1959
The silver age of comics has been extensively researched by the hobby, and the key comic books of that era are no big secret; but, the only two types of lists of key silver age comic books by year that I’ve ever seen are either: (1) personalized lists based upon judgement calls of what is most important to the particular writer, and (2) lists based upon high sales price data (which can often be influenced by the grade of what was sold).
The top 100 key comic books from 1959 list you’re about to see is neither of those two type
Instead, to briefly repeat the introduction I gave on the main Silver Age page, the list I’m about to present is essentially “crowd-sourced”… by the crowd of collectors sending comics to CGC. All I’ve done here is to rank the universe of comic books published in 1959, according to how many copies of each issue have passed through CGC’s doors to date (as of 1/19/2021) to reveal the comic books with the highest census counts — that’s it!
This exercise should “tease out” a very interesting list of important and/or key comic books from 1959, but this will not necessarily be an all-encompassing list (because if very few copies were printed for a given key, that restricted supply could keep the count of CGC submissions low even though the comic is very important — this exercise will unfortunately see such comics sort themselves off of the bottom through no fault of their own). So essentially, you should think of this list as just one more tool in your tool-belt of researching key comic books from 1959.
Key Comic Books From 1959:
(Top 100 list based on census data as of January 19, 2021)Rank | CGC Count | Issue | Publisher/ Date |
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1. | 1,135 | Showcase #22 | D.C. 9-10/59 |
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Origin & 1st appearance of the Silver Age Green Lantern (Hal Jordan). 1st appearance Abin Sur & | ||||
2. | 1,025 | Action Comics #252 | D.C. 5/59 |
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Origin and 1st appearance of Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) and Metallo. | ||||
3. | 718 | Flash #105 | D.C. 2-3/59 |
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1st Silver Age Flash in his own title. Numbering continued from Flash Comics. Origin and 1st app | ||||
4. | 691 | Batman #121 | D.C. 2/59 |
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Origin and 1st appearance of Mr. Zero (later becomes Mr. Freeze). Full page ad for Flash #105 | ||||
5. | 361 | Flash #106 | D.C. 4-5/59 |
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Part 1 of Grodd trilogy. Origin and 1st apppearance of Gorilla Grodd and Pied Piper. | ||||
6. | 356 | Showcase #23 | D.C. 11-12/59 |
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2nd appearance of the Silver Age Green Lantern. Nuclear explosion cover and splash page. | ||||
7. | 270 | Brave and the Bold #25 | D.C. 8-9/59 |
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Origin & 1st appearance of Suicide Squad (Col. Rick Flag, Jess Bright, Dr. Hugh Evans & Karin Gr | ||||
8. | 255 | Adventure Comics #260 | D.C. 5/59 |
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1st Silver Age origin of Aquaman. | ||||
9. | 249 | Flash #109 | D.C. 10-11/59 |
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2nd appearance of the Mirror Master. | ||||
10. | 229 | Adventure Comics #267 | D.C. 12/59 |
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2nd appearance of the Legion of Super-Heroes. | ||||
11. | 211 | Tales of Suspense #1 | Atlas 1/59 |
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Steve Ditko, Al Williamson. and John Buscema art. Don Heck cover and art. | ||||
12. | 204 | Mystery in Space #53 | D.C. 8/59 |
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Adam Strange covers and stories begin. Minor costume change for Adam Strange. Infantino art on A | ||||
13. | 183 | Our Army at War #83 | D.C. 6/59 |
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First true Sgt. Rock appearance. | ||||
14. | 175 | Flash #107 | D.C. 6-7/59 |
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Part 2 of Grodd trilogy. | ||||
15. | 173 | Tales to Astonish #1 | Atlas 1/59 |
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Stan Lee story. Steve Ditko & Jack Davis art. Jack Kirby & Chistopher Rule cover & art. | ||||
16. | 172 | Wonder Woman #105 | D.C. 4/59 |
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Origin of Wonder Woman. | ||||
17. | 170 | Flash #108 | D.C. 8-9/59 |
