Ask a comic book fan about key first appearances and they can rattle off a list without taking a breath. Superman? Action Comics #1. Spider-Man? Amazing Fantasy #15. And the list goes on and on.

But, those first appearances aren’t the only reason comics can be labeled as a key. They reach key status when an origin is told, a major storyline happens, an important character death, an established character’s first appearance in a new comic age, and the list goes on.

For The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #26, Robert M. Overstreet took a deep dive into important moments in comic history. The “Historic Firsts” list features the first comic book of a genre, publisher, theme, or type. Below we present the first portion of that list (listed alphabetically).

Aviation comic – Wings Comics #1 (September 1940)
Comic book annual – Big Book of Fun Comics #1 (Spring 1936)
Comic book – Funnies On Parade #nn (1933)
Comic book to go into endless reprints – Classic Comics #1 (October 1941)
Comic book to kill off a superhero (the Comet) – Pep Comics #17 (July 1941)
Comic book with metallic logo – Silver Streak #1 (December 1939)
Comic book with original material – New Fun Comics #1 (February 1935)
Costumed hero battle comic – Marvel Mystery #9 (July 1940)
Costumed hero comic (the Phantom in a strip) – Ace Comics #11 (February 1938)
Costumed hero comic (original material) – Funny Pages Vol. 2 #10 (September 1938) – the Arrow (three months after Superman)
Costumed hero sidekick comic (Robin) – Detective Comics #38 (April 1940)
Crime – Crime Does Not Pay #22 (June 1942)
Detective comic – Detective Picture Stories #1 (December 1936)
Disney single character comic book – Donald Duck #nn (1938)
Disney single character comic book in color – Donald Duck 4-Color #4 (March 1940)
Educational theme comic – Classic Comics #1 (October 1941)
Five-cent comic – Nickel Comics #1 (1938)
Fifteen-cent comic – New York World’s Fair (1940)
Flying saucer comic – Spirit Section (September 1947)
Funny animal series – Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories #1 (October 1940)
Funny animal single character comic – Donald Duck #nn (1938)
Giveaway comic – Funnies on Parade #nn (1933)