# Is "Marvels" by Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Marvels by Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross (Marvel Comics, 1994) is identified by: Serial: four-issue painted prestige limited series (issues 0 through 4), Marvel, 1994, with no printing notation on first-print issues. The 1994 four-issue series is the serial first appearance of this painted milestone; the 1994 Marvel collected edition is the first book; the Graphitti Designs signed and numbered slipcased hardcover is the premium limited state.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Serial: four-issue painted prestige limited series (issues 0 through 4), Marvel, 1994, with no printing notation on first-print issues
- First collected book, Marvel, 1994
- A signed and numbered slipcased hardcover with foldout dust jacket was published by Graphitti Designs in 1994, limited to about 8,500 copies, ISBN 0-936211-47-4, signed by Busiek and Ross
- The collected first print states the first printing
- Correct publisher/imprint: Marvel Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Serial: four-issue painted prestige limited series (issues 0 through 4), Marvel, 1994, with no printing notation on first-print issues |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Serial: four-issue painted prestige limited series (issues 0 through 4), Marvel, 1994, with no printing notation on first-print issues. First collected book, Marvel, 1994. A signed and numbered slipcased hardcover with foldout dust jacket was published by Graphitti Designs in 1994, limited to about 8,500 copies, ISBN 0-936211-47-4, signed by Busiek and Ross. The collected first print states the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
The 1994 four-issue series is the serial first appearance of this painted milestone; the 1994 Marvel collected edition is the first book; the Graphitti Designs signed and numbered slipcased hardcover is the premium limited state. Distinguish serial, collected, and limited.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Later collected printings and the 2014 Platinum Edition slipcase are later. Verify the 1994 first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Marvels* by Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/marvels
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.