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Part 3 of Grodd trilogy. | ||||
18. | 164 | Our Army at War #81 | D.C. 4/59 |
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Sgt. Rocky of Easy Co. appears. Last Sgt. Rock prototype. | ||||
19. | 154 | Showcase #20 | D.C. 5-6/59 |
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Origin and 1st appearance of Rip Hunter…Time Master. 1st appearance Jeff, Bonnie and Corky. | ||||
20. | 146 | Detective Comics #267 | D.C. 5/59 |
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Origin and 1st appearance of Bat-Mite. | ||||
21. | 115 | Showcase #19 | D.C. 3-4/59 |
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Adam Strange. | ||||
22. | 114 | Showcase #18 | D.C. 1-2/59 |
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Adventures on Other Worlds. 2nd appearance of Adam Strange and Alanna. | ||||
23. | 112 | Action Comics #254 | D.C. 7/59 |
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Superman & Bizarro meet. 1st adult Bizarro. Luthor appearance. Atomic bomb panel. | ||||
24. | 107 | Action Comics #258 | D.C. 11/59 |
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Supergirl (Linda Danvers) discovers Superman’s secret identity. Krypto appearance. | ||||
25. | 107 | Blackhawk #133 | D.C. 2/59 |
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1st appearance of Lady Blackhawk (Zinda Blake). Human Dynamo appearance. Full page ad for Flash | ||||
26. | 104 | Batman #122 | D.C. 3/59 |
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Batwoman appearance. | ||||
27. | 99 | Adventure Comics #256 | D.C. 1/59 |
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Origin of the Green Arrow. | ||||
28. | 97 | Batman #127 | D.C. 10/59 |
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Joker, Prof. Carter Nichols and Thor appearance. Bruce Wayne dressed as Superman. | ||||
29. | 97 | Tales of Suspense #2 | Atlas 3/59 |
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Jack Kirby, Russ Heath. and Joe Sinnott art. Steve Ditko cover and art. | ||||
30. | 94 | Action Comics #253 | D.C. 6/59 |
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2nd appearance of Supergirl. | ||||
31. | 93 | Tales to Astonish #2 | Atlas 3/59 |
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Flying saucer cover. | ||||
32. | 88 | Action Comics #255 | D.C. 8/59 |
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1st Bizarro-Lois Lane. Tommy Tomorrow appearance in Supergirl story. | ||||
33. | 85 | G.I. Combat #68 | D.C. 1/59 |
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Sgt. Rock prototype. | ||||
34. | 84 | Tales of Suspense #3 | Atlas 5/59 |
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Flying saucer cover. | ||||
35. | 82 | Tales to Astonish #6 | Atlas 11/59 |
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Joe Sinnott, Paul Reinman,. John Forte and Steve Ditko art. Jack Kirby and Christopher Rule cover. | ||||
36. | 78 | Our Army at War #82 | D.C. 5/59 |
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Character named Sgt. Rock appears in Easy Company story. | ||||
37. | 77 | Star Spangled War Stories #84 | D.C. 8/59 |
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1st appearance of Mademoiselle Marie. | ||||
38. | 76 | Double Life of Private Strong #1 | Archie Publications 6/59 |
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Origin and re-intro of the Shield. 1st appearance of the Fly (Tommy Troy). | ||||
39. | 76 | Adventures of the Fly #1 | Archie Publications 8/59 |
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Origin of the Fly. Shield and Spider appearance. | ||||
40. | 76 | Tales to Astonish #3 | Atlas 5/59 |
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Steve Ditko, Carl Burgos, Paul Reinman,. Joe Sinnott and Bob Forgione art. Jack Kirby and Christopher Rule cover. | ||||
41. | 74 | Batman #125 | D.C. 8/59 |
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Batwoman, Bat-Hound and Prof. Carter Nichols appearance. “Letters to the Batcave” begin. | ||||
42. | 73 | Batman #126 | D.C. 9/59 |
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1st appearance of the Firefly (Ted Carson). Batwoman appearance. | ||||
43. | 73 | Tales of the Unexpected #43 | D.C. 11/59 |
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1st Space Ranger cover in title. Grey tone cover. | ||||
44. | 73 | Tales of Suspense #6 | Atlas 11/59 |
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Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck,. Joe Sinnott and Christopher Rule art. Jack Kirby and George Klein cover. | ||||
