Valida Payton

Valida Payton stepped onto the scene in the Bronze Age with a striking debut — Spider-Woman #1 (1978), crafted by the legendary team of Marv Wolfman and Carmine Infantino. Her catalog footprint is small but her first-issue credentials are impeccable, sharing early pages with titans like Spider-Man, Captain America, and Victor Von Doom, as well as the enigmatic Phaedra and the beloved Mary Jane Watson. The eclectic range of series she turns up in — from the prehistoric thunder of Devil Dinosaur to the kaiju chaos of Godzilla — speaks to the wonderfully sprawling, anything-goes spirit of Marvel's Bronze Age. A rare find for the dedicated completist, Valida Payton is one of those intriguing background figures who rewards the collector willing to dig a little deeper.