March 1, 2021
2013
[ Note: this marks the final year of Marvel newsstand edition comics. If you are not already in-the-know about the difference between newsstand and direct edition comics see the following: Comic Book Newsstand Editions: Understanding The Difference ]
There are two main ways I’ve seen online lists of key comic books presented by year: (1) personalized lists based upon judgment calls of what is “key” (thereby omitting any comic books the particular writer doesn’t happen to consider key — or doesn’t know about), and (2) lists based upon high sales price data (also a flawed method because high prices can just as easily be caused by a non-key book happening to grade a 10 at CGC)
The top 100 key comic books from 2013 list you’re about to see is neither of those other types.
Instead, to briefly repeat the introduction I gave on the main 2010’s 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 2013, 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 2013, but this will not necessarily be an all-encompassing list (if very few copies were created for a given key, for example, 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 2013.
Key Comic Books From 2013:
(Top 100 list based on census data as of January 19, 2021)| Rank | CGC Count | Issue | Publisher/ Date |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 4,030 | Amazing Spider-Man #700 | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| “Death” of Peter Parker. Last issue. | ||||
| 2. | 2,156 | Walking Dead #108 | Image/Skybound 3/13 |
|
| 1st appearance of Ezekiel & Shiva. | ||||
| 3. | 1,553 | East of West #1 | Image 3/13 |
|
| Jonathan Hickman story. Nick Dragotta cover & art. | ||||
| 4. | 1,216 | Superior Spider-Man #1 | Marvel 3/13 |
|
| Dan Slott story. Ryan Stegman cover & art. | ||||
| 5. | 923 | Captain Marvel #14 | Marvel 9/13 |
|
1st appearance of Kamala Khan in one-panel cameo. Rare CGC-recognized $3.99 cover price newsstand variant is confirmed to exist | ||||
| 6. | 889 | Walking Dead 109 Sketch Edition | Image/Skybound 4/13 |
|
| Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 7. | 886 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 Ditko Variant Cover | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| “Death” of Peter Parker. Last issue. | ||||
| 8. | 876 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 Martin Variant Cover | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| “Death” of Peter Parker. Last issue. | ||||
| 9. | 825 | Batman #23.1 | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| “Joker #1” 3-D lenticular cover. | ||||
| 10. | 823 | Superman Unchained #1 | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| Manufactured with fold-out story pages glued to insert. | ||||
| 11. | 820 | Walking Dead 1 Wizard World Philadelphia Edition | Image 5/13 |
|
| Wizard World Philadelphia 2013 exclusive Reprints Walking Dead #1 | ||||
| 12. | 771 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 Campbell Variant Cover | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| Midtown Comics exclusive. “Death” of Peter Parker. Last issue. | ||||
| 13. | 735 | Thor: God of Thunder #2 | Marvel 1/13 |
|
| 1st appearance of Gorr the God Butcher & All-Black (the Necrosword). | ||||
| 14. | 722 | Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Edition #1 | Image/Skybound 10/13 |
|
| Reprints Walking Dead #1 in color. | ||||
| 15. | 715 | Spawn #227 | Image 1/13 |
|
| Amazing Spider-Man #300 cover homage. | ||||
| 16. | 710 | Manifest Destiny #1 | Image 11/13 |
|
| Chris Dingess story. Matthew Roberts cover & art. | ||||
| 17. | 700 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 Second Printing | Marvel 4/13 |
|
| “Death” of Peter Parker. Amazing Spider-Man #300 cover homage. Last issue. | ||||
