics (1937) #140 | The Riddler (Edward Nigma) | $50,000 |
| 35 | Adventure Comics (1938) #48 | Hourman (Rex Tyler) | $48,000 |
| 36 | All-American Comics (1939) #19 | The Atom | $48,000 |
| 37 | Daring Mystery Comics (1940) #1 | Fiery Mask (Dr. Jack Castle), The Texas Kid, Monako, Prince of Magic | $47,000 |
| 38 | Tales of Suspense (1959) #39 | Iron Man (Tony Stark) | $45,000 |
| 39 | Four Color (1939) #4 | Donald Duck (in a standard size comic book) | $45,000 |
| 40 | USA Comics (1941) #7 | Marvel Boy (Martin Oksner Burns) | $42,000 |
| 41 | Action Comics (1938) #6 | Jimmy Olsen | $39,000 |
| 42 | More Fun Comics (1935) #55 | Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson) | $36,000 |
| 43 | Showcase (1956) #22 | Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Abin Sur, Carol Ferris | $36,000 |
| 44 | Detective Comics (1937) #58 | Penguin (Oswald Cobblepot) | $35,000 |
| 45 | Detective Comics (1937) #168 | Red Hood (Joker) | $34,000 |
| 46 | Fantastic Four (1961) #5 | Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom) | $32,000 |
| 47 | More Fun Comics (1935) #6 | Doctor Occult (Richard Occult) | $28,000 |
| 48 | Jackpot Comics (1941) #4 | Miss Grundy (Geraldine Grundy) | $28,000 |
| 49 | Action Comics (1938) #23 | Lex Luthor, Daily Planet, Black Pirate | $27,000 |
| 50 | Pep Comics (1940) #26 | Veronica (Veronica Lodge) | $26,000 |
| 51 | Wonder Comics (1939) #1 | Wonder Man | $26,000 |
| 52 | The New York World's Fair Comics (1939) #1 | Sandman (Golden Age) | $26,000 |
| 53 | Adventure Comics (1938) #73 | Manhunter (Paul Kirk) | $25,000 |
| 54 | Detective Comics (1937) #66 | Two-Face (Harvey Dent), Gilda Dent | $25,000 |
| 55 | The Flash (1959) #105 | Mirror Master (Eobard Thawne, later becomes Reverse-Flash) | $24,000 |
| 56 | Adventure Comics (1938) #61 | Starman | $24,000 |
| 57 | All-American Comics (1939) #61 | Solomon Grundy | $24,000 |
| 58 | Silver Streak Comics (1939) #6 | Golden Age Daredevil | $21,000 |
| 59 | Detective Comics (1937) #40 | Clayface (Basil Karlo) | $21,000 |
| 60 | Daredevil (1964) #1 | Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Foggy Nelson, Karen Page | $21,000 |
| 61 | The Avengers (1963) #1 | The Avengers (team) | $21,000 |
| 62 | Adventure Comics (1938) #247 | Legion of Super-Heroes, Cosmic Boy (Rokk Krinn), Lightning Lad (Garth Ranzz), Saturn Girl (Imra Ardeen), Time Bubble, Legion Clubhouse | $20,000 |
| 63 | Marvel Family (1945) #1 | Black Adam (Teth-Adam) | $20,000 |
| 64 | Batman (1940) #3 | Catwoman (in costume) | $20,000 |
| 65 | Tales to Astonish (1959) #27 | Henry Pym (Ant-Man, Giant-Man & Yellowjacket) | $20,000 |
| 66 | Showcase (1956) #8 | Captain Cold (Leonard Snart) | $20,000 |
| 67 | Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies (1950) #1 | Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Mary Jane, Sniffles, Pat Patsy and Pete (in comics) | $20,000 |
| 68 | Flash Comics (1940) #86 | Black Canary (Dinah Drake-Lance) | $19,000 |
| 69 | Our Army At War (1952) #83 | Sgt. Rock (full) | $19,000 |
| 70 | Exciting Comics (1940) #9 | Black Terror | $19,000 |
| 71 | All Winners Comics (1941) #19 | All Winners Squad (team) | $19,000 |
| 72 | Captain America Comics (1941) #7 | Red Skull (Johann Schmidt) | $19,000 |
| 73 | Batman (1940) #4 | Gotham City | $18,500 |
| 74 | Mystery Men Comics (1939) #1 | Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett), Green Mask (Michael Shelby), Rex Dexter of Mars | $18,500 |
| 75 | All-American Comics (1939) #25 | Dr. Mid-Nite, Guardian Angel (Hop Harrigan) | $18,300 |
| 76 | Strange Tales (1951) #110 | Dr. Strange (Stephen Strange), The Ancient One (Yao), Nightmare (Edvard Haberdash), Wizard (Bentley Wittman), Wong | $17,000 |
| 77 | Pep Comics (1940) #1 | The Shield, The Comet | $17,000 |
| 78 | The Brave and the Bold (1955) #28 | Justice League of America, Starro | $16,500 |
| 79 | Wow Comics (1940) #1 | Mr. Scarlet (Brian Butler) | $16,000 |
| 80 | Tales to Astonish (1959) #13 | Groot | $15,500 |
| 81 | Fantastic Four (1961) #4 | Sub-Mariner (Silver Age) | $15,100 |
| 82 | Detective Comics (1937) #225 | Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) | $15,000 |
| 83 | Hit Comics (1940) #1 | Hercules (Joe Hercules), Neon The Unknown (Tom Corbet), The Red Bee (Rick Raleigh), Blaze Barton | $15,000 |
| 84 | All Winners Comics (1941) #21 | Madame Death, Future Man | $15,000 |
| 85 | King Comics (1936) #1 | Flash Gordon, Brick Bradford, Henry, Mandrake the Magician | $15,000 |
| 86 | Daring Mystery Comics (1940) #2 | Zephyr Jones, Phantom Bullet (Allan Lewis), Trojak The Tiger Man, Laughing Mask, The Sky Devils | $15,000 |
| 87 | USA Comics (1941) #1 | The Defender, Rusty, Mister Liberty (John Liberty), Whizzer (Robert Frank) | $15,000 |
| 88 | Military Comics (1941) #1 | Blackhawk | $14,500 |
| 89 | The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #2 | Vulture (Adrian Toomes), Tinkerer (Phineas Mason) | $14,200 |
