# Is "Watchmen #1 (comic)" by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Watchmen #1 (comic) by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons (DC Comics, 1986) is identified by: First issue of the twelve-part maxi-series, cover-dated September 1986, with a the printed price cover price (not the printed price). True first appearance of Rorschach, the Comedian, Dr.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First issue of the twelve-part maxi-series, cover-dated September 1986, with a the printed price cover price (not the printed price)
- The first print direct-market edition carries the DC logo box in the lower-left cover corner; newsstand copies carry a UPC barcode instead
- The indicia shows no reprint or later-printing notation
- As a direct-market maxi-series of this era, the original single issues were generally not reprinted as floppies during the initial run, so most surviving copies are first printings
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First issue of the twelve-part maxi-series, cover-dated September 1986, with a the printed price cover price (not the printed price) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First issue of the twelve-part maxi-series, cover-dated September 1986, with a the printed price cover price (not the printed price). The first print direct-market edition carries the DC logo box in the lower-left cover corner; newsstand copies carry a UPC barcode instead. The indicia shows no reprint or later-printing notation. As a direct-market maxi-series of this era, the original single issues were generally not reprinted as floppies during the initial run, so most surviving copies are first printings.

## Is this the true first?
True first appearance of Rorschach, the Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre and Ozymandias. The serialized issues precede the 1987 collected trade paperback. Both direct and newsstand states exist; grade (white pages, sharp corners) drives desirability far more than the direct/newsstand distinction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. Beware later DC reprint printings of the single issue and recolored editions; the original carries the 1986 indicia and the printed price cover price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Watchmen #1 (comic)* by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/watchmen-1-comic
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.