The Phantom Stranger #2 for Sale - First Appearance of Joker - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: The Phantom Stranger (DC, 1969 series)
Issue: #2
Publication date: July-August 1969
Key date: 1969-07-00
On-sale date: 1969-05-13
Indicia publisher: National Periodical Publications Inc.
Price: $0.15
Pages: 36
Rating: Approved by the Comics Code Authority

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

Why this issue matters

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

First appearance of The Ghost-Breaker - 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: Bill Draut; inks: Bill Draut	The Phantom Stranger
3	The Man Who Died Three Times!	comic story	9.33	script: Otto Binder; pencils: Bill Draut; inks: Bill Draut; letters: John Costanza	The Ghost-Breaker First, The Phantom Stranger, Dr. Thirteen, Marie Thirteen
4	The House of Strange Secrets	comic story	5.33	script: John Broome; pencils: Carmine Infantino; inks: Joe Giella; letters: Gaspar Saladino	The Phantom Stranger
9	At Last the Complete Story of How Dick Grayson Became Robin the Boy Wonder!	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	pencils: Bill Draut; inks: Vince Colletta	Batman, Clayface, Dick Grayson, Joker First, Alfred Pennyworth, Robin, Bruce Wayne
10	The Girl Who Lived 5,000 Years	comic story	7.18	script: Ed Herron; pencils: Leonard Starr; inks: Leonard Starr; letters: Pat Gordon	Dr. Thirteen, Marie Thirteen
16	13 Tales That Hold You in Unbelievable Suspense…	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	pencils: Neal Adams; inks: Neal Adams
17	Fact File #8	text article	1	script: Mark Hanerfeld; pencils: Murphy Anderson; inks: Murphy Anderson	The Spectre
18	-	text article	0.5	letters: typeset
19	We Double Dare You…	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.5	pencils: Neal Adams; inks: Neal Adams
20	Trouble Can Be Fun with…	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.5	pencils: Bob Oksner	Angel O'Day, Sam Simeon
21	The Tug of War Begins	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.5	pencils: Nick Cardy; inks: Nick Cardy	Teen Titans

Plus 8.16 pages of advertisements and other matter across 13 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Showcase Presents: Phantom Stranger #1 ISBN 1-4012-1088-0	2006	On eBay ›

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

Before you buy

Check spine ticks and cover gloss in the photos; silver-age Marvels chip at the edges easily.
Look for tanning at the page edges and transfer stains on the inside covers.
Confirm the cover price against the plate; higher prices can mean a later or foreign printing.

Series context

‹ #12 of 42#3 ›

Sources

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

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