Updated for current market trends (December 2025).
When Olivia Newton-John dressed in black leather purred, “You better shape up, ’cause I need a man”, America took notice of the number 1 movie of 1978, Grease. Comic book fans were thrilled to see a large S revealed under a shirt again. When Superman hit the screen, Christopher Reeve somehow made the impossible believable: glasses on, he’s a polite nobody; glasses off, he fills the room like a myth. Somehow, he seemed to grow taller when those glasses disappeared, and his energy changed.
That same energy shows up on the spinner rack. Comics in 1978 began to behave like the rest of entertainment—leaning into the things everyone already recognized: celebrities, blockbusters, and cultural obsessions.
This list breaks down into four forces. First, pop culture takes over the rack—with comics that plug straight into the year’s bigger-than-life entertainment machine. Second, artists become the brand, where a single cover (Rogers, Wrightson, Frazetta) is the whole reason the book matters. Third, the first appearances that always appear on the most desirable and valuable comics for each year. And finally—almost as a twist—1978’s biggest value spikes often come from the opposite of mainstream: creator-owned scarcity and indie weirdness, the small-print books that weren’t supposed to outshine the majors… but did.
- Cerebus the Aardvark #2 – $300 in 9.4 raw
Early Cerebus is the indie blueprint: small-print, high-demand, and historically important. As you page through this issue, two things immediately hit you: the story is full of twists and turns, and it’s beautifully written. - Cerebus the Aardvark #3 – $300 in 9.4 raw
1st appearance of Red Sophia. Keeping with the sword and sorcery theme of Cerebus, Dave Sim introduces a Red Sonja homage character with plenty of “besmirched” honor. Cerebus #3 is part of a tight scarcity window that makes the earliest run so value-sensitive. - Cerebus the Aardvark #4 – $270 in 9.4 raw
1st appearance of Elrod the Albino. Cerebus meets his long-running, self-absorbed, pointed-hat villain, Elrod. There have been a total of 119 issues graded by CGC, with 9 garnering a 9.8 grade. Low production, rare in high grade and a first appearance all add to the mystique of this comic book. - Weird Trips #2 – $225 in 9.4 raw
This book is less a traditional comic than a “weird Americana” magazine dressed like one. Often described as a recalled Ed Gein cover in collector circles, though there’s no evidence that this book was ever recalled. Inside, the headline feature (“Ed Gein and the Left Hand of God”) leans into the unsettling real-world case that helped inspire some of horror’s most enduring archetypes. - X-Men #109 – $225 in 9.4 raw
1st appearance of Weapon Alpha. Early issue in the Claremont/Byrne run (#108-143) that defined the X-Men for years to come. Literally all of the X-Men books from 1978 could be included in this list based on value, but I’ve limited it to the top three issues. - Fantasy Quarterly #1 – $200 in 9.4 raw
1st appearance of Elfquest. The ultimate 1978 creator-owned sleeper: created by Wendy and Richard Pini, with Wendy on art and cover. What makes it so valuable isn’t just importance — it’s survival: a small publisher, a cheaply produced magazine, and a breakout property that quickly outgrew its origin story. - Ms. Marvel #18 – $200 in 9.4 raw
1st full appearance of Mystique (Raven Darkholme). This is one of those comics that you could have overlooked at the time, but it has become a key issue for any X-Men fan. The blue-skinned shapeshifter has one of the most complex stories among all mutants. - All-New Collectors’ Edition #56 – $180 in 9.4 raw
A treasury-sized crossover that screams “1978 entertainment” — Superman meets the world’s biggest athlete-celebrity, Muhammad Ali. Neal Adams uses the extra real estate like a director with a bigger budget—an arena packed with celebrity cameos, including the back cover. - Marvel Super Special #5 – $180 in 9.4 raw
Pure spinner-rack electricity: comics as a direct plug-in to music fandom, posters, and celebrity branding. Whether you like KISS or not, they know how to sell cool. - Archie #271 – $129 in 9.4 raw
Inuendo Pearl Necklace. There are several of these Archie-style books that have seemingly innocent covers, but changes in slang over time make them inappropriate. Innuendo covers like Archie #271 have become highly desirable, rising in value because they are an interesting conversation piece. - X-Men #113 – $106 in 9.4 raw
Not every valuable issue is a “first” — sometimes it’s prime-era Claremont/Byrne momentum and a storyline readers remember, especially in the stretch where the book is leveling up fast. - X-Men #115 – $100 in 9.4 raw
Part of the run where the book leans hard into Savage Land pulp + escalating danger, with the kind of Bronze Age adventure energy collectors love in high grade. X-Men fans adore this monumental run by Claremont and Byrne. - Detective Comics #475 – $99 in 9.4 raw
Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers’ classic, “The Laughing Fish” story. This is one of those raw books when the interior artwork is better than the cover. Marshall Rogers draws an active and dramatic cape on Batman, gorgeous women, and a sinister Joker. - House of Mystery #256 – $95 in 9.4 raw
Bernie Wrightson cover. Wrightson leans fully into autumn gothic—his signature linework, a creeping dread, and that unforgettable ghoul emerging from a pumpkin. It’s also his final House of Mystery cover, and it echoes the same pumpkin-ghoul vibe collectors love from Secrets of Haunted House #5.