45. | 73 | Batman #128 | D.C. 12/59 |
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Kathy Kane (Batwoman) appearance. Full page ad for Flash #110 | ||||
46. | 71 | Famous Monsters of Filmland #3 | Warren Publishing 4/59 |
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“You Axed for It” page begins. Extensive previews of upcoming monster films. | ||||
47. | 71 | Superman #133 | D.C. 11/59 |
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Otto Binder and Jerry Siegel stories. Al Plastino and Wayne Boring art. Curt Swan and Stan Kaye cover. | ||||
48. | 70 | Tales of the Unexpected #40 | D.C. 8/59 |
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Space Ranger begins. | ||||
49. | 68 | Superman #127 | D.C. 2/59 |
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1st appearance of Titano. Full page ad for Flash #105 | ||||
50. | 68 | Showcase #21 | D.C. 7-8/59 |
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2nd appearance of Rip Hunter… Time Master. | ||||
51. | 66 | Batman #123 | D.C. 4/59 |
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Joker appearance. | ||||
52. | 66 | Tales of Suspense #5 | Atlas 9/59 |
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Steve Ditko, Paul Reinman, Carl Burgos,. John Forte and Joe Sinnott art. Jack Kirby and George Klein cover. | ||||
53. | 64 | Detective Comics #265 | D.C. 3/59 |
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Batman’s origin retold with new facts. | ||||
54. | 63 | World’s Finest Comics #100 | D.C. 3/59 |
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Bill Finger story. Dick Sprang, Lee Elias and Bob Brown art. Curt Swan and Stan Kaye cover. | ||||
55. | 63 | Mystery in Space #54 | D.C. 9/59 |
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2nd Adam Strange in title. | ||||
56. | 61 | Tales of Suspense #4 | Atlas 7/59 |
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Jack Kirby, Al Williamson, Steve Ditko,. Joe Sinnott and Christopher Rule art. Jack Kirby cover. | ||||
57. | 61 | Tales to Astonish #4 | Atlas 7/59 |
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Steve Ditko, Joe Sinnott,. Carl Burgos and Don Heck art. Jack Kirby and Chris Rule cover. | ||||
58. | 60 | Tales to Astonish #5 | Atlas 9/59 |
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Al Williamson, Steve Ditko,. Joe Sinnott and Don Heck art. Jack Kirby and Chris Rule cover and art. | ||||
59. | 59 | Detective Comics #270 | D.C. 8/59 |
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Jack Miller story. Moldoff, Certa, Moreira and Paris art. Curt Swan and Stan Kaye cover. | ||||
60. | 58 | Famous Monsters of Filmland #5 | Warren Publishing 11/59 |
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“Return of the Fly”, “The Alligator People” & “Revenge of the Creature” movie previews. | ||||
61. | 58 | Brave and the Bold #26 | D.C. 10-11/59 |
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2nd appearance of the Suicide Squad. | ||||
62. | 58 | Superman #130 | D.C. 7/59 |
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Supergirl cameo (1st appearance outside of Action Comics). Superboy flashback. Krypto appearance | ||||
63. | 57 | Batman #124 | D.C. 6/59 |
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Signalman appearance. | ||||
64. | 56 | Journal of Frankenstein #1 | New World Enterprises 1959 |
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Boris Karloff biography. Zacherley profile. “House on Haunted Hill” preview. Photo cover. | ||||
65. | 54 | Star Spangled War Stories #85 | D.C. 9/59 |
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Mlle. Marie cover and story. | ||||
66. | 53 | Mystery in Space #55 | D.C. 11/59 |
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Grey tone cover. | ||||
67. | 53 | Famous Monsters of Filmland #4 | Warren Publishing 8/59 |
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Zacherley and Christopher Lee articles. Ray Bradbury letters page photo. | ||||
68. | 53 | Action Comics #251 | D.C. 4/59 |
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Last Tommy Tomorrow in title. | ||||
69. | 52 | Adventure Comics #266 | D.C. 11/59 |
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Superman appearance in Green Arrow. Origin and 1st appearance of the 1st Aquagirl. | ||||
70. | 52 | Brave and the Bold #23 | D.C. 4-5/59 |
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Origin of Viking Prince. 1st Brave and Bold single theme issue. Grey tone cover. | ||||
71. | 51 | Wonder Woman #107 | D.C. 7/59 |
