When the Golden Age of comics ended superhero titles had lost some of their luster. To rejuvenate the industry, publishers had to create new superheroes and revamp well worn favorites. It was during this period that DC introduced second generation heroes that would surpass their earlier counterparts in popularity and longevity. Characters like Hal Jordan.

Hal was a former fighter pilot brimming with bravery, who was chosen to become the second Green Lantern and became a founding member of the Justice League of America. He was introduced in Showcase #22 (September-October 1959), which carried a cover price of 10¢. When Robert M. Overstreet published The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1 in 1970, a Near Mint copy was priced at $6.

Ten years later, Hal’s first appearance had taken a big leap to $180 in the Guide #10. In 1990’s Guide #20, it quadrupled in value, landing at $725. By the Guide #30, it was well into the thousands, priced at $4,500.

The book nearly tripled by 2010, priced at $12,500 in the Guide #40. When the Guide #52 was published in 2022, a Near Mint copy of Showcase #22 had soared to the incredible height of $62,000.