- What if? #10 – $85 in 9.4 raw
1st appearance of Jane Foster as Thor. A classic What If…? hook with a cover that’s all shock value—Thor’s “By the sacred beard of Odin!” feels like the book winking at the premise. In the last five years, this book has been on a roller coaster ride, rising rapidly only to fall dramatically. - Detective Comics #476 – $82 in 9.4 raw
Marshall Rogers Sign of the Joker cover. Part two of the Laughing Fish storyline with a cinematic Batman cover. Torrential rain blankets the city, a flash of lightning, the threat of Joker’s laughing fish, and Batman’s epic cape all make for a dramatic cover. - Ms. Marvel #16 – $80 in 9.4 raw
Cameo of Mystique (Raven Darkholme). The “before the world knew what it was seeing” version of a major villain’s debut. - Blazing Combat #nn – $80 in 9.4 raw
Frank Frazetta Cover. This is the trade paperback reprinting the original mid-60s comics of the same name. A unique anthology that featured top artists and writers telling difficult stories. - The Peacemaker #1 – $80 in 9.4 raw
Modern Comic Reprint of Charlton’s Peacemaker. Sold in multipacks and not treated like a “collectible” at the time, which is exactly why clean copies get chased now. - Scary Tales #13 – $80 in 9.4 raw
The striking cover image is a recolored partial panel from the story, “Grandma, What Big Eyes You Have!” by Alfredo de Elias. This comic book has been graded a total of 3 times, yes, three. With only a handful graded, high-grade copies are strong grading candidates. - Batman #300 – $76 in 9.4 raw
300th issue. Batman in a spotlight, staring intently at his cape and cowl, wondering if he will continue fighting the worst of Gotham. Dick Giordano Cover - Marvel Team-Up #65 – $76 in 9.4 raw
1st US appearance of Captain Britain and Arcade. Dramatic fight scene on the steel girders of a building being constructed. - Marvel Comics Super Special #6 – $75 in 9.4 raw
Jaws Two official movie adaptation. The movie poster has a bikini-clad woman skiing while a massive shark surfaces behind her. The cover artist, Bob Larkin, has our bikini-clad woman fully immersed, but the results are the same. Pure late-’70s “Hollywood on the rack” energy. - Spidey Super Stories #31 – $75 in 9.4 raw
A perfect “1978 only” mash-up: Spider-Man, lightsaber energy, and blockbuster parody vibes all on one cover. Star Jaws! - Batman #296 – $72 in 9.4 raw
A captivating Scarecrow cover that is surprisingly the only cover that Sal Amendola penciled. He nailed this cover with a terrified Batman sprinting away while a giant, eerie Scarecrow bends to catch him.
1978’s most valuable comic books form a genuinely unusual list. For the first time in the Bronze Age, creator-owned and independent titles don’t just appear—they dominate, crowding the top of the rankings in a way no other year has matched so far. These weren’t corporate bets designed to last forever; they were small-print risks that survived against the odds—and collectors have been rewarding that survival ever since.
Equally striking are the books that didn’t make the cut. Just outside the Top 25 sit titles that feel like automatic inclusions on paper: Firestorm #1, Spider-Woman #1, Doorway to Nightmare #1, Machine Man #1, and the first appearance of Killer Frost. Any one of them could jump into the list with the right catalyst—a movie rumor, a streaming cameo, or a renewed creative spotlight. In a year like 1978, the line between “almost” and “essential” is thinner than it looks.
And then there’s the cultural noise of the moment. Comics in 1978 weren’t operating in a vacuum—they were actively responding to the same forces driving movies, television, and music. Hollywood blockbusters, rock bands, athletes, and celebrity spectacle all found their way onto the rack, sometimes officially licensed, sometimes just echoed in visual language. At the same time, the fundamentals still mattered: first appearances that quietly shaped the future, and artist-driven covers so strong they became the reason the book survived at all.
Taken together, 1978 feels less like a single trend and more like a collision year—where pop culture, artistry, first appearances, and creator-owned ambition all hit the spinner rack at once. Comics colliding into a weird and wonderful year, 1978.
by Ron Cloer
Writing on Bronze Age comics, cultural history, and market significance
For a year-by-year list of the most expensive Bronze Age comic books and Bronze Age Creator Spotlights, see my archive page. Bronze Age Comic Book Archive
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