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1st full appearance of Wonder Girl. Origin of Wonder Girl’s costume. 1st appearance of Ronno the | ||||
72. | 51 | Strange Tales #72 | Atlas 12/59 |
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Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck,. Paul Reinman and John Forte art. Jack Kirby and George Klein cover. | ||||
73. | 50 | Strange Tales #68 | Atlas 4/59 |
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Jack Kirby & Christopher Rule cover/art. Steve Ditko, John Buscema, Carl Burgos &. Joe Sinnott art. | ||||
74. | 48 | Challengers of the Unknown #6 | D.C. 2-3/59 |
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Full page ad for Flash #105 | ||||
75. | 47 | Superman #131 | D.C. 8/59 |
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Mr. Mxyzptlk appearance. | ||||
76. | 47 | Strange Worlds #2 | Atlas 2/59 |
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Al Williamson, Don Heck. and Dick Ayers art. Steve Ditko cover and art. | ||||
77. | 46 | Detective Comics #266 | D.C. 4/59 |
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Sheldon Moldoff, Charles Paris,. Joe Certa and Ruben Moreira art. Curt Swan and Stan Kaye cover. | ||||
78. | 46 | Superman #128 | D.C. 4/59 |
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Bruce Wayne appearance. | ||||
79. | 45 | Action Comics #248 | D.C. 1/59 |
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Origin and 1st appearance Congorilla. Congo Bill renamed Congorilla. | ||||
80. | 44 | Action Comics #256 | D.C. 9/59 |
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1st appearance Dick [Wilson] Malverne. | ||||
81. | 44 | Superboy #76 | D.C. 10/59 |
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1st appearance of Super-Monkey. | ||||
82. | 44 | Archie’s Girls, Betty and Veronica #40 | Archie Publications 1/59 |
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Frank Doyle and Joe Edwards story. Dan DeCarlo, Bill Vigoda and. Rudy Lapick art, Harry Lucey cover. | ||||
83. | 41 | Wonder Woman #108 | D.C. 8/59 |
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Robert Kanigher and Bill Finger stories. Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. cover and art. | ||||
84. | 41 | Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #6 | D.C. 1/59 |
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Robin appearance. | ||||
85. | 41 | Superman #129 | D.C. 5/59 |
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Origin & 1st appearance of Lori Lemaris. Full page ad for Action Comics #252 | ||||
86. | 40 | Our Army at War #88 | D.C. 11/59 |
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1st Sgt. Rock cover | ||||
87. | 40 | Superman #132 | D.C. 10/59 |
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Batman and Robin appearance. Robot cover. | ||||
88. | 40 | Star Spangled War Stories #86 | D.C. 10/59 |
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Mlle. Marie cover and story. | ||||
89. | 39 | World’s Finest Comics #99 | D.C. 2/59 |
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Robot cover. Full page ad for Flash #105 | ||||
90. | 39 | Detective Comics #271 | D.C. 9/59 |
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91. | 39 | Strange Tales #67 | Atlas 2/59 |
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92. | 39 | Journey Into Mystery #51 | Atlas 3/59 |
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Robot cover. | ||||
93. | 38 | Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #12 | D.C. 10/59 |
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Aquaman appearance. | ||||
94. | 38 | Star Spangled War Stories #87 | D.C. 11/59 |
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Mlle. Marie cover and story. | ||||
95. | 38 | Brave and the Bold #22 | D.C. 2-3/59 |
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Last Silent Knight. Grey tone cover. Full page ad for Flash #105 | ||||
96. | 37 | World’s Finest Comics #103 | D.C. 8/59 |
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97. | 37 | Our Army at War #84 | D.C. 7/59 |
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98. | 37 | Journey Into Mystery #55 | Atlas 11/59 |
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99. | 36 | Strange Tales #70 | Atlas 8/59 |
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100. | 36 | Journey Into Mystery #53 | Atlas 7/59 |
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Robot cover. | ||||
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