The Biggest Pulls from the ComicBook.com Vending Machine (So Far)

Our vending machine at egmr.ru has been running for a little over a week, and it’s already been a hit! We’ve sent out a fantastic selection of comic books to readers. As we mentioned before, our editorial team carefully chose each comic for its importance, beautiful art, or overall collectibility. Some highlights include Incredible Hulk #181 (Wolverine’s first appearance), The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (the start of Spider-Man’s solo series), Batman #357 (introducing Jason Todd), and the very first issue of the 1988 Aliens series from Dark Horse Comics – a personal favorite! There are many other great comics available, too.

– Visit the egmr.ru Vending Machine –

We’ve been visiting local comic book stores, which has helped us grow our series, ComicBook Shop Talk. We interview and feature the owners and managers who’ve dedicated years to the hobby, giving them a platform to share what makes their store unique.

Check out a few of those profiles right here:

The Great Escape (Madison)
Rick’s Comic City (Clarksville)
The Game Cave

As we mentioned before, all the items available in the Vending Machine are real and can be shipped to you. Now that it’s been up for two weeks, what are the most exciting comic books people have received?

1994 Batman Adventures: Mad Love CGC 9.8 – $1,400

Though Harley Quinn first appeared in Batman: The Animated Series and made her comic debut in Batman Adventures #12, the storyline Batman Adventures: Mad Love is considered her defining origin story. This award-winning tale details how the Joker manipulated the kind-hearted Dr. Harleen Quinzel, ultimately transforming her into the iconic Harley Quinn, his lover and accomplice.

A comic book retrieved from the vending machine was professionally graded at 9.8 by CGC and is estimated to be worth $1,400.

1973 Conan the Barbarian #23 CGC 9.8 – $1,615

The most valuable comic book discovered in the vending machine so far is Conan the Barbarian #23, which marks the first appearance of Red Sonja, a popular hero who later moved from Marvel Comics to Dynamite Entertainment. Red Sonja’s story in comics is quite complex. It took two years after her debut for her origin story to be told (in Kull and the Barbarians #3), and things became even stranger when it was revealed in 1979 that Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man’s future wife, was a reincarnation of the character. Since 2005, Dynamite Entertainment has been the primary publisher of Red Sonja, though Marvel Comics has occasionally featured her in crossover events.

The specific issue pulled from the was also a CGC 9.8 – with an estimated value of $1,615.

1988 Aliens #1 CGC 9.8 – $2,214

Released before Alien 3 came out, the Aliens comic series from 1988 revisits the story of Newt, now an adult struggling with trauma from her encounter with the xenomorphs, and an older Corporal Hicks. The story picks up long after they were rescued from LV-426 at the end of James Cameron’s Aliens. This Dark Horse Comics issue was the first official Alien comic book, although some argue a 1979 graphic novel adaptation of Ridley Scott’s Alien published in Heavy Metal Magazine came first. Regardless, this series is significant because its events were later contradicted in the films – both Newt and Hicks are shown as deceased at the start of Alien 3 in 1992.

Yet another 9.8, the Aliens #1 that was pulled from the machine is worth $2,214.

1974 Incredible Hulk #181 CGC 5 – $2,895

The comic Incredible Hulk #181 is famous for being the first full appearance of Wolverine, a hugely popular X-Men character. While he briefly appeared in Incredible Hulk #180, issue #181 tells Logan’s first complete story. In it, the Canadian government sends Wolverine to stop the Hulk’s destructive path through the Canadian wilderness. However, he quickly becomes involved in a fight between the Hulk and Wendigo, ultimately helping the Hulk defeat Wendigo before turning his attention back to capturing the Hulk himself.

Issue #181 is unique because it’s narrated from the Hulk’s point of view. However, the same battle was later shown again in Wolverine: Origins #28, but this time from Wolverine’s perspective. Given Wolverine’s significant place in comic book history and widespread appeal to both dedicated fans and new readers, this issue consistently fetches a high price, no matter its condition as assessed by CGC.

Okay, so that Incredible Hulk #181 that got pulled from sale? It was a CGC 5.0. But don’t worry, if you’re hunting for one, there are still some available in the Vending Machine! We actually found a CGC 8.0 copy and two raw, ungraded issues all in one go – and yes, we filmed the whole thing, because, well, I’m a collector and that’s what we do!

Check that out below:

1977 Star Wars #1 CGC 9.8 – $3,000

So far, the most valuable comic book discovered inside a vending machine is a highly-rated copy of Star Wars #1 from 1977. This comic was the first in the Star Wars series, and this particular copy is especially prized by collectors because it’s in nearly perfect condition – a 9.8 grade – even after being around for almost 50 years.

Unlike some other early comic adaptations that introduced new characters, Star Wars #1 simply retells the story of A New Hope. This 1977 mini-series consisted of six issues, and the first one covers the Empire’s attack on the Tantive IV. It introduces key characters like Darth Vader, Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, and shows the first meeting between Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine. The cover proudly proclaims it the “first fabulous issue” based on what many consider the “greatest space-fantasy film of all time.”

We recently sold a pristine copy of Star Wars #1 (graded 9.8 by CGC), but a copy of Star Wars #2 is still available in our Vending Machine – it’s graded 8.0! This issue features the famous cantina scene from A New Hope and the comic book debut of Han Solo and Chewbacca.

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This is just a small sample of the comic books people have gotten from the egmr.ru vending machine. We haven’t even talked about the Pokémon cards, including a valuable Umbreon VMAX card from the 2021 Pokémon Sword & Shield: Evolving Skies set, worth $4,100! We’re currently adding more comics to the machine, and the ‘Legendary’ version will feature some really rare and expensive issues.

We appreciate everyone who’s given the Vending Machine a try! We hope you got something you liked. If you haven’t used it yet…