# Is "Mr. Punch (The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch)" by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mr. Punch (The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch) by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean (Victor Gollancz, 1994) is identified by: The true first was published in the UK by Victor Gollancz in 1994 as a trade paperback (ISBN 0-575-05318-6). The UK Gollancz 1994 trade paperback is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first was published in the UK by Victor Gollancz in 1994 as a trade paperback (ISBN 0-575-05318-6)
- The US edition, published the same year by DC's Vertigo imprint, appeared as a hardcover (ISBN 1-56389-181-6) and is the first US edition; a US Vertigo trade paperback followed in 1995
- Correct publisher/imprint: Victor Gollancz

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | The true first was published in the UK by Victor Gollancz in 1994 as a trade paperback… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first was published in the UK by Victor Gollancz in 1994 as a trade paperback (ISBN 0-575-05318-6). The US edition, published the same year by DC's Vertigo imprint, appeared as a hardcover (ISBN 1-56389-181-6) and is the first US edition; a US Vertigo trade paperback followed in 1995.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Gollancz 1994 trade paperback is the true first edition. The original record described the true first as a hardcover, which is incorrect: the UK first was a paperback, and the hardcover form belongs to the first US Vertigo edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Vertigo printings and subsequent editions are reprints, not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mr. Punch (The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch)* by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mr-punch-the-tragical-comedy-or-comical-tragedy-of-mr-punch
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.