Showcase #17 for Sale - First Appearance of Alanna Strange - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Showcase (DC, 1956 series)
Issue: #17
Publication date: November-December 1958
Key date: 1958-11-00
On-sale date: 1958-09-18
Indicia publisher: National Comics Publications Inc.
Price: $0.10
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 Alanna Strange - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Sardath - 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	The Planet and the Pendulum!	cover	1	pencils: Gil Kane; inks: Gil Kane; letters: Ira Schnapp	Adam Strange
2	Secret of the Eternal City!	comic story	14.33	script: Gardner Fox, Edmond Hamilton; pencils: Mike Sekowsky; inks: Frank Giacoia, Joe Giella; letters: Gaspar Saladino	Adam Strange (introduction, origin); Alanna [aka Allana] (introduction); Sardath (Alanna's father scientist, introduction); inhabitants of Samakand; The Eternals (villains, introduction for all)
4	Guarantee of the Best in Comics Reading	promo (ad from the publisher)	1
5	Look to the Stars!	public service announcement	1	script: Jack Schiff; pencils: Lou Cameron; inks: Lou Cameron; letters: Ira Schnapp	Bob; Ted
6	Our Strange Universe!	comic story	1
8	Tebutt's Comet, Halley's Comet, Pons-Winnecke Comet	comic story	0.5
10	The Three-in-One Star	text article	1	letters: typeset
11	The Planet and the Pendulum!	comic story	9.67	script: Gardner Fox, Edmond Hamilton; pencils: Mike Sekowsky; inks: Frank Giacoia, Joe Giella	Alanna Strange First, Sardath First, Adam Strange

Plus 6.49 pages of advertisements and other matter across 9 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Secret Origins #1	1961	On eBay ›
Strange Adventures #217	1969	On eBay ›
Strange Adventures #218	1969	On eBay ›
Mysteries in Space: The Best of DC Science Fiction Comics #[nn] ISBN 0-671-24775-1	1980	On eBay ›
The Essential Showcase 1956-1959 #[nn] ISBN 1-56389-079-8	1993	On eBay ›
Secret Origins Replica Edition #1 ISBN 1-56389-440-8	1998	On eBay ›
The Adam Strange Archives #1 ISBN 1-4012-0148-2	2004	On eBay ›
Showcase Presents: Adam Strange #1 ISBN 978-1-4012-1313-8; 1-4012-1313-8	2007	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

‹ #1617 of 104#18 ›

Sources

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

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