COMIC DETAILS
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Comic Description:
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Justice League of America 1 Universal
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Grade:
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9.6
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Page Quality:
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OFF-WHITE
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Certification #:
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1295596001
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Owner:
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Mississippi Mudcats
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SET DETAILS
Owner's Description
Issue #1 marks the first appearance of the JLA in their own magazine after three try-out issues in Brave and Bold (#28-30). Issue #1 also features the origin and first appearance of Despero.
In “World of No Return,” Barry Allen investigates a strange blue glow coming from a house, and ends up encountering Jasonar and Saranna, beings from Kalanor a planet in another dimension. Changing into the Flash, Barry learns that these aliens have escaped Kalanor, which has been under the rule of Despero, a despotic ruler who has access to super weapons. Jasonar and Saranna came to Earth to build a device which would absorb Kalanor's weapons' power source. Offering to help, the Flash calls the Justice League together to help Jasonar and Saranna in their mission to stop Despero.
When Saranna is kidnapped by Despero, Flash rushes to the JLA headquarters to find the rest of the team under Despero's power. Despero offers the Flash a chance to save his friends by planning a version of chess, which involves using cards to move the pieces. Each chess piece represents a different JLA member, if they land on a free square each member is set free and Despero will leave Earth and give up his conquest. However, if the pieces were to land on a disaster square, the Flash would have to leave Despero alone to complete his conquest of Kalanor.
Flash eventually loses due to Despero's tampering and is forced to leave in Jasonar's dimensional traveler, while each JLA member was transported to a different world. As Despero gloats over his victory, he is totally unaware that the he has been observed by Snapper Carr.
While in the furthest reaches of the universe pairs of JLA members escape from their various perils: Wonder Woman and Superman escape from a world of primordial creatures resembling the dinosaurs of prehistoric Earth; Green Lantern and Aquaman save an aquatic planet from a super weapon before escaping in a glass submarine lent to them by the indigent population; Martian Manhunter and Batman save another planet from being destroyed as a missile streaks towards the planet's nearby star. Afterwards, all the JLA members reunite and are determined to track down and stop Despero.
Meanwhile, Jasonar had completed his energy absorber weapon to use against Despero, but the villain shows up and uses his powers to immobilize Jasonar. When all seems lost, Snapper emerges from Despero's dimensional transporter (having stowed himself away on it) and uses the energy absorber on Despero, rendering him inert. The Justice League arrives shortly after to find that the villain had been defeated by their honorary member. Jasonar thanks the JLA for their help (who also congratulate Snapper) and Jasonar returns to his home dimension with the inert Despero.
Our 9.6 is one of two highest graded copies of this pivotal issue as of 6/2020. It was auctioned off by Heritage in 2018. We subsequently acquired it in a private transaction with a friend and fellow collector.
Strangely enough, both 9.6s in the census came to auction within a year or so, the first in a Heritage auction and the second in a CC auction, with the Heritage book making $100k more than the one on CC. I am not sure I have an explanation for that one, other than the market for many DCs remain very thin and one buyer was eliminated when the second one came to auction. Also, as I mentioned in my general remarks above, the prices on these books have really fallen over the last couple of years. From an investors’ standpoint, I think DCs now represent a far better investment than Marvels, after all, the object is to buy low and sell high and the prices on DCs are very low compared to their Marvel counterparts. I do prefer Marvels myself, but when a FF #4 7.5, of which there are 150 copies as good or better, makes considerably more in the same auction than a JLA #11 9.8, which is highest graded 1/2 and came out the same month as the FF #4, the price disparity becomes absurd (for the record, the auction was on Heritage in November 2020, the JLA #11 9.8 made $7,800, while the FF #4 7.5 made $9,000). Moreover, to be honest, I think the JLA #11 cover is actually cooler than the FF #4 cover, and covers is really all we are collecting when we buy CGC books. I fully realize it goes against the current trends in the market, but if I were a young collector just starting out, I would buy DCs.
2022 Update: The other 9.6 is currently for sale on Metropolis Comics with an asking price of $325,000. It will be interesting to see if it sells, as the asking price is a good $200k more than that book last sold for on CC around 2019.
2023 Update: I am not sure I still agree with my statement above about buying DCs because of their relative value compared to Marvels, as any price support for DC silver age books seems to be isolated to the keys. There are still many collectors putting together Marvels runs, giving those books price support throughout their titles. By contrast, early 1960s highest graded DCs seen to have again suffered price declines, unless they are considered keys. I have found it particularly interesting to witness how poorly the Promise Collection books have fared since their initial auction. Now those books are golden age, but the books in titles like Batman, Detective and Wonder Woman, which span both gold and silver age, have done very poorly on resale. If you invested in them, you have lost money, at least as of June 2023.
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