Is My Copy of Watchmen a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the DC softcover trade (collecting the 1986–87 twelve-issue maxi-series), with the printed cover price, ISBN 0-930289-23-4, the 'bloody smiley / broken window' cover, and a stated first printing with a number line ending in 1
• Early printings carry no UPC barcode block
• 448 pages, full color

How DC Comics marked a first edition

• Indicia/copyright page carries the publisher block ('Copyright © [year] DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.'), ISBN, and a printing statement: a first printing states 'First Printing', often with no later dates, or a single…
• Modern DC collected editions use a descending number line in the indicia ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); the lowest number present is the printing, so '1' present indicates a first printing.

Full DC Comics first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the indicia — a first-printing single issue carries no later-printing line; a collected edition is “first thus,” not the true first.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

Format & printing

This title first appeared as a single issue / periodical, not a trade book. The true first is the first-printing single issue; later trade paperbacks or hardcover collections are “first thus.” Check the indicia (the small-print publication block) for a printing statement.

Is this the true first?

The DC US trade is the recognized true first edition of the collected work. The individual comic Watchmen #1 (DC, Sept. 1986) is the true first appearance in serial form. A UK Titan Books edition and later DC printings follow the DC first.P-000681

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition per se; distinguish the first printing from the many later DC/Titan reprints by the clean number line ending in 1 and the absence of any 'second printing' or later notation. 'Absolute Watchmen' (2005 oversized slipcase) and recolored editions are not the first.P-000682

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Watchmen a first edition?

A first edition of Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons (DC Comics) is identified by: True first is the DC softcover trade (collecting the 1986–87 twelve-issue maxi-series), with the printed cover price, ISBN 0-930289-23-4, the 'bloody smiley / broken window' cover, and a stated first printing with a number line ending in 1.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. For a single issue, the indicia shows the printing. The DC US trade is the recognized true first edition of the collected work.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition per se; distinguish the first printing from the many later DC/Titan reprints by the clean number line ending in 1 and the absence of any 'second printing' or later notation. 'Absolute Watchmen' (2005 oversized slipcase) and recolored editions are not the first.

I have a first edition of Watchmen — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.