Hellboy First Appearance: San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 and How to Identify It

Hellboy first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 (cover date 1993), published by Dark Horse. The source puts it this way: "Hellboy made his first true appearance in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 in 1993, but that was only in black and white.".

• Original printing was black-and-white: Hellboy made his first true appearance in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 in 1993, but that printing was only in black and white.
• First color appearance came later, in a different comic: his first appearance in color came later that same year, in John Byrne's Next Men #21.

• 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.