Expert: Justin Case - 12/3/2009

Question
Hello, I am trying to glean whatever information I can about my Superman #1 1939 reprint. This is the oversized (approximately 10x13.5") yellow cover, simply titled "Superman" which is 64 pages in length and in full color. The condition of the thin, fragile cover leaves much to be desired - dogeared, several tears and a fairly large portion of the upper righthand corner are missing (majority of the letters A and N are gone). Some staining on the cover is also evident. The interior is in much better condition, with all pages accounted for and firmly bound in place. A few of the first pages are slightly torn, but overall everything inside is intact.    

My main curiosity is regarding value; does this book have ANY value at all other than sentimental? I would also love to learn how I would go about determining the year this particular reprint was published. Your reponse is appreciated!

Answer
Hi Bink -

Sometimes it can be hard to pin down since so many reprints have been issued over Superman's sixty odd years as a media icon.

One of the best ways to find out which 'issue' you have is to look at the indicia on the bottom of the first page of the comic itself.  Sometimes that's not always the most accurate with the older issues, but can give you a good indication of which volume and issue you have and when it was actually distributed.

Listed below is a website a lot of us on the AllExperts use to try and get an idea of the value of a particular issue and it might be a help to you.

The cover condition on yours probably puts it in the poor to fair category, but with the interior pages intact that is a big help.

Check the website out and see if you can find the issue you have and if you have any trouble shoot me another e-mail and I'll see if I can track it down for you.

thanks!

http://www.comicspriceguide.com/

Deran