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Journey Into Mystery Comic Book Prices
The series which launched Thor, Odin and Loki started life very differently.
In the 1950s, horror and suspense comics were all the rage.
JIM began as a copycat title to cash in on this interest in the macabre.
If you've found comics from this classic Atlas/Marvel series, then we are here to help. We will appraise your comics FREE, or offer to buy them for immediate cash.
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JIM #1
1st in series
Record sale: $9,600
Minimum value (poor but complete): $100
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Journey into Mystery #23
Record sale: $1,125
Minimum value: $20
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Journey into Mystery #62
Hulk issue
Record sale: $1,030
Minimum value: $25
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JIM #69
Record sale: $900
Minimum value: $10
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Journey into Mystery #83
First appearance of Thor
Record sale: $210,000
Minimum value: $1,000
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Journey into Mystery #85
First Loki
Record sale: $53,500
Minimum value: $200
JIM #85 is the first appearance of Thor's half-brother and nemesis, the Norse trickster-god, Loki. It also marks the first appearance of Asgard.
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Journey into Mystery #86
1st Odin
Record sale: $13,500
Minimum value: $20
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Journey into Mystery #103
First appearance of Enchantress
Record Sale: $13,100
Minimum Value: $30
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JIM #109
Magneto appearance
Record sale: $5,250
Minimum value: $10
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Journey into Mystery #112
Classic Thor vs Hulk Battle
Record Sale: $17,925
Minimum Value: $20
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Journey into Mystery #125
Last in old series
Record sale: $4,850
Minimum value: $5
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From issue #126 onwards, you can check the value of later Thor comic books here.
JIM started off, in 1952, as a horror and fantasy anthology comic.
Atlas Comics was the successor to Timely, and the precursor to Marvel, and they launched JIM during the later Golden Age, during the pre-Code glory years of horror comics.
EC Comics was thriving at that time, and JIM was a success right out of the gate.
JIM #1 appeared in June, 1952, with a gruesome cover by Russ Heath that neatly embodies the time period.
JIM, it is safe to say, rode the coattails of its EC inspirations to success.
While JIM never rivaled EC's horror titles in quality or popularity, Atlas never ran afoul of the Comics Code Authority like EC did, and Stan Lee certainly wasn't subjected to the same harassment as William Gaines.
So, JIM was a stepping stone for Atlas to morph into Marvel as the Golden Age ended and the Silver Age began, and survived for years so that a certain long-haired Norse Thunder God could occupy its pages for 40-odd issues, spring boarding The Mighty Thor to comic stardom.
Yes, starting with JIM #83, the title was basically a vehicle for Odin's favorite son, and after a while, all things Asgardian.
Stan Lee by then (1962) had sussed out that superheroes were the way to go. The Silver Age may have started a little later at Marvel than it had at DC, but when it did start, it started with a vengeance.
Thor would eventually prove so popular that JIM was turned into The Mighty Thor with #126. The rest, as they say, is history.
Almost all of the earliest issues of JIM are valuable, in the way that all Golden Age comics are to a certain extent valuable in good condition. But it is the Thor issues that have the most interest for collectors, even if they don't fetch as much as Journey Into Mystery #1.
Thor was a key part of Marvel's rise to the top as the sixties got rolling, and JIM is where that all starts.
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If you've got some Silver Age or Bronze Age copies of Journey Into Mystery, especially#1, #2, or #83, then click here to have them valued FREE by Sell My Comic Books!
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