CGC Featured Comic of the Month: Avengers #1

Click images to enlarge.

Name: Avengers #1

Comic publisher: Marvel Comics

Date: August 1963

Variants: A “Stan Lee Edition” was published in 2013 featuring a new cover by artist J. Scott Campbell, and a facsimile edition was published in 2023.

What makes it special? This issue marks the very first assembly of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes: Iron Man, Thor, Ant-Man and Hulk — together they are The Avengers! Captain America joined the team in Avengers #4, and the team has grown ever since.

Why is it interesting now? The New Year is all about beginnings, and what better time to look back at the beginnings of this Marvel Comics super team? Marvel currently has a slate of Avengers films on their schedule, but their status remains unknown after a recent casting shake-up.

Did you know? Upon discovering that the initial release of Daredevil's first issue wouldn't meet the scheduled printing deadline, Stan Lee suggested assembling a team of pre-existing Marvel characters, similar to DC's Justice League of America, to fill the publishing spot. This approach eliminated the need for intricate origin stories for each member, enabling the team to swiftly dive into the heart of the action.

Total graded by CGC: As of December 27, 2023, there were 5,444 examples of Avengers #1 in the CGC Census.

CGC highest graded: There are only six examples graded CGC 9.6, including five Universal and one Restored.

Sales highlights: A CGC 9.6 sold for $274,850 through Heritage Auctions in 2012.

CGC Comics Registry Champion: CGC Comics Registry user Ghost Town’s set Assembled Avengers includes a CGC 9.4 example of Avengers #1, as well as a complete run of issues #1-100 in CGC 9.4 or higher, helping to earn it the Best in Set Type Award in 2008, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2022, and the Achievement in Collecting Comics Award in 2018.

Previous Featured Comics of the Month:

• Action Comics #252
• Amazing Spider-Man #149
• Avengers #8
• Batman Adventures Holiday Special #1
• Batman: The Long Halloween #1
• Captain America #100
• DC Comics Presents #67
• Disney’s Darkwing Duck #1
• Man of Steel #1
• Mystery Men Comics #1

Follow @CGCComics on Instagram to vote for next month's Featured Comic!

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for many other types of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media.