Mad #49 for Sale - First Appearance of King Kong - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Mad (EC, 1952 series)
Issue: #49
Publication date: September 1959
Key date: 1959-09-00
Indicia publisher: E.C. Publications Inc.
Price: $0.25
Pages: 52

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

Why this issue matters

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

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

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

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

First appearance of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

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

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

First appearance of Millard Fillmore - 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	Want to Cool Off?	cover	1	pencils: Kelly Freas; inks: Kelly Freas; colors: Kelly Freas	Alfred E. Neuman
1	Stop Pushing - You'll All Get a Chance to Talk to Grandma	comic story	1	pencils: Kelly Freas; inks: Kelly Freas
2	Departments	foreword, introduction, preface, afterword	1	pencils: various; inks: various; letters: typeset
3	The Perfect Follow-Up to "Mad for Keeps"	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.3	pencils: ? (photo); inks: ? (photo); letters: typeset
4	A Delightful Pin-Up!	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.03	pencils: Norman Mingo; inks: Norman Mingo	Alfred E. Neuman
5	Wake Up Refreshed and Invigorated!	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.17	pencils: ? (photo); inks: ? (photo); letters: typeset
6	Random Samplings of Reader Mail	letters page	1	script: Albert B. Feldstein	Leonard Brenner; Naval Fighter Squadron 141
7	Summer Is the Best Time to Subscribe to Mad	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.17	pencils: Al Feldstein; inks: Al Feldstein
8	Now! Alfred E. Neuman Sings!	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.33	pencils: ? (photo); inks: ? (photo); letters: typeset	Alfred E. Neuman
9	The Mad Horror Primer	comic story	4	script: Larry Siegel; pencils: Wally Wood; inks: Wally Wood	The Gill Man First, Victor Frankenstein, Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, King Kong First, The Mummy First, Werewolf First
10	The Boy and His Toy	comic story	2	script: Don Martin; pencils: Don Martin; inks: Don Martin
11	Mad Looks at Book Clubs	comic story	4	script: Frank Jacobs; pencils: Bob Clarke; inks: Bob Clarke	Millard Fillmore First, Alfred E. Neuman
12	Functional Architecture	comic story	2	script: Dave Berg; pencils: Dave Berg; inks: Dave Berg
13	Half-Finished Billboards	comic story	4	script: Frank Jacobs; pencils: Joe Orlando; inks: Joe Orlando	Marilyn Monroe
14	Scenes We'd Like to See: The Cops Close In	comic story	1	script: Klaus Nordling; pencils: Mort Drucker; inks: Mort Drucker
15	Family Magazines	comic story	3	script: Arnie Kogen; pencils: George Woodbridge; inks: George Woodbridge	Prince Charles First, Bing Crosby, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth II, Liberace, David Nelson, Harriet Nelson, Ozzie Nelson, Ricky Nelson, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh First, Nelson Rockefeller First, Harry S. Truman
16	America's Dream Car	comic story	3	script: Sy Reit; pencils: Bob Clarke; inks: Bob Clarke
17	Shrunk World	comic story	4	script: Sid Caesar; pencils: Mort Drucker; inks: Mort Drucker	Sid Caesar; Somerset Winterset; Professor Ludvig Von Rumblemacher; Progress Hornsby; Edward T. Morrow
18	The Sculptor in His Studio	comic story	1	script: Don Martin; pencils: Don Martin; inks: Don Martin
19	Mad Medals for Everyday Heroes	comic story	2	script: Dave Berg; pencils: George Woodbridge; inks: George Woodbridge	Zelda Zitzlaff; Fenwick J. Finster; Arthur L. Mudge; Elihu Bunchwell; Freda Prawn; Fanny Strongthumber
20	A Best Seller Hits the Commercial Trail	text story	4	script: Sy Reit; pencils: Wally Wood; inks: Wally Wood	Steve Canyon
21	TV Ads We'd Like to See	comic story	1	pencils: Joe Orlando; inks: Joe Orlando
22	Lincoln's Gettysburg Address	text article	1	script: Paul Laikin; pencils: Mort Drucker; inks: Mort Drucker	Abraham Lincoln
23	Mad's Specialized Resorts Section	text article	2	script: Paul Laikin; pencils: Bob Clarke; inks: Bob Clarke
24	TV Ads We'd Like To See	comic story	1	pencils: Joe Orlando; inks: Joe Orlando
25	Vic Tinny Gyms	comic story	5	script: Al Jaffee; pencils: Wally Wood; inks: Wally Wood	Popeye
26	The 17th Floor	comic story	1	script: Don Martin; pencils: Don Martin; inks: Don Martin
27	You'll "Fight 'Em Off" on Your Mad T-Shirt	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	pencils: Larry Maleman, Wally Wood; inks: Larry Maleman, Wally Wood	Alfred E. Neuman
28	Capsule Movie Reviews	text story	0	letters: typeset
29	We're Taking the Pledge at the Four Posies Society	comic story	1	pencils: Kelly Freas; inks: Kelly Freas; colors: Kelly Freas

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Mad about the Fifties #[nn]	1997	On eBay ›
The Worst from MAD #4	1961	On eBay ›
The Worst from MAD #7	1964	On eBay ›
More Trash from Mad #4	1961	On eBay ›
The Voodoo Mad #Q6245 ISBN 0451062450	1973	On eBay ›
The Completely Mad Don Martin #[nn]	1974	On eBay ›
The Ridiculously Expensive Mad #[nn]	1969	On eBay ›
Mad for Decades #[nn] ISBN 978-1435101289; 1435101286	2007	On eBay ›
Mad #16	2020	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

‹ #4849 of 550#50 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Wikidata, Q216810 (King Kong), first-appearance property (CC0)
Wikidata, Q3268330 (Werewolf), first-appearance property (CC0)

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