Pep Comics #1 for Sale - First Appearance of Joe Higgins - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Pep Comics (Archie, 1940 series)
Issue: #1
Publication date: January 1940
Key date: 1940-01-00
On-sale date: 1939-11-16
Indicia publisher: M. L. J. Magazines Inc.
Price: $0.10
Pages: 68

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Joe Higgins - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Shield - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Comet - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of John Dickering - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Sergeant Boyle - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Inspector Bentley - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Fu Chang - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Eddie "Kayo" Ward - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Lee Sampson - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Queen of Diamonds - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Press Guardian - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Perry Chase - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Rocket - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	-	cover	1	pencils: Irv Novick; inks: Irv Novick	Joe Higgins First, The Shield First
1	G-Man Extraordinary	comic story	10	script: Harry Shorten; pencils: Irv Novick; inks: Irv Novick	Joe Higgins First, The Shield First
2	The Coming of the Comet	comic story	6	script: Jack Cole; pencils: Jack Cole; inks: Jack Cole; letters: Jack Cole	The Comet First, John Dickering First
3	Jocko	comic story	3	script: Dick Ryan; pencils: Dick Ryan; inks: Dick Ryan	Jocko (Introduction; only appearance ?)
4	-	comic story	6	pencils: Charles Biro; inks: Charles Biro	Sergeant Boyle First
5	-	comic story	6	script: Manly Wade Wellman; pencils: Lin Streeter; inks: Lin Streeter	The Queen of Diamonds First, The Rocket First
6	-	comic story	6	script: Manly Wade Wellman; pencils: Lin Streeter; inks: Lin Streeter	Fu Chang First
7	Murderer's Brew	text story	2	script: Will Harr
8	-	comic story	6	script: Manly Wade Wellman; pencils: Maurice Gutwirth; inks: Maurice Gutwirth	Inspector Bentley First
9	Jack Dempsey	text article	1	pencils: Irwin Hasen; inks: Irwin Hasen	Jack Dempsey (boxer)
10	Klondike Cafe Robbed	comic story	6	pencils: Jack Binder; inks: Jack Binder	Perry Chase First, The Press Guardian First
11	Animal Antics	comic story	1	script: Dick Ryan
12	The Rivalry	comic story	5	script: Will Harr; pencils: Edd Ashe; inks: Edd Ashe	Lee Sampson First
13	-	comic story	6	script: Phil Sturm; pencils: Bob Wood; inks: Bob Wood	Eddie "Kayo" Ward First

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Flashback #7	1973	On eBay ›
America's 1st Patriotic Comic Book Hero, The Shield #1 ISBN 1-879794-08-x	2002	On eBay ›
Supermen! The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1936-1941 #[nn] ISBN 9781560979715	2009	On eBay ›
Take That, Adolf!: The Fighting Comic Books of the Second World War #[nn] ISBN 978-1-60699-987-5	2017	On eBay ›
The Golden Age Firsts of MLJ Comics: Volume 1 ISBN 978-1721232918	2018	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

1 of 136#2 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com