Inside the Guide: All Star Comics #3
In 1940 editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox conceived an idea that would be a pivotal concept for comics: the creation of the superhero team. When the Atom, Sandman, The Spectre, Flash, Hawkman, Doctor Fate, Green Lantern, and Hourman appeared on the cover of All Star Comics #3, the Justice Society of America were introduced as the first superhero team.
The group would bring their unique abilities together to face the most formidable of enemies. They would add to their numbers, see different members take on the mantle of leadership and serve as a blueprint for future superhero teams.
When All Star Comics #3 was published in the Winter of 1940-1941, the comic cost just 10¢. When Robert M. Overstreet published The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1 in 1970, a Near Mint copy of the book was valued at $135. Ten years later, it was up nearly eight times that at $900.
When the Guide #20 was published in 1990, it was up to $7,500. It was well into the five-figures by 2000, landing at $31,500. Ten years later, it reached $85,000 in The Guide #40. In 2020 when the Guide celebrated its 50th anniversary, a Near Mint copy of All Star Comics #3 was valued at $142,000.
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