Aquaman First Appearance: More Fun Comics #73 Value

Aquaman first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 (cover date November 1941), published by DC, by Mort Weisinger, Paul Norris. The source puts it this way: "This book features the origin and first appearance of Aquaman, saving refugees whose ship was torpedoed by a Nazi submarine.".

PriceCharting values for More Fun Comics #73 (1941) by CGC grade, based on recorded sales and updated September 25, 2026:

• CGC 2.0: $14,683
• CGC 3.0: $18,354
• CGC 4.0: $22,942
• CGC 5.0: $47,192
• CGC 6.0: $67,800
• CGC 7.0: $101,136
• CGC 8.0: $124,281
• CGC 9.2: $161,566

The spread from CGC 2.0 ($14,683) to CGC 9.2 ($161,566) shows how much condition matters on a key issue. Restored, trimmed or incomplete copies sell far below these figures, and reprints and facsimiles (see below) are worth a small fraction. Grade and restoration are confirmed by a grading service such as CGC or CBCS; prices move with the market and the character's popularity.

• Cover art does NOT show Aquaman: the cover instead went to Doctor Fate (introduced the previous year), shown clad in blue and gold, fighting bad guys.
• Cover date on CGC census record: CGC's census record lists the cover date as 11/41.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the issue number, date and publisher; reprints usually say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode format that did not exist in the year printed means a later edition.
• Paper and staples: decades-old newsprint is tan at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and married covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat, straight on, in even light, then the indicia page and the back cover. Include the top edge and staples in one frame. The app reads the title, issue number and cover and matches it against the checks above; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.

Aquaman debuted in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941), created by artist Paul Norris and writer Mort Weisinger. His first origin was different from the one most readers know: he was the son of a famous undersea explorer who trained him with scientific methods to live underwater, not a prince of Atlantis. The Silver Age version, Arthur Curry, son of lighthouse keeper Tom Curry and Atlanna, a water-breathing outcast from Atlantis, first appeared in Adventure Comics #260 (May 1959). His first series of his own began in February 1962, and he was a founding member of the Justice League (Wikipedia).

PriceCharting values for Adventure Comics #260 (1959), which it describes as the first appearance of the Silver Age Aquaman, retrieved September 25, 2026: $121.94 in CGC 4.0, $313.53 in CGC 6.0, $2,450 in CGC 8.0 and $3,185 in CGC 9.2. PriceCharting records a CGC 9.4 sold at Heritage for $26,400 in December 2023. Even at the top, it costs far less than More Fun Comics #73, which is the true first appearance.

Namor came first. Marvel's Sub-Mariner, created by Bill Everett, appeared in Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1 (April 1939), which was not circulated, and then publicly in Marvel Comics #1 (October 1939) (Wikipedia). Aquaman followed in November 1941, about two years later. The two companies' sea kings crossed paths once, unofficially: Sub-Mariner #72 (September 1974), the last issue of that series, was written as a crossover with the last issue of DC's Aquaman series.

Jason Momoa, born August 1, 1979, was reported cast as Arthur Curry in 2014. He first played the role in a cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), then in Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) (Wikipedia).