| 18. | 660 | Walking Dead 1 Wizard World St. Louis Edition | Image 3/13 |
|
| Wizard World St. Louis 2013 exclusive. Reprints Walking Dead #1 | ||||
| 19. | 647 | Lazarus #1 | Image 6/13 |
|
| Greg Rucka story. Michael Lark cover & art. | ||||
| 20. | 617 | Sex Criminals #1 | Image 9/13 |
|
| 1st appearance of Suzie Dickson, Jon Johnson & Rachelle Jackson. | ||||
| 21. | 614 | Detective Comics #23.2 | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| “Harley Quinn #1” 3-D lenticular cover. | ||||
| 22. | 578 | Superior Spider-Man 1 Campbell Variant Cover | Marvel 3/13 |
|
| Midtown Comics exclusive. | ||||
| 23. | 577 | Batman: The Dark Knight #23.4 | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| “Joker’s Daughter #1” 3-D lenticular cover. | ||||
| 24. | 549 | Age of Ultron #1 | Marvel 5/13 |
|
| Embossed metallic foil cover. | ||||
| 25. | 548 | Star Wars #1 | Dark Horse 1/13 |
|
| Brian Wood story. Carlos D’Anda art. Alex Ross cover. Rare CGC-recognized newsstand variant is confirmed to exist | ||||
| 26. | 548 | Detective Comics 20 We Can Be Heroes Edition | D.C. 7/13 |
|
| John Layman stories | ||||
| 27. | 542 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 Ramos Variant Cover | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| “Death” of Peter Parker. Wraparound cover. Last issue. | ||||
| 28. | 537 | Thor: God of Thunder #6 | Marvel 5/13 |
|
| Origin of Gorr. | ||||
| 29. | 509 | Walking Dead 1 Wizard World NY Sketch Edition | Image 6/13 |
|
| Wizard World New York 2013 exclusive. Reprints Walking Dead #1 | ||||
| 30. | 502 | Guardians of the Galaxy #1 | Marvel 5/13 |
|
| Origin of Star-Lord. | ||||
| 31. | 492 | Rat Queens #1 | Image 9/13 |
|
| 1st full appearance of the Rat Queens (Hannah, Dee, Violet & Betty). | ||||
| 32. | 476 | Walking Dead 115 Variant Cover O | Image/Skybound 10/13 |
|
| New York Comic Con 2013 & Previews exclusive. | ||||
| 33. | 464 | Batman #21 | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| 1st appearance of Duke Thomas. Embossed cover. Rare CGC-recognized newsstand variant is confirmed to exist | ||||
| 34. | 453 | Batman Incorporated #8 | D.C. 4/13 |
|
| “Death” of Robin (Damian Wayne). | ||||
| 35. | 441 | Justice League 16 We Can Be Heroes Edition | D.C. 3/13 |
|
| “Shazam!” back-up story by Geoff Johns with art by Gary Frank. Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 36. | 439 | Superior Spider-Man 1 Sketch Edition | Marvel 3/13 |
|
| Dan Slott story. Ryan Stegman cover & art. | ||||
| 37. | 436 | Walking Dead 115 Variant Cover L | Image/Skybound 10/13 |
|
| Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 38. | 425 | Batman/Superman #1 | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| Greg Pak story. Jae Lee & Ben Oliver art. Jae Lee cover. | ||||
| 39. | 417 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 Coipel Variant Cover | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| “Death” of Peter Parker. Last issue. | ||||
| 40. | 405 | East of West 1 Ghost Variant Cover | Image 3/13 |
|
| Jonathan Hickman story. Nick Dragotta cover & art. | ||||
| 41. | 397 | Manifest Destiny 1 Variant Cover | Image 11/13 |
|
| Chris Dingess story. Matthew Roberts art. Ryan Ottley cover. | ||||
| 42. | 387 | Superior Spider-Man 20 Variant Edition | Marvel 12/13 |
|
| Black Cat & Stunner appearance. | ||||
| 43. | 383 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 Quesada Variant Cover | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| “Death” of Peter Parker. Last issue. | ||||
| 44. | 376 | Walking Dead 1 Wizard World Chicago Edition | Image 8/13 |
|
| Wizard World Chicago 2013 exclusive. Reprints Walking Dead #1 | ||||
| 45. | 375 | Walking Dead 1 Wizard World New York Edition | Image 6/13 |
|
