# Is "Violent Cases" by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Violent Cases by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean (Escape / Titan Books, 1987) is identified by: First Gaiman/McKean collaboration; the original UK edition (1987, ISBN 0950956864) is a 48-page volume with an introduction by Alan Moore. True first is the 1987 UK black-and-white edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Gaiman/McKean collaboration; the original UK edition (1987, ISBN 0950956864) is a 48-page volume with an introduction by Alan Moore
- McKean's artwork, executed in shades of blue, brown and grey, is reproduced in black-and-white in this first printing (the distinguishing feature versus the later colour reworkings) under a colour cover
- Signed copies are typically inscribed by Gaiman in silver ink
- Correct publisher/imprint: Escape / Titan Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean |
| Publisher | Escape / Titan Books |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First Gaiman/McKean collaboration; the original UK edition (1987, ISBN 0950956864) is a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First Gaiman/McKean collaboration; the original UK edition (1987, ISBN 0950956864) is a 48-page volume with an introduction by Alan Moore. McKean's artwork, executed in shades of blue, brown and grey, is reproduced in black-and-white in this first printing (the distinguishing feature versus the later colour reworkings) under a colour cover. Signed copies are typically inscribed by Gaiman in silver ink.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1987 UK black-and-white edition. Publisher attribution is genuinely split in the sources between Escape Books and Titan (Titan under Mike Lake published/distributed it), so the dual Escape/Titan attribution is appropriate. Later colour editions (Tundra 1991, Dark Horse, and the 30th-anniversary edition) are later first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Colour and anniversary editions are later first-thus, distinct from the 1987 black-and-white first; the black-and-white reproduction of McKean's blue/brown/grey art is the tell for the true first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Violent Cases* by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/violent-cases
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.