# Is "Cages" by Dave McKean a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cages by Dave McKean (Kitchen Sink Press, 1998) is identified by: First complete one-volume collected edition, Kitchen Sink Press, 1998, gathering the ten-issue series (issues 1-10, Tundra then Kitchen Sink, 1990-1996) into a single hardcover of roughly 500 pages. The single issues (Cages 1-10, 1990-1996) are the true first appearances of the work; the 1998 Kitchen Sink one-volume is the first complete book edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First complete one-volume collected edition, Kitchen Sink Press, 1998, gathering the ten-issue series (issues 1-10, Tundra then Kitchen Sink, 1990-1996) into a single hardcover of roughly 500 pages
- First printing identified by the Kitchen Sink 1998 indicia with no later-printing statement
- A signed and numbered limited hardcover, issued in a slipcase with an audio CD of McKean's music bound in and signed by McKean (limited to 1000 copies), is a distinct collectible state alongside the standard trade hardcover
- Correct publisher/imprint: Kitchen Sink Press

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dave McKean |
| Publisher | Kitchen Sink Press |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First complete one-volume collected edition, Kitchen Sink Press, 1998, gathering the ten-issue series (issues 1-10, Tundra then Kitchen… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First complete one-volume collected edition, Kitchen Sink Press, 1998, gathering the ten-issue series (issues 1-10, Tundra then Kitchen Sink, 1990-1996) into a single hardcover of roughly 500 pages. First printing identified by the Kitchen Sink 1998 indicia with no later-printing statement. A signed and numbered limited hardcover, issued in a slipcase with an audio CD of McKean's music bound in and signed by McKean (limited to 1000 copies), is a distinct collectible state alongside the standard trade hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
The single issues (Cages 1-10, 1990-1996) are the true first appearances of the work; the 1998 Kitchen Sink one-volume is the first complete book edition. Later NBM (2002) and Dark Horse (2010) collected editions are 'first thus.'

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Confirm the Kitchen Sink Press 1998 imprint for the first complete edition; distinguish the standard trade hardcover from the signed/numbered slipcased state with CD.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cages* by Dave McKean a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cages
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.