Tank Girl first appeared in Deadline #1, published by Independent in 1988. That places it in the Copper Age.
Why this issue matters
Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett's creation launched in the first issue of the British magazine Deadline, a comics and music hybrid aimed squarely at the late-eighties UK scene. Hewlett went on to co-create Gorillaz. A properly British key that trades far more readily here than in the States.
Key facts
Deadline #1
- Character: Tank Girl
- Publisher: Independent
- Cover year: 1988
- Era: Copper Age
Before you buy or sell one
- Check it is a first print, not a facsimile or reprint. Newsstand and direct editions are priced differently too.
- Condition decides most of the value. Whether grading is worth it depends on the copy.
Other first appearances from 1988
- Venom Amazing Spider-Man #300, 1988
- McFarlane Spider-Man Amazing Spider-Man #298, 1988
- Jason Todd Robin Death Batman #428, 1988
- Akira Akira #1, 1988
More Independent firsts from the Copper Age
- Usagi Yojimbo Albedo Anthropomorphics #2, 1984
- The Crow Caliber Presents #1, 1989
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT #1, 1984
- Bone Bone #1, 1991
- Sandman (Gaiman) Sandman #1, 1989
- Lone Wolf and Cub Lone Wolf and Cub #1, 1987
Got a copy?
I buy key issues and whole collections across the UK, and I will tell you honestly whether what you have is the real first or a later printing. Send me photos of the cover and the indicia and I will come back with a straight answer, and a proper valuation if you want one.