| 90 | The Incredible Hulk (1962) #2 | Toad Men, Hulk color changes to green | $14,100 |
| 91 | Black Knight (1955) #1 | Black Knight (Sir Percy), Modred, Morgan Le Fey and Hawkes (in Golden Age) | $14,000 |
| 92 | Master Comics (1940) #21 | Captain Nazi | $12,700 |
| 93 | The Human Torch (1940) #5 | Death | $12,700 |
| 94 | Seven Seas Comics (1946) #6 | $12,500 | |
| 95 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1984) #1 | Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphel, Donatello, Shredder, Splinter | $12,500 |
| 96 | Tip Top Comics (1936) #1 | Tarzan (in comics) | $12,500 |
| 97 | Startling Comics (1940) #10 | Fighting Yank (Bruce Carter) | $12,000 |
| 98 | The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #3 | Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius) | $11,800 |
| 99 | National Comics (1940) #1 | Uncle Sam | $11,700 |
| 100 | The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #14 | Green Goblin (Norman Osborn) | $11,500 |
Values are raw Near Mint (9.4) estimates from live market data and change over time. Look up any comic's value.
The 10 most valuable comic books
Action Comics #1 (1938) is the most valuable comic book in the world — the first appearance of Superman, and the book that launched the superhero genre. Superman #1 (1939) follows at number two, with Detective Comics #27 (1939), the first Batman, and Batman #1 (1940), the first Joker and Catwoman, close behind.
Marvel’s foundational book, Marvel Comics #1 (1939), sits at number five, followed by All Star Comics #8 (1941), the first Wonder Woman, and Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), the first Spider-Man — the highest-placed Silver Age book on the list.
Rounding out the top ten are Captain America Comics #1 (1941), the first Cap and Red Skull, and All-American Comics #16 (1940), the first Green Lantern — Golden Age keys whose characters remain cultural icons today.
What makes a comic book valuable
Three forces put a comic at the top of this list: being first, being old, and being scarce. Almost every entry is the first appearance of a major character, published in the Golden or Silver Age, and surviving in very few high-grade copies. Newsprint from the 1930s and 40s was fragile and rarely saved, so census-verified high grades of these books are extraordinarily rare.
Condition drives everything at this level. The values here are raw Near Mint (9.4) benchmarks; professionally graded (CGC) copies of the top keys set the market, and the difference between grades on a book like Action Comics #1 can run into the millions.
Which eras dominate the list
The Golden Age (roughly 1938–1955) owns the top of the list, because those books introduced the superhero and are the scarcest in high grade. The Silver Age (1956–1970) follows, led by Amazing Fantasy #15 and Showcase #4 — the first Silver Age Flash.
Modern books rarely crack a list like this: first appearances printed in the millions can’t compete with 80-year-old rarities, no matter how popular the character. If you want the most valuable comics of a specific decade or character, browse the guides linked below.
How these values are calculated
The figures here are raw Near Mint (9.4) values derived from recent sales and refreshed automatically — not a fixed annual guide. Click any issue for its full condition-by-grade breakdown, graded (CGC) values, and price history. Values are estimates and the market moves, so treat them as a current snapshot rather than a formal appraisal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most valuable comic book of all time?
As of August 2026, Action Comics (1938) #1 (first appearance of Superman (Clark Kent), Lois Lane, Zatara) is the most valuable, with a raw Near Mint value around $5,600,000.
How much is Action Comics #1 worth?
Action Comics #1 (1938) is the most valuable comic book in the world — the first appearance of Superman. High-grade copies have sold for millions of dollars, with a top-graded copy setting a record above $6 million.
What is the most valuable Marvel comic?
Marvel Comics #1 (1939) is Marvel’s most valuable book and its highest entry on this list. Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962), the first Spider-Man, is the most valuable Silver Age Marvel comic.
Are any modern comics among the most valuable of all time?
Very few. The most valuable comics are overwhelmingly Golden and Silver Age first appearances, which are scarce in high grade. Modern first appearances were printed in far larger numbers, so they rarely reach these values.
Are graded (CGC) comics worth more than raw copies?
Almost always, and dramatically for the top keys. High-grade survivors of Golden and Silver Age books are extraordinarily rare, so CGC-certified copies command enormous premiums over raw and set the market.
How often do these values update?
Automatically, from live market data — so this list reflects the current market, not a static annual guide.