JLA / JSA Secret Files & Origins #1 - First Appearance of Doctor Mid-Nite, Printings and Contents

Identification plate

Series: JLA / JSA Secret Files & Origins (DC, 2003 series)
Issue: #1
Publication date: January 2003
Key date: January 2003
On-sale date: November 20, 2002
Indicia publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.95; 8.25 CAD
Pages: 68
Barcode: 76194123586800111

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

Why this issue matters

First appearance (cover) of Doctor Mid-Nite - the earliest appearance on record is a cover, not an interior story.

First appearance (cover) of Pieter Cross - the earliest appearance on record is a cover, not an interior story.

First appearance (profile) of Manitou Raven - the earliest appearance on record is a character profile, not a story.

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

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

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

First appearance (profile) of Faith - the earliest appearance on record is a character profile, not a story.

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

First appearance of Cerdian - 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: Carlos Pacheco; inks: Jesús Merino; colors: Guy Major	Atom Smasher, The Atom, Batman, Pieter Cross First, Doctor Mid-Nite First, The Flash, Ted Grant, Green Lantern, Carter Hall, Hawkman, Michael Holt, J'Onn J'Onzz, Clark Kent, Martian Manhunter
1	The Day Before	comic story	22	script: David S. Goyer, Geoff Johns; pencils: Stephen Sadowski; inks: Andrew Pepoy; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon; letters: Kurt Hathaway	Anger First, The Atom, Batman, Billy Batson, Bizarro, Captain Marvel, Pieter Cross First, Princess Diana, Doctor Fate, Doctor Mid-Nite First, Envy, The Flash, The Flash, Jay Garrick
2	Captain Marvel	character profile	1	script: Jim Beard, Geoff Johns; pencils: Jeff Smith; inks: Jeff Smith; colors: Steve Hamaker	Billy Batson, Captain Marvel
3	Home Again	comic story	4	script: Rick Veitch; pencils: Dietrich Smith; inks: Sean Parsons; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon; letters: Kurt Hathaway	Dolphin, Garth, Tempest, Cerdian First
4	Aquaman	character profile	1	script: Joe Kelly; pencils: Yvel Guichet; inks: Mark Propst; colors: Richard Horie, Tanya Horie	Aquaman, Arthur Curry
5	Firestorm	character profile	1	script: Scott Beatty; pencils: Dietrich Smith; inks: Sean Parsons; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon	Firestorm, Ronnie Raymond
6	Stormchasers	comic story	4	script: Jim Beard; pencils: Clément Sauvé; inks: Serge LaPointe; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon; letters: Kurt Hathaway	Bart Allen, Tim Drake, The Flash, Jay Garrick, Greta Hayes, Impulse, Clark Kent, Conner Kent, Red Tornado, Robin, Secret, Superboy, Superman
7	The Crimson Avenger	character profile	1	script: Jim Beard, Geoff Johns; pencils: Tom Mandrake; inks: Tom Mandrake; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon	Jill Carlyle, The Crimson Avenger, The Crimson Avenger, Lee Travis
8	Power Girl	character profile	1	script: Jim Beard, Geoff Johns; pencils: Michael Bair; inks: Michael Bair; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon	Power Girl, Kara Zor-L
9	The Ghost of Stagg Manor	comic story	5	script: Rich Hedden; pencils: Phil Winslade; inks: Phil Winslade; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon; letters: Kurt Hathaway	Joey Mason, Rex Mason, Metamorpho, Sapphire Stagg, Simon Stagg
10	Faith	character profile	1	script: Joe Kelly; pencils: Drew Johnson; inks: Ray Snyder; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon	Faith First
11	Telephone	comic story	8	script: Dan Curtis Johnson; pencils: Kelly Yates; inks: Mick Gray; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon; letters: Comicraft	Batman, Cameron Chase, Mr. Bones, Firestorm, Barbara Gordon, Ted Grant, Green Lantern, Michael Holt, J'Onn J'Onzz, Clark Kent, Martian Manhunter, Mr. Terrific, Oracle, Princess Diana
12	The Ancients	character profile	1	script: Joe Kelly; pencils: Chris Batista; inks: Chip Wallace; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon	Manitou Raven First
13	The Star-Spangled Kid	character profile	1	script: Jim Beard, Geoff Johns; pencils: Pat Gleason; inks: Keith Champagne; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon	The Star-Spangled Kid, Courtney Whitmore
14	Hourman	character profile	1	script: Jim Beard, Geoff Johns; pencils: Scott Kolins; inks: Scott Kolins; colors: Tom McCraw, Digital Chameleon	Hourman, Rick Tyler

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Aquaman: The Waterbearer #[nn] ISBN 1-4012-0088-5	2004	On eBay ›
The Obsidian Age Book One ISBN 1-56389-991-4	2003	On eBay ›
JSA Omnibus #1 ISBN 978-1-4012-4761-4	2014	On eBay ›
JSA by Geoff Johns #2 ISBN 978-1-4012-8154-0	2018	On eBay ›
JSA by Geoff Johns #3 ISBN 978-1-4012-9220-1	2019	On eBay ›
Aquaman: The Waterbearer #[nn] ISBN 978-1-4012-7514-3	2018	On eBay ›

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

Before you buy

Confirm which printing is being sold; later printings usually carry changed cover marks or indicia lines.
For variant covers, match the listing photo against the variant list on this page before paying a ratio-variant price.
Pressable defects (spine stress, corner blunting) matter to graders; ask for photos at an angle.

Series context

1 of 1

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Wikidata, Q67198818 (Anger), first-appearance property (CC0)

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