Wonder Comics #1 for Sale - First Appearance of Oliver Hardy - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Wonder Comics (Fox, 1939 series)
Issue: #1
Publication date: May 1939
Key date: 1939-05-00
On-sale date: 1939-03-17
Indicia publisher: Bruns Publications 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 Oliver Hardy - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

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

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

First appearance of Patty O'Day - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

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

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

First appearance of "Spark" Stevens - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Fred Carson - 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: Will Eisner; inks: Will Eisner	Wonder Man First, Fred Carson First
1	-	comic story	1	script: Floyd Kelly; pencils: Floyd Kelly; inks: Floyd Kelly
2	The Origin of Wonder Man	comic story	14	script: Will Eisner; pencils: Will Eisner; inks: Will Eisner	Wonder Man First, Fred Carson First
3	-	comic story	8	script: S. M. Iger; pencils: S. M. Iger; inks: S. M. Iger	Shorty Shortcake First
4	-	comic story	1
5	Fire At Sea	comic story	4	script: Adolphe Barreaux; pencils: Adolphe Barreaux; inks: Adolphe Barreaux	Patty O'Day First
6	Buffalo Bill	text article	2	script: Will Eisner; pencils: Will Eisner; inks: Will Eisner	Buffalo Bill Cody
7	The Oasis of Li-Wang	comic story	6	script: Bob Powell; pencils: Bob Powell; inks: Bob Powell	Dr. Fung First
8	The Wrath of Allah	text story	2	script: Will Eisner
9	Lone Hand	comic story	5	script: Will Eisner; pencils: Will Eisner; inks: Will Eisner	Tex Dawson (introduction, origin); Cactus Kirby (villain, introduction)
10	-	comic story	1	pencils: Chuck Wilson	Gar Wood; Fred Jacoby; Lefty Grove
11	1000 Prizes Given Away Free!	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	letters: typeset
12	Movie Memos	text article	1	pencils: Glenda Carol; inks: Glenda Carol	Oliver Hardy First, Stan Laurel First
13	The Menace of the Mask	comic story	4	script: Will Eisner; pencils: Will Eisner; inks: Will Eisner	K-5 (introduction); Rick Anthony (introduction; death); The Mask [Sen. Stanley] (villain; introduction; death)
14	Gang-Buster Appointed By Gov. Harmon	comic story	5	pencils: Harold Vance	Richard G. Robinson ("Gang-Buster" Robinson, introduction, origin); Spike McGinty (villain, introduction)
15	-	cartoon	1
16	The Hijacked Pocket Battleship	comic story	7	script: Bob Kane; pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane	"Spark" Stevens First
17	Prof. Penpusher's Cartooning Class	activity	1	pencils: ? [as Heza Nutt] (signed)
18	Wonder Stamp Club	text article	1	letters: typeset
19	-	cartoon	1	script: Bob Kane; pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane

Plus 1 page of advertisements and other matter across 1 sequence, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
The Flame #2	1940	On eBay ›
Blue Beetle #5	1940	On eBay ›
The Flame #3	1940	On eBay ›
The Green Mask #3	1940	On eBay ›
Rex Dexter of Mars #1	1940	On eBay ›
Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age: 1933-45 #[nn] ISBN 9781606994948	2011	On eBay ›
The Comic Book in America: An Illustrated History #[nn] ISBN 0-87833-659-1	1989	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 of Comic Books #[nn] ISBN 0-345-25535-6-695	1977	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 2#2 ›

Sources

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

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