| Wizard World New York 2013 exclusive. Reprints Walking Dead #1 | ||||
| 46. | 373 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 50th Anniversary Variant Cover | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| “Death” of Peter Parker. Last issue. | ||||
| 47. | 362 | Forever Evil 1 3-D Variant Cover | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| “Death” of Monocle. 3-D lenticular cover. Double gatefold centerfold. | ||||
| 48. | 352 | Deadpool #1 | Marvel 1/13 |
|
| Gerry Duggan & Brian Posehn story. Tony Moore art. Geof Darrow cover. | ||||
| 49. | 344 | Guardians of the Galaxy 1 Phantom Variant Cover | Marvel 5/13 |
|
| X-Men #141 cover homage. | ||||
| 50. | 340 | All-New X-Men #1 | Marvel 1/13 |
|
| 1st appearance of Tempus (Eva Bell) & Triage (Christopher Muse). Wraparound cover. | ||||
| 51. | 338 | Todd, the Ugliest Kid on Earth #1 | Image 1/13 |
|
| Ken Kristensen story. M.K. Perker cover & art. | ||||
| 52. | 338 | Superman Unchained 1 Sketch Cover | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| Manufactured with fold-out story pages glued to insert. | ||||
| 53. | 335 | Superior Spider-Man 1 Young Variant Cover | Marvel 3/13 |
|
| Dan Slott story. Ryan Stegman art. Skottie Young cover. | ||||
| 54. | 325 | Walking Dead 115 Variant Cover M | Image/Skybound 10/13 |
|
| “Midnight Release” variant. | ||||
| 55. | 320 | Green Lantern #20 | D.C. 7/13 |
|
| 1st appearance of Jessica Cruz in one-panel cameo (face not revealed). Last Geoff Johns issue. Wraparound cover | ||||
| 56. | 316 | Walking Dead 10th Anniversary Edition 1 Convention Edition | Image/Skybound 10/13 |
|
| Reprints Walking Dead #1 in color. New York Comic Con 2013 exclusive. Sketch cover. | ||||
| 57. | 312 | Walking Dead: The Governor Special 1 Green Foil Edition | Image/Skybound 2/13 |
|
| Green foil logo. Reprints “Governor aquarium” story from CBLDF Liberty Annual 2012 & Walking Dead #27 | ||||
| 58. | 310 | Walking Dead FCBD 2013 Special #nn | Image 5/13 |
|
| Robert Kirkman story. Charlie Adlard cover & art. | ||||
| 59. | 310 | Walking Dead: The Governor Special #1 | Image/Skybound 2/13 |
|
| Reprints “Governor aquarium” story from CBLDF Liberty Annual 2012 & Walking Dead #27 | ||||
| 60. | 306 | Deadpool 1 Young Variant Cover | Marvel 1/13 |
|
| Gerry Duggan & Brian Posehn story. Tony Moore art. Skottie Young cover. | ||||
| 61. | 306 | Superior Spider-Man 16 Convention Sketch Edition | Marvel 10/13 |
|
| Phil Urich becomes the Goblin Knight. | ||||
| 62. | 300 | Jupiter’s Legacy #1 | Image 4/13 |
|
| Mark Millar story. Frank Quitely cover & art. | ||||
| 63. | 298 | Wolverine #1 | Marvel 5/13 |
|
| Paul Cornell story. Alan Davis & Mark Farmer cover & art. | ||||
| 64. | 298 | Superman Unchained 1 Convention Edition | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| San Diego Comic-Con 2013 exclusive. Sketch cover. Manufactured with fold-out story pages glued to insert. | ||||
| 65. | 297 | Batman/Superman 1 We Can Be Heroes Edition | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 66. | 296 | Action Comics 18 We Can Be Heroes Edition | D.C. 5/13 |
|
| Back-up story by Sholly Fisch with art by Chris Sprouse. Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 67. | 295 | Uncanny X-Men #1 | Marvel 4/13 |
|
| Brian Michael Bendis story. Chris Bachalo cover & art. | ||||
| 68. | 289 | Guardians of the Galaxy 1 Sketch Edition | Marvel 5/13 |
|
| Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 69. | 274 | Catwoman #23 | D.C. 10/13 |
|
| 1st app. of new “Joker’s daughter.” | ||||
| 70. | 269 | Batman ’66 #1 | D.C. 9/13 |
|
| Jeff Parker story. Jonathan Case art. Mike Allred cover. | ||||
| 71. | 267 | Superman Unchained 1 3-D Variant Cover | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| 3-D Lenticular cover. Manufactured with fold-out story pages glued to insert. | ||||
