More Fun Comics #73 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for November

More Fun Comics #73 introduced the world to Aquaman, but the cover featured Doctor Fate.

Name of comic: More Fun Comics #73

Comic publisher: D.C. Comics

Date: November 1941

Variants: 2001 Millennium Edition; 2017 Mexico reprint in Spanish

What makes it special? This book features the origin and first appearance of Aquaman, saving refugees whose ship was torpedoed by a Nazi submarine. A different story in the anthology has the first appearance of Green Arrow. But the cover went to Doctor Fate (introduced the previous year), shown clad in blue and gold, fighting bad guys.

Why is it interesting now? Things are not going swimmingly in the DC Extended Universe after the “Justice League” film floundered at the box office in 2017. Fans are hoping Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, introduced in 2016, will give the DECU some buoyancy when he gets his own movie in December 2018. (Before leading DC’s Kingdom of Atlantis, Momoa was known for another Atlantis, the Stargate TV spinoff set in another galaxy. His character joined the crew in the second season, in 2005.)

Did you know? The backs of comic books are often wonderful advertising time capsules. The back of More Fun Comics #73 features a full-page ad for Baby Ruth, the “nickel favorite” candy bar that was “the first and only candy” served to the Dionne “Quints.” The Dionne quintuplets, born in Ontario in 1934, were the first surviving quintuplets. The five girls were quite the sensation in their day, starting in three films in the 1930s.

Total graded by CGC: CGC has graded 49 copies, 19 of them restored. None have Signature Series labels.

CGC median grade: The median grade for these books is Fine- 5.5

CGC highest graded: CGC has graded 1 copy as Near Mint 9.4.

Sales highlights: A copy graded CGC 8.0 sold through Heritage Auctions in November 2016 for $104,562, while the copy graded CGC 9.4 sold for $57,500 a decade earlier in January 2006. ComicConnect sold a CGC 6.0 in March 2017 for $55,222. A CGC 6.5 that ComicLink sold in 2015 for $67,000 is for sale again, in an auction ending Nov. 14.

CGC Comics Registry Champion: A set named “RHG’S More Funs” by RareHighGrade has won Best in Set Type for 2016-2018 for the More Fun Comics (1936) set, though it’s missing the More Fun Comics #73. The best unobscured set with a More Fun Comics #73 is Completist, by EsquireComics1, which contains a CGC 5.0 example. Explore these and other collections in the CGC Comics Registry.

Related links

• Archie’s Madhouse #22 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for October
• Amazing Spider-Man #300 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for September
• Brave and the Bold #54 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for August
• Tales to Astonish #27 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for July
• Action Comics #1 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for June
• New Mutants #98 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for May
• Avengers #1 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for April
• Batman: The Killing Joke is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for March
• Tomb Raider #1 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for February
• Fantastic Four #52 is CGC’s Featured Comic of the Month for January
• Star Wars #1 is CGC's Featured Comic of the Month for December