| 72. | 266 | Batman #23.2 | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| “Riddler #1” 3-D lenticular cover. | ||||
| 73. | 266 | Walking Dead 115 Variant Cover N | Image/Skybound 10/13 |
|
| Sketch cover. “Midnight Release” variant cover. | ||||
| 74. | 262 | Walking Dead 1 Wizard World Portland Edition | Image 2/13 |
|
| Reprints Walking Dead #1 | ||||
| 75. | 260 | Walking Dead 112 Image Expo Edition | Image/Skybound 7/13 |
|
| Image Expo 2013 exclusive. Sketch cover. | ||||
| 76. | 259 | East of West 1 Forbidden Planet Edition | Image 3/13 |
|
| Jonathan Hickman story. Nick Dragotta cover & art. | ||||
| 77. | 257 | Infinity 1 Sketch Edition | Marvel 10/13 |
|
| Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 78. | 257 | Spawn #226 | Image 1/13 |
|
| Incredible Hulk #340 cover homage. | ||||
| 79. | 254 | Sheltered #1 | Image 7/13 |
|
| Ed Brisson story. Johnnie Christmas cover & art. | ||||
| 80. | 254 | Superman Unchained 1 Adams Variant Cover | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| Manufactured with fold-out story pages glued to insert. | ||||
| 81. | 253 | Nowhere Men 1 CBLDF Edition | Image 2/13 |
|
| Eric Stephenson story. Nate Bellegarde cover & art. | ||||
| 82. | 253 | Superior Spider-Man 16 Convention Edition | Marvel 10/13 |
|
| Phil Urich becomes the Goblin Knight. | ||||
| 83. | 251 | Batman #23.4 | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| “Bane #1” 3-D lenticular cover. | ||||
| 84. | 251 | East of West #2 | Image 4/13 |
|
| Jonathan Hickman story. Nick Dragotta cover & art. | ||||
| 85. | 242 | Peter Panzerfaust #9 | Image 2/13 |
|
| Kurtis Wiebe story. Tyler Jenkins cover & art. | ||||
| 86. | 239 | Guardians of the Galaxy 4 Campbell Variant Cover | Marvel 8/13 |
|
| Brian Michael Bendis story. Sara Pichelli art. J. Scott Campbell cover. | ||||
| 87. | 234 | Spawn #228 | Image 2/13 |
|
| Action Comics #1 (6/38) cover homage. | ||||
| 88. | 232 | Spawn #231 | Image 5/13 |
|
| Spider-Man #1 (8/90) cover homage. | ||||
| 89. | 227 | Wonder Woman 19 We Can Be Heroes Edition | D.C. 6/13 |
|
| Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 90. | 226 | Amazing Spider-Man 700 Third Printing | Marvel 5/13 |
|
| Amazing Spider-Man #100 cover homage. “Death” of Peter Parker. Last issue. | ||||
| 91. | 224 | Batman 21 Convention Edition | D.C. 8/13 |
|
| 1st appearance of Duke Thomas. San Diego Comic-Con 2013 exclusive. Embossed logo. | ||||
| 92. | 223 | Detective Comics #23.1 | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| “Poison Ivy #1” 3-D lenticular cover. | ||||
| 93. | 220 | Batman #23.3 | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| “Penguin #1” 3-D lenticular cover. | ||||
| 94. | 220 | Captain America 1 Sketch Edition | Marvel 1/13 |
|
| Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 95. | 219 | Walking Dead 1 Wizard World Ohio Edition | Image 9/13 |
|
| Wizard World Ohio 2013 exclusive. Reprints Walking Dead #1 | ||||
| 96. | 219 | Walking Dead 1 WW Chicago Sketch Edition | Image 8/13 |
|
| Wizard World Chicago 2013 exclusive. Reprints Walking Dead #1 | ||||
| 97. | 216 | Guardians of the Galaxy 1 Dynamic Forces Edition | Marvel 5/13 |
|
| Brian Michael Bendis story. Steve McNiven & John Dell art. Carlo Pagulayan cover. | ||||
| 98. | 215 | Avengers #1 | Marvel 2/13 |
|
| Jonathan Hickman story. Jerome Ope?a art. Dustin Weaver cover. | ||||
| 99. | 211 | Batman Black and White 1 We Can Be Heroes Edition | D.C. 11/13 |
|
| Partial blank cover. | ||||
| 100. | 210 | Walking Dead 106 Infinity & Beyond Edition | Image/Skybound 1/13 |
|
| Infinity & Beyond exclusive. Walking Dead #1 cover homage. | ||||
| « 2012 | 2014 » | |||
